SASKATOON, Saskatchewan. - With Day 2 of 3 now complete from the 2023 U SPORTS Track & field Championships in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, the Guelph Gryphons have once again put themselves in pole position to claim national titles on both the women's and men's sides.
An impressive Day 2 saw the Gryphons make a total of 17 trips to the podium (7 gold, 5 silver, 5 bronze). On the women's side, the Gryphons have built up an impressive 53 point lead over 2nd-place Western Mustangs.
On the men's side, the Gryphons lead the University of Toronto Varsity Blues by 31.5 points heading into Saturday's final day of competition.
Friday's Day 2 action started off on a high note, with
Mark Bujnowski successfully defending his national title in the men's weight throw. Winning the 2023 gold in the event with an outstanding throw of 19.59m, well ahead of the next closest competitor - with Andreas Troschke from Lethbridge taking silver with a throw of 18.88m. Bujnowski will look to complete the U SPORTS double-gold on Saturday, with the men's shot put scheduled for Saturday, March 11 at 3:45pm.
Also highlighting the Gryphon men's results was an incredible performance from
Craig Thorne. The fourth-year biological science major set a new U SPORTS record with his gold medal run in the men's 60m hurdles. Thorne crossed the finish line with a time of 7.77 seconds, two hundredths of a second faster than previous record held by Ottawa's Sekou Kaba.
On the women's side, the Gryphon performances on Friday were highlighted by a pair of veteran standouts competing at the final national championships of their decorated Gryphon careers in
Zoe Sherar and
Sadie-Jane Hickson. Sherar, a sixth-year student-athlete majoring in tourism and hospitality, claimed U SPORTS gold in the women's 300m for the fourth consecutive season, while
Sadie-Jane Hickson, a public health PhD student, took gold in the women's 1,000m for the second year in a row. Hickson was followed closely by teammate
Cameron Ormond who took silver in the event.
In the field, it was a podium sweep in the women's pole vault for the Gryphons.
Jennifer Elizarov took gold,
Lynton Lam silver, and
Mia Rodney rounded out the podium after all three women cleared the 3.93m height. Elizarov cleared 4.03m to take the top spot on the podium.
Saturday's schedule will see 13 events take place, beginning at 1:30pm ET and running through until 5:15pm ET. The Gryphons will be hoping to leave Saskatoon, Saskatchewan with a sweep of the men's and women's team titles for a fifth straight season.
DAY 1 RECAP
RESULTS
Gryphon Medalists – Day 2, 2023 U SPORTS Track & Field Championship
GOLD
Mark Bujnowski (Men's Weight Throw)
Sadie-Jane Hickson (Women's 1000m)
Craig Thorne (Men's 60m Hurdles) *U SPORTS Record* (7.77)
Zoe Sherar (Women's 300m)
Daniel Harper (Men's 300m)
Women's 4x800m (
Sadie-Jane Hickson,
Cameron Ormond,
Nina Whitford,
Julia Agostinelli)
Jennifer Elizarov (Women's Pole Vault)
SILVER
Cameron Ormond (Women's 1000m)
Kendra Leger (Women's 60m Hurdles)
Nicholas Bannon (Men's 3000m)
Johnathan Jacob (Men's Long Jump)
Lynton Lam (Women's Pole Vault)
BRONZE
Alec Purnell (Men's 1000m)
Tyra Boug (Women's 60m Hurdles)
Marcus Penaloza-Abankwah (Men's 300m)
Men's 4x800m (
Alanzo Ryan,
Alec Purnell,
Adam Schmidt,
Brock McKenzie)
Mia Rodney (Women's Pole Vault)
