Track Dinos finish second and fourth at CIS

By Laura Bennett

<> Men’s side

Spearheaded by the brilliant performance of male track athlete of the year and CIS championship MVP Sam Effah, the University of Calgary Dinos men’s track and field team busted their asses to come within three points of winning the CIS championships in Montreal Mar. 6-8.

On McGill University’s 200 metre banked-track from the top track and field athletes from across the country came to compete. Entering the tournament, the Dinos men were ranked third, while the 4×200 metre and 4×400 metre relay teams, while Effah in the 60 metre and 300 metre and Trent Ratzlafff in the 600 metre were ranked first. None of them failed to live up to the hype.

“The guys did everything they could possibly do and then some,” said Lamont. “Both Trent and Sam had to be on their game to achieve what they were capable of.”

Effah’s performance was so good, that in the final point tally, he contributed to 40 of the Dinos men’s 63 points–20 individually and 20 with the relays. Lamont noted that the biggest surprise of the weekend came from a stronger than expected 4×800 metre relay team that entered the meet ranked seventh but finished fourth. The relays held another unexpected result, too.

“A big surprise for me [was] that we got the CIS record [in the 4×400 metre relay],” said Ratzlaff.

U of C records were set in all three relays and in the 60 metre.

The Dinos men now take a week’s rest before returning to train for the outdoor season, where they race for the University of Calgary Athletic Club, not the Dinos as there is no varsity team for outdoor track. Training for indoor track and field resumes in the fall. Lamont expects next year’s team, which will see the return of all the Dinos CIS competitors, to be very strong. Ratzlaff is also positive about the Dinos future.

“We have a pretty young team, so I’m hoping that we can at least match what we did this year,” said Ratzlaff. “I think with a few more rookies, maybe we can improve and bring back the title.”

Women’s side

CIS competition in Montreal yielded some top results for the Dinos women’s team. The lady Dinos brought home some hardware and placed fourth overall, behind Guelph, Western and Windsor. Individual highlights included Amonn Nelson’s gold in the 300 metre, Jessica O’Connell’s silver in the 1500 metre and Holly Ratzlaff’s bronze in the 600 metre. The depth of the group was showcased through the success of the relay teams, who captured gold in the 4×200 metre and the 4×400 metre races, and were composed of Nelson, Ratzlaff, Tessa Gray and Kelsey Lotwin. The 4×800 metre relay team claimed second place through the efforts of Rachel Romero, Heather Sim, Jessica O’Connell and Valerie Hurdle.

Head coach Doug Lamont was pleased with the results.

“The girls came in and did everything they could do,” he said. “They maintained their composure and competed hard, and that’s all one can ask.”

Last season, the Dino women were the CIS champions, but they were ranked fourth going into CIS competition this year.

“In addition to the graduation of [Dinos top-scorer] Jessica Zelinka, it’s a young team,” commented Lamont, “If we can build by getting more young talent coming in, we can soon be competing for a national title.”

With this year being her first experience with CIS track competition, rookie Jessica O’Connell was looking towards the meet positively.

“I was really excited to see what it would be like,” she said. “Going in, I was hoping to medal. Not expecting, but hoping. It’s always nice when things work out.”

In terms of the women’s team in general, O’Connell was pleased with the result.

“For the most part, we were all really happy with our performances,” she said. “The energy was strong because our team is so cohesive and it’s fun supporting your best friends.”

Next up for the Dinos is the outdoor season. Competitions throughout the spring and summer will take place at Foothills Track.