(MONCTON, NB) The UNB REDS are celebrating second place finishes in both the women's and men's team standings at the 2022 Atlantic University Sport Track and Field Championships, in Moncton.
The women and men finished behind Dalhousie in both the women's and men's standings, but ahead of STFX on the women's side and ahead of Université de Moncton on the men's side.
"I'm very impressed with the gain our women's team has made," said REDS head coach Chris Belof. "Across the board, there were some key performances and our women's group stepped up in a big way."
It's the first time UNB women have finished second in the conference standings.
"Everyone on our men's team contributed to the team performance," said Belof. "We're moving into a solid place with the men's group where scoring 90-plus points at the conference championship is expected."
Among the highlights for the REDS, the women's triple jump, where Lexie Shannon and Erin McCavour finished first and second, the women's pole vault, where Abigail Passy tied the AUS record in winning the gold medal, the women's 600 metres, where Mira Alexander and Peighton Johnson ran 2nd and 3rd, the men's 1500 metres, where Jared Howse beat Saint Mary's Andrew Peverill to the line by 4/100ths of a second and established a new AUS record in the win, the women's 4-by-400 metre and the men's 4-by-400 metre and 4-by-800 metre relay teams. All three scored victories.
"The men's 4-by-8 has held a national ranking all year," said Belof. "They're a special group of blue-collar guys, who certainly put the work in and take a strong level of competitiveness into competition. It was great to see them execute the race plan and find themselves atop the podium."
"Jared is a special talent," said Coach Belof, of Howse. "He thrives in tough race situations. To break the 1500 record in Moncton is no small feat, and speaks volumes about how special Jared and this performance are."
Both Howse and Shannon had already qualified for the upcoming U SPORTS Track and Field Championships.
This weekend, they witnessed some of their REDS teammates join them.
Passy and the three winning relay teams qualified, and it's believed at least two other REDS met qualifying standards as well.
"Abby demonstrated she's the person to beat in women's pole vault," said Belof. "We're looking for her to continue to improve this season. She's a game day performer and showed that today."
Up next, the national championships, and the REDS aren't just going to the event, they're hosting it.
The 2022 U SPORTS Track and Field Championships, presented by Saint John LNG, will be held March 31st-April 2nd at the Irving Oil Field House.
"This will be the biggest group, in the history of the UNB Track and Field program, to go to the national championships," said Belof. "And, we have a strong group of athletes that were just outside of qualifying. It's exciting to be part of, and establishes UNB as a growing track and field school."
RECAP BY: Andy Campbell/UNB Athletics
PHOTOS BY: Université de Moncton Athletics