Saskatchewan Women Claim 7th Consecutive Conference Banner at 2025 Canada West Championships

REGINA, Sask. – The Saskatchewan Huskies enjoyed a comfortable win on the women's side and the Manitoba Bisons took home the men's title at the 2025 Canada West Track & Field Championships held over the weekend at the Regina Fieldhouse. With the win, the Huskies set a Canada West record with their seventh consecutive conference banner, besting the previous record set by the USask men in the early 2000s (2000-05).

After Hannah Hagerty took first in the long jump and Avery Pearson won the 1000-metre run on Friday, the Huskies followed that up with two more individual championships on Saturday. Pearson won her second gold of the weekend in the 600-metre run, and Jenica Swartz took home gold in the 1500-metre run. The Huskies finished with a sweep in the relays, winning the 4x800 on Friday before collecting wins in both the 4x200 and the 4x400 on Saturday.

Pearson, who was also part of two of the three relay wins for Saskatchewan, was named the Canada West Women's Track Athlete of the Year following the meet.

Saskatchewan finished with a total of 173.25 points on the women's side, 50 more than second-place Calgary in the team standings.

Manitoba got gold medals from Adam Andres (60-metre hurdles), Graham Hutchison-Campbell (long jump), and Graham Wright (weight throw) on Friday and followed that up with three more first-place finishes on Saturday. Jordan Soufi took home gold in the 60-metre dash, Daxx Turner won gold in the triple jump, and the 4x200-metre relay team sprinted to a first-place finish as well.

The Bisons piled up 182 points over the two-day meet, finishing 78 points up on Alberta for top spot on the men's side.

Regina's Jonathan Podbielski was named the Canada West Men's Track Athlete of the Year after a triple-gold performance. He won both the 1000-metre run and the 3000-metre run on Friday, then won the 1500-metre run on Saturday in a Canada West record time of 3:45.92. Podbielski, who ran the 1500 mostly all alone well in front of the rest of the field, broke the old conference record of 3:47.43 set by Calgary's Eric Lutz three seasons ago.

Other men's gold medals went to Trinity Western's Dajean Clarke in the heptathlon, TWU's Daniel Earles in the 300-metre dash, Alberta's Wesley Eze in the shot put, Alberta's Clay Grattidge in the 600-metre run, Saskatchewan's Jake Neufeld in the pole vault, and Calgary's Noel Vanderzee in the high jump.

Eze, who also won silver in the weight throw, was named the Canada West Field Athlete of the Year.

Pearson, Manitoba's Madisson Lawrence, and Calgary's Sienna McDonald all won double gold on the women's side. Lawrence took top spot in both the high jump and the triple jump, while McDonald won the 60-metre hurdles in a Canada West record time of 8.16 seconds as well as taking top spot in the pentathlon. McDonald earned Women's Performance of the Meet honours for her record-setting time in the hurdles.

Also winning gold on the women's side was Alberta's Rachel Grenke in the pole vault, Calgary's Georgia Oland in the 300-metre dash, Regina's Shelaine Pritchard in the shot put, Calgary's Dawn Richardson Wilson in the 60-metre dash, Lethbridge's Jinaye Shomachuk in the weight throw, and Victoria's Marisha Thompson in the 3000-metre run. Grenke clearing the bar at 4.22 metres in the pole vault set a new Canada West record on Friday, breaking the old mark of 4.20m which had stood since the 2004-05 campaign.

Shomachuk not only won the weight throw, but also placed second in the shot put to earn Canada West Field Athlete of the Year honours.

The teams will now prepare to close out their 2024-25 campaign at the U SPORTS Championships, which will be hosted by the University of Windsor from Mar. 6 through Mar. 8.

Major Award Winners
Women's Track Athlete of the Year: Avery Pearson, SSK
Men's Track Athlete of the Year: Jonathan Podbielski, REG
Women's Field Athlete of the Year: Jinaye Shomachuk, LETH
Men's Field Athlete of the Year: Wesley Eze, ALB
Women's Rookie of the Year: Reagan Bliss, CGY
Men's Rookie of the Year: Ryder Rattee, ALB
Women's Performance of the Meet: Sienna McDonald, CGY (60-metre hurdles)
Men's Performance of the Meet: Jonathan Podbielski, REG (1500-metre run)
Women's Student-Athlete Community Award: Georgia Oland, CGY
Student-Athlete Community Award: Jake Neufeld, SSK
Women's Assistant Coach of the Year: Ciera Heshka-Wolf, ALB
Men's Assistant Coach of the Year: Jamie Epp, SSK
Women's Coach of the Year: Jason Reindl, SSK
Men's Coach of the Year: Claude Berube, MAN

Women's Standings
1) Saskatchewan 173.25
2) Calgary 123
3) Alberta 87.25
4) Manitoba 69.5
5) Regina 65
6) Trinity Western 44
7) Victoria 42
8) Lethbridge 40

Men's Standings
1) Manitoba 182
2) Alberta 104
3) Trinity Western 98
4) Saskatchewan 82
5) Regina 81
6) Calgary 59
7) Victoria 32
8) Lethbridge 3