Canadian NCAA star returns to track with speedy workout

Villanova University’s NCAA All-American Sadie Sigfstead turned heads in the fall with an outstanding cross-country season. Now, the 21-year-old athlete hints we can expect the same level of domination in the 2025 season; she returned to track workouts with a whopping 6.8-km session, featuring 400m repeats. The workout, completed on the school’s snow-covered track in Philadelphia, was covered by Track: All-Access on YouTube.

Sigfstead opened her track season at Boston University’s Sharon Colyear-Danville meet in December, running 15:52.27 over 5,000m. The performance marked the eighth-fastest time in program history. She then took a two-week break before spending three weeks building a base.

The workout

The workout included eight 400m repeats at 5K pace, with 450m “float recovery” between reps. “It’s just going to give me a gauge of where her fitness is,” Villanova endurance coach Gina Procaccio said.

Sigfstead ran the working reps at a consistent 75 seconds per lap, which constitutes a 15:38 5,000m. Her personal best for the event stands at 15:44.11, which she ran last year. “It’s a little quick on the offs,” Procaccio said, clocking Sigfstead at an average of 82 seconds for the floating reps.

Canadian runner and Villanova athlete Maggie Smith hopped into the workout to pace Sigfstead for the 400m reps.

After the session, Sigfstead hardly seemed out of breath. “It’s a good start,” Procaccio said to the runner. “You’re not not fit.”

 

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“I can’t admit that it’s cold, because this is like where I grew up,” Sigfstead said. At this time of year, the temperature in Philadelphia hovers at around 0 C. However, an Edmonton native, Sigfstead grew up with cold and dry winter weather, with average temperatures dipping to -15 C.

Edmonton’s Sadie Sigfstead wins NCAA Nuttycombe Invitational

Sigfstead made headlines in the fall after winning the Nuttycombe Invitational in Madison, Wis., in September. She then went on to become Villanova University’s first women’s cross-country All-American since 2013, taking 15th in November’s NCAA championships. Sigfstead has been a standout Canadian endurance runner since a very young age; she won the U18 national cross-country title in 2017 at only 14, and won the U20 Canadian Cross-Country Championships in 2021.