Pegg, Dunlop & MacDonald to compete at 2026 U SPORTS Track & Field Championships in Winnipeg
HALIFAX, NS – Three members of the Saint Mary's Huskies track & field team - jumper Ciaran MacDonald and throwers Mason Dunlop and Katie Pegg - 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 Manitoba in Winnipeg, MB from March 5-7.
"The three athletes who will be competing are no strangers to competing at U SPORTS Championships," says Huskies co-head coach Jonathan Peverill. "They've each competed at that level over the past few years, and we're hoping to see them continue to improve upon their previous results and success while proudly representing Saint Mary's at the National stage."
Mason Dunlop – Shot Put
A fourth-year commerce major from Middle Musquodoboit, N.S., Mason Dunlop will be competing in the men's shot put for the third consecutive year.
Dunlop won a silver medal at this year's AUS Championship with a season-best throw of 15.55m, ranking him 10th in U SPORTS coming into the Championships.
At last season's, U SPORTS Nationals, Dunlop finished in fourth place in the country in shot put, with a school-record of 15.95m. In 2024, Dunlop finished 11th in the country in shot put.
"Mason is coming off just missing the podium at last year's nationals, and he's rounding back into that form after some adversity early in the season, as we saw from his performance at the AUS Championships," says Peverill. "He knows what it takes to perform at the big stage, and hopefully he can continue his improvement and challenge for a podium finish."
Katie Pegg – Shot Put
A third-year science major from Scarborough, ON, Katie Pegg will be competing in the F46 Para Shotput for the third consecutive year.
Pegg won a bronze medal at this year's AUS Championship, with a personal best throw of 12.78m, breaking a 43-year-old Saint Mary's program record.
Pegg won a gold medal in F46 Para Shotput at last year's U SPORTS Championship. Pegg made history in 2024 when she qualified to represent Canada at the Paralympic Games, where she finished seventh in the world.
"We're excited to see Katie represent Saint Mary's at the National stage once again, this time in her final competition as a Husky!" says Peverill. "We're looking forward to seeing Katie hopefully continue to set personal bests and break her own school record, as she leaves our program as one of the most accomplished throwers in school history."
Ciaran MacDonald – Triple Jump
A second-year sociology major from Margaree Valley, N.S., Ciaran MacDonald will represent the Huskies in triple jump.
MacDonald won a gold medal in Triple Jump at this year's AUS Track & Field Championship, with a personal best jump of 13.36m.
MacDonald competed at last year's U SPORTS Championship, finishing 12th in the country.
"Ciaran has improved by leaps and bounds - no pun intended - over the past year," says Peverill. "He's got an excellent chance to break a 33-year-old Saint Mary's school triple jump record (Steve White, 13.41m in 1993) this weekend in Winnipeg."
The 2026 U SPORTS Track & Field Championships get started on Friday night, and you can catch all the action live on CBC Gem or CBC Sports YouTube
Pegg is scheduled to throw Friday at approximately 9:15 p.m. AST, Dunlop is scheduled to throw on Saturday at approximately 3:45 p.m., and MacDonald is scheduled to compete on Saturday at approximately 2:35 p.m.