NATIONALS PREVIEW: Ten Gee-Gees trackies ready for U SPORTS National Championship
The Gee-Gees track and field team is gearing up for the 2023 U SPORTS National Championship. Hosted by the University of Saskatchewan, the championship takes place from Mar. 9-11 at the Saskatoon Field House in Saskatoon, Sask.
The schedule and live results of the three-day meet can be found HERE.
Thomas Sénéchal-Becker headlines the Gee-Gees ten-athlete delegation to the championship. The second-year Ottawa product has enjoyed a tremendous season and enters Nationals as the reigning OUA silver medallist.
The Health Sciences student has twice broken the program record in the high jump this season and finished fourth at the 2022 U SPORTS National Championship.
Sénéchal-Becker and Toronto's Aiden Grout have separated themselves from the rest of the country in the event, and their duel on Friday night is expected to be one of the highlights of the championship. The duo duked it out at the provincial championship, with Grout winning with a leap of 2.20m and Sénéchal-Becker .03m behind. Caleb Keeling of Windsor took bronze and is currently third nationally with a jump of 2.08m.
A Gee-Gees athlete has never medalled in high jump at the National Championship.
Brianna Asiamah rounds out the Ottawa field contingent in the shot put. The third year Social Work student finished eighth at last year's National Championship.
The Gee-Gees are also sending a pair of 4x400m relay teams.
The women's squad comprises Katie Manor, Doyin Ogunremi, Brooklyn McCormick and Kennedy Banton-Lindsay, with Manor also running the 60m sprint. The men will feature Thomas Kukla-Colby, David Moulongou, Fabrice Nonez and Lucas Zanetti. The women are currently ranked 12th in the country with a time of 3:54.5, while the men are ninth at 3:19.15.
Ottawa was held off the podium at the 2022 U SPORTS National Championship for the first time since 2015. Madison Clarke is the last Gee-Gee to medal, taking silver in the 600m in 2020. Gee-Gees track athletes have collected 46 total medals at U SPORTS National Championships, including 22 golds.