(SAINT JOHN, NB) The Dalhousie Tigers claimed the women's and men's titles at the 2023 Subway Atlantic University Sport Track & Field Championships, in Saint John, NB.
It was the 33rd consecutive women's title for the Tigers, and 38th since 1978. The men's title is Dal's 41stconference championship.
One of the day's marquee events, the women's 60-metre final, had to be run twice, due to technical difficulties.
In the second run, just like in the first, UNB REDS finished first, second and third.
Jillian Langille won the gold medal, in a time of 7.86 seconds. Her teammates Shelby MacIsaac and Carys Jacobson earned the silver and bronze medals.
"I'm really proud of myself and I'm so excited to have been doing it with my best friends and it's just a really good feeling," said Langille.
"It was a really big challenge to re-focus after giving it all that first round," said Jacobson. "I think we all did a really good job of that. We executed the race just the way we wanted to."
Saint Mary's Nikola Kriznar won the men's 60-metres, beating UPEI's Zach Wilson to the line by 3/100ths of a second.
Dal swept the women's 600-metres, with Catherine Kennedy leading teammates Chloe Richardson and Carley Birrell across the line.
"I'm really proud of my training group," said Kennedy. "It's a testament to our training together and how hard we worked this year, so it's gratifying to see us on the podium together."
In the men's 600-metres, Dal's Zach James edged teammate Dylan Popejoy at the line. UNB's Ben Perrett was third.
Caroline Ash, of the STFX X-Women, won the women's 1500-metres, beating UNB's Sierra Rodrigues, while Saint Mary's Andrew Peverill cruised to victory in the men's 1500.
Peverill was emotional as he cross the finish line, in what will be the last race of his distinguished AUS career.
"I knew Aidan (Goslett) had been running well this season and I was going to be pressed by him, so it was a mix of putting together a good performance and my last individual race of my AUS career," he said.
In a couple of exciting 4-by-400-metre relays, Dal won both the women's and men's races.
UNB and STFX finished second and third in the women's race. STFX was second in the men's race, ahead of UNB.
On the field, UNB's Abigail Passy won the women's pole vault, beating Memorial's Erin McGettiean. Passy's winning jump established a new AUS record, at 3.20 metres.
In the men's pole vault, Moncton's Max Mazerolle won gold.
Mazerolle also won the men's heptathlon with 4462 points. He beat UNB's Oliver Arnfast, who amassed 4134 points, and Moncton's Guillaume Basque, who had 3973.
The Tigers' Abbi Gaudry won the women's long jump, registering a leap of 5.40 metres to beat UNB's Lexie Shannon and her Dal teammate Hannah McGean.
Dal's Tobi Oshikova won the men's triple jump, beating SMU's Dante Isadore.
Diego Marshall, of Dal, took the gold medal in the men's high jump, while SMU's Eric Wall was second.
In the women's weight throw, Dal's Temi Toba-Oluboka threw 16.73 metres for the gold medal. Her teammate Chelsea MacIsaac and Moncton's Kyla Hughes were second and third.
In the men's weight throw, a toss of 17.37 metres earned UNB's Christopher Grant the gold medal. Moncton's Samuel Bourque was second, ahead of UNB's Liam Turgeon.
UNB's Shelby MacIsaac and Moncton's Max Mazerolle were named the female and male Championship Meet MVPs.
Moncton's Alain Lavoie and Saint Mary's Kelly MacInnis were named AUS Community Service Award winners.
Caroline Ash, of STFX, and Dal's Dylan Popejoy were named AUS Rookies of the Year.
Dal's Catherine Kennedy and SMU's Andrew Peverill were named AUS Tracck Athletes of the Year, while Dal's Lorena Heubach and Moncton's Samuel Bourque were honoured as AUS Field Athletes of the Year.
"It's a culmination of all the hard work I put in throughout the season and it's nice to be recognized," said Bourque. "It's nice to have a visual representation of all the efforts this season."
The Tigers' Rich Lehman was named AUS women's team coach of the year, while SMU's Kevin Heisler is men's team coach of the year.
SMU's Winston Manuel and UPEI's Bailey MacIsaac were recognized as volunteer coaches of the year.
Final Team Standings
Women
1 Dalhousie 155
2 UNB 101
3 STFX 54
4 Moncton 31
5 Memorial 26
6 UPEI 11
7t Cape Breton 10
7t Saint Mary's 10
9 Acadia 1
Men
1 Dalhousie 124
2 Saint Mary's 79
3 UNB 76
4 Moncton 63
5t Memorial 21
5t STFX 21
7 UPEI 13
8 Cape Breton 10
RECAP BY: Andy Campbell/UNB Athletics
PHOTOS BY: James West/for UNB Athletics