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Graphic on a blue background with an action shot of a Guelph Gryphons women’s pole vaulter with the OUA Track & Field Championships logo and event details next to the photo.
February 20, 2025

Banner Season: Provincial track and field stars ready to take their mark in the Rose City

Burlington, Ont. – Run, jump, throw - student-athletes from across the province will do it all this weekend at the Toldo Lancer Centre in Windsor, Ont. at the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Track & Field Championships. The Western Mustangs claimed double gold last year, but with many teams knocking on the door, including a Guelph Gryphons squad that has dominated the field for the past decade, the battle for top spot will be one to watch across a jam-packed two days of competition.

EVENT DETAILS

When: Friday, February 21 to Saturday, February 22 
Where: Toldo Lancer Centre (University of Windsor)
Participating Schools (14): Brock Badgers, Guelph Gryphons, Lakehead Thunderwolves, Laurentian Voyageurs, McMaster Marauders, Ottawa Gee-Gees, Queen’s Gaels, Toronto Varsity Blues, TMU Bold, Waterloo Warriors, Western Mustangs, Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks, Windsor Lancers (host), York Lions
Watch: oua.tv 
Defending Champions: Western Mustangs (W), Western Mustangs (M)

STUDENT-ATHLETES TO WATCH

Jordana Badley-Castello, Windsor Lancers, Field | The Scarborough, Ont. product is the current Lancer record-holder with a personal best of 19.58m in the weight throw. She has broken her school mark that she set back in 2016 three times this year. Returning to Windsor for grad school after a stint in teachers’ college in the UK and teaching in British Columbia, Badley-Castello currently ranks first in the OUA and U SPORTS in the event.

Emmett Bravakis, Toronto Varsity Blues, Track | Bravakis is the three-time defending OUA champion in the 300m. Heading into his fifth OUA Championships, the Kingston, Ont. product hopes to make it four in a row this weekend. Last year, he finally added a national gold to his accolades, winning the U SPORTS 300m. Bravakis will also be a key factor for the Varsity Blues in the relay events.

Hillary Clark, Waterloo Warriors, Track | After breaking two 28-year-old Warrior records in the 1000m and 1 mile, Clark has also made her mark on the Warriors all-time top-10 list in five other events to go along with two of the top 10 4x800m relay times. The team captain from Elliot Lake, Ont. looks to translate her team success into provincial hardware.

Max Davies, Guelph Gryphons, Track | As the reigning OUA athlete of the year and OUA and U SPORTS record holder in the 1000m and 1500m, Davies looks to add to his accolades on the banner season stage. From Toronto, Ont., Davies took home a gold medal in the 1000m, 1500m, and the 4x800m relay, contributing to an overall silver medal with the Gryphons in last year’s banner season finale.

Jen Elizarov, Guelph Gryphons, Field | Elizarov was last year's OUA and U SPORTS woman field athlete of the year after breaking the conference mark in the pole vault at last year’s event. The biomedical student is a back-to-back OUA and U SPORTS gold medalist in the women's pole vault, and adding to this impressive resume, Elizarov just recently broke her own school record therein, clearing a height of 4.30m.

Ella Foster, York Lions, Field | Foster looks to vault her way across the 4-metre mark in her fourth OUA Championships and looks to capture her first medal at the event. She comes off a fifth-place finish at both the OUA and U SPORTS Championships in 2024, hoping to exceed her 3.90m mark she set at the 2024 national event.

David Gbenjo, Waterloo Warriors, Track | Gbenjo has set a new personal best in every single race and meet this season. He is on the Warriors all-time top-10 list in two events (300m, 400m split) as well as the top 10 4x200m and 4x400m relay teams. Gbenjo was a walk-on in his first year and has improved each season from there, proving to be one of the Warriors’ strongest long sprinters in team history.

Shelley Hladin, Laurentian Voyageurs, Field | The second-year criminology student out of Chartierville, Que. is the top ranked woman athlete for the Voyageurs, competing in both the triple jump and the long jump.

Michael Ivanov, Brock Badgers, Field | Jumping into his third banner season for the Badgers, Ivanov is set to defend his gold medal pole vaulting performance from 2024. He is ranked first in the country with a vault of 5.11m, well above the U SPORTS auto-qualifier of 4.83m. Only three student-athletes, including the business student, have gone over the auto-qualifier, and he has surpassed it a total of five times this season. His focus is pole vault, but Ivanov has also jumped 2.05m in high jump in 2022-23 and 6.77m in long jump this year.

Tamarri Lindo, York Lions, Track | Lindo has his eyes on gold this season in the 60m hurdles after winning bronze as a rookie with a time of 7.91s. It has been a challenging season for Lindo both on and off track, so a medal at the OUA Championships will do wonders as he also prepares to compete at the U SPORTS event in March.

Alec Purnell, McMaster Marauders, Track | This will be Purnell’s fifth OUA Ccampionships appearance and his first representing the Marauders. The Dundas, Ont. product, who is completing his masters in psychotherapy, is currently ranked first in U SPORTS in the 3000m and fourth in the 1500m. He has broken three McMaster school records this season in the 3000m (7:54.72), mile (4:00.09), and 1500m (3:42.00), putting him in solid contention for a medal this banner season.

Sarah Saldutto, Brock Badgers, Field | Saldutto took home a silver medal in the long jump at last year's OUA Championships, with a jump of 5.77m in the final round of the competition. This time around, the second-year standout from Welland, Ont. has worked to improve her personal best in long jump to 5.93m. She is on the U SPORTS top-12 list in two events, the 60m hurdles (11th) and the long jump (ninth). Saldutto transferred to Brock in 2023 after attending the University of Toronto. She suffered a catastrophic knee injury and has worked since then to rehabilitate her knee and reach the top levels of Canadian competition.

Liv Sands, Western Mustangs, Field | Sands leads the OUA and U SPORTS in both shot put and weight throw this season. The local from London, Ont. has established meet records in both throwing events this season, while also setting new school records. In her performance at the 2024 OUA Championships, Sands finished with gold in shot put and silver in weight throw as well as claiming the U SPORTS shot put title.

Aaron Thompson, Western Mustangs, Track | Thompson leads the OUA and U SPORTS in the 300m, 4x200m and 4x400m. The 2024 season was a breakthrough year for the third-year medicine student, where he won four OUA medals, gold in the 4x200m, and three silver medals in the 60m, 300m, and 4x400m. A versatile sprinter out of Waterloo, Ont., he had success in the 600m this season and is contemplating racing the 60m or the 600m at the OUA and U SPORTS Championships.

Alexzandra Throndson, Toronto Varsity Blues | A heavily decorated pole vaulter for the Varsity Blues, Throndson won gold in 2020 and 2022. The fifth-year student out of Toronto will look to challenge once again for a spot on the podium.

Ben Tilson, Windsor Lancers. Track | Tilson, from Windsor, Ont., is the Lancers’ record-holder in the 600m with a time of 1:18.25 set at Penn State this year where he claimed second place. The third-year human kinetics student has plenty of experience, with a second-place finish in 2022 in the 300m at the OUA Championships. He also was a member of the silver medal 4x400m relay team that year. Adding to his accolades, he placed second in the 600m at U SPORTS in 2023 and was fourth in the 600m, while in 2024, he took home the gold in the 600m at the OUA finale.

Kaitlyn Treleaven, McMaster Marauders, Track | Coming into the weekend as the defending OUA champion in the 3000m, Treleaven looks to add to her medal count and build on her previous three provincial competitions. The fourth-year medicine student is currently ranked 15th in U SPORTS.

Keon Wallingford, Laurentian Voyageurs, Tarck | Wallingford has continuously been lowering Laurentian’s 3000m record all season. The fifth-year psychology student currently has the 13th fastest time in the OUA this year and is looking to improve on this time at the championships.

BURNING QUESTIONS

  1. Can the top-ranked Western Mustangs, with women ranked in the top three of all track events and in the top five in all field events, repeat as gold medalists?
  2. Will the Western Mustangs men’s squad, with strength across the board and depth in scoring positions, take home the top spot once again this banners season?
  3. After a fall to silver in 2024, can the Guelph Gryphons reclaim top spot at the OUA Championships?
  4. Can the Windsor Lancers use home track advantage and build off a fiercely competitive season to improve on their bronze medal from 2024?
  5. Will the veteran Badgers contingent turn their championship experience into medal performances?
  6. With the Varsity Blues men’s team relying on several key veterans to help them secure a top-five spot, will their newcomers help them push even higher?

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING

“Our team features an exciting blend of rising young talent and experienced veterans poised to compete for podium finishes. With a promising group of up-and-coming athletes ready to make their mark and seasoned competitors aiming for championship success, we are set for a memorable and rewarding campaign at this year’s championships.” - Jonathan Younker, Head Coach, Brock Badgers

"The team has had a very successful season with numerous personal bests and I know they are looking forward to competing at their best when it really counts." - Paula Schnurr, Head Coach, McMaster Marauders

"We are ready and excited to bring our best this weekend at the OUA Ccampionships. Our expectations have been set high with many impressive early season results, now it's time to have some fun and see what we can do." - Hillary Clark, Student-Athlete, Waterloo Warriors

"I'm grateful for the opportunity I've been given, I have full confidence in my training and my teammates. I know this is going to be a successful weekend." - David Gbenjo, Student-Athlete, Waterloo Warriors

"I am incredibly proud of how our team has competed this year. Winning bronze with both teams at last year’s OUA Championships has given them the confidence to aim for the podium again, and we look forward to embracing that challenge." - Colin Inglis, Head Coach, Windsor Lancers