At the 2024 Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Track and Field Championships in Windsor, the Brock Badgers men's and women's track and field team took another positive step in its program development. 

Over the two-day competition that took place on Friday, Feb. 23 and Saturday, Feb. 24, the Badgers captured two individual medals. In the team standings, the Badgers men earned seventh (20.5 points) and the women placed ninth (18 points). 
 
"I think the team had a fantastic weekend," said head coach Spencer House. "To finish seventh and ninth, respectively, after being ranked 10th shows that our athletes were able to perform this weekend when it counts. To have this success this year shows we are taking steps in the right direction." 

Last year's OUA Rookie of the Year Michael Ivanov bested his bronze medal finish in the pole vault with a gold medal in 2024. The local Niagara Falls product won the event with a successful jump of 5.05 metres. Clearing the U SPORTS standard by 16 centimetres, Ivanov is currently ranked No. 1 in the U SPORTS rankings based on his performance this weekend. In his second event of the meet, Ivanov finished sixth in the high jump with a jump of 1.92m. 

"Michael was fantastic this weekend going back and forth between pole vault and high jump," said House. "He was able to execute incredibly well in vault and break the 5m barrier for the first time."

In her first OUA championships as a Badger, Sarah Saldutto made an instant impact, capturing a silver medal in the women's long jump. Another Niagara Region (Welland) product, Saldutto reached 5.77m in her final jump to finish ahead of bronze medalist Christie Collins from Western by five centimetres. The Psychology major qualified for the national championships in the long jump and has also qualified in the 60m hurdles. On Friday, Saldutto placed fourth in the event with a time of eight seconds and 54 milliseconds.  

"Sarah was great in long jump and held her composure very well taking the lead on her final jump," said House.  

In the men's 300m race, Keshawn Igbinosun took home sixth with a time of 35.18, improving on his ninth-place finish (35.57) from a year ago. Igbinosun and another Badger Colton Spencer have both qualified for the national championships. Spencer didn't make the final in the 60m hurdles at the provincial championships but is currently ranked No. 10 in the U SPORTS rankings due to his 8.15 finish at the York Open earlier this season. With a ranking in the top 12, Spencer is headed to the U SPORTS Championships. 

Madelyn Huston earned a top 10 finish in the women's 1000m, finishing the race in a time of 2:54.53. Joining Huston with a top 10 placing is Brielle Greenslade. In the third round of the women's shot put, the first-year Nursing major had her best throw of 10.69m.  

Up next, Ivanov and Saldutto are headed to the U SPORTS Track and Field Championships in Winnipeg, MB from Thursday, Mar. 7 to Saturday Mar. 9, with a couple more athletes waiting potential inclusion.