McGill Athletics announced on Nov. 20 that it would cut the Track and Field program. Just nine days later, Luca Nicoletti, U3 Engineering, shattered the team’s longest-standing record by breaking the 300-meter dash mark that had stood since 1986. Nicoletti clocked a 34.11-second finish—three milliseconds faster than Earl Haughton’s 34.14-second record—at the Martlets Open Meet on Nov. 29, the team’s first competition of the season. In an interview with The Tribune, Nicoletti reflected on his emotions before and after the race.
“Going into the meet alone was insane because our team was getting cancelled. I had ‘SAVE MCGILL TRACK’ written all over my arms. I wanted to show the school that our team is still competitive,” Nicoletti said. “After the race and seeing the time was exciting. I’m like, at least [McGill Athletics] gets to know what they are missing out on.”
Nicoletti’s expectations were high going into this meet. After showing consistent progress over the summer, he wanted to break 34 seconds, putting him closer to the Tomlinson Fieldhouse record of 32.94 seconds set by Shane Niemi from York University in 2014. He also hopes to get a spot on the podium at the U SPORTS Track & Field Championships in March.
“I think [breaking 34 seconds] will come this season, but this was a mini-achievement and a mini-milestone on the way to U SPORTS, which was super exciting.”
Nicoletti started his track career at École secondaire catholique Paul-Desmarais in Ottawa, where he represented his high school team. However, he began training outside of school at the Ottawa Lions Club in 2019 at his friend’s insistence. Nicoletti competed in the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations Championship youth category that year, placing first and second in the 100-metre hurdles and 300-metre hurdles, respectively.
“I was like a big success off of very little training, so it solidified it as a sport for me there,” Nicoletti said.
Despite both his early promise and recent success, Nicoletti endured a serious hamstring injury during his first year on the McGill team. During his recovery, he prioritized regaining his speed, which ultimately led him to transition to short-distance events. Having moved away from his family a few months earlier, Nicoletti found it especially difficult to cope with the setback.
“I was losing two things I was comfortable with. I was away from my family, and I would have had the familiarity of track, but I lost that as well,” Nicoletti said. “Watching others get better wasn’t the worst part of it, but it was more just not getting to do the things I love doing.”
His injury, however, led him to appreciate the sport even more.
“On my recovery journey, every workout was painful, but I was just smiling. I remember the first summer back, my friend and I threw up after training. He was like, ‘Man, this sucks.’ I was like, ‘I’m just happy I can do this.’”
Nicoletti also attributed the success of his recovery journey to his coach, Tyrone Edge, and his teammates.
“Coach Edge is really good with competitive athletes, and he helped me get back into fashion after my injury,” Nicoletti said. “I think you have to have the self-discipline to train on your own, but you need your teammates to make the pain throughout the season worth it.”
Entering his third season with the team, Nicoletti approached training with far greater intention, restructuring nearly every aspect of his life around track. He began taking his diet more seriously, closely monitoring his protein intake and incorporating supplements that support recovery.
While his dedication paid off, the news of the track team’s cut casts a lingering shadow over the moment, complicating what should have been a purely celebratory milestone.
“It’s bittersweet because what if my record is the last one that gets recorded? People are coming up to me and saying how you might have it forever, but I want the rookies under me to be able to challenge it and break it.”
