Cougars on the right track
Feb. 2, 2010 - Regina Leader-Post
By Ian Hamilton
Members of the University of Regina Cougars track and field team are starting to hit their stride.
Through the Sled Dog Open -- held Saturday in Saskatoon -- six Cougars have reached automatic qualifying standards for the 2010 CIS track and field championships, March 11-13 in Windsor.
"I'm extremely impressed," Cougars interim head coach Bruce McCannel said Monday. "As a coach, your hope is that people get the automatic qualifying standards out of the way as soon as possible because it takes the pressure off them for the rest of the year.
"Realistically, you expect people to get the standards by the Manitoba Indoor Games (this season, that meet is next weekend in Winnipeg), the Queen City Kinsmen meet (Feb. 12-13 in Regina) or the Canada West championships (Feb. 26-27 in Edmonton). This is the time of the season when people typically start to get into peak form."
Canada West athletes can qualify for the CIS meet in three ways. They can reach an automatic qualifying standard, they can place in the top two of their events at the conference championships, or they can be ranked in the top 12 of their events before the CIS meet.
McCannel suggested the CIS sets its automatic standards so high because it hopes a maximum of six athletes in the country will reach that mark in each event. As a result, the conference championships remain an important part of the process.
Thus far, six Cougars have combined to automatically qualify in nine events at the CIS championships. Jeremy Eckert leads the way, having met the standards in the men's pentathlon, high jump and long jump.
Justin Baker (60-metre hurdles), Connor MacDonald (high jump) and Chris Pickering (shot put) are the other U of R men who have qualified already, while Nicole Breker (long jump) and Robyn Bauck (triple jump) are the Regina women who have met the standards.
No Cougars met the automatic standards during the Sled Dog Open.
"The people who have reached the standards are the people you hope go to CI's and medal ...," McCannel said. "We're hoping eventually to have 15 to 20 people going. If we have that many going to CI's, I'll be very happy."
McCannel suggested a number of U of R athletes are within reach of the standards and could get there over the coming weeks. He expects others to make it to the CIS meet based on their current national rankings or on their expected finishes at the Canada West meet.
Male athletes like Les Andersen (pentathlon), David Walford (triple jump) and the members of the 4x200m and 4x400m relay teams could advance, as could female athletes Chelsea Valois (pentathlon, 60m hurdles, long jump and high jump), Amanda Ruller (60m hurdles), Caitlin Fowler (shot put) and those on the 4x200m and 4x400m relay squads.
Will McCannel break out the cattle prod to get his athletes over the hump?
"People already are motivated to be improving by this time of year," he replied with a laugh. "I don't need to push them that hard."