Uzodinma Ukagwu | Sports Editor
Featured Image: Pierce Lepage on his mark before his U SPORTS Championship 60meter hurdles race where he won the gold medal. | Courtesy of York Lions
The Lions track and field team took 28 members to the 2019 U SPORTS Championships last week, at the University of Manitoba. The men finished in sixth place overall and the women in eighth place, claiming four gold medals in total, with Brittany Crew and Pierce Lepage each winning two.
The championships started on Thursday, with Crew putting York on the medals table early by taking gold in the women’s weight throw event. Crew, who had earlier been honoured as the U SPORTS Female Field Athlete of the Year, won the gold with a throw of 18.78 meters.
On Day 2, Crew continued her outstanding form in the women’s shot put event, winning her second gold of the meet and her sixth U SPORTS Championship. The Lions star and graduating senior also made history by breaking the U SPORTS women’s shot put record with a 17.56-meter toss. In an instance of deja-vu, fellow Lion Kaitlin Brooks earned the bronze medal for York in the same event, just like she did two weekends ago at the OUA championships.
Pierce Lepage brought home two more golds and a bronze on Day 2 for the Lions. The first of these was his gold medal in the men’s 60-meter hurdles event where he finished with a time of 7.83 seconds. His second gold came in the men’s long jump event with a jump of 7.69 meters. In the men’s high jump event, Lepage also earned the bronze with a 2.09-meter jump. His excellent performances earned him the George Gemer Award for the Male Athlete of the Meet. He had also earlier been honoured as the U SPORTS Field Male Athlete of the Year, alongside teammate Crew.
The Lions rounded off their U SPORTS Championships on Day 3 by winning the silver in the 4 x 200-meter men’s relay, again led by Lepage, with a time of 1:27:26.
The Guelph Gryphons emerged champions in both male and female categories for the second consecutive year. The U of T Varisty Blues and Manitoba Bisons finished second and third for the men, while the Saskatchewan Huskies and Western Mustangs finished second and third for the women.
The track and field season has now finished, and the Lions can look back with pride at all they have accomplished, while also looking forward to next season.
