EDMONTON - Chasing back-to-back team titles, the Lethbridge Kodiaks men’s team got the hot start needed on their way to a possible banner, setting two new ACAC records on Day 1 of the 2024 ACAC Indoor Track Championships on Saturday night at the University of Alberta Universiade Pavilion, while Viking Sidney Cusack picks up a silver medal.

FULL RACE RESULTS

In the team’s 10-year track history, the Vikings women’s team had never crossed the finish line in a medal position, until now. Cusack’s time of 45.92 seconds in a tight women’s 300m race would go down in the history books as a first.

In other action around the track, breaking the first record of the night was Kodiak Owen Stewart in the Men’s 1000m race, crossing the line with a time of 2:29.67 and knocking off the previous record set just one year prior by Leonard Chesoo (2:30.90) from the Concordia Thunder.

Capping off the evening and adding more points to their team total, Gunnarr Gibb, Cole Guilbert, Jonah Hennig and Orin May broke the Men’s 4x200m record which Gibb, Hennig and May raced a part of in 2023 - their new time of 1:34.22 broke their previous record of 1:35.01.

Sydney Zissos from the St. Mary’s Lighting got the night started with a dominant Women’s 3000m race, crossing the line more than 10 seconds ahead of her competitors for the gold medal with a time of 11:24.70. Picking up the silver was Medicine Hat Rattler Madison Scrimger, while RDP Queen Justine Larson rounded out the podium.

Working as a team, SAIT Trojans Maximus Thiessen and Nathan Woyessa earned themselves hardware in the Men’s 3000m with near millisecond separating them. Benjamin House rounded out the medals for bronze.

The Women’s and Men’s 300m races heated up the track with Queen Loami Rautenbach getting the team's first gold as UofA - Augustana Viking Cusack got her first ACAC medal before Emma Werklund picked up the bronze. Gunnarr Gibb and Orin May warmed up to take gold and silver medals, respectively in the men’s race, with Concordia Thunders Domenico Marchese getting the bronze.

The one-kilometre (1000m) sprint was a photo finish for the women’s side, with the Lighting getting their second gold of the night thanks to Candence Laplante crossing the line with a time of 3:15.48 followed by a time of 3:15.49 from Queen Justine Larson. Madison Scrimger picked up the bronze.

Nearing the end of the night, the women’s final race found the RDP Queens picking up a team gold medal in the women’s 4x200m relay with a time of 1:56.23, followed by the Kodiaks in second and the Rattlers in third.

After Day 1 or racing, the top three teams are currently:

Women's Results

1. RDP Queens - 47 points

2. Lethbridge Kodiaks - 26 points

3. St. Mary’s Lighting - 25 points

Men's Results

1. Lethbridge Kodiaks - 49 points

2. SAIT Trojans - 41 points

3. RDP Kings - 23 points

Day two of the 2024 ACAC Indoor Track Championships, presented by the Running Room, will go on Sunday, starting at 10:00 am MDT at the University of Alberta Universiade Pavilion.