LANGLEY, B.C. – Senior racewalker Olivia Lundman set a new Canadian record in the women's 5000 metre event on Saturday, highlighting a terrific day for the UBC Thunderbirds at the Battle of Sparta, hosted by the Trinity Western Spartans at McLeod Athletic Park.

The three-time NAIA champion and 2024 Olympian's time of 21:55.86 currently stands as the sixth fastest in the world this year. Lundman now also holds the NAIA's top ranking by well over four minutes.

"How can we not celebrate Olivia Lundman's Canadian record as the highlight of the meet?" mused UBC head coach, Laurier Primeau, following a wildly successful day in the Fraser Valley. "This is such a gratifying achievement for both Olivia and her coach, Evan Dunfee. I'm sure Evan would interject at this point to give kudos to Gerry Dragomir, the godfather of UBC racewalk excellence. We've truly been fortunate to have excellent coaches matched with excellent talent in this event group."



Having already achieved 'A' Standard at last month's UBC Open racewalk, Grace Wong shaved 25 seconds off her previous personal best time with a 25:50.49, moving up into the second ranked time in the NAIA this year.

Senior Tyler Wilson also set a new personal best Saturday in the men's racewalk, his 20:42.38 improving on his own number one ranking by 40 seconds. Freshman T-Bird Lowell Solmes wasn't far behind setting a new PB of his own with a time of 20:46.39. UBC now holds the top two ranked athletes in both the men's and women's racewalk thus far in 2025.

The defending NAIA women's 4x800 metre relay champion T-Birds will now officially have the opportunity to defend that title after racing Saturday to an 'A' Standard time of 9:02.82. Laura Beghin, Sarah MacGillivray, Mackenzie Campbell and Rachel Mortimer combined to produce the number one NAIA time by nearly seven seconds.

UBC's men's 4x800 relay also earned an automatic qualification to the national championship meet with an 'A' Standard time of 7:34.38. Ryan Goudron, Spencer Hardy, Devon Meadows and Maximilien Filion boast the conference's leading mark and the second overall ranked time in the NAIA.



"Almost every event on the track boasted season or lifetime bests for a Thunderbird and it was the women's and men's 4x800 relays which kicked off the day with automatic qualifying standards," Primeau continued. "Both teams ran solo, that makes for eight individual 800 metres that have to go just right with no one to chase, no one to run away from along with windy conditions that were tough to read."

Sophomore Tanya Dhanoa set a new personal best in the women's 100 metre hurdles earning a first place finish in 14.59.

Mia Cameron's first place in the women's 400 metres was also good for a new lifetime best time of 57.31.

Logan Peterson took first in the men's 400 with a 47.82, also a personal best while meeting 'B' Standard for provisional qualification to nationals.

Freshman Debbie Suleman crushed her previous personal best in the women's 100 metres, her time of 11.71 in Saturday's final claiming first place while also meeting NAIA 'A' Standard on the nose.



Amelia Pfohl will once again have the opportunity to compete in the women's 1500 metres at the NAIA National Championship having posted an 'A' Standard time of 4:28.82 to win the Battle of Sparta event amongst a field of 22 athletes. Elysse Fleming bettered her UBC Open time by more than nine seconds with a 4:29.58 personal best on Saturday, just 58 one-hundredths away from 'A' Standard but putting herself in excellent position to compete in Indiana come late May.

Kai Martland set a personal best in the men's 1500 running sub-four minutes for the first time with a 3:54.15, good for eighth place in Langley.

Two-time defending NAIA women's pole vault champion Sonya Urbanowicz won another meet with a top height Saturday of 4.02 metres.

Sophomore Bryce White won the men's pole vault with a season best top attempt of 4.47 metres.

Jordan Dickhof obliterated his previous personal best in men's javelin, winning Saturday's competition with a top throw of 60.85 metres. The 'B' Standard distance currently stands as the 11^th place ranking in the NAIA so far this season as UBC now boasts five men who have thrown over 60 metres in 2025.

Sarah Snell claimed first in women's javelin reaching 41.64 metres.



Freshman Lauren Curtis won the women's hammer throw, her longest attempt of 51.12 metres meeting 'B' Standard for a new personal best.

Sarah Pimblett finished first in women's high jump clearing 1.66 metres.

"Freshman Debbie Suleman had never broken 12 seconds in the 100 metres and today she ran 11.71 to lock down 'A' Standard for the NAIA Championships. Amelia Pfohl and Elysse Fleming going 4:28 and 4:29 in the 1500 was a big highlight and I thought the first year pair of Kai Martland and Steven Brittain had a lot to be proud of with their metric mile performances. We had two men and two women race the 400 metres and all ran the fastest times of their lives. I'm missing some pretty amazing stuff by mentioning only these great athletes which is a compliment to our program and an apology to those I've failed to credit. It was just a terrific day!"

The Battle of Sparta marked the final Canadian meet this season for the T-Birds, many of whom will be in southern California next weekend for a trio of meets in the greater Los Angeles Area.

UBC's decathlon and heptathlon athletes, however, will find themselves in Klamath Falls, Oregon for the Cascade Collegiate Conference Multi-Event Championships which begin Thursday, April 17.

FULL RESULTS