Lancer women Aiming for podium finish
Women’s track and field team has eye on gold medal at U Sports championship
A silver-medal team performance at the OUA track and field championships has only made the University of Windsor Lancers women’s track and field team hungrier.
Now, the team would like to take that final step to the top of the podium at the U Sports track and field championships, which run Thursday through Saturday at the Dennis Fairall Fieldhouse in the St. Denis Centre.
“I don’t expect anything less,” the Lancers Kelsey Balkwill said of the team’s gold-medal goal. “I think that we’re in a good position and we have a good team and it’s there if we want to take it. “I think we have good people in place, if everyone executes and does what they need to do. There always has to be the faith and the hope that we can do it.”
The women’s team has not won a national title since ending a string of four straight ended after 2012, which was two years before Stef Smith arrived on campus. “When I came in here, the girls had medalled like two years earlier,” Smith said. Every year the goal is to get back up there.” It didn’t happen at the conference or national championships until this year and now Smith is ready to dream the dream. “Oh my gosh, that would be the cherry on top,” Smith said. “That would be amazing. It’s possible. That’s the thing about championships. Anything can happen.” It’s been a positive first season under head coach Colin Inglis with the women on the podium at the OUA championship for the first time in six years and a young men’s squad taking the bronze medal at the conference championship and sitting in the top 10 nationally. Inglis wants his athletes to continue to push this weekend.
“The women’s team, the goal’s to be on the podium and I think there’s a very strong chance they should medal anywhere from first to third,” Inglis said. “Third’s realistic, second could be there and first you never know. “The guys got into the top 10 and it’s all about taking care of opportunities and being opportunistic over the next few days of competition. They’re ninth and with some falters by other teams, maybe they can crawl up to fifth place. It’ll be a battle to do that, but you have to be ready when the opportunities come your way.” Already this season, Inglis has seen his athletes set 129 new personal-best performances in competition.
“Overall, it’s a good stat,” Inglis said. “Part of that is when you have a young team, sometimes it’s a little bit easier to get some PBs and things, but then you factor some of the veterans.” Rachel Wolfs has twice broken the school record in pole vault and is the top seed. Sarah Mitton set a new shot put record and is the top seed for that event and the second seed in weight throw. Balkwill is the top seed in the 300 metres and 600 metres. “When I started, Dennis (Fairall) was still around and I got the tail end of that,” Smith said. “A few of us, we saw so many changes. It’s nice to feel, not that we’re back, but there’s a lot of that old tradition still around and a lot of new and exciting things happening, too.
“I still think there’s a lot of us that haven’t peaked yet, so we’re prepared to do that in the most important meet of the season. It’ll be tough and everyone’s got to be on, but it’s not impossible.” Inglis, who coached under Fairall before taking over at York and then returning, just wants his athletes to keep doing what they’ve done all season. “I wouldn’t want to put any pressure on the girls at all,” Inglis said. “I think the girls have their own goals and own expectations and we don’t want to keep them in check as to where they are. Just remain consistent, keep working hard, perform to the level they can perform at and take care of any opportunities that come their way.”
I don’t expect anything less. I think that we’re in a good position and we have a good team and it’s there if we want to take it.