by Syed Naqvi
Athletes at the University of Waterloo have kicked off the 2018-2019 Track and Field season. Many athletes at UW have set their sights on making a return to U Sports in 2019. Joerg Ahne, the reigning Male Athlete of the Year, is already making everyone aware of his intentions as he recorded 7.08 m in his maiden attempt at the long jump. In fact he was a mere 5 centimetres away from achieving automatic qualification for the U Sports competition in March. As of this moment he looks to be the favourite in retaining the gold medal in long jump.
Joining him is another athlete who is no stranger to success. Captain Joshua Lorentz doubled his track distance from 300m to 600m. Despite him leading until the final lap, he eventually had to settle for the bronze. He still managed to set a personal best time of 1:24.20. He is also eyeing the national medal for his event at U Sports in 2019.
Moving on to the women’s sprints, captain Ashley Blayney-Hoffer and Alessa Dalcourt recorded personal bests of 8.36 s and 8.30 s in the 60 m dash.
This season is very crucial for both these athletes, as they have been passed the torch from graduated athletes Rachel Bronzovich, Kelsi Darmon, Sabrina Marsh, and Tegan Sauer.
Rookie Wesley Freeman and veteran Dilveer Virk finished 3rd and 4th respectively in high jump. Freeman tied his personal best and has set his sights on breaking his record in his maiden season. December is the month athletes have marked in their calendars as they look to make new records, when they head to Western in their first official meet as a team.
