Season recap
If the summer success of UBC Track and Field Athletes past, present and future is any indication, the road ahead is a bright one for the Thunderbirds. At the NAIA Championship in Gulf Shores, Alabama, UBC continued its tradition of excellence with 10 all American performances spread equally between the men’s and women’s squads.
On the ladies’ side, the T-Birds were led by a breakout 4th place finish by freshman Enid Au in the 5000m. After just edging under the NAIA qualifying standard days prior to the championship, Au proved her strength in the stifling humidity of the Gulf Coast, patiently moving through the pack before launching a blistering last kilometer to establish herself as a favorite in the event for years to come.
On the men’s side, UBC continued to assert itself as a true distance powerhouse, with All American performances in the 800 (Lukas Jarron), 3000m SC (John Gay), 5000 (Jesse Hooton), and 10,000 (Evan Elder). While success over 800 has become the expectation for the NAIAs northernmost competitors, new this year was the addition of firepower out of the men’s 110 high hurdles. Electing to forego his first season of eligibility in favour of suiting up for the UBC football team, red shirt freshman Bogdan Pavel proved he belongs back on the track, setting personal bests in each of the three rounds to finish 7th overall against a much more experienced field.
For many of the Thunderbird squad, the collegiate national championship was merely a precursor for the successes to come in the club season. With the added energy of the Rio Olympics looming overhead, Thunderbirds past, present and future set out across the continent and beyond in search of strong competition and provincial and national team standards.
Amongst Junior age group competitors, incoming UBC athletes made a bold statement and have indicated to the nation that the already young Thunderbirds roster will only get stronger this coming year. At the BC High School Championships, incoming UBC Frosh combined for a staggering 16 medals, including 8 golds. Not to be outdone by their future teammates, several current ‘Birds opted to extend their seasons after NAIAs, with All Americans Lukas Jarron and John Gay pairing up on several occasions to steadily chip away at personal bests at 1500 while also knocking time off in the 800 and, for Gay, his trademark 3000m Steeplechase.
However, the reigning NAIA champ over the barriers will be in deep to defend his title next season, as recruit Sean Bergman appears on a trajectory for the top of the podium, winning the Canadian Junior national crown at the distance and going on to represent Canada at the World Junior Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland. Bergman won’t be the only Junior National Champ on the track at UBC this fall, as fellow signee Joel Della Siega soared to victory in the junior men’s high jump, clearing a new personal best height of 2.10m. Perhaps the biggest surprise of the weekend was Calgarian Rhys Kramer. In just his first full outdoor season, the incoming engineering student impressed at the national championship. After posting consecutive personal bests in the 400m heats and semifinals, Kramer doubled back in the 800m to PB two times yet again. With three races already run, the former multi-sport athlete made a heroic dash over the last bend of the 800 final to shatter his former best mark by three seconds and earn himself a bronze medal in a time of 1:50.68. In the women’s junior triple Jump, Kiana Bekar earned herself a silver, while 2015 youth national team member Algier Liang walked away with gold in the 10k race walk event, and Michael Aono claimed the bronze in the 400m. To top off a stellar season by UBC recruits, Kieran Lumb followed up a national mountain running championship title with a new world record in the Red Bull 400, which pits athletes against a 37 degree climb up the whistler Olympic park ski jumping site.
The inspiration for these future ‘Birds was not far away, as at the same meet 4 Thunderbird Alumni punched their tickets to track and field’s biggest stage, the Rio Olympics. Starting things off was 2014 grad Luc Bruchet, whose valiant kick for silver in the 5000m gave him an auto qualifier for his first trip to the big dance. Also booking her way to Brazil was 2015 grad Maria Bernard, who pulled clear of Canadian record holder Genevieve Lalonde over the final water jump to garner silver and an auto berth of her own. Returning to the Games are High Jumper Michael Mason (2008 and 2012) and Javelin ace Liz Gleadle (2012), earning a silver and gold respectively at the trials. Joining them in Rio will be UBCs race walk trio of Ben Thorne, Evan Dunfee, and Inaki Gomez. Thorne, who competed for the blue and gold just last season, is the reigning world bronze medalist at 20km, a title he will look to improve upon when the athletics schedule for Rio gets under way August 12th.
NAIA All Americans
Women’s 4x800m – Sarah Korpach, Sandra Kilmartin, Camille Van Tassel, Natalia Hawthorn (2nd)
Women’s 400mH – Katherine Tourigny (5th)
Women’s 1500m – Natalia Hawthorn (6th)
Women’s 5000m – Enid Au (4th)
Women’s 3000m SC – Madelyn Brunt (7th)
Men’s 110mH – Bogdan Pavel (7th)
Men’s 800m – Lukas Jarron (4th)
Men’s 3000m SC – John Gay (1st)
Men’s’ 5000m – Jesse Hooton (5th)
Men’s 10,000m – Evan Elder (6th)
BC High School Championship Medalists
Kiana Bekar – Triple Jump (1st), Long Jump (2nd)
Zoe Zhang – Race walk (1st)
Hayley Madden – 400m (3rd)
Chanell Botsis – Discus Throw (1st), Hammer Throw (2nd)
Gurleen Bhandal – Discus Throw (3rd)
Michael Aono – 100m (1st), 400m (2nd)
Sean Bergman – 2000mSC (1st), 3000m (3rd)
Tanner Geary – 1500m (2nd), 4x400m (3rd)
Joel Della Siega – High Jump (1st)
Algier Liang – Race walk (1st)
Alberta High School Championship Medalists
Rhys Kramer - 800m (1st)
Mackenzie Gentek - 3000m (3rd)
NATIONAL TEAMS
2016 Summer Olympic Games
Maria Bernard – 3000m SC
Luc Bruchet – 5000m
Evan Dunfee – 20km/50km RW
Liz Gleadle – Javelin
Inaki Gomez – 20km RW
Michael Mason – High Jump
Ben Thorne – 20km RW
U20 World Championships
Sean Bergman - 3000m SC
