McGill to host largest indoor track meet in Canada, Jan. 25-26
Olympian Mélanie Blouin, a Université Laval pole vaulter from Quebec City, is among 792 athletes, including 442 men, registered to participate at the 18th annual McGill Team Challenge track and field meet, Jan. 25-26. The event will be held at Tomlinson Fieldhouse, located in the McGill University Sports Centre at 475 Pine Avenue West.
The two-day competition, scheduled for Friday and Saturday, is the largest indoor track meet in Canada and is expected to feature a record 27 university teams, surpassing the previous mark of 22. The CIS national championships, slated to be hosted by University of Alberta, March 7-9, could have more participating schools but will have fewer athletes than the McGill Team Challenge, because athletes must meet a qualification standard to compete at Nationals.
Tickets for the meet will be sold at the door and cost $10 for adults. Students and seniors are $5 and children 12-and-under are admitted free.
LIVE STATS and VIDEO STREAM OF THE MEET CAN BE SEEN ONLINE AT: http://mcgilltrack.com
"It is without a doubt the Canadian flagship meet for the indoor season and gives us the opportunity to see what the top teams have in the way of talent as we prepare for Nationals," says Dennis Barrett, in his 28th year as head coach at McGill. "We will have 12 participating universities from the Ontario (OUA) conference, seven from the RSEQ in Quebec, six from the Atlantic (AUS) region and two from the Canada West conference. The field will be strong and it will be a fantastic opportunity for athletes to qualify for the CIS championships."
The Friday schedule, which runs from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m., will be highlighted by the men's 60-metre dash, slated for 7:15 p.m., where everyone will be chasing both the meet record (6.75) and the Tomlinson Fieldhouse mark (6.56). The women's 60m dash follows five minutes later and the marks to aim for are 7.39 seconds (meet record) and 7.35 (Fieldhouse record).
The Saturday schedule is slated to begin at 8:45 a.m. and conclude by 5 p.m. The 600m rated is set for 12:40 p.m., followed by the 300m at 1:25 p.m., the 1500m at 2:45 p.m., the 1000m at 4:10 p.m., the 800m at 4:30 p.m., the 4x400m relay at 4:40 p.m. and the 4x400m at 4:50 p.m.
A complete schedule is posted below.
The McGill roster features 84 athletes from across Canada and 10 from the U.S., plus one apiece from Australia, New Zealand, Cameroon, France, Romania and the United Arab Emirates. Among the Canadians are 28 from Quebec and 23 from Ontario, plus four apiece from B.C., Alberta and Nova Scotia, in addition to two from Manitoba and one from Newfoundland.
One of the top McGill male athletes to watch is Javier Montalvo, a 5-foot-11 freshman sprinter from Closter, N.J., who will be looking to qualify for Nationals in three events, including the 300m, as well as the 4x200 and 4x400 relays.
Among the key McGill women are Sarah McCuaig and Helena Reinfels.
McCuaig, a fifth-year science senior and middle-distance runner from Waterloo, Ont., will be entered in the 1000m and the 1500m. She serves as captain of the Martlets and recently won a prestigious Rhodes scholarship.
Reinfels, a secondary social science freshmen from Puslinch, Ont., has been a surprise as the team's top 300m runner this semester and has the potential to break the school record (40.26) in that race. The 5-foot-10 rookie is also expected to compete in the 60m and long jump, as well as the 4x200 and 4x400 relays.
Among the 27 university teams registered for the meet are Calgary, Dalhousie, Guelph, Laval, Lakehead, McGill, McMaster, Moncton, Montreal, Ottawa, Queen's, Regina, RMC, Ryerson, Sherbrooke, Saint Mary's, St. Francis Xavier, St. Thomas, Toronto, UNB, UQAM, UQAC, UQTR, Waterloo, Western, Windsor and York.
SOURCE: Earl Zukerman, McGill Athletics & Recreation, 514-398-7012
McGILL TEAM CHALLENGE MEET SCHEDULE
Friday, Jan. 25, 2013
Track Events
TIME EVENT F/M SECTION
17:30 60m (F)
17:55 60m (M)
18:25 1000m (F)
18:50 1000m (M)
19:15 60m (A/B) (F) Final(e)
19:20 60m (A/B) (M) Final(e)
19:30 3000m (F)
20:15 3000m (M)
21:10 4x 200m (M)
21:25 4x 200m (F)
21:40 4x 800m (F)
21:55 4x 800m (M)
Field Events
14:00 Weight Throw (F)
14:30 High Jump (F)
15:30 Long Jump (M)
15:45 Weight Throw (M)
18:45 Pole Vault (M)
19:00 Long Jump (F)
20:00 High Jump (M)
Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013
Track Events
TIME EVENT F/M SECTION
08:45 60m Hurdles (M) (Pentathlon)
09:00 60m Hurdles (F) (Pentathlon)
09:15 60m Hurdles (F)
09:30 60m Hurdles (M)
11:35 60m Hurdles (M) Final(e) A/B
11:45 60m Hurdles (F) Final(e) A/B
11:55 (Break/Pause)
12:40 600m (F)
13:00 600m (M)
13:25 300m (F)
14:00 300m (M)
14:45 1500m (F)
15:25 1500m (M)
16:10 1000m (M) (Pentathlon)
16:30 800m (F) (Pentathlon)
16:40 4x400m (F)
16:50 4x400m (M)
Field Events
09:15 Long Jump (M) (Pentathlon)
10:00 Shot Put (F)
10:05 High Jump (F) (Pentathlon)
11:00 Triple Jump (M)
12:30 Shot Put (M) (Pentathlon)
13:00 Pole Vault (F)
13:00 Triple Jump (F)
13:45 Shot Put (F) (Pentathlon)
14:45 Shot Put (M)
15:00 High Jump (M) (Pentathlon)
15:15 Long Jump (F) (Pentathlon)
