Canada plays host Aug. 10-12 at Toronto’s Varsity Stadium
Ottawa – Athletics Canada announced today the 58 athletes who have been selected to represent Canada at the 2018 NACAC Championships, known as Toronto 2018: Track & Field in the 6ix, from Aug. 10-12 at Varsity Stadium. The team, comprised of 29 women and 29 men, will compete in 39 out of 42 events that will be contested in the heart of downtown Toronto.
As the host country, Athletics Canada is working hard to give athletes, coaches and fans a memorable experience by replicating the atmosphere of the 2015 Pan American Games with live entertainment, exciting athlete introductions, first-rate in-stadium hosting and more. But for the Canadian contingent heading to Toronto, it’s the hometown crowd – featuring their biggest supporters – that athletes and coaches are most looking forward to.
“Athletes and coaches alike know how special it is to compete at home,” said head coach Glenroy Gilbert. “Being able to showcase your talent in front of a home crowd is an athlete’s dream.”
After securing his spot on Team Canada with two gold medals at the 2018 Canadian Track & Field Championships, sprinter Aaron Brown said he’s looking forward to “having a great crowd and being able to perform in front of familiar faces” when he steps on the track in Toronto. “I remember being at the Pan American Games, I saw a lot of familiar faces in the crowd, including people that I grew up with,” said Brown. “It’s fun to be able to run in a world-class meet in front of family and friends. That’s what I’m looking forward to the most, but I also want to come out with a win.”
For Canada’s Brittany Crew, a three-time national champion in shot put, it will be her first experience throwing in front of a hometown crowd. “I missed out on the 2015 Pan American Games. I sprained my ankle, so I didn’t hit the qualification mark before the deadline,” said Crew. “I ended up going to FISU that year, which was a blessing in disguise, but I missed out on the opportunity to compete at home. I’m excited that the NACAC Championships are in Toronto this year. My mom can’t make it out to a lot of meets, especially international meets, because she can’t travel. She will be there in Toronto cheering me on; that’s going to be special for the two of us.”
Of the 58 Canadian athletes who will compete in Toronto, only seven competed in the 2015 NACAC Championships that were held in San José, Costa Rica, making this the first NACAC experience for the vast majority of the team.
“We have selected a group that features a mix of veterans and new comers to the national team program, which will provide our athletes an international platform to practice our ‘performance on demand’ approach,” said Gilbert. “With next year’s World Championships in Doha and the Olympic Games in less than two years, the NACAC Championship will provide an exceptional competition opportunity for our athletes. It will also give coaches and our core staff direct access and the opportunity to evaluate where we need to be better overall to achieve success in the coming months and years.”
The list of athletes selected to the 2018 NACAC Championships team includes:
|
WOMEN |
||||
|
NAME |
HOMETOWN |
CLUB |
PERSONAL COACH |
EVENT(S) |
|
Rachel Andres |
Olds, Alta. |
Airdrie Aces |
Chris Brown |
Discus throw |
|
Alicia Brown |
Toronto, Ont. |
University of Toronto Track Club |
Bob Westman |
4x400m |
|
Leya Buchanan |
Mississauga, Ont. |
Speed Academy |
Tony Sharpe |
100m, 4x100m |
|
Lindsey Butterworth |
North Vancouver, B.C. |
Coastal Track Club |
Brit Townsend |
800m |
|
Rachel Cliff |
Vancouver, B.C. |
Unattached |
Richard Lee |
10000m |
|
Brittany Crew |
Toronto, Ont. |
SISU Throws Club |
Richard Parkinson |
Shot put |
|
Caroline Ehrhardt |
Espanola, Ont. |
London Western |
Vickie Croley |
Triple jump |
|
Crystal Emmanuel |
Toronto, Ont. |
Flying Angels |
Charles Allen |
100m, 200m, 4x100m |
|
Phylicia George |
Markham, Ont. |
Flying Angels |
Stuart McMillan |
4x100m |
|
Shaina Harrison |
Maple, Ont. |
Flying Angels |
Charles Allen |
4x100m |
|
Travia Jones |
Regina, Sask. |
Chase Athletics |
Sanjay Ayre |
4x400m |
|
Geneviève Lalonde |
Moncton, N.B. |
Speed River |
Dave Scott-Thomas |
3000m steeplechase |
|
Christie Moerman * |
Edmonton, Alta. |
Green and Gold Track Club |
Wes Moerman |
100mH |
|
Noelle Montcalm * |
Windsor, Ont. |
University of Windsor Athletics |
Don Garrod |
400mH |
|
Christabel Nettey |
Surrey, B.C. |
Unattached |
Stuart McMillan |
Long jump |
|
Anicka Newell |
Saskatoon, Sask. |
Project Athletics |
Cameron Meyer |
Pole vault |
|
Alysha Newman |
London, Ont. |
Bolton Pole Vault |
Doug Wood |
Pole vault |
|
Jessica O’Connell |
Calgary, Alta. |
University of Calgary Athletics Club |
Mike Van Tighem |
5000m |
|
Micha Powell * |
Toronto, Ont. |
Unattached |
Rosaline Edeh |
4x400m |
|
Madeline Price |
Toronto, Ont. |
Unattached |
Mark Mueller |
4x400m |
|
Whitney Rowe |
Burnaby, B.C. |
Unattached |
Daveon Collins |
4x100m |
|
Nicole Sifuentes |
Winnipeg |
Unattached |
Mike McGuire |
1500m |
|
Gabriela Stafford |
Toronto, Ont. |
University of Toronto Track Club |
Terry Radchenko |
1500m |
|
Aiyanna Stiverne |
Laval, Que. |
Unattached |
Ronald Morency |
400m, 4x400m |
|
Alyxandria Treasure |
Prince George, B.C. |
Prince George Track and Field Club |
Cliff Rovelto |
High jump |
|
Kate Van Buskirk |
Brampton, Ont. |
Unattached |
Dave Reid |
5000m |
|
Sage Watson |
Medicine Hat, Alta. |
Unattached |
Fred Harvey |
400mH, 4x400m |
|
Jillian Weir |
Kingston, Ont. |
Unattached |
Zeb Sion |
Hammer throw |
|
Jellisa Westney * |
Cambridge, Ont. |
Supreme Athletics |
Desai Williams |
4x100m |
|
MEN |
||||
|
NAME |
HOMETOWN |
CLUB |
PERSONAL COACH |
EVENT(S) |
|
Mobolade Ajomale |
Richmond Hill, Ont. |
Flying Angels |
Kevin LaSure |
4x100m |
|
Marco Arop |
Edmonton, Alta. |
Voleo Athletics |
Ron Thompson |
800m |
|
Shawnacy Barber |
Toronto, Ont. |
Project Athletics |
Jeff Hartwig |
Pole vault |
|
Jerome Blake |
Burnaby, B.C. |
Coquitlam Cheetahs |
Tara Self |
200m, 4x100m |
|
Bismark Boateng |
Toronto, Ont. |
Unattached |
Charles Allen |
4x100m |
|
Aaron Brown |
Toronto, Ont. |
Phoenix Athletics |
Dennis Mitchell |
200m, 4x100m |
|
Johnathan Cabral |
Péribonka, Que. |
Unattached |
Tim O’Neil |
110mH |
|
Austin Cole |
Sherwood Park, Alta. |
Capital City |
Rob Fisher |
4x400m |
|
Joshua Cunningham |
Markham, Ont. |
Speed Academy |
Tony Sharpe |
400m, 4x400m |
|
Evan Dunfee |
Richmond, B.C. |
Racewalk West |
Gerry Dragomir |
20km race walk |
|
Andre Ford * |
Toronto, Ont. |
Strive Athletics |
Desai Williams |
4x100m |
|
Nathan George |
Pitt Meadows, B.C. |
Coquitlam Cheetahs |
Tara Self |
4x400m |
|
Patrick Hanna |
Montreal, Que. |
Club d’athlétisme Tarus |
Bogdan Tarus |
Triple jump |
|
Daniel Harper |
Brampton, Ont. |
Brampton Track Club |
Frank Bucca |
4x400m |
|
Tremaine Harris |
Markham, Ont. |
Unattached |
Desai Williams |
4x400m |
|
Matthew Hughes |
Oshawa, Ont. |
Newmarket Huskies |
Jerry Schumacher |
3000m steeplechase |
|
Evan Karakolis |
Scarborough, Ont. |
University of Toronto Track Club |
Brek Christensen |
Javelin throw |
|
Adam Keenan |
Victoria, B.C. |
Kamloops Track and Field |
Anatoliy Bondarchuk |
Hammer throw |
|
Jared Kerr |
Brampton, Ont. |
Unattached |
Jeff Huntoon |
Long jump |
|
Justyn Knight |
Toronto, Ont. |
UTTC |
Chris Fox |
5000m |
|
Django Lovett |
Surrey, B.C. |
Valley Royals |
Zbigniew Szelagowicz |
High jump |
|
Michael Mason |
Nanoose Bay, B.C. |
Nanaimo Track and Field |
Jeff Huntoon |
High jump |
|
Brandon McBride |
Windsor, Ont. |
Border City Athletics Club |
Kurt Downes |
800m |
|
Malik Metivier |
Toronto, Ont. |
Etobicoke Track Club |
Godfrey James |
400mH |
|
Tim Nedow |
Brockville, Ont. |
Ottawa Lions |
Darrin Reesal |
Shot put |
|
Philip Osei * |
Toronto, Ont. |
Flying Angels |
Desai Williams |
4x400m |
|
Charles Philibert-Thiboutot * |
Quebec City |
Club d’athlétisme de l’Université Laval |
Félix-Antoine Lapointe |
1500m |
|
Sergio Raez Villanueva |
Mississauga, Ont. |
Harbour Track Club |
Paula Schnurr |
10000m |
|
Gavin Smellie |
Brampton, Ont. |
Flying Angels |
Desai Williams |
100m, 4x100m |
*Competed in the 2015 NACAC Championships in San José, Costa Rica
|
STAFF |
||
|
NAME |
HOMETOWN |
ROLE |
|
Glenroy Gilbert |
Ottawa, Ont. |
Head coach |
|
Simon Nathan |
Ottawa, Ont. |
Team leader |
|
Jared MacLeod |
Winnipeg, Man. |
Team manager |
|
Corey Dempsey |
Niagara Falls, Ont. |
Team manager |
|
Charles Allen |
Toronto, Ont. |
Team coach |
|
Bob Westman |
Toronto, Ont. |
Team coach |
|
Kurt Downes |
Windsor, Ont. |
Team coach |
|
Heather Hennigar |
Halifax, N.S. |
Team coach |
|
Geoff Harris |
Halifax, N.S. |
Team coach |
|
Richard Parkinson |
Stouffville, Ont. |
Team coach |
|
Karl Meissner |
Edmonton, Alta. |
Team coach |
|
Jeff Huntoon |
Toronto, Ont. |
Team coach |
|
Brett Lumley |
Windsor, Ont. |
Team coach |
|
Dr. Trent Stellingwerff |
Victoria, B.C. |
IST lead |
|
Dr. Padraig McCluskey |
Victoria, B.C. |
Team physician |
|
Dr. Penny Werthner |
Calgary, Alta. |
Mental performance |
|
Andrea Stephen |
Toronto, Ont. |
Physiotherapist |
|
Dr. Simon Pearson |
Victoria, B.C. |
Chiropractor |
|
Dr. Duane Smith |
Ottawa, Ont. |
Chiropractor |
|
Remo Bucci |
Toronto, Ont. |
Massage therapist |
|
Danielle Chow-Leong |
Toronto, Ont. |
Massage therapist |
|
Dana Way |
Winnipeg Beach, Man. |
Biomechanist |
Championships Passes and single-day tickets are on sale now for Toronto 2018: Track & Field in the 6ix. Fans are encouraged to visit www.athletics.local/toronto2018 to secure their seats in advance to avoid missing out Toronto’s sporting event of the year.
For more information, including a schedule events, prize money for podium finishes and how to join our volunteer team, visit www.athletics.local/toronto2018.
Members of the media looking to cover the 2018 NACAC Championships/Toronto 2018: Track & Field in the 6ix are asked to fill-out the media accreditation request form located on the Championships webpage.
For more information, please contact:
Amanda Nigh – Athletics Canada
Manager, communications and marketing
amanda.nigh@athletics.ca
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