Bellemore chasing down one final track team title
U Sports championships will cap five years as a Lancer for Riverside high grad
Ideally, Corey Bellemore would love to end his career with the Windsor Lancers with another team title.
Realistically, finding the centre of the podium where the winner stands is unlikely for the two-time defending national champions, who are set for Thursday’s start of the three-day U Sports track and field championships in Edmonton.
“It’s tough,” Bellemore, 23, said. “I thought we’d have a similar team to last year where we won, but a couple of performances fell through and that’s what happens.
“The last two years we’ve won and this year we’re not in a winning position, but we’re going to put our best foot forward.”
After five seasons, this will be the final competition with the Lancers for Bellemore, who is a Riverside high school product.
“I’m definitely ready for the last run,” said Bellemore, who will continue racing after graduation. “Sort of bittersweet, but I haven’t really sat down and put pressure on myself.
“I want to go out with a bang, but I want to treat it like any other race and just try to help the team finish the best we can.”
Bellemore will compete in the 600 metres, 1,000 metres, 1,500 metres and for the top-ranked 4×800-metre relay team, but he isn’t the lone Lancer standout competing for the final time.
Distance runners Taylor McArthur and Alex Ullman along with pole-vaulters Chris Waugh, seeded first, and Milos Savic, seeded third,
will also compete one last time.
“There’s a lot of us graduating,” Bellemore said. “We need to have a big recruiting class in the next couple years, but it’s nice to go out with the guys you came in with.”
The men’s team is seeded second at the meet, while the women are seeded seventh.
“I want our team to medal, but I don’t know what one it will be,” Bellemore said. “I just want to be on the podium. I’m in a lot of events and I just want to try and stay consistent in all those events.”