'Special' Western University track & field team aims for OUA, U Sports hardware

Western University track and field head coach Vickie Croley has experienced plenty of success in her 30 years coaching the women's and men's teams, but the best may be yet to come.

As a coach that has seen and accomplished everything at the U Sports level, the quality of the group she has this year, particularly on the women's side, isn't lost on her.

"I've had a long coaching career, and I know that this [women's] team is a special team," said Croley, who won national titles in 2012 with the men and 2002 with the women.

"I know we have a women's team [this year] that in a lot of ways is stronger than that team in 2001-02. It doesn't happen very often … I think they're thriving and building on amazing performances throughout the season. So even regardless of what the outcome is in March, they've had such a great experience this year."

WATCH | Favour Okpali leads dominant Western women's track & field team:

Sprinter Favour Okpali of Western University is ready for OUA Track & Field Championships

9 months ago

Duration 0:42

Western University has a track and field team ready to bring home medals at the OUA Track & Field Championships and sprinter Favour Okpali is ready to bring home gold.

Both Western track and field teams have been consistent contenders on the OUA and national stages for years, with each winning silver at the OUA Championships last year, and the women doubling up on their silver at nationals last March.

The Mustangs will get a chance to add to their medal totals at the OUA championships Feb. 23-24 in Windsor, Ont., and the U Sports championships from Mar. 7-9 in Winnipeg.

Guelph has had a recent stranglehold on both season-end events, with the women holding an ongoing streak of seven straight provincial titles and five straight national titles, and the men winning the last six gold medals at both events.

While the Gryphons men's team sits in familiar territory atop the national rankings, with the Western men sitting third, the Mustangs are first in the women's rankings, edging out a Guelph team coming off of a season that Croley considers one of the best in U Sports track and field history.

Okpali, Ogor lead record-breaking track team

The signs of it being a special season for the Western women's team were apparent right from the start, with three athletes breaking four meet records at the 48th Annual Purple and White Intrasquad meet in London, Ont., in November.

Third-year throws athlete Liv Sands connected with a 16.91-metre weight throw, fifth-year sprints athlete Vivian Ogor clocked in at 7.53 seconds in the 60m, and fourth-year sprints athlete Favour Okpali broke two records with a 39.90 time in the 300m and a 1:31.58 time in the 600m.

"It felt really good to be able to [set meet records] that early on in the season," said Okpali, who has medalled three times at nationals in relay races. "I honestly didn't even have that expectation or goal… I felt like I was in better shape than I've ever been at that point in time in the season…

"I was astounded because I was like, 'This season's gonna be a lot better than I thought it would be'."

Okpali and Ogor have continued to build on their early season performances,as the pair of senior athletes look toward nationals, where they'll be hoping to land their first individual national medals next month.

The Torontonian Okpali broke her own school record in the 600m while winning gold at the Penn State National Open in a time of 1:29.09 in late January.

Two weeks later, she ran a personal best of 38.42 seconds in the 300m — the second best time in the country this season — at the Team Challenge in Windsor, Ont.

At that same meet, the Waterloo, Ont., native Ogor set a personal best, a meet record, and a school record time of 7.29 seconds in the 60m.

It was one of three times in the span of a month that she clocked in at 7.40 or less, which no other U Sports women's athlete has done even once this season.

Sands looking to build on legacy

Also standing out above the rest of the field is Sands, who has recorded the five longest throws in the shot put this season, the best of which was a 15.43m hurl at the Don Wright Team Challenge in January that was just two centimetres off the school record.

Coming off a shot put bronze at the 2023 nationals, the London, Ont., native will also be a medal threat in the weight throw, where her personal best throw of 17.30 metres this season ranks third in the country.

"I have personal goals, like hoping to hit that [16m-mark in shot put], like just pining for that," said Sands, whose switch from a glide to a spin technique last season has helped take her performance to another level.

"But also, my goal is to bring home some golds for the team and bring home the entire championship. I think that's everyone's goal again, that 'we over me'."

Versatile Indome leads by example

An athlete that defines that mentality of 'we over me' is fifth-year Matt Indome, a captain for the men's team and a top-10 ranked athlete in the long jump, 60m, and triple jump disciplines.

A freshman star in 2018-19 in the long jump in particular, the 23-year-old only picked up triple jump in the 2023-24 season, leading to a gold medal at the Silverston International Meet in Michigan on Friday.

The Winnipeg native has his sights set high for the upcoming OUA championships, as well as nationals, leading a team starring reigning triple jump national champion Kenneth West.

"This is the best on the men's side that we've ever looked," Indome said. I think there's a lot of potential there for us [to win OUA gold] ... For nationals, it's gonna be my last one. Thankfully for me, it's back home in Winnipeg so I'm looking forward to that hometown crowd ... [I'm looking to end off] strong with the team … and for everybody to really enjoy that moment and be present in it."

Around the U Sports world

• The University of Alberta dispatched the University of Saskatchewan in the lone do-or-die men's hockey quarterfinal game in U Sports, with Daneel Lategan scoring the overtime-winner in a 5-4 result in Game 3 on Sunday. The Huskies women's team was on the losing end of its quarterfinal matchup against the Calgary Dinos over the weekend, with goaltender Gabriella Durante making 59 saves across back-to-back 2-0 shutouts in Games 2 and 3.

• Ainsley McMurray's six gold medals highlighted the University of Toronto's 10th straight sweep of the women's and men's overall titles at the OUA swimming championships over the weekend in St. Catharines, Ont.