Breker has eyes on personal bests
Mar. 11, 2010 - Regina Leader-Post
By Ian Hamilton
Nicole Breker will be motivated by the 2009 CIS track and field championships when she participates in the 2010 CIS track and field championships.
Hampered by a sprained left ankle suffered before the '09 Canada West championships, the University of Regina Cougars athlete struggled to a seventh-place finish in the women's triple jump at the '09 nationals. The injury also kept her from qualifying for the CIS meet in her strongest event, the long jump.
This season, then, is one of redemption for the 20-year-old from Muenster.
"So far, it has been," Breker said before the Cougars left Wednesday for Windsor, where the CIS championships are to be held today through Saturday. "(The Canada West meet) proved to be awesome, so I'm really hoping to pull off what I couldn't do last year."
Breker won the long jump at the conference championships and finished third in both the triple jump and 60-metre hurdles. She goes into her third nationals in as many seasons with the Cougars ranked second in the CIS in long jump, sixth in triple jump and ninth in the 60m hurdles.
Cougars interim head coach Bruce McCannel said Breker has "a significant chance" to earn at least one medal at the championships. Breker's focus going in is simply on reaching her potential.
"I can't do anything about anyone else's performance, so I'm just going to set personal bests in all of my events," she said. "That's what I'm focusing on. Doing that hopefully gets me some medals."
"Her performance level has jumped a lot and her P.B.'s have increased quite a bit, but I really consider it a natural progression," McCannel noted.
"Last year, because she was injured before (the Canada West meet), even though she qualified for nationals, she wasn't able to compete as well as she would have liked. This year, she came in healthy, trained well and when the meets started, she really took off."
That could mean a possible stop -- or more than one -- on the medal podium.
Because this is Breker's third trip to the CIS championships, she'll be ready for all of the pressure and distractions that go along with the meet. Even so, she suggested she was just as excited for this year's meet as she was for her first.
"In fact, I've been doing so well this season that I'd say there's even more excitement," she said. "I want to get on the podium ... I'm actually getting a bit of a name right now, too. I'm ranked No. 2 in the country, so people are talking about me. That's good!"
The Cougars are taking 22 athletes to Windsor. A 23rd qualified, but Robyn Bauck couldn't go because she had to attend an interview at the University of Saskatchewan that couldn't be changed.
"For the girls, this is about getting experience," Breker said of the race for the team titles. "The girls team needs a little more depth to contend for the championship. It's coming, though. We're building a good team.
"For the guys, I think they have a real good shot at the championship. They proved how good they are at Canada West (where the U of R men won the team title for the first time ever)."
The women's team comprises Breker, Alison Jestadt (triple jump), Amanda Ruller (60m, 4x200m), Caitlin Fowler (shot put), Chelsea Valois (pentathlon, long jump, 4x200m), Keisha Sharp (triple jump), Merissa Margetts (4x200m), Shalane Haselhan (high jump), and Tennille Davis (4x200m).
The men's squad includes Chris Pickering (shot put, weight throw), Connor MacDonald (high jump), David Walford (long jump, triple jump), Enyinnah Okere (4x200m), Eric Clark (4x200m, 4x400m), Ian Jestadt (triple jump), Jeremy Eckert (high jump, long jump), Justin Baker (60m hurdles, 4x400m), Kelly Wiebe (3,000m), Les Andersen (4x200m, 4x400m, pentathlon, 60m hurdles, triple jump), Mason Foote (4x200m), Tait Nystuen (600m, 4x400m), and Uzair Ahmed (4x200m, 4x400m).