VANCOUVER – It was a historic weekend for the UBC Thunderbirds track and field program in Gulf Shores, Alabama. The UBC men's squad became the first ever Canadian school to unfurl the NAIA men's championship banner when they finished first in the overall points standing, beating out perennial powerhouses Indiana Tech and Wiley (Texas). The UBC women also had an exceptional weekend, overcoming injuries and bad luck to some key athletes to finish a very respectable fourth overall.
As the weekend unfolded, a collection of both defining and exceptional moments became stitched in the banner of UBC Track and Field history. Here are some of those moments:
Save your best for first
In his first attempt of the competition, UBC hammer thrower
Sebastian Yep achieved a distance of 51.58 metres. The throw was not only a career personal best, but also his longest throw since the 2017 Achilles Cup way back in March.
School record with authority (twice)
On the other end of the career spectrum, UBC hurdler
Tanyaradzwa Motsi saved her finest performance for her final NAIA championship. In the qualification heats, Motsi decimated the UBC school record and her own personal best with a time of 14.09. It was later revealed that the time was wind aided and the UBC school record was still intact. That is until Motsi delivered a 14.10 time in the championship final which won her a silver medal.
Keep strong and carry on
UBC steeplechaser
Brianna Cairns studies marine biology at UBC, so she's used to doing her best work around water. In the women's steeplechase final, Cairns had a nasty spill in the water. She got to her feet, composed herself and managed to finish the race in tenth spot, narrowly missing All-American status.
A (racewalk) star is born
The UBC track and field program is known for producing world-class race walkers. Under the tutelage of racewalk coach Jerry Dragomir, names such as Evan Dunfee, Inaki Gomez and Ben Thorne have represented UBC and Canada in events all over the globe. This weekend a new name emerged; Alger Liang. The freshman finished second in the 2017 national championships and is looking to walk his way to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Max (imum) potential
After a tough 2016 NAIA championship that saw him fail to qualify with his team for the 4 x 800 metre relay final,
Max Trummer set out on a mission to get better. His hard work paid off in a big way in 2017. Trummer ran a vital leg of the UBC men's 4 x 800 national championship team and also scored valuable points for his team with a fourth place finish in the 1500 metre final.
"To win a national championship in the relay and then to finish just behind my teammate,
Lukas Jarron, in the 1500 metre is a dream come true," said Trummer.
Au about the finish
With a very strong field to race against, UBC sophomore
Enid Au would be in tough to match her dazzling 2016 fourth-place performance in the women's 5000 metre final. But Au gave everything she had in the race's last lap to move from the middle of the pack to fourth place in the final 50 metres. In one of those inspiring moments Au collapsed onto the track and teammate
Zoe Zhang raced to her side to assist with the recovery process.
The clinch
Needing seven points in the 5000 metre final to clinch the overall men's NAIA title for the first time in UBC history,
Kieran Lumb,
Jesse Hooton and
John Gay turned into the 'Big Blue Machine' circling the track in unison. The trio ended up scoring eleven between them, clinching the title.
Thunderstruck
In a wonderfully candid moment the UBC men broke out into a chorus of AC/DC's Thunderstruck when they were awarded their championship trophy. A Canadian track team, winning a championship in the Southern US, while singing a song from an Australian rock band. Perfect!
