Pandas bronzed, Bears finish in 6th at CW
The University of Alberta Pandas’ track and field team finished with team bronze at the completion of the Canada West Track and Field Championship in Saskatoon, while the Golden Bears ended up in sixth place after the two day meet.
For the Pandas, it is their third consecutive podium finish after earning second place in 2011 and 2010, while the Golden Bears fell three spots from last season’s result.
In total, 16 U of A athletes collected medals at the conference meet, including five gold medals. Five Pandas won multiple medals as Leah Walkeden, Nicole Soderberg, Kathryn McCaffrey, Lindsay Bergevin and Courtney Wilkes all made two trips to the podium.
The host University of Saskatchewan Huskies claimed the women’s banner, with the Calgary Dinos coming in second. On the men’s side, the Dinos edged out the two-time defending champion Regina Cougars for the conference title, with Victoria coming in third.
Walkeden, who earned bronze on Day 1 in the 300m, collected gold on Day 2 with the fastest time in the women’s 60m dash. Teammate Janelle Khan crossed the line just after Walkeden to win the silver. Soderberg picked up her second bronze of the meet adding a 300m third place finish on Day 2 to her opening day bronze in the 1,000m. Veteran Lindsay Bergevin, who lept to gold in the pole vault on Friday, earned a bronze in the women’s high jump on Saturday. In the women’s triple jump, Courtney Wilkes scored the gold medal, and in the women’s weight throw, Ciera Heska-Wolf was awarded bronze.
On the men’s side, freshman Ben Williams ran to a second place finish in the 60m dash, while Smith Wright, who is also a fullback for the Golden Bears’ football team, earned silver in the shot put in his first ever Canada West Track and Field championship.
All gold medalists are Canada West First Team all-stars, while silver medalists are Second Team all-stars.
The CIS Track and Field championship runs from March 8-10 and is hosted by the University of Manitoba.