Local track athletes make mark
Competing in their last year of university track and field has given Macayla Cullen and Heather Beaton extra incentive to do well.
“I’ve been training a lot harder this year than ever before, I’ve been very motivated,” said Cullen, a Stellarton resident.
Both young women compete for the Dalhousie Tigers, and they helped their varsity team win the women’s banner at the Atlantic University Sport championships last weekend in Moncton.
Beaton, also of Stellarton, won gold in the 300 m dash and the 4x400 relay, and silver in the 600 m race and the 4x200 m.
Cullen won gold in high jump, bronze in triple jump, and had a fourth place finish in long jump. This is the third year she’s won gold in the high jump at the AUS championship, taking home a silver in her first year of university competition.
“I feel like the (jumps) were good and I feel like they helped benefit the team in order to win the team banner,” said the psychology major, who wants to pursue a career in social work.
In his first year of competing at the university level, Kaelan Schmidt also helped his team win an AUS banner. Competing for the Dalhousie men’s team, he contributed nine points with his second-place finish in triple jump, thirdplace finish in high jump and seventh place finish in long jump.
“I was happy I got medals and helped the team out,” he said, noting that he was a bit disappointed that he didn’t come close to his personal bests at the meet.
His results reflect changes in training, and adjusting to competing for a university team. “The first year is always tough with university sport.”
The Sutherlands River resident said the training is more vigorous, and involves more weight lifting.
“School is a lot more demanding too – trying to balance all that is hard.”
Cullen said she also found the shift to university sport difficult in her first year. “I had never lifted weights before in high school. I went to university and that’s pretty much all I did for a while. It’s definitely a hard transition from high school to university training.”
Based on their rankings, both Cullen and Beaton will compete at the U Sport championships (formerly the CIS) in Edmonton from March 9 to 11.
Cullen went to the CIS championships the last three years, placing sixth in high jump last year. She said she achieved a personal best at a recent meet in Montreal, and her goal is to have another personal best and hopefully place in the top three in Edmonton.
Beaton, who is studying therapeutic recreation, raced in a relay at the national championships last year, and said she’s pleased about the opportunity to compete in an individual event this year. She will compete in the 300 m race, but isn’t sure about the relays yet.
Her goal is to make it to the finals in her races at the national university championships.