Day 2 of 2015 OUA Track and Field Championships streaming now on OUA.tv

When the 2015 OUA Track & Field Championships begin on Friday, Feb. 27 at York University, five schools will enter the event with both their men's and women's team's ranked in the CIS Top 10, making for a very exciting two days of competition.

The Windsor Lancers men's team enters the event looking for its second-consecutive team championship and has won 22 of the past 24 OUA titles.

Once again, the Lancers are ranked No. 1 in the CIS Top 10 and are led by returning OUA All-Star Alex Ullman, who is currently ranked second in the conference in the men's 1000m event and was on the Windsor 4x400m relay team that set an OUA record at last year's event. Ullman, along with returning teammate Corey Bellemore are the two remaining runners from last year's team that will compete in the relay once again. Bellemore is also the second-ranked runner in the men's 600m and third-ranked in the 1000m. The Lancers 4x800 relay team is also ranked first heading into the championships.

The Lancers are also expected to compete for medals in the field events. Branden Wilhelm is the second ranked athlete in men's high jump, as is Milos Savic in pole vault, Arren Young in long jump, Angelo Bortolin in men's triple jump, and Brett Boersma  in 7.26kg shot put.

The Windsor women's team is ranked seventh in the country due in large part to its success in the hurdles and field events. The Lancers women have won every 60m hurdles event dating back to 2003 and come into the championship with the second-ranked hurdler and third-ranked pole-vaulter in the province, Sarah Swain, on their roster. In the field events, Sarah Mitton enters as the second-ranked athlete in the 4.0kg shot put, while Jennifer Tomayer is ranked second in the pole vault.

The Toronto Varsity Blues come into the OUA Championships with the top-ranked women's team in the country, while the men's squad currently sits at No. 2 in the CIS Top 10.

It has been over a decade since the Blues women have won an OUA title, with their last triumph coming in the 2003-04 season, but it seems the time could be now for Toronto to end its drought.

With several top-ranked athletes in both the track and the field events, the Blues will look to returning OUA all-star and gold medalist Rachel Jewitt for veteran leadership. Jewitt was on the Blues 4x400m relay team that set an OUA record in 2013, holds the individual record in the women's 800m pentathlon event, and is ranked second in the women's 600m. Toronto is once again the top-ranked team in the 4x400m relay, as well as in the 4x800m relay.

In the 600m, the Blues women could very well sweep the podium with the top-four ranked runners on its roster. Sasha Gollish is the top seed (and is ranked second in the 1500m), Jewett is second, with Madeleine Kelly and Fiona Callender rounding out the top-four.

Other top-ranked Blues women include Hayley Warren (second in 60m), Maggie Hanlon (first in 300m), Gabriela Stafford (first in both the 1000m and 3000m, and second in 1500m), Hayley Warren (first in 60m hurdles), Danielle Delage (first in high jump), Julia Stille (second in triple jump), and Ekua Cudjoe (second in 20lbs weight throw).

The Toronto men's team is also expecting to contend for a team championship, and will need a strong performance from Sacha Smart, arguably the team's top athlete. Smart is the top seed in both the 600m and 1000m, ranked fourth in the 1500m, and is also a crucial part of the Blues No. 1-ranked 4x400m relay team and its third-ranked 4x800m relay team.

Other medal hopefuls from Toronto include Greg MacNeill (top seed in 60m hurdles), Kyle Thompson (second seed in 60m), Rayshaun Franklin (ranked second in 300m, 0.02 seconds out of first), and James Turner (first in indoor pentathlon).

Given the success the school has at cross-country running, it's no surprise the Guelph Gryphons are dominant at several of the distance running events at the OUA Track & Field Championships.

The Gryphons women are the defending champions, and are once again a serious title contender sitting at No. 4 in the CIS Top 10. Cross-country star Heather Petrick is the second-ranked runner in the 3000m event, followed closely by teammates Carise Thompson and Katrina Allison.

Katelyn Ayers and Sophie Watts rank second and third, respectively, in the 1000m, and the Gryphons relay team is ranked second in the 4x800m relay event. In field events, Maja Naruscewisz is ranked second in women's high jump, while Ashley Connell is third in shot put.

Two seasons ago the Guelph Gryphons men ended the Windsor Lancers streak of 14 consecutive conference titles, and after relinquishing the throne back to Windsor last year, the Gryphons are looking to get back on top once again as they come in ranked third in CIS.

Like the women, the Gryphons men excel at long-distance running events, and are led by OUA cross-country champion Ross Proudfoot, who is ranked first in the 1500m and 3000m. In the 3000m, Guelph holds the top-four seeds.  Proudfoot is followed by cross-country teammate Aaron Hendrikx (who is seeded third in the 1500m as well), Kyle Grieve, and Chris Dulhanty. Guelph's men's 4x800 relay team comes in to the championship ranked second, while in the field events Sean Cate is the top seed in high jump.  Two Gryphons enter their events ranked second in the conference: Jared Skeath in weight throw and Taylor Corney in indoor pentathlon.

The York Lions would be more than happy to keep the OUA Championship banners once the event is over, and they may have enough talent to do just that.

The Lions women are ranked fifth in the country, and are led by reigning Track MVP Khamica Bingham. At last year's championship, Bingham set an OUA record in the 60m with a time of 7.23, and is the top seed heading into the event once again. The Lions are also the top-ranked team in the 4x200m relay and are third in the 4x400m event.  Christy Ihumaegbo is a serious medal contender for the Lions as the second seed in the 300m. In the field for the Lions women is Brittany Crew, who also set a new record at last year's championship in the shot put; she is the top-ranked athlete in the event once again.  Crew also leads the way in the 20lbs weight throw. Holly Pitters is ranked second in the women's long jump.

On the men's side, York is the defending CIS champion and is led by one of the top sprinters in the country in Bismark Boateng. He is the top-ranked runner in both the 60m and 300m events, and as a team the Lions are seeded first in the 4x200m relay and third in the 4x400m. In the field, David McKay is the top-ranked pole-vaulter, Nick Fyffe is ranked first in triple jump, and Eric Brathwaite is seeded first in shot put and the 35lbs weight throw.

The Western Mustangs round out the OUA teams in the CIS Top 10. The Mustang women are No. 3 in the country, while the men are sixth.

Caroline Ehrhardt has won back-to-back Field MVP Awards for Western, and is once again entering the event as the top-ranked athlete in long jump and triple jump. As a team, Western is very strong in the field events; the Mustangs hold the top-four seeds in the pentathlon as Kaleigh Hole, Shaylyn Kowalchuk, Sarah Villani, and Zarria Storm rank 1-4, respectively, while Robin Bone is a gold medal favourite in the pole vault. On the track, Joy Spear Chief-Morris is the top-ranked Mustang on the women's team, seeded third in the 60m and 60m hurdles. The 4x200m and 4x400m Mustang relay teams could also find themselves at the top of the podium, coming into the championships ranked second.

The Mustangs men have a balanced roster capable of success on the track and in the field. Isoken Ogieva is ranked second in the 60m hurdles, and the Mustangs 4x200m relay team is also seeded second. In the field events, Robbie Gallaugher is the top-ranked athlete in men's long jump.

Though their schools will be in tough when it comes to competing for a team championship, there are several other athletes who could win individual gold medals.

Sarah Cranmer-Byng of the Laurier Golden Hawks is the top-ranked competitor in the 1500m event with a seed time of 3:19.66, over a full minute ahead of the second seed Gabriela Stafford of Toronto.

In the men's 1500m event, Alex Wilkie of the Queen's Gaels finished 0.22 seconds behind Ross Proudfoot of Guelph for the top-seed, and will have a chance to bring home a gold medal for the Tri-Colour.

The Ottawa Gee-Gees 4x800m women's relay team will be in tough for a medal, but comes into the championship ranked third.

Naomi Lance may be the Waterloo Warriors best hope to win gold, as she is ranked third in the women's 300m, just 0.59 seconds off the top seed time.

The McMaster Marauders don't have any athletes ranked in the top-three in any event, but Jeff Tweedle is a fourth seed in the men's 1000m.

Rounding out the competition at the championship are the Ryerson Rams, Laurentian Voyaguers, Lakehead Thunderwolves, and Brock Badgers.

The tournament begins Friday, Feb. 27 and concludes the following day on Saturday, Feb. 28. All events will be held at the Toronto Track & Field Centre on the campus of York University.

A full tournament schedule is available here.