The Dawn of a New Era: 2017 Season Recap

The Regular Season

Call it the dawn of a new era. With the 2017 edition of the NAIA Track and Field Championships

now on the books, the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds find themselves once again

plying territory previously uncharted by a Canadian University Athletics team. Over the course

of the three day meet at Gulf Shores, Alabama’s Mickey Miller Blackwell Stadium, the young

‘Birds squad showed glimmerings of a dynasty in the making as they ran away with the NAIA

Men’s National Title, the first track and field title in program history and the first-ever instance

of a Canadian team hoisting the champion’s banner in American Collegiate competition. Taken

in concert with the accolades of a women’s program that has taken 4 of the last 5 NAIA Cross

Country titles and the NAIAs Northern challengers represent a force to be reckoned with on all

fronts.

Following a dominant cross country season that saw the women return to the familiar top step

of the team podium and the men notch a program best third-place showing, the Thunderbirds

seemed poised to continue their momentum back onto the oval. In their early season showings

against local rivals at the Achilles Cup and UBC Open, the ‘Birds seemed no worse for wear after

an historically harsh Vancouver winter, with a dozen athletes punching their ticket to the

national champion with automatic ‘A’ Standards within the first two weekends of competition,

many with new personal best marks. Notably, UBC was once again to be represented in the

Javelin at the NAIA meet, as rookies Isaac Sandri and Roan Allen both heaved marks over the

auto-qualifier of 57.00m. In addition, UBC showed it will continue as a powerhouse in the race

walk, as freshmen Alger Liang, Nathan Downey and Zoe Zhang posted ‘A’ marks to join returner

Colis Cheng on a quest for all American Status in Alabama.

As the season lengthened, so too did the list of athletes set to represent the blue and gold in

Gulf Shores. Heading south to take advantage of warm weather and deep fields in Los Angeles,

rookie mid-distance standouts Rhys Kramer and Kieran Lumb demonstrated the form with

which they had to the anticipation surrounding the 2016 recruiting class. Competing at the

Steve Scott Invitational in Irvine, CA, Kramer notched a seasonal best of 1:51.30 in the 800m

while Lumb, whose outdoor season followed in the wake of national team duties for Canada at

the IAAF World XC Championships just a month prior, shattered his previous best in the metric

mile with a 3:53.07 showing in the 1500m. A week later, at the Occidental College Invite in

Eagle Rock, Ca the middle-distance contingent once again shone for UBC. On the women’s side,

sophomore Nicola Symonds and Juniors Sandra Kilmartin and Nicole Lacis improved on their

previous personal bests and ‘A’ qualifiers in the women’s 1500, an event which would see 5

thunderbird qualifiers. Lukas Jarron kicked off a winning streak for the blue and gold with an

impressive 3:48.77 in the men’s race. The winning ways would continue in the steeplechase,

where redshirt-junior Brianna Cairns ran away from the field to clock a time of 10:44.53, a huge

personal best and good for 3 rd in the NAIA rankings. Junior John Gay would follow suit in the

men’s steeple with a win of his own and an NAIA leading 8:43.20. Tasked with capping of the

strong day of competition at Oxy was the trio of ‘Birds racing the 5000m under the lights. On

the men’s side Senior Jesse Hooton asserted himself as a force to be reckoned with come

NAIAs, with his new personal best mark of 14:11.19 would vault him to the top of the qualifier

list. Making his debut at the distance was Kieran Lumb, who would keep his streak of personal

bests rolling with a smooth 14:40 clocking. Enid Au would also gain an assurance marker for

NAIAs with her second ‘A’ standard of the season in the event.

Not to be outdone by their endurance counterparts, UBCs power speed contingent provided a

late season surge with qualifiers of their own at several last-chance meets as the clock ticked

down on the qualifying window for the big dance. Hurdlers Tanya Motsi and Bogdan Pavel in

the sprints and Katherine Tourigny, Hayley Madden, and Jake Hanna in the grueling 400h would

all gain late season marks to punch their tickets. In the horizontal jumps, the guidance of first

year coaches Byron Jack and Elena Voloshin payed off for freshman Kiana Bekar and

Sophomore Olivia Campbell, who both qualified in the triple jump, Campbell would also clinch a

spot in the high jump and would contest both in Alabama.

The Championships

In total, the Thunderbirds would make the cross continental flight to the Championships with a

32-person strong roster, 14 women and 18 men. Kicking the meet off was UBC’s sole circle

thrower. In his first throw of the men’s hammer competition, redshirt-frosh Sebastian Yep

heaved a new personal best of 51.58, gaining valuable championship experience for the many

seasons ahead. Revving up as the day continued, the Thunderbird machine was firing on all

cylinders during the qualification rounds of the 1500m and 4x800, sending two men, three

women, and both teams through to their respective finals. On day one of the Decathlon, senior

Michael Pryzstupa had a career showing, with impressive marks across the board, especially the

high jump.

On day two of competition the points began racking up for the ‘Birds. In the men’s race-walk

UBC was led by Alger Liang’s silver-medal performance, the birds would score 10 valuable

points in the event thanks to another all-American showing in Nathan Downey’s 7 th place finish.

Capping off the day’s events were the 4x800 relays, an event holding a special place in UBC

track and field lore. Up first were the women, who blended the speed of quarter milers Sarah

Korpach and Camille van Tassel with the strength of 1500 standouts Nicola Symonds and

Sandra Kilmartin. Running the third leg was Symonds, who used an outstanding 2:09 split to

break free of the chase pack and lock in a second consecutive silver-medal performance for the

distance relay. On the men’s side, the quartet of Max Trummer, Christopher Taylor, Rhys

Kramer, and Lukas Jarron doubled back from their respective individual events to string

together a performance for the history books. Putting themselves in the mix early, personal

best splits from Trummer and Taylor paved the way for a blistering third leg from rookie

Kramer. With the race broken apart by the final leg, anchor Lukas Jarron showed the veteran

composure of one whose ‘Birds team has twice come runner up in this event, running smooth

behind the leaders before unleashing a blistering kick down the homestretch to carry UBC to a

program-first title in the 4x800.

Championship Saturday. With steady momentum building through the weeks earlier events the

Thunderbirds entered the final day of competition sitting back of the leaders and tied for fourth

with 20 points on the men’s side while the women found themselves further back with 6 points.

On the women’s side UBC flexed the endurance strength that has made them the perennial

cross country powerhouse that they are. In the 1500m the ladybirds put three in the top 8, led

by a gutsy silver medal showing by Natalia Hawthorn and the ascendancy of Nicola Symonds to

the upper echelons of mid-distance racing in the NAIA with a third place showing, junior Sandra

Kilmartin would run in for 8 th to make it a 17 point outing for the blue and gold. Hawthorn

would double back in the 5000m later that day, fighting her way to her second all-American

showing of the meet with an 8 th place finish. In the same race sophomore Enid Au was able to

recreate the magic of the previous year by splitting the fastest final mile of the entire field to

step off the track with her second straight 4 th place showing. Not to be overshadowed by her

endurance counterparts, senior Tanya Motsi closed out her UBC career with a career

performance in the 100 hurdles. PB’ing with a wind aid in the prelims, the redshirt senior would

dispel any doubts about her ability by bettering that mark with a blazing wind-legal 14.09

clocking in the final, besting all but one competitor and bringing home her first all-American

honours in shining silver. Taken with all-American showings from Kiana Bekar (6 th ) and Olivia

Campbell (8 th ) in the Triple Jump the women would combine for 41 points and leave Alabama

with the fourth place team trophy.

Postured to shine on the climactic day of the national championships was the men’s endurance

corps, who looked to build on earlier successes in the racewalk and the 4x800 by sending

multiple athletes into each of the 800m, 1500m, 3000m SC, and 5000m finals. Off first were

Max Trummer and Lukas Jarron in the 1500m final. Despite having already run heats and finals

of the 4x800 as well as rounds of the individual events, it was clear that both metric-milers

meant business in the now very real hunt for an elusive team title. With a pace that wound up

with each lap both ‘Birds kept themselves out of trouble and within striking distance of the

leaders. Thanks to a strong move by Trummer with 300 to go the race was wide open. Pushing

through the fatigue of several races the duo put down a strong start to the blue and golds

championship bid, with Jarron and Trummer placing 3 rd and 4 th respectively, good for 11 crucial

points. Just hours later Jarron would find himself toeing the line once again, this time with

joined by Kramer in the 800 final. Therein, Kramer proved himself to be the NAIAs rising star at

the half mile, fending off a field of seasoned racers to land himself a bronze medal while Jarron

would come in close behind for fourth making it a triple-all- American weekend for the senior

from Ajax, On. Moments earlier, another rising star was risen in the men’s Steeplechase, where

freshman Sean Bergman ran a tactically flawless race, pulling away from the chase pack over

the last water barrier to run away with second place in his NAIA debut. Taken in combination

with junior John Gay’s repeat victory in the event, UBC made a strong claim to the title of

SteeplechaseU, garnering a perfect 18 points in the event on the day.

With the sun setting over the American South, the elusive men’s team banner seemed within

striking distance. Called upon to bring it home for the first time in school history was the 5000m

quartet of veterans Jesse Hooton and John Gay and freshmen Kieran Lumb and Michael Milic.

With a minimum of 6 points necessary to clinch the title, the ‘Birds were sent on a seek and

destroy mission to deliver the final blow to the field. Running well beyond his years, Lumb

would work his way up patiently before an all-out assault in the final lap, the first Thunderbird

across the line in 4 th place. Trailing closely behind was Hooton in 5 th , while Gay would squeeze

out two extra points with a 7 th place showing of his own. With three athletes in the top 8

combining for 11 points the 2017 UBC Track and Field Season would culminate historically, with

the cumulative 71pts winning the men’s squad the honour of hoisting the banner for the first

time.