Athletes from 11 universities competed at the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) Indoor Track and Field Championship meet on Feb. 20 and 21. Hosted at McGill’s Tomlinson Fieldhouse, the meet featured 82 McGill athletes with impressive results from both the Redbirds and the Martlets.
As the final home meet at McGill, the RSEQ championship carries more than results and standings. It represents the last time the McGill track and field team will ever compete on home soil, and the final meet the 125-year-old program will ever host. For athletes, the RSEQ championship also serves as a qualifying event for the U SPORTS National Championships. Athletes who placed first in their event, produced a result ranked in the top 12 nationally, or reached the U SPORTS Qualifying Standard will represent their university in Winnipeg from March 5 to March 7.
Despite McGill Athletics’ decision to cut the program, the team has had one of its best seasons yet. At the Martlets Open on Nov. 29, the Men’s and Women’s teams placed first and second, respectively, out of 19 teams, breaking several school records along the way. However, the team faced some unexpected challenges over the past weekend. The 4×200 Men’s Relay was disqualified due to improper baton passes after breaking the school’s record for the second time this season.
Head Coach Dennis Barrett started coaching McGill Track and Field in 1986. In an interview with The Tribune, he discussed the expectations entering the meet.
“We’ve been doing quite well,” Coach Barrett said. “We want to make sure we’re competing at a very high level in terms of our athletes and our team being competitive to be in the hunt [for champions at the] RSEQ championships.”
William Sanders, U1 Engineering and member of the 4×200 team, explained to The Tribune his emotions after the disqualification.
“It’s unfortunate because we ran a great time,” Sanders said. “But we’re still going to Nationals, and we just put up the best time in the country. So I think we know what we’re going to do, and everybody else does too.”
Sanders also competed in the 600-metre, 300-metre, and 4×400-metre events, placing third in the 600 and winning both the 300 and 4×400-metre races. In the 300-metre dash, Sanders clocked 34.03 seconds, breaking the school record that was last set by his teammate Luca Nicoletti, U3 Engineering, at the Martlets Open.
“I’m super happy with that one,” Sanders explained. “Before the race, [Nicoletti and I] said that the only good outcome was that we both make it to nationals. We went out there and dragged each other to our personal bests.”
Nicoletti believes that this is the strongest the team has ever been.
“I would say this is our glory year of track, and it’s the best I’ve seen this program,” Nicoletti said.
Determination carried the team throughout the season. With the men’s team placing second and the women’s team placing third, and capturing five golds combined, the track and field team has seen success across the board, from the men’s squads to the women’s, and from the racetrack to the field events.
Rebecca Warcholak, U2 Science, is one of the captains of the McGill track and field team. She placed first in the triple jump event with a mark of 11.68 metres. In an interview with The Tribune, she reflected on how McGill Athletics’ decision has motivated her to elevate her performance.
“Standing on the runway competing yesterday and today, I was definitely trying to fuel myself with all the anger and the emotions that were present this entire season and just making sure I don’t have any regrets,” Warcholak said.
Sanders and Nicoletti also shared similar sentiments, describing how the decision has impacted them.
“I’m thinking about this decision while I’m on the starting line,” Sanders said. “At nationals, I want to show the country what a horrible mistake [McGill Athletics] made.”
“I love my school, but I’m very disappointed in my athletics department,” Nicoletti said. “We have a lot of promise. There are a lot of young guys who will have a shot at the Olympics, and this could be ruining their dreams.”
Barrett, however, emphasized the importance of staying in the present moment.
“One of the things that sports has taught me is that you’ve got to focus on the here and now, and tomorrow will take care of itself. You focus on now, keep battling, and hope you can get a reversal of fortune going forward.”
Despite the uncertainty, the team hopes to carry the words of their head coach at the U Sports Championships, where they will represent McGill and strive to achieve new heights one last time.
