T&F: Manitoba leads men's side, Saskatchewan atop women's standings after Day 1

Recap provided by University of Regina Sports Information

REGINA – The University of Manitoba Bisons hold the lead on the men's side and the Saskatchewan Huskies sit atop the women's standings after the first day of the 2025 Canada West Track & Field Championships at the Regina Fieldhouse.

The Bisons' men's team had three first-place finishes on the opening day of competition, helping them pile up a total of 87 team points which has them 35 points up on second-place Trinity Western. Manitoba's three winners were Graham Wright in the weight throw, Graham Hutchison-Campbell in the long jump, and Adam Andres in the 60-metre hurdles.

Saskatchewan's women scored 102.5 points on Day 1, giving them a cushion of over 35 points over Calgary. The Huskies swept the podium in the 1000-metre run as Avery Pearson, Jenica Swartz, and Kaitlyn Harrison took gold, silver, and bronze, respectively. Hannah Hagerty took top spot in the long jump, while the 4x800 team also claimed top spot for the U of S.

Two Canada West records fell on Day 1. Alberta's Rachel Grenke entered the pole vault competition with the bar at 3.76 metres and quickly cleared that to lock up gold in the event. She then cleared 3.91m and 4.06m before having the bar set to 4.22m. Grenke was successful on her first attempt at that height, matching her personal best in that event and also breaking the conference record of 4.20 metres which was set by Saskatchewan's Kelsie Hendry back in 2005.

Calgary's Sienna MacDonald broke her own conference record in the 60-metre hurdles with a time of 8.16 seconds in the prelims, beating the time of 8.19 seconds that she set at last year's meet. MacDonald matched that time in the finals to secure gold for the Dinos.

MacDonald and Regina's Jonathan Podbielski were the lone double winners on Day 1. Besides the hurdles win, MacDonald enjoyed a dominant win in the pentathlon by well over 400 points. Podbielski started the day off with a first-place finish in the 1000-metre run, then sat in second place for much of the 3000-metre run before taking the lead on the final lap and pulling away down the stretch for a win by nearly two seconds.

Other men's winners on Day 1 included Trinity Western's Daniel Earles in the 300-metre dash, Saskatchewan's Jake Neufeld in the pole vault, and Victoria's 4x800 team. Gold medals were also registered on the women's side by Calgary's Georgia Oland in the 300, Victoria's Marisha Thompson in the 3000, and Regina's Shelaine Pritchard in the shot put.

The second day of competition kicks off on Saturday morning at 11 a.m. CST. Events are expected to run until approximately 4 p.m. at the Regina Fieldhouse.

Men's Team Standings

Manitoba 83

Trinity Western 53

Saskatchewan 43

Alberta 41

Regina 29

Victoria 27

Calgary 20

Lethbridge 3

Women's Team Standings

Saskatchewan 102.5

Calgary 67

Alberta 62.5

Regina 29

Trinity Western 27

Victoria 22

Manitoba 18

Lethbridge 13