BELLINGHAM, WA – May 9–10, 2025
Simon Fraser Track & Field wrapped up a powerful weekend at the 2025 GNAC Outdoor Championships at Civic Stadium in Bellingham, Washington. With over 30 athletes in action, the Red Leafs showed their depth and determination, highlighted by a record-breaking performance in the javelin by senior Jarrett Chong. The women's team placed fourth overall, while the men secured sixth, backed by multiple medal-winning performances and significant personal bests.

Historic Throw Defines the Weekend

The top highlight of the meet came from senior thrower Jarrett Chong, who delivered a stunning 72.60m throw in the men's javelin, improving his personal best by five meters. The mark set a GNAC Championship meet record, ranks #2 in NCAA Division II, and earned him the title of Performance of the Meet. His win was decisive, with the next closest competitor over six meters behind.

"Jarrett has been working toward and deserves this breakthrough throw, it was his moment to shine," said Head Coach Brit Townsend and throws coach Graham Morfitt. "It was the performance of the meet for us and one of the best in GNAC history."

Sprints and Relays Deliver Medals and Momentum

Jacob Hall had a stellar meet, earning silver in both the 100m and 200m. He clocked a personal best of 10.45 in the 100m and followed up with 21.43 in the 200m. Hall also anchored the men's 4x100m relay—alongside Liam O'Donnell, Jesaiah Penson-McCoy, and Adrian Lau—to a bronze medal and season-best 40.68, missing silver by mere thousands of a second. O'Donnell posted a season best of 10.70 in the 100m. Despite battling illness the night before, Jeremy Belcher showed resilience and returned to compete in the triple jump.

On the women's side, Emma Cannan took silver in both the 100m and 200m, running 11.72 and 23.72, respectively. She also ran a personal best of 11.61 in the 100m prelims, showing her top form at the right time. Jaeland Cummings also impressed, breaking 12 seconds for the first time in the 100m with an 11.94 PB in prelims, and finishing fourth in the final.

Cannan, Selin Tasdemir, Elizabeth Vanderput, and Veronica Robertson teamed up for the 4x400m relay, placing fourth. Veronica, in her first GNAC Championship, made the 400m final and placed sixth in 59.66.

Mid-Distance Resilience and Depth

Rachael Watkins captured silver in the 1500m with a strong 4:31.90 and raced a strong 5000m, showing her range and consistency. Elizabeth Vanderput

closed her final GNAC Championship with a bronze in the 800m. Stephanie Millar finished just behind her in fourth, running a personal best of 2:13.99 in the prelims, while Selin Tasdemir showed toughness with a hard double—racing both the 800m and 1500m within an hour—and finishing seventh in the 800m and fourth in the 1500m.

Charlotte Prangley and Alicia Ranahan added depth in the 1500m, finishing 11th and 13th, respectively.

In the men's middle distance, Andrew Thomson placed sixth in the 800m (1:55.61), while Matias del Rio Reategui ran a personal best of 1:57.03. In the 1500m, Benjamin Schoening managed a strong double, placing eighth in the 1500m (3:56.62) and ninth in the 5000m (14:52.40). Braden Ahl ran a PB of 3:55 in the 1500m, followed by Jacob Wadhwani. Sebastian Brinkman led the way in the 5000m with a fifth-place finish (14:35.02).

Field Event Power

Olivia Windbiel earned silver in the triple jump with a 11.85m jump and placed eighth in the high jump (1.52m). Jasleen Nagra placed sixth in triple jump (10.69m) and seventh in long jump (5.20m).

Nicholas Monro delivered a clutch performance in the men's long jump. After almost missing the final, he maintained composure and soared to 7.17m, earning silver and breaking 7 meters again. Mitchell Gibbs placed sixth (6.60m), and Adjy Kanta was 10th (6.06m). In the triple jump, Gibbs was fifth (13.27m), Belcher seventh (12.84m), and Kanta ninth (12.68m).

In throws, Zuzanna Liniewski won bronze in the hammer with a season-best 51.81m. Dominic Warholm placed eighth in the men's hammer (45.83m).

Caysen McDiarmid equaled his personal best in the high jump (1.80m), just narrowly missing the bar at 1.92m.

Team Finishes and Looking Ahead

The Red Leafs women's team finished fourth overall, with the men's team placing sixth. From record-breaking throws to breakthrough performances and hard-fought doubles, SFU athletes delivered across the board.

Several Red Leafs now await confirmation for the NCAA Division II Outdoor National Championships, with athletes like Chong, Cannan, and Monro well positioned to make their mark on the national stage.

Stay tuned for selection updates and postseason coverage as SFU continues its journey into championship season.