Track and field set for OUA finals this weekend
By Michal Tellos
Sports Editor
February 25, 2009
The track and field team has successfully completed their last tournament before the OUA championships this Saturday, and the CIS national championships two weeks after that.
Head Coach Dennis Fairall says the team is ready and excited for both, as the past weekend allowed athletes to solidify performances and compete one last time.
“It was just some people who needed to solidify themselves in terms of positions and scoring positions at a conference meet, and we achieved that. We tested a few people whose health positions were unclear, like Matt Sinclair, who is a real key player for us on the men’s side. He ran the second-fastest time in the country in the south, so that was great to see,” he said.
“And we had some athletes compete yesterday in Michigan at Ann Arbour, at the Silverston Invitational, where we achieved some things. Our team looks really quality going into the conference championships,” he added.
A highlight of the Silverston Invitational was Khadija Sheikh, a rookie, achieving a new personal best in triple jump.
Although the women are currently in a three-way tie for first in the nation, Fairall explains that they will probably have more of an uphill challenge at the OUAs than the men, who are the sole national leaders.
“Women are going to be the real battle, without Hannah Eberhard who was last year’s star at the OUAs. She captured three gold medals last year and she won’t be able to compete. We’re without a star who is really important to us, so we’ll be challenged. U of T’s got a good team, Western’s got a good team, and Guelph’s got a good team, so any one of those teams or us could win,” he said.
“On the men’s side we have a little buffer we just have to be cautious. Our men’s team is really strong and really balanced. We have scoring in every event, and that’s they key to success - to be able to have balance,” he added.
The team is also fresh from their Team Challenge, a tournament they hosted that included several southern Ontario schools. However, it was also an event that many alumni and prospects attended. Alumni were honoured, while prospects were welcomed to their potential home.
Fairall noted the success of the tournament in all areas.
“That was a great competition. Not only was it good in terms of team spirit and athletic success, but the fact that we had 80 or more alumni back and we recognized the CIAU champions from 1998 and 1999. But we also had 42 recruits in town and I think they definitely had an eye-opener and definitely got acquainted. We impressed the recruits which is important. So it was a triple-effect meet,” he said.
The teams were men’s cross-country champions in 1998 and women’s track and field champions in 1999.
Fairall also added that the Team Challenge weekend helped many young athletes choose to become a Lancer.
Ahead is the CIS Championship, which is hosted by the Windsor Lancers for the first time in four years. Fairall and the team couldn’t be happier to have the event back in Windsor.
“It’s great to be able to host it, we didn’t host for four years. It was in Manitoba and then Saskatchewan, and then two years at McGill so it’s great to be back at home. It’s always a plus to compete at home in front of home crowd. We did very well last year at our conference meet, which was at home, and then not so good at nationals at McGill, so we just feel that it’s great to be home. We’re really looking forward to that,” he said.
The event is set to take place at the St. Denis Centre on March 12 and 13.
Last year’s OUA Championship, held in Windsor, saw some fantastic performances, and they all led to a men’s and women’s first place team finish.
Fairall also emphasized the progress that his team has made this year in terms of rookie performances, stating that they have learned how to be team players in what is usually considered to be an individual sport.
|
