The University of Toronto Varsity Blues finished just off the podium at the 2008-09 OUA track and field championships this weekend (Feb. 27-28) at the Toronto Track & Field Centre at York University.
The women finished in fourth place with 70.5 points, behind the champion Guelph Gryphons (147), Windsor Lancers (139.5) and Western Mustangs (124).
The Blues men’s team placed fifth with an even 50 points, with Windsor earning their 11th straight title.
Sarah Boyle (Scarborough, Ont.) and Tory Merrill (Orangeville, Ont.) led the way in women’s action with two gold medals for the Blues. Boyle placed first and met the CIS standard in high jump (1.80m), while Merrill earned the gold medal in the women’s indoor pentathlon with 3322 points.
Midland, Ont. native Christy Bray picked up the silver medal in pole vault, while Laura Maessen (Dartmouth, Ont.) finished third in high jump. Veteran Kate Ruediger (Oakville, Ont.) also earned a bronze medal in the 300m race in a time of 40.26 seconds.
Maureen Atine (Brampton, Ont.) and Thandiwe Vela (Toronto) finished tied for seventh in the 60m sprint with a time of 7.84 seconds.
The women also posted impressive relay results this weekend. Toronto’s 4x200m team of Ruediger, Vela, Athena McBean (Mississauga, Ont.) and Nicole Benjamin (Scarborough, Ont.) earned the silver medal in 1:42.08, while the Blues placed fourth in both the 4x400m and 4x800m relays as well.
In men’s action, Jason Wurster (Stevensville, Ont.) dominated all other competitors to earn the gold medal in pole vault (5.01m) and Toronto native Desmond Miller picked up a fourth-place finish in the men’s indoor pentathlon with 3113 points.
Etienne Bredin (Besancon, Ont.) placed fifth in the 3000m race, while third-year runner Mike Del Monte (Guelph, Ont.) finished fifth in the 1000m and sixth in the 1500m.
Second-year engineering student Andre James (Brampton, Ont.) earned a sixth-place finish in the 60m hurdles with a time of 8.50 seconds, with Jeremy Sin (Toronto) right behind him in seventh in 8.61 seconds.
Andre Labelle also placed sixth in the men’s shot put event, throwing for 13.70m.
Bredin and Del Monte teamed up with Andrew Cruickshank (Toronto) and Tyler Pettes (Aurora, Ont.) to earn the bronze medal in the 4x800m relay (7:51.65).
Full ResultsNext up for the Varsity Blues is a trip to the CIS championships, March 12-14, at the University of Windsor.