Skip to navigation Skip to content Skip to footer

2013-14 Women's Track & Field Season Recap

2013-14 Women's Track & Field Season Recap

Written by Duncan Forbes

It marked a quarter century of dominance this year for the Tigers women’s track and field team, who captured their remarkable 25th straight AUS banner. 

The team was hot out of the gate at the McGill Team Challenge, finishing just 0.5 points outside of the top five as they placed sixth with 15 points. Rebecca Haworth claimed gold in the high jump.
 
It was the Tigers turn to host the next weekend at the Tigers Track Classic, where Macayla Cullen jumped to victory in both the high jump and long jump events. Sarah Taplin won the triple jump while rookie Shannay Beals claimed victory in the 60m dash. Michelle Reddy was first in the 600m event as was the Tigers 4x400m relay team of Sydney Smith, Michelle Reddy, Heather Beaton, and Jessica Shannon.
 
The Tigers then set their sights on the AUS championship, where they edged out StFX by 18 points to take their 25th consecutive AUS crown. It was a true team effort as jumpers Rebecca Haworth (high jump), Sarah Taplin (triple jump), Allison Lerette (long jump) and Jordan Leonard (pole vault) all found themselves with gold around their necks. Brittany MacArthur found the top of the podium in the 1000m, and as a member of the 4x400m relay team with Michelle Reddy, Michaela Walker and Emily Clarke.
 
Sydney Smith, who was a walk-on to the Tigers this year, finished with two silver medals in the 60m and 300m dash, pleasantly surprising head coach Rich Lehman.
 
Rebecca Haworth had another amazing year at the AUS championship as she came away with her fourth consecutive gold in high jump to go along with her second AUS field athlete of the year and  fourth AUS female community service student-athlete of the year award.
 
Haworth would continue her impressive fourth-year campaign two weeks later at the CIS championship in Edmonton, AB, as she earned a CIS silver medal in the high jump with a 1.82m jump breaking her own Dalhousie and Nova Scotia record. She was also named the winner of the CIS Community Service Award for the third time in her career. The Tigers would go on to finish 17th in the country, with Sarah Taplin also reaching the top ten with a ninth place finish in the women’s triple jump.
 
Lehman spoke very highly of his team’s success this year, especially the Tigers jump squad.
 
“Our women were able to successfully defend their AUS title again this year on the strength of a fantastic jumps squad,” says Lehman. “Rebecca Haworth began the season with a personal best and improved on it at almost every competition.”
 
The Tigers would like to thank Allison Lerette and Jordan Leonard for their hard work and dedication to the team as they graduate and move on this spring.