Day three CIS recap: Toronto and Windsor repeat as team champions

Women's 1,500m podium. Bronze: Yee, silver: Ayers, gold: Stafford. #canadianrunning #cistf16

A photo posted by canadianrunning (@canadianrunning) on Mar 12, 2016 at 12:43pm PST

Day three of the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) track and field championships wrapped up the event on Saturday at the Toronto Track and Field Centre at York University. The University of Toronto Varsity Blues repeated as the women’s overall team champions as did the University of Windsor Lancers in the men’s team competition.

RELATED: Day one CIS recap: Pro football player wins 60m in university record time.

RELATED: Day two CIS recap: Gabriela Stafford sets championship record in women’s 1K.

The highlights of day three included the finals of the 600m, 1,500m, the 4x200m relay and the concluding event of the national championships, the 4x400m relay.

Calgary’s Jenna Westaway took the women’s 600m defeating New Brunswick’s Grace Annear for the title while Windsor’s Corey Bellemore won the men’s race. Bellemore won the men’s outstanding athlete of the meet (George Gemer Award).

Corey Bellemore wins the men's 600m national title @windsorlancertf #canadianrunning

A photo posted by canadianrunning (@canadianrunning) on Mar 12, 2016 at 10:58am PST

In the men’s 1,500m, the University of Laval’s Antoine Thibeault won his second CIS gold in as many days running 3:50.69 to defeat Cole Peterson (Victoria) and Taylor McArthur (Windsor). The Rouge et Or athlete won gold in the men’s 3,000m the evening prior. He also was deserving of an award for best hair of the competition.

Un doublé pour @titoine_track du @rougeetor qui remporte maintenant le 1500m au #CISTF16 en 3:50.68. #GoLaval pic.twitter.com/34G5rQmuff

— Felix A Lapointe (@CoachLapointe) March 12, 2016

Along with Thibeault, there were two other Laval athletes in the final including Jean-Samuel Lapointe and Nicholas Morin, which played into the team’s strategy.

“The plan was to have Jean-Samuel [Lapointe] set a fast pace early on in the race,” explained Thibeault to Canadian Running after the race. “Once we hit the 1K mark, whoever was feeling good had the chance to go. I was a bit boxed in but with 400m to go I heard some Windsor fans cheer for Taylor [McArthur] so I knew I had to kick. Once I had the lead I figured someone would come up onto my shoulder but I was able to hold everyone off.”

The 1,500m women’s champion, Gabriela Stafford, also won her second CIS gold of the competition adding the metric mile title to the 1K title (championship record time) she won on Friday. On Saturday, the Toronto athlete won in 4:23.02 over Katelyn Ayers and Regan Yee. She will represent Canada at the IAAF world indoor championships next week in Portland, Ore.

Stafford took home the award for women’s outstanding athlete of the meet.

The 4x400m relays were the final event of the competition as Sherbrooke and Saskatchewan bested the fields before the final awards ceremony took place. The event concluded the university track and field season with many athletes now setting their sights for outdoor competition this spring and summer.

Individual day three medallists:

600m (W)
1. Jenna Westaway, Calgary, 1:29.61
2. Grace Annear, New Brunswick, 1:29.96
3. Rachel Jewett, Toronto, 1:30.12

600m (M)
1. Corey Bellemore, Windsor, 1:18.77
2. Sacha Smart, Toronto, 1:19.11
3. Tommy Land, Guelph, 1:19.17

4x200m (W)
1. Alberta, 1:37.39
2. Western, 1:37.92
3. Guelph, 1:39.11

4x200m (M)
1. Saskatchewan, 1:27.89
2. Manitoba, 1:28.85
3. York, 1:29.00

1,500m (W)
1. Gabriela Stafford, Toronto, 4:23.02
2. Katelyn Ayers, Guelph, 4:25.13
3. Regan Yee, Trinity Western, 4:26.02

1,500m (M)
1. Antoine Thibeault, Laval, 3:50.69
2. Cole Peterson, Victoria, 3:51.94
3. Taylor McArthur, Windsor, 3:51.99

4x400m (W)
1. Sherbrooke, 3:45.66
2. Toronto, 3:46.37
3. Alberta, 3:48.34

4x400m (M)
1. Saskatchewan, 3:16.27
2. Toronto, 3:17.26
3. McGill, 3:17.45

Final team standings (top-three)

Women
1. Toronto – 99 points
2. Guelph – 85
3. Western – 75.50

Men
1. Windsor – 93 points
2. Guelph – 79.50
3. Toronto – 56

Full results