The Huskie women’s track and field team ends the season by winning the Canada West Championships and receiving bronze at the U-Sports National Championships.

Supplied by Rachel Albertson

Track and field encompasses a variety of events, including running events such as sprints, middle- and long-distance races, and hurdles. There are also jumping events such as high jump, long jump and pole vault, as well as throwing events such as shot put, hammer throw and javelin—and combined events such as the heptathlon and pentathlon. 

This season, the Huskie women’s track and field team proved once again why they are the best in the west. 

Kaitlyn Harrison is a fifth-year environmental sciences major at USask and joined the track and field team in 2019. Harrison grew up on a farm, running through the trails near her home. She credits her dad, a former Huskie athlete, with getting her involved in sports. Harrison started competing in grade four and says, “[I] just really loved to race!”

Jenica Swartz, a fourth-year cellular, physiological and pharmacological sciences major, has been with the team for two years. Swartz’s dad also introduced her to track and field as a kid. “Running is something I enjoy and have been doing my whole life, so it felt natural to continue running at the university level,” she says. She goes on to mention how she chose to run at USask because she “knew [she] would be joining a strong group of athletes and could contribute to the program’s continued success.”

Swartz entered the season aiming to improve her times in the 600 m and 1000 m races. She adds that this was her first season training for and racing the 1500 m. Harrison was looking forward to getting personal bests and medaling in her events this season. “As a team, our main goal was looking at that seventh peak at Canada West again,” she says. 

Leading up to the Canada West Championships, the team focused on consistent training. Harrison says, “Consistency is the main thing. The workouts don’t all have to be 100% every single [day].” Along with workouts three days a week, Harrison stresses the importance of recovery runs on the off days, strength training, and getting enough sleep and nutrition as components of the team’s training. 

“I felt pretty good this year! Strong, more confident, and having quicker start [times] in my races. I had a better home opener, Sanderson classic, [and other] good races (…) that confidence built throughout my other races in the season,” Harrison says. 

For Swartz, who competed in the 1500 m for the first time, preparation for the season looked slightly different. “My goal was to stay healthy throughout the season, so I took a training approach focused more on strength rather than speed, which is a part of why I focused on the 1500 m this season rather than the 600 m,” she says. 

The Canada West Championships took place in Regina from February 21 to 22 with eight teams competing, including the Huskie women’s track and field team. They placed first with a total of 173.25 points, a lead of 50 points over the Calgary Dinos, who placed second. For the Huskie women’s team, this is their seventh consecutive win at Canada West. 

Swartz says, “I felt a bit of anticipation for this championship. I expected a lot out of myself and knew it was going to be a lot of work that would leave me exhausted. After my first race, the 1000 m, I wasn’t feeling as rested as I had wanted to feel, but I was still happy with the result. I felt better during the 4×800 m later that evening. On the second day of competition, I felt drained for my 600 m and 1500 m. I wasn’t super happy with my performance in the 600 m, but I think my 1500 m made up for it.” Swartz took gold in her 1500 m and 1000 m individual events. 

For Harrison, whose hometown is close to Regina, it was a highlight having her parents, friends, and family come to watch her. “[It felt] like a hometown crowd, so there was a lot of excitement,” she says. Harrison won silver in the 1500 m and bronze in the 1000 m. She, along with Swartz, Sarah Schwab, and Avery Pearson, won gold in the 4×800 m relay. She says, “It’s nice to medal, but it’s even better to do it with your teammates.” 

Other podium medal finishes for the team at the Canada West Championships included gold for Hannah Hagerty in long jump, Pearson with the 1000 m and 600 m, the 4×200 relay team consisting of Grace Igbiki, Paige Willems, Hagerty, and Selena Keyowski. The 4×400 relay team consisting of Willems, Igbiki, Schwab and Pearson also claimed gold. Willems won silver in the 300 m, Kira Comfort got bronze in the pentathlon and shot put, and Igbiki also received bronze in the 300 m. Additionally, Pearson was named Canada West Women’s Track Athlete of the Year. 

Harrison, who has been with the team for the past five out of the team’s seven Canada West wins, says, “This shows the skill that we have, each year, even if there’s a different team, there’s a rigorous training schedule, and just really good motivation to get that title.” 

“It felt pretty special to be making history with this group of girls, and I think it represents all the hard work each of us [has] put in throughout the season. It shows our strength and depth as a team to be able to perform at such a high level of competition,” Swartz reflects. Harrison agrees that winning the title seven years in a row shows the depth of the team across all events, and says, “It’s nice to continue that legacy.”

Swartz also mentions how a lot of the girls tried out for new events or participated in more events than they had previously done at Canada West. “We all pushed ourselves for the team, which made securing our seventh consecutive Canada-West title even more special.”

The team ended their season successfully at the U-Sports National Championships in Windsor, Ontario, which took place from March 6 to 8, placing third overall with 74 points. Swartz scored gold in the 1000 m and 4×800 m relay alongside Harrison, Schwab and Pearson. Pearson also won silver in the 600 m and bronze in the 1000 m. The silver medal was also brought home by the 4×200 m relay team (Igbiki, Willems, Hagerty and Keyowski) and the 4×400 m relay team (Igbiki, Willems, Schwab, and Pearson). Timit Adelugba received a bronze for the 60 m hurdles. 

With these victories, the Huskie Women’s track and field team has proven their dominance, unmatched excellence and continues to set the standard for track and field success.