TRCK | Trio of Top-10s Highlight OUA Championships
The Laurentian indoor track team competed at the OUA Indoor Track and Field Championships at York University this weekend, returning with three top-ten finishes and three personal best efforts.
The Vees performances were highlighted by a scrappy men's 4 x 800m relay team that surprised the experts with a 10-second improvement and a 5th-place finish in the highly-contested event. The quartet of Eric Gareau, Liam Pedersen, Liam Passi and Justin Graenert used aggressive tactics to keep themselves in contention throughout the race including occasionally leading the pack. They remained in medal contention until the final lap, finishing in a time of 7:49.30, an average of 1:57 seconds per runner. It was the second-fastest time in school history.
Justin Graenert then followed up with a 7th place finish in the 600m, using a strong final lap to run a season's- best time of 1:21.56. It was the second-fastest time in school history.
Also finishing in the top-10 were Erin Hansel, who placed 10th in the 1000m with a time of 3:04.16 and Keon Wallingford who placed 10th in the 3000m with a personal best time of 8:37.40. This was also a tune-up race for Wallingford, who will represent Canada at the Junior Pan American Cross-Country Championships in Victoria next weekend.
The men's relay team has a small chance of qualifying for the national championships in Edmonton in two weeks, with the final competitors' lists to be announced on Tuesday Feb 25. Otherwise, the team's season is completed for the year. With the exception of Keon Wallingford, they will take a short rest then begin training for a summer club competition and next year's cross-country season.
"Our track team is getting close in several areas," said head coach Dick Moss. "Our men's 4 x 800m team was only three seconds out of the medals over a 3200m race. Justin Graenert was 1.5 seconds away in the 600m. Rookie, Christina Robert, was two tenths of a second from making the finals in the 60m. We're still a young squad and we're expecting some good things in the coming years."
Results - Laurentian
WOMEN
60m
13. Christina Robert, 7.98 (7.97 in heat)
17. Hannah Merjavec, 8:12 (8.06 in heat)
300m
19. Natasha Mayer, 42.37
600m
14. Natasha Mayer, 1:39.52
1000m
10. Erin Hansel, 3:04.16
MEN
60m
24. Alexandre Noel de Tilly, 7.51 (7:34 in heats, PB)
300m
28. Alexandre Noel de Tilly, 38.52
600m
7. Justin Graenert, 1:21.56
15. Liam Pedersen, 1:23.58
1000m
25. Caleb Beland, 2:36.06
1500m
16. Eric Gareau, 4:03.80
17. Liam Passi, 4:04.48
26. Caleb Beland, 4:13.57
3000m
10. Keon Wallingford, 8:37.40 (Personal Best)
4 x 800m Relay
5. Gareau, Pedersen, Passi, Graenert, 7:49.30 (PB)