Beginning their 2023-24 competition schedule this weekend, the University of Toronto Varsity Blues track and field team took to a pair of events, competing at the Cornell Greg Page Relays and York Christmas Classic.

Leading off the highlight performances from the weekend was fourth-year pole vaulter Alexzandra Throndson. Competing at the Cornell event, Throndson posted a gold medal leap of 4.08m, placing her well ahead of the second best result of 3.68m. The fantastic finish not only surpassed U SPORTS standard, qualifying Throndson for the national championship event in March, but also marked a new U of T program record surpassing the previous pole vault best of 4.05m held by Throndson and alumna Brittany Salmon.

Joining Throndson with U SPORTS national championship qualifying efforts from the Cornell event were third-year sprinter David Adeleye and third-year jumper and multi-event specialist Aiden Grout. For Adeleye, the kinesiology student finished third overall in the men's 60m hurdles with a time of 7.99, placing just behind two competitors from Syracuse University. Having qualified for the 2024 U SPORTS National Championship, Adeleye will be aiming to return to the national podium having previously earned U SPORTS bronze in the 60m hurdles in 2022. Meanwhile, Grout posted qualifying efforts in both the men's high jump and heptathlon. The reigning two-time OUA champion in the high jump, Grout posted the best leap during the heptathlon clearing 2.14m, while finishing fifth overall in the heptathlon with 4981 total points. The Pitt Meadows, B.C, native was only beat out in the heptathlon by NCAA competitors at the Ithaca, N.Y. event.

Other notable performances for the Blues at Cornell included a first place finish for third-year high jumper Emma Dale as she successfully cleared 1.65m, bettering the second place finishers 1.60m. As well, fourth-year jumper Kristen Schulz earned the top spot in the women's triple jump with a leap of 11.92m, securing the event win on her very first attempt. Also claiming the top spot in another jumping event, second-year Varsity Blue Justen Denman produced the best leap in the men's long jump with a 6.89m. And rounding out the first place finishes for U of T this weekend, the foursome of Moses Aidoo, Nick Trieu, Mathias Gelber, and Nathan Castanheiro earned first in the men's 4x800m relay posting a time of 4:53.85, finishing three seconds clear of second place.

Meanwhile at the 21st annual York University Christmas Open, a small contingent of Blues runners captured four podiums. Third-year runner Julia Boutin achieved the top result among OUA competitors in the women's 300m, finishing third overall in the open event with a time of 43.28. She was then joined by teammate Katherine Vuckovic on the podium for the 600m as the pair finished second and third overall with respective times of 1:37.10 and 1:43.02. Finally, in the women's 1000m third-year middle distance runner Joud Dabous took the top spot with a near four second advantage, posting a time of 3:07.89. 

The Blues competition schedule will resume following the winter break as U of T will host the Sharon Anderson Memorial Meet at the Athletic Centre on Saturday, Jan. 6.