Benoit and Lee double medalists at AUS championship

Saint John, NB – The STFX X-Women are coming home with six medals from the Bell AUS Championship this past weekend, including three gold, one silver and two bronze.

CLICK HERE for X-Men recap
CLICK HERE for full meet results

Both Eileen Benoit (Windsor, NS) and Caden Lee (Richmond Hill, ON) were double individual medalists for the White and Blue. Fourth year veteran runner Benoit won gold in the 3000m race and was the silver medalist in the 1500m. Lee, in her third year with the X-Women, won gold in the 1500m event and took home bronze in the 1000m. Benoit was also honoured as the AUS Community Service award winner at the conclusion of the meet.

Lee also anchored both the X-Women 4x400m and 4x800m relay teams – both of whom earned podium finishes. The 4x400m relay team of Poppy Moon, Caroline Ash, Hannah McIntyre and Lee claimed bronze, with the 4x800m racers taking home the gold, and setting a new AUS championship record doing so with their time of 9:13.68. Those team members were Sarah Watson, Moon, McIntyre and Lee.

The X-Women finished fourth overall in the team standings with 42 points. Dalhousie claimed the AUS banner in first place with 136 points. UNB was second with 92 and Memorial was third with 62. Rounding out the team standings were Moncton (28), UPEI (26), Saint Mary's (12) and Cape Breton (9).

Over the two-day event, X-Women runners competed in the 600m, 1000m, 1500m and 3000m  races, along with the three relay events. Complete STFX results follow.

600m
6^th - Maya Black, 1:46.42
8^th - Jillian Bennett, 1:46.66

1000m
3^rd - Caden Lee, 2:52.88
8^th - Maya Black, 3:09.90
10^th - Jillian Bennett, 3:15.74

1500m
1^st - Caden Lee, 4:31.42
2^nd - Eileen Benoit, 4:32.48
5^th - Poppy Moon 4:37.94
9^th - Caroline Ash, 4:50.34
14^th - Rebecca Haney, 4:54.26
17^th - Sarah Watson, 4:56.25
19^th - Eden Hildebrand, 4:56.95
21^st - Quincy Rotsaert-Smith, 4:59.99
22^nd - Paige Quinn, 5:00.07
24^th - Poppy Thomson, 5:11.61

3000m
1^st - Eileen Benoit, 9:52.10
13^th - Quincy Rotsaert-Smith, 10:37.61
14^th - Eden Hildebrand, 10:40.19
17^th - Rebecca Haney, 10:52.39
18^th - Poppy Thomson, 10:52.97
19^th - Paige Quinn, 10:59.60

4x200m Relay Team
7^th – Maya Black, Jillian Bennett, Quincy Rotsaert-Smith, Poppy Thomson, 2:01.43

4x400m Relay Team
3^rd - Poppy Moon, Caroline Ash, Hannah McIntyre, Caden Lee, 4:06.61

4x800m Relay Team
1^st - Sarah Watson, Poppy Moon, Hannah McIntyre, Caden Lee, 9:13.68

The AUS major award winners were as follows:

Championship Meet MVP: Abbi Gaudry, Dalhousie
AUS Community Service Award: Eileen Benoit, STFX
AUS Rookie of the Year: Ashley Morrow, UNB
AUS Track Athlete of the Year: Sophie Black, Moncton
AUS Field Athlete of the Year: Chelsea MacIsaac, Dalhousie
AUS Coach of the Year:  Rich Lehman, Dalhousie
AUS Volunteer Coach of the Year: Constance Gilam, UNB

Next up is the U SPORTS national championship being hosted by the University of Windsor from March 6-8, 2025.

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Recap courtesy Krista McKenna, STFX Athletics
Photos courtesy Fran Harris, UNB Athletics