Ostertag rediscovers fun in track and field

Standout athlete almost quit sport due to rough couple of years

By Darren Steinke
Gordie Howe Sports Complex

Nicole Ostertag helped the Huskies win a Canada West title.

Nicole Ostertag was oh so close to hanging up her track and field spikes for good.

Having built a reputation as being one of the best combined events athletes to come out of Saskatoon in some time, Ostertag went through a 2024 season where she didn’t compete at all due to injuries and illness. She returned to action in early 2025 only to have another setback at the Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa, California, in April of that year.

“I hurt myself again, and that was really tough for me,” said Ostertag. “We were in California getting some early competitions in, and I took off funny in high jump and injured my knee.

“That was just devastating, and that was when I kind of decided that I had enough. My body seemed to be rejecting it, so I took a long break.”

The 25-year-old returned to the University of Saskatchewan to begin studying in the Master of Physical Therapy program. At that point, Ostertag considered rejoining the Huskies Women’s Track and Field Team.

She built a lot of great memories in her time with the Huskies that included setting the Huskies women’s program record for most points obtained in the pentathlon at 3,996 back in 2020. That record still stands to this day.

Ostertag approached Jason Reindl, who is the head coach of both Huskies women’s and men’s track and field teams, with the notion of making a possible return.

“I was ready to hang up my spikes and end my track career,” said Ostertag, who stands 5-foot-8. “I started my master’s of physical therapy at the university this year.

Nicole Ostertag makes a hurdles practice run on July 7, 2023.

“I realized I still had three years of eligibility left with the Huskies, and I decided I wanted to start going to the track again. I just did hurdles, and I’ve been only training three days a week. I started having fun again, and things have been going really well.”

At the Panda Open held this past February 6 and 7 in Edmonton, Alta., Ostertag broke the Huskies women’s team record in the 60-metre hurdles running in a time of 8.12 seconds. The old mark of 8.15 seconds run back in 2020 was held by one of her best friends in Michelle Harrison, who represented Canada running the women’s 100-metre hurdles in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.

Harrison’s record came in a gold medal winning race in the 2020 U Sports Track and Field Championships.

On the first day of this year’s Canada West Conference Track and Field Championships on February 20, Ostertag won the conference title in the 60-metre women’s hurdles running the championship final in a Canada West record time of 8.07 seconds edging fifth-year veteran Sienna MacDonald of the U of Calgary Dinos. MacDonald, who won both the Canada West and U Sports titles in the women’s 60-metre hurdles in 2024 and 2025, held the previous Canada West conference record in that event, running a time of 8.08 seconds in a preliminary race earlier in the day.

“It was so much fun, especially this year having Sienna MacDonald from Calgary to compete against,” said Ostertag, who also helped the Huskies women’s team win an eighth straight Canada West Conference team title. “She is a force, and she has been putting down crazy hurdle times for the last couple of years.

“To be able to kind of dethrone her, this is the first time she has been beaten in a while, it was fun. We are really good friends. We keep it light, so just having that energy between us is quite unique.”

On the second day of the U Sports Track and Field Championships on March 6 in Winnipeg, Man., Ostertag again edged MacDonald in championship race of the women’s 60-metre hurdles. Ostertag posted another Huskies program record time of 8.05 seconds to just edge MacDonald at 8.06 seconds. The Huskies women’s team finished second overall in the team points race at U Sports nationals, which wrapped up on March 7.

Nicole Ostertag, right, and Michelle Harrison are great friends.

Ostertag credited Reindl with helping her get back on track on the track. Reindl is well known for his ability to help athletes get healthy and stay healthy and perform their best in big competitions.

When he became the Huskies head coach in 2017, Reindl helped Harrison return to the sport and the Huskies after she became disillusioned having battled numerous injuries. Harrison went on to run better than she ever did piling up numerous accomplishments in making it to the 2024 Summer Olympics.

“I’m in a very similar position as Michelle (Harrison) was all those years ago, where she just decided to go back to school and do track for fun,” said Ostertag. “I came into this season just wanting to have fun, and Jason (Reindl) was fully accepting of that.

“He kept me limited to three practices a week. He would not let me over do it.”

Reindl said the key to bringing back the fun for Ostertag in track and field was to be intelligent with her training, which helps with confidence and shows through in competitions.

“I think it just goes into my, you know, kind of coaching philosophy,” said Reindl. “We are going to make smart decisions and really look at long term high performance.

“If we can stay healthy and get quality work in, there really are no limits. That is what Michelle (Harrison’s) kind of pathway was, and Nicole (Ostertag) is you know in this non-combined events world at the moment doing exceptionally well. We’re just excited to keep on working with her and seeing how far we can take this.”

Reindl said Ostertag has always been an extremely hard worker with a positive attitude. The coach added the star athlete’s day-to-day effort has allowed her to have the success she has had. For the Huskies as a team, Reindl said it has been big to have Ostertag back.

“It is awesome,” said Reindl. “She is such an exceptional athlete.

Nicole Ostertag throw a shot during the 2023 Saskatchewan provincials.

“Her ability to show what elite level high performance is like on the track and in training is just a huge positive for our team and program and our training group. It is just awesome.”

While she ended up with the Canada West record in the 60-metre hurdles, Ostertag entered the season with the desire to break Harrison’s Huskies record in that event.

“That was my goal coming into this year,” said Ostertag. “It kind of played into my motivation to come back.

“I wanted to go get Michelle (Harrison’s) record, because she is such a good friend to me, but we’re always trying to one-up each other. She is like one of the best hurdlers that Canada has seen, so to break her record is pretty darn special.”

Harrison stepped away from track and field after giving birth to a baby daughter named Izzy and starting a family with her husband, Graeme, in June of 2025. Ostertag and Harrison trained together for a number of years since the Track and Field Track opened on the Gordie Howe Sports Complex grounds in 2019, which helped develop their friendship.

In the summer of 2023, their training group included the pride of Borden in Savannah Sutherland, who made the final of the 400-metre women’s hurdles in the 2024 Summer Olympics, and star heptathlete Madisson Lawrence from Winnipeg, Man. That provided a lasting memory for Ostertag.

“It was so much fun just having so many elite women training together, and our coach Jason (Reindl) kept things light and made the hard training days feel a little bit easier,” said Ostertag. “I’m hoping that if Michelle (Harrison) makes her comeback that we can train together once again, because that was pretty special.”

With that said, Ostertag is doing her best to stay in the moment and enjoy the day to day of the sport of track and field. Still, she admits she has had visions of getting back into combined events or maybe pushing for the next Summer Olympics in 2028 in Los Angeles, California.

Nicole Ostertag, right, enjoys working with Jason Reindl, left.

“The thought has definitely crossed my mind,” said Ostertag. “When I came into this season, school was my priority, and track was just something I was going on the side.

“I did not expect to run this fast, but now that the joy has come back, I am starting to get the itch to start combined events again and maybe make a run at the 2028 Olympics. We will see. Time will tell.”

Tomlenovich bitten by football bug

16-year-old excels at quarterback, has taken up coaching too

By Darren Steinke
Gordie Howe Sports Complex

Adley Tomlenovich sets to make a pass for the Fever on Sept. 22. 

Adley Tomlenovich is embracing all the joys that come from football both as a player and a coach.

The 16-year-old Grade 11 student from St. Joseph High School has established herself as an elite talent at quarterback in the female flag game. On top of playing in Saskatoon Minor Football’s Toon Squad League, she has played for Team Saskatchewan twice at nationals and threw passes for Team Canada at USA Football’s Junior International Cup in July of 2024 in the under-15 age group.

On top of playing the sport, Tomlenovich took up being the head coach for a Grade 6 female squad that plays in the 5 on 5 NFL Youth Flag Football circuit overseen by Saskatoon Minor Football. While she enjoys the people in the sport, Tomlenovich has been captivated by the game planning and the strategy that goes with the sport.

“(I love the) mental aspect of the sport, because my position is quarterback,” said Tomlenovich. “That is definitely the biggest mental game I would say.

“I love being able to read plays and figure out where everybody works best and that aspect of the game I love the most.”

Tomlenovich got her start in flag football about eight years ago, and she hasn’t looked back since that initial beginning.

“I started flag football back in about Grade 3 for me,” said Tomlenovich, who stands 5-foot-6. “A couple of friends were playing in a league, and that was back when we had like Velcro flags.

“I’ve definitely seen it grow over the years, because now, it is gone so big from where I started with it. I just started trying out for every opportunity that started coming to Saskatoon, and that is where I got to where I am today.”

Adley Tomlenovich played flag football for Canada in July of 2024.

Besides playing flag football, Tomlenovich played hockey for a lot of years and also took part in basketball and baseball while growing up. She also participated in dance, but ultimately, flag football won out as her main pursuit.

“I decided on this just because it was like my biggest love, and I wanted to put all my time into it, and this is where all my friends are,” said Tomlenovich, who has spent a lot of time throwing passes at Saskatoon Minor Football Field and the Indoor Training Centre on the Gordie Howe Sports Complex grounds. “I decided that this would be the happiest route for me, so I decided to go to the Institute of Saskatchewan Football, so I could spend my days doing it.

“After school, I’m doing Toon Squad.”

Earlier this year while in her second semester of her Grade 10 school year, Tomlenovich was part of the inaugural group that took part in the Institute of Saskatchewan Football program offered by Saskatoon Minor Football. 

The program is an academy program that allows players to get high school credit for their football training. As part of that program, Tomlenovich gained some experience in tackle football.

On top of being part of the Institute of Saskatchewan Football, Tomlenovich has been a member of the Saskatoon Minor Football’s Toon Squad flag travel teams the past two years, where she has gone down to Florida to participate in game action. She is expecting to be back with the Toon Squad travel teams for a third straight year and with the Institute of Saskatchewan Football in the second consecutive year in early 2026.

To date, one of Tomlenovich’s biggest thrills has been playing for Team Canada at USA Football’s Junior International Cup in July of 2024 in the under-15 age group. She earned that opportunity after helping quarterback Saskatchewan’s provincial team to a gold medal at under-16 nationals in Kingston, Ont., in May of that year.

Adley Tomlenovich coaches an NFL 5-on-5 Youth Flag Football team.

“I just turned 15 when I was playing for Team Canada, so that was definitely a big experience at a young age,” said Tomlenovich. “It was really cool to be able to play at that next level and play against other countries, because every country has their own type of way of playing flag and their own strategies.

“I think that was the most interesting part was seeing how other countries run their offence.”

Over her career as a player, Tomlenovich has been coached by numerous members of the storied Saskatoon Valkyries, who have won 10 Western Women’s Canadian Football League championships in the tackle game. As she has grown up playing flag football, Tomlenovich said the Valkyries have been great influences and role models.

“I’ve definitely gone to learn different things from each of the coaches,” said Tomlenovich. “I’ve had so many coaches over my time and every one of them has a unique style.

“You definitely learn what works for you throughout having different types of coaches.”

Tomlenovich took a big step on her own journey of being a coach this past September and October with Saskatoon Minor Football’s NFL 5-on-5 Youth Flag Football. At first, she wasn’t expecting to fulfill a head coach role.

“One of my friends was coaching his younger sister and asked if I’d start helping out,” said Tomlenovich. “Then, he ended up not being able to coach the team anymore.

“I was like I would do it, so I took over the team. I didn’t know any of the girls. They were in Grade 6, but I loved coaching them so much.

Adley Tomlenovich, left, gives instructions in the role of head coach.

“It is really awesome to be able to help that next generation and imply what I know to the younger kids. I really enjoy getting to do that kind of stuff. I hope in my future years once I’m done with my flag career I can continue coaching.”

Tomlenovich had helped out coaching in football camps, but her experience with the NFL 5-on-5 Youth Flag Football marked the first time she had ever coached her own team. 

She ended up being the only coach on her squad, which meant she was responsible for practice plans and calling plays on offence and defence.

The talented quarterback would find herself constantly coaching against adults and often fathers who had daughters playing on opposing teams.

While she took on way more than most her age would when it came to coaching, Tomlenovich was ready to rise to the challenge when it came to shouldering those new responsibilities.

“It was definitely a lot even figuring out who is supposed to be on the field,” said Tomlenovich. “They are in Grade 6.

“They don’t really know what they are doing either, so it was definitely a lot. I’m running around quite a bit, usually being the sweatiest person at the end of the game. I had a lot of fun doing it, and I’m planning on doing it again in the spring.”

While she has found her coaching experience to be a great one, Tomlenovich’s primary focus is going as far as she can as a player in the flag game. The sport in both men’s and women’s competition will be part of the 2028 Summer Olympics to be played in Los Angeles, Calif. Tomlenovich would love to play in an Olympics one day as part of continuing the sport after the conclusion of her high school days.

Adley Tomlenovich, centre, will be calling plays long into the future.

“I hope to definitely play when I graduate,” said Tomlenovich. “I definitely hope to do something like that.

“It is now trying to become a D1 (Division I) sport in the (United) States, so that would be my first goal. After that if I have the opportunity to represent my country again at the Olympic level, I would definitely hope to take any stepping stone I can to get there.”

For more information on the flag and other programs offered by Saskatoon Minor Football, feel free to check out their website at saskatoonminorfootball.com/smf.