Michael Ivanov and Rémi Ouellette made Brock track and field history at the U Sports Championships.
The pair of Badgers men’s track and field stars won Brock’s first gold medals at the national track and field championships, hosted by the University of Windsor at the Dennis Fairall Fieldhouse from March 6 to 8.
Ivanov, a pole vaulter from Niagara Falls, won his first national gold and second U Sports medal after a successful attempt of 5.12 metres — a personal best — claimed the top of the podium. His jump was 0.32 metres better than Western Mustangs vaulter Emanuel Desilets, who placed second at 4.80 metres.
The result surpassed Ivanov’s previous 5.00-metre jump that earned him a provincial gold in February and bested his 4.75-metre vault that captured bronze at last season’s nationals. The Business major also finished in fifth place (4.72 metres) in his U Sports debut in 2023.
Joining Ivanov atop the podium was Oullette, who also made school history with the Badgers’ first para medal at the national championships.
Ouellette, a native of New Brunswick, won gold in the men’s shot put F41 ambulatory event, recording a throw of 7.69 metres. The Sport Management major also claimed glory in the same event when he threw 8.19 metres in the provincial final, winning Brock’s first para gold at the OUA Championships.
With a successful rookie season complete, Ouellette has been invited to Athletics Canada’s para development camp, which provides high-performance training and development opportunities to Canada’s top para-athletes nationwide. The camp is set to take place at the Toronto Track and Field Centre from March 24 to 26.
Ivanov and Ouellette’s stellar results helped give the Badgers 10 team points in the men’s standings, which placed them 18th of 25 teams. Winning the men’s division was the Western Mustangs with 139 points, followed by the Guelph Gryphons (85 points) and the Manitoba Bisons (79 points).
The Mustangs also placed first in the women’s team standings with 119 points as Guelph finished second with 85 points and the Saskatchewan Huskies claimed third with 74 points.
Representing Brock from the women’s team was Sarah Saldutto, who competed in both the women’s 60-metre hurdles and the women’s long jump events.
Looking to build upon her silver medal winning performance in the 60-metre hurdles on the provincial stage, Saldutto finished 13th with a time of 8.90 seconds. Calgary Dinos hurdler Sienna MacDonald won the event with a time of 7.99 seconds, which was a new U Sports and facility record.
In the long jump competition, Saldutto placed ninth with a jump of 5.74 metres, which surpassed her jump of 5.55 metres that earned her ninth in the OUA Championships. MacDonald broke another U Sports record with a 6.25-metre jump.
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The Badgers will look to continue the successes of the 2024-25 season when they seek more accolades and records in 2026.
For the complete results from the U Sports Track & Field Championships, visit gobadgers.ca.