Jeffrey Commits To REDS
(FREDERICTON, NB) The UNB REDS women’s track and field and cross country teams are naming Ottawa’s Bridget Jeffrey to their recruiting class of 2025.
Jeffrey has signed a U SPORTS Letter of Intent and will join the REDS ahead of the 2025-2026 Atlantic University Sport season.
“We’re very excited to welcome Bridget, our first recruit of the new class, to the REDS,” said Chris Belof, head coach of the REDS track and field and cross country teams. “Coming from a multi-sport background, and now just scratching the surface in distance running, she has a high ceiling for growth within our sport, and we’re excited to see her take the next step at this level.”
Jeffrey started her track and field journey in her Grade 10 year to help condition her for basketball, but soon fell in love with the sport and saw the successes and opportunities that would come her way.
In her first year running, 2022, she qualified for the Ontario high school championships and finished 27th in a field of 251. In 2023, she finished 32nd among 269 runners, and in her senior year she was the National Capital Secondary School Athletic Association champion, which qualified her again for the provincial championships, where she ran 39th in a field of 275.
In 2023, Bridget was named junior female athlete of the year at Ottawa’s St. Francis Xavier High School. In 2024, she was named the school’s senior female athlete of the year.
“When I first saw the campus and met the team, I knew I wanted to be a RED,” said Jeffrey. “I really wanted to join a team that could push me to be better every day, and that’s what the REDS do. Coach Belof played a big part in my decision. He’s a great coach and I know that I will continue to improve under him.”
“Bridget will make a great teammate to our growing groups, which makes her a perfect fit for UNB,” said Belof.
“I’m hardworking and dedicated to becoming a better runner,” said Jeffrey. “As a teammate, I’m welcoming, motivating, and encouraging. When you’re on a team, the most important part for me is helping my teammates to become the best they can be.”
The 17-year-old will be enrolled in Kinesiology while she competes as a RED.
STORY BY: Julia Loparco/for UNB Athletics
PHOTOS: Submitted