Huskies Track & Field to compete in U SPORTS Nationals in Windsor, ON
HALIFAX, NS – Members of the Saint Mary's Huskies track & field team will look to finish their season on a high note as they compete at this weekend's U SPORTS Track & Field Championships, hosted by the University of Windsor Lancers in Windsor, Ontario from March 6-8.
"We have nine athletes that will be competing in six different events at this weekend's U SPORTS Nationals," says head coach Kevin Heisler. "This is the highest number of athletes that we've had qualify for Nationals since I've been involved with the program, possibly in school history, which is fantastic and speaks to the continued growth of this program."
"We have two competitors – Mason Dunlop in shot put and our men's 4x200 relay team – that are ranked seventh in the country heading into Nationals and have high hopes of continuing to improve upon their high standards," adds Heisler. "But it will be a tremendous experience for all athletes to get to experience the environment of the National Championship and we're very excited for all of them."
Mason Dunlop – Shot Put
A third-year commerce major from Middle Musquodoboit, N.S., Mason Dunlop will be competing in the men's shot put for the second consecutive year.
Dunlop won the shotput at the AUS Championship with a school-record and personal best throw of 15.95m, and was named AUS Men's Field Athlete of the Year.
"Mason has made a big leap forward this year in his shotput performance, setting a personal best and breaking a Saint Mary's record of 15.95 metres, which ranks 7th in the country heading into Nationals," says Heisler. "We're looking forward to seeing him build on his performance last season when he finished 11th at U SPORTS, and I'm excited to see his hard work pay off."
Dunlop will look to improve upon his 11th place finish in shot put at last year's 2024 U SPORTS Nationals in Winnipeg, MB.
Katie Pegg – Shot Put
A second-year science major from Scarborough, ON, Katie Pegg will be competing in the F46 Para Shotput for the second consecutive year.
Despite being relatively new to the sport, Katie made history last year when she qualified to represent Canada at the Paralympic Games, where she finished seventh in the world.
"Katie will look to continue to improve upon her performance at the AUS Championship," said Heisler. "Katie and her coach Jodi Langley have made tremendous progress over the past year and a half, culminating in her competing at last summers Paralympic Games in Paris, France, and we look forward to seeing what she can accomplish at Nationals."
Dante Isadore – Long Jump
A fourth-year criminology major from Wagmatcook, N.S., Dante Isadore will be competing in the long jump for the second time.
Dante won the AUS Championship in long jump this year with a leap of 6.97 metres, which currently ranks 14th in the country.
"Dante hit 6.97 metres with his long jump this year and won the AUS Championship," says Heisler. "We know the U SPORTS Nationals is a super strong field, but we're looking for an excellent performance from Dante, and it would be amazing to see him go over seven metres again at the Nationals."
Isadore previously competed at the 2023 U SPORTS Nationals in Saskatoon, SK, where he finished 11th in the country.
Ciaran MacDonald – Triple Jump
A first-year sociology major from Margaree Valley, N.S., Ciaran MacDonald will represent the Huskies in triple jump.
MacDonald won the men's triple jump at the AUS Championship, beating the second-place finisher by one centimeter in a jump of 12.80m on his final attempt.
"As a first-year athlete, Ciaran had a wonderful experience in winning the gold medal in triple jump at the AUS Championship, and will now have an opportunity to compete against the best in the country at U SPORTS Nationals," says Heisler. "My hope is that Ciaran continues to improve upon his season best of 12.8 metres and has a great experience at his first trip to Nationals."
Andy MacMullin – 300m
A third-year sprinter from Boisdale, N.S., Andy MacMullin will be competing in the 300m, along with being a member of the Huskies 4x200 relay team.
Andy won the 300m at the AUS Championship with a time of 34.99 seconds, and ran a 34.93 earlier in the season, breaking the Saint Mary's record and ranking 12th in the country.
"Andy has been a key contributor to our program for three years and I'm excited for him to have the chance to compete at Nationals for the first time," says Heisler. "Andy broke the school record in the 300m twice this year and we hope he continues to improve upon his personal best."
Huskies 4x200 metre relay team
The Huskies men's 4x200 metre relay team consisting of Chad Smith (2nd year commerce major from Halifax, N.S.), Chandler Zinck-Marier (2nd year commerce major from Pleasantville, N.S.), Innis MacMullin (4th year environmental science major from Boisdale, N.S.), Andy MacMullin (3rd year arts major from Boisdale, N.S.) and alternate Ethan Delphin (1st year commerce major from Paris, France) will be competing in the men's 4x200 relay at Nationals.
This group won gold at the AUS Championships, breaking a school and AUS record with a time of 1:29.77, currently ranking 7th in U SPORTS.
"Our 4x200 metre relay team have also broken the school record twice this year," says Heisler. "They have hopes to run well on Thursday evening and qualify for the final, and if they do, then anything can happen in the finals, so we're optimistic."