VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds came up short in the 14th annual Achilles Cup track and field dual meet against the Clan from Simon Fraser on Saturday at the Rashpal Dhillon Track and Field Oval.
 
SFU triumphed by claiming victories in both the women's and men's competitions. The Clan women outscored their rivals 72-43 while the men's scoring breakdown was 59-54. UBC now trails the all-time Achilles Cup series 8-5-1.
 
"We're measuring based on our abilities compared to ourselves at this juncture. With that in mind, I saw a lot of athletes who maximized their potential for this time of year, and I think that bodes well for the future," said UBC head coach Laurier Primeau.
 
In the men's 200 metres, earned the maximum eight points. Four Thunderbirds runners crossed the finish line ahead of the top Clan athlete. Jake Hanna (Surrey, B.C.) was fourth overall in the 200 with a time of 22.67 seconds, followed by Stephen Abosi (Gaborone, Botswana) in 22.72 and Philip Ireri (Nairobi, Kenya), who clocked a time of 23.25.
 
Abosi ran 11 seconds flat to place second in the men's 100-metre dash. He teamed with Ireri, Mark Coles (Calgary) and Mihailo Stefanovic (New Westminster, B.C.) to give UBC a victory in the 4x100 relay (42.22).
 
The UBC men were best in three of the four field events in the Achilles scoring.
 
Mackenzie Koopmans (Barrie, Ont.) won the javelin competition with a best throw of 48.21 metres, while Nick Russell (Vancouver) claimed gold in the shot put. His best attempt flew 12.70 metres.
 
In the men's high jump, Filip Backiel (Surrey, B.C.) and Koopmans were the highest-placing university athletes in a field that included two-time Olympian and T-Bird alumnus Mike Mason. Backiel cleared 1.80 metres, while Koopmans jumped 1.70.
 
Kirsten Lee (Port Coquitlam, B.C.) and Nicole Lacis (White Rock, B.C.) both made the 'A' standard for the NAIA Outdoor Track and Field Championship in the 1,500 metres.
 
Lee was third in today's race, finishing 4:36.03, while Lacis was right behind her teammate in 4:37.36.
 
In the women's high jump, Julia Hawkins (Vancouver) had a best attempt of 1.60 metres, which was good for third overall. Olivia Campbell (Toronto) tied for fourth (1.55 m).
 
"Obviously, that women's 1500, with two 'A Standards' was really good for us. I thought that the sweep in the men's 200, coming first and second in that event, was really good, and bodes well for the future," said Primeau. "Actually, there were also a lot of field successes, which aren't as visible to the audience, but we had some excellent performances in women's high jump - Julia Hawkins with a personal best, which hasn't happened since high school. In men's and women's javelin, I thought we had some nice performances as well. Overall, I'm really pleased, understanding that our endurance runners continually step up, as they did in this meet, and tomorrow, they are coming back for more. "
 
The dual meet was run in conjunction with the UBC Open, which continues until Saturday.
 
In events that did not factor into Achilles Cup scoring, Evan Elder (Christchurch, New Zealand) and Jesse Hooton (North Vancouver) finished 1-2 in the 10,000 metres and qualified for the NAIA national meet.
 
Elder surpassed the 'A' standard with a time of 30:59.48 while Hooton posted a time of 31:08.73.