It was a milestone day for the Brock Badgers track and field program. 

At the 2024 U SPORTS Track and Field Championships in Winnipeg, MB, Michael Ivanov finished with a successful jump of 4.75-metres to claim the bronze medal in the men's pole vault.  

This marks the first national medal for the Brock track and field program since its return in 2013. 

The three-day event started on Thursday, March 7 and concluded on Saturday, March 9, where Ivanov helped create program history. 

"Michael has been fantastic for us the last two seasons," said head coach Spencer House. "Finishing fifth last year and third this year, Michael has brought a consistent U SPORTS presence for our team."

Three other Badgers qualified for the national meet, with two of them participating in the hurdles.  

In the men's 60m hurdles, Colton Spencer placed fifth in the prelims with a time of eight seconds and 14 milliseconds. He then finished eighth (8.22) in the finals in his third appearance at the national championships. 

Sarah Saldutto competed in women's 60m hurdles in her first U SPORTS championships, placing 13th after finishing in a time of 8.79. Saldutto wasn't done competing, also participating in the long jump where she earned an eighth-place finish with a successful jump of 5.66m. 

Rounding out the Badgers' performances in Manitoba was Keshawn Igbinosun. He placed 10th in the prelims of the 300m, finishing just outside the cut off for the finals in his debut on the national stage. 

House was proud of what he saw from the Badgers at the national meet. 

"Colton returned to the hurdle final for the second year in a row and showed he's a consistent contender. Keshawn and Sarah both excelled in their first U SPORTS and will look to take that experience into next season and continue to improve."

For House and the program, there is a lot of optimism as they rewrote multiple program records throughout the season and earned their first national medal.