X-Women runners come home with four AUS gold medals

Moncton, NB – The STFX X-Women competed at the Bell AUS Track & Field Championship in Moncton over the weekend and came home with four gold medals and two silver.

Eileen Benoit is the AUS champion in the 3000m and 1500m silver medalist. Caden Lee is the 1500m AUS champion and set a new AUS championship record time in the event. Caroline Ash is the AUS champion in the 1000m, and was honored as the 2026 AUS Female Track Athlete of the Year. She also set an AUS championship record time in the 1000m. STFX's Sarah Watson was the 3000m silver medalist.

The X-Women 4x800m relay team won gold, finishing with a time of 9:24.46 with team members Feron Wallace, Eden Hildebrand, Caroline Ash and Poppy Moon.

The 4x400m relay team of Moon, Benoit, Ash and Lee were fifth overall with a 4:12.36 showing, while the 4x200m relay team of Quincy Rotsaert-Smith, Poppy Thompson, Reanne Jean and Jillian Bennett came eighth at 2:05.89.

Ash won her 1000m gold medal on Friday with a top time of 2:47.19. Also competing in the event were Lee (2:53.65) in fifth, Wallace (3:03.11) in ninth and Bennett (3:26.59) in 12^th.

Friday also saw many X-Women compete in the 3000m race where Benoit repeated as AUS champion, this year posting a 9:34.75 result. Watson took home the silver medal with a time of 9:47.74. Rebecca Haney (10:43.33) was 12^th for X, while Rotsaert-Smith (11:16.00) came 15^th, Thompson (11:37.34) was 18^th and Jean (11:40.35) was 19^th.

Bennett was the lone X-Women competitor in Saturday's 300m race, placing 14^th overall with a 1:50.08 showing.

In the 1500m, Lee's top time of 4:27.39 automatically qualified her for the upcoming U SPORTS championship as she defended her AUS title, winning the 1500m for the second consecutive year. Benoit was close behind in the silver medal position at 4:27.82.

In the large field of 33 racers in the 1500m, Ash placed fourth overall at 4:33.64, Watson was fifth at 4:39.01, with Moon in 10^th at 4:45.91. Hildebrand (5:01.76) came 20^th overall, Jean (5:13.67) was 24^th and Rotsaert-Smith (5:16.02) was 26^th.

The Dalhousie Tigers claimed the AUS championship banner with 127 points. The UNB REDS finished second with 86 points, followed closely by the Memorial Sea-Hawks with 85.

X-Women assistant coach Gina MacInnis was honoured as the AUS Women's Volunteer Coach of the Year as the major awards were presented following the meet.

The U SPORTS national championship is scheduled for March 6-7 at the University of Manitoba.

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AUS Women's Track & Field Major Award Winners:

Female Athlete of the Meet: Sarah Pace, Memorial Sea-Hawks
Female Rookie of the Year: Audrée LeBlanc, Université de Moncton Aigles Bleues
Female Track Athlete of the Year: Caroline Ash, STFX-Women
Female Field Athlete of the Year: Ashley Morrow, UNB REDS
Female Student-Athlete Community Service Award: Claire Langille, Memorial Sea-Hawks
Women's Coach of the Year: Jennifer Stender, Memorial University
Women's Volunteer Coach of the Year: Gina MacInnis, STFX X-Women