Hagerty leaps her way to FISU Summer World University Games

Huskie athlete makes quick rise in track and field

By Darren Steinke
Gordie Howe Sports Complex

Hannah Hagerty takes to the air during a meet on June 15.

An open mind created new opportunities in track and field for Hannah Hagerty that might not have been envisioned eight or so years ago.

These days the 24-year-old Regina product is a star for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies Women’s Track and Field Team in the long jump and the 4 X 200-metre relay. Back when she was a Grade 11 student at Regina’s Campbell Collegiate, Hagerty was trying the sport for the first time just for fun participating in high school competitions.

She had taken part in dance for a lengthy stretch of time before testing out her skating stride in ringette. When she finally tried track and field, Hagerty found a space that she felt she belonged in.

“I, obviously, really liked it,” said Hagerty. “Then, I joined a club.

“I joined Excel (in Regina). I did that for two years, and I found a really big passion for it, especially with long jump.”

The 2024-25 campaign was a memorable one for Hagerty. With the Huskies, she claimed the Canada West Conference title in the women’s long jump with a leap of 6.17 metres at the conference championships held February 21 and 22 in Regina.

At that meet, she proceeded to help the Huskies capture gold in the 4 X 200-metre relay in a time of one minute and 39.82 seconds. Hagerty’s performances helped the Huskies Women’s Track and Field Team claim a seventh straight conference title.

She then took part in the U Sports Track and Field Championships that ran March 6 to 8 in Windsor, Ont. Hagerty placed sixth in the long jump with a leap of 5.97 metres and helped the Huskies finish second in the 4 X 200-metre women’s relay with a time of 1:36.67. The Huskies placed third in the women’s team standings at that event.

Thanks to her steady performances, Hagerty will compete in the long jump at the track and field competition that will be part of the FISU Summer World University Games that run July 16 to 27 in Rhine-Ruhr, Germany. She will be joined at the World University Games by Huskies women’s teammate Paige Willems (400-metre race), Huskies men’s teammate Jake Neufeld (decathlon) and the head coach of both Huskies Track and Field Teams in Jason Reindl.

Hagerty was pumped to get the chance to head to the World University Games.

Jason Reindl, left, and Hannah Hagerty go over video of a jump.

“That was honestly a dream come true as well,” said Hagerty, who stands 5-foot-10. “Representing Canada at the national level is obviously something that you don’t really think that you’re going to be able to do.

“With that dedication and hard work, I know that I am capable of competing at those higher levels and wearing that Team Canada gear. I feel like it will add a whole other level of excitement. I’m very thankful and very honoured, and I’m excited to see what I can kind of produce while I’m there under those pressures.”

On top competing at the World University Games, Hagerty will experience being in another country. She thought it might be a bit overwhelming for the first few days just being in Germany. Hagerty added it will be different seeing athletes wearing the team gear of their respective countries adding to the importance of the event, but she believes she can show she belongs there.

“I think there will be added pressure, but I think it is just all exciting, and I’m excited to see what comes from it,” said Hagerty.

After graduating from Campbell Collegiate in 2019, Hagerty first joined the University of Regina Cougars Women’s Track and Field Team and studied in kinesiology. Before the start of the 2022-23 campaign, she transferred to the Huskies and became a business major at the Edwards School of Business at the U of S. She made the move to get a fresh start in both athletics and academics.

Reindl has enjoyed coaching Hagerty with the Huskies as the program’s head coach and recently took on the role of being Hagerty’s primary coach in the long jump.

“As a head coach, I’ve kind of been working with Hannah for three years now, but as her primary coach, I really just started working with her in the last three months,” said Reindl. “It has been a unique change, but a pretty exciting one in terms of her enthusiasm for training and just excitement for pushing herself to be better.

“When we look at long jump as her primary event, it is speed, it is power and the ability to have a strong dynamic takeoff and some leverage. She has some long levers. She is a taller gal.

“Whether it was her development at Regina, what initial coaches here at USask in Kevin Cumming and Jayden Wiebe have been able to do with her, she just has a knack for the event and is able to do quite well and develop positively.”

Reindl said it will be a great opportunity for Hagerty, Willems and Neufeld to represent Canada on the international stage at the World University Games.

Hannah Hagerty works on her speed during a July 2 practice.

“We’re pretty fortunate in the sense that we’ve got Jake Neufeld, Paige Willems and Hannah (Hagerty) all going to Germany later this summer with myself as a team coach,” said Reindl. “It is something where the athletes get to experience not only an international event, but also one that is age regulated.

“The maximum age is now 25-years-old. It is kind of an international (competition) amongst their peers and student athletes. The opportunity to put on a Team Canada singlet (and) compete against some of the world’s best, it is just a great opportunity to test themselves and have some fun.”

Going into the World University Games, Hagerty said she gained a boost of confidence from how well her 2024-25 U Sports season went with the Huskies.

“I think I just surprised myself,” said Hagerty. “I have abilities to perform, but I don’t think anyone fully trusts that they’re going to be the one to like be a Canada West champion or anything like that.

“I think it came with a lot of surprises, but with those surprises, it also did come with a lot of hard work and dedication to being at practice and working hard and always focusing when I am at practice. The season was very exciting. I think it was eye-opening, and it is just exciting to see what can come from that.

“I think that was obviously a very good start, and I just want to keep building on that.”

To prepare for her upcoming international competition, Hagerty said being able to train at the Track and Field Track on the Gordie Howe Sports Complex grounds has been a huge help.

“The past summer months of training have definitely been really, really good training,” said Hagerty. “That is where I transitioned under Jason (Reindl).

“He has obviously put in a lot of work and a lot of work into every single practice, into lifting and into the organization of preparing for each week. I know that when I come to practice there is a purpose and something that I’m supposed to be focusing on. I think, especially with long jump, each practice focuses on kind of a different element, which I need, because it is not just improving altogether.

“It is just working on specific things, so that when I do go to those big stages, things hopefully can come together all in one.”

Hannah Hagerty won the Canada West title in the long jump in February.

Hagerty also enjoys the fact that she can draw strong support from the very athletic family she comes from. Her father, Jeff, was a member of the 1990 Vanier Cup champion University of Saskatchewan Huskies Football Team and helped the Regina Rams win CJFL titles in 1993 and 1994. Her mother, Tammy, was once a triple jump specialist in track and field and played softball for a very long stretch.

Her older brother, Josh, is an alum of the Huskies football club. Josh broke into the CFL as a defensive back with the Toronto Argonauts in 2021 and was a member of their Grey Cup championship team in 2022. 

Josh played for the Edmonton Elks last season and started this season as a member of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before being released on July 2.

Hannah said her family’s sports background is pretty cool.

“I think it has been really fun,” said Hagerty. “When I was little, I was always just very active being at baseball for my brother and being at football for him.

“Wherever he kind of was, I was just the little sister that kind of followed around, and it, obviously, added like a lot of excitement and fun. I know growing up being around sports, I was always very, very active. Then just seeing him (Josh) and how much time and dedication he has put into his sports and the things that he loves, it gives me a lot of motivation that knowing if you have that ability to kind of use that as your strength and really push towards what you want.

“He has been someone who has very much inspired me into just dedicating to what I want to do and seeing if I can take it to the next step. Obviously, I am very proud of him, and I know that he still has a lot to give. He is definitely someone that I’ve been very much inspired by.”

When the World University Games wraps up, Hagerty will return to the U of S to complete her final season of eligibility with the Huskies and finish up work on her business studies. She would like to continue with track and field when her Huskies days wrap up.

“I feel like I haven’t really thought about it being my last season, because I always feel like there is more to come,” said Hagerty. “That is just the mindset that I’ve been in for the past few years of being a university athlete.

Hannah Hagerty aims to stick good results at the World University Games.

“I feel like, even though it is my last season competing of eligibility with the Huskies, you never know what can happen. You never know where that might take me. There are very big goals and dreams that I want to achieve, so after this season, my hope is to still continue training and continue competing, and then just see what happens from there.”

Reindl follows ultra-busy family track and field legacy

By Darren Steinke
Gordie Howe Sports Complex

Jason Reindl is one of Canada’s best track and field coaches.

In track and field especially on a coaching front, Jason Reindl seemingly does it all.

The 40-year-old has served as the head coach of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies Track and Field and Cross-Country Teams since the start of the 2017-18 campaign. Reindl can coach athletes as young as eight years old all the way to 90-years-old. No matter who he coaches, Reindl is driven by optimism of what could possibly be.

“I’d say one of the biggest things is the future isn’t written,” said Reindl, who basically lives at the Track and Field Track on the Gordie Howe Sports Complex grounds during the spring and summer months coaching athletes. “I’ve learned that no matter how much success or lack of success someone had today, the unknowns of the future are kind of what drive me to kind of push to help these individuals.”

Reindl began coaching in his teenage years while attending high school at Evan Hardy Collegiate and still competing in track and field as an athlete. He began coaching one day a week on Thursdays with the Saskatoon Track Club working with athletes around the age of 10. Reindl attended various coaching courses on weekends during his high school days leading to his graduation from Evan Hardy in 2002.

Since the start of January 1, 2024, his life schedule has been a whirlwind.

He coached his Huskies team through that time and saw the Women’s Track and Field Team win Canada West Conference Championships in February of 2024 and this past February for a run of seven straight conference title victories.

The Huskies Women’s 4 X 800-metre relay team won a Canada West title in February 2024 and a U Sports Championship in March of 2024 and was named Sask Sport’s Team of the Year for 2024 this past January. On Saturday, the Huskies Women’s Track and Field Team captured the bronze medal at the U Sports Track and Field Championships in Windsor, Ontario.

Reindl has been heavily involved with the Running Wild Athletic Club in Saskatoon and Saskatchewan Aboriginal Track and Field. He holds assistant coach roles with Saskatoon Track Club and supports Huskies athletes with Riversdale Athletics Club.

With Saskatchewan Athletics, Reindl is the master coach developer for the province, which is a fairly large role when to comes to coaching education helping future coaches. He was the personal coach for Michelle Harrison at the Summer Olympics in Paris that ran from July 26, 2024 to August 11, 2024.

Jason Reindl has coached track and field since high school.

Reindl was the sprints, hurdles and relays coach with Team Canada for World Under-20 Championships that ran August 27 to 31, 2024 in Lima, Peru. 

On the national front when it comes to education for track and field, Reindl was the lead combined events presenter for Athletics Canada in Winnipeg in October and sits on the national coach education committee. He is also a board member for the Coaching Association of Canada and Saskatchewan Athletics.

Again, those were all the roles Reindl has fulfilled for about the last 14-and-a-half months. He jokes he has to thank “caffeine” for allowing him to do all those roles.

On the serious side, Reindl said it helped that his parents in mother, Caren, and father, Bob, were great role models. 

During their lives, Caren (Rathie) and Bob were star track and field athletes and have served in numerous coaching and administrative capacities for the sport.

“I’ve been able to see a lot of amazing people through their network,” said Jason Reindl. “I would kind of say in my teenage years where you start to realize who you can kind of call upon for advice.

“Having the last name Reindl within the track and field and kind of the sport coaching community was a significant blessing, because I was able to inquire, ask questions and get a lot of support, but also see people in action. At the same time, I’ll say I know I’m blessed, and you know, the opportunities have come with hard work. It has been an interesting last couple of years we’ll say.”

When it comes to the highlight over the 14-and-a-half months, Reindl backs up the calendar to October 7, 2023 and said the highlight was marrying his longtime partner Rebecca Goldie, who competes in triathlons. For his coaching career, Reindl said getting to coach at the Olympics was the highlight.

He said the Olympics had a unique aura, but when it came to coaching and the execution of the track and field part of the games, it was normal to most other international events. While he was Harrison’s personal coach, Reindl said it was special to have two other athletes he worked with at the Olympics.

When Reindl lived in Fredericton, New Brunswick, and coached the University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds before joining the Huskies, he coached 110-metre hurdler Craig Thorne. Thorne is based out of Guelph, Ontario, now.

Michelle Harrison, left, and Jason Reindl chat at a practice last May.

Reindl also coached 400-metre hurdler Savannah Sutherland. The bulk of that coaching happened in Saskatoon before Sutherland joined the University of Michigan Wolverines Track and Field Team in the fall of 2021. 

The veteran coach also worked with Sutherland for short periods of time when she returned home to visit family in her hometown of Borden, which is located 53 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon.

“It was pretty, pretty special that I was able to kind of give high-fives to three different athletes that I had an impact on at various stages of their career,” said Reindl. “It was very special and definitely the highlight at present.”

Reindl said getting to coach Harrison racing in the 100-metre hurdles was emotional and meaningful as the culmination of a big journey.

“It is hard to even put into words how remarkable and impactful it was,” said Reindl. “I actually can go back and say that when I was coaching the Saskatoon Track Club one day a week Michelle was one of those first athletes in the group.

“Not only was I one of her first coaches in her career when she was 10-years-old, the fact that we got back together in 2017 and had the next seven years from her and I both moving back to Saskatoon all the way to three national titles, university accolades, six national teams and culminating with the Olympic Games was pretty special. It is a journey that not a lot of coaches get to have.”

Harrison returned to Saskatoon in 2017 after training at the high-performance hub in Toronto from 2015 to 2017. She was injured most of the time she was at the hub and became disillusioned with track and field.

Upon returning to Saskatoon, Harrison got back in touch Reindl and rejoined the Huskies after being part of the program previously winning gold at the U Sports Championships in the 60-metre hurdles in 2014. After rejoining Huskies with Reindl as head coach, things took off for Harrison at that point.

“Jason (Reindl) was a major turning point in my career as an athlete, changing things for the better,” said Harrison, who turned 32-years-old in December. “He has been a constant source of guidance, belief and support throughout my journey.

Jason Reindl loves being at the Track and Field Track.

“He’s pushed me beyond what I thought I was capable of while always having my back through the toughest moments. His dedication and passion for the sport are contagious, and his ability to balance accountability with encouragement has helped shape me into the athlete and person I am today. I’m incredibly grateful for everything he’s done, from the tough workouts to the words of wisdom that go far beyond the track.

“I wouldn’t be where I am without him.”

Now, Harrison is expecting her first child with husband, Graeme Harrison. Reindl said it is always special to see his athletes embark on their paths outside of the sport.

“I think it is just that full circle where one journey ends and another begins,” said Reindl. “The number of athletes that I’ve been a part of their journeys that are married, have kids, have successful careers, MDs, PhDs, you name it.

“It is never lost on me the important of all of that. I guess the recency effect the time that Michelle and I spent together and seeing her grow and develop as a young woman to now her soon to be a mom is just a pretty cool thing. We just have a special relationship, and I am extremely proud of her.”

During the spring and summer and the month of September, Reindl enjoys coaching athletes of all ages at the Track and Field Track since it opened in the spring of 2019. He said the facility has developed a great upbeat vibe.

“It is just a fun place to be,” said Reindl. “I say a lot of coaches get the opportunity to kind of have a home.

“To get the chance to go to Gordie and know that I can execute my tasks to help these athletes achieve their goals with the equipment on hand and all the space, it is a blessing. It is something that I do not take for granted, because traveling the world and going to areas where you might have a track or you might have rubber, might not mean you have grass or it might not mean you have space to do medicine ball throws. There are a lot of intangibles that come around the whole facility.

“This year we’re actually going to have our first Huskies track and field sport camps there in the first two weeks of July. Getting the opportunity to kind of make that connection even stronger between our Huskie development side of things into that facility is something we’re really looking forward to.”

Jason Reindl, centre, enjoys coaching the Huskies.

As he continues coaching, Reindl always strives to help his athletes be the best they can be.

“I guess bringing that back to the Huskie side of things, the last couple of years we’ve brought in some athletes who were OK coming out of high school that have turned into all-Canadians national medalists,” said Reindl, who was a Huskies track athlete from 2002 to 2006 and a member of the U Sports men’s and women’s double title win in 2005. “I can’t promise that everyone will be an Olympian, but I can promise you will get better.”

Gieni’s happy place is track and field track

Masters athlete has set Canadian records at least 60 times

By Darren Steinke
Gordie Howe Sports Complex

Muriel Gieni is an all-time great masters athlete in track and field.

Muriel Gieni discovered a whole new life when she followed her son into a sport.

About 23 years ago, Gieni’s son, Morgan, joined the Riversdale Athletics Club. At first, Gieni would drive Morgan to practice and watch him take part in the sport.

One day, Morgan’s coach, Doug Boyd, invited the parents to come out and take part in training. That led to Gieni at the time in her early 40s becoming a regular participant in practice sessions and eventually to taking part in masters athletics competitions.

In over two decades, Gieni is now 66-years-old and still going strong in the sport. Over her career, she has traveled all over and broken Canadian masters records in track and field on at least 60 occasions.

That included earning 3,852 points in the pentathlon at the Alberta Indoor Games on Edmonton this past February 4. Gieni’s point total set a new Canadian masters women’s indoor record for those aged 65 to 69.

“Your life has a journey, and you are rolling along here,” said Gieni. “What I learned is find what you love to do and do it.

“The second I walk on to a track I’m in my happy place. This is where I belong. This is where I should be.”

Before joining the Riversdale Athletics Club, Gieri had an athletic background. She grew up in a small town and in high school she took part in basketball, volleyball, badminton and track and field. Like small town athletes in the current day, Gieri moved from one sport to another as the year went along.

She remembers back then taking a liking to track and field.

“Our track season was four or five weeks long whatever it was,” said Gieni, who stands 5-foot-6. “I loved it.

“I loved track and field. It just was very limited to the time. I didn’t really get proper counselling to further my pursuit in track and field.

Muriel Gieni has set a number of records in triple jump.

“I was married with children for 20 years after that and then joined track again.”

Following high school, Gieni played volleyball in her post-secondary years as a student. After her post-secondary school was complete, Gieni continued to stay in shape doing workouts in the gym.

Upon getting back into track and field with the Riversdale Athletics Club, Gieni felt a new motivation in her pursuit to stay fit forming friendships with the athletes at the club. She enjoyed the youthful energy of the young members who were in junior high school or high school.

At first, Gieni saw herself being in the background as the person that was working to stay in shape and offer words of encouragement to the young athletes in the club. To her surprise, she received coaching, and she loved it.

“Right away, every single coach I’ve ever had has treated me like an athlete, and they talk to me like they would anybody in the group coaching specific technique, coaching specific to me what I need to do,” said Gieni. “It has been, ‘OK. I’ll ride this wave.’”

Gieni said the coaching she has received over the years from the Riversdale Athletic Club and the track and field community as a whole in Saskatoon has been outstanding. She added the track and field coaches in Saskatoon genuinely want to see the athletes they work with do well.

As for track events themselves, Gieni’s favourite is hurdles. Her main disciplines are hurdles, triple jump and long jump. Over the years, Gieni has picked up shot put, high jump, the 200-metre race, 800-metre race and javelin in order compete in pentathlons and heptathlons.

The pentathlon in masters women’s competitions includes 60-metre hurdles, 800-metre race, high jump, long jump and shot put. The heptathlon for masters women’s competitions is made up of the 80-metre hurdles, 200-metre race, 800-metre race, high jump, long jump, shot put and javelin.

When Gieni picked up new track disciplines over the years, she usually encounters a local coach who is an expert in that discipline, and the instruction she receives helps her performance immensely.

“I’ve always believed a champion is made by the athlete who buys into the coach,” said Gieni. “If you can coordinate that where your believing what he or she is saying you have magic.

Muriel Gieni takes part in Saskatchewan provincial in July of 2023.

“Sometimes I have a regular coach say just in high jump or some other coach and it could be from another club. It could be a senior coach that has come back to visit. I’ll just hear one thing, and I’ll say, ‘OK,’ because you hear it different. Then that works.”

As a bonus, the Canadian records started to come. Gieni’s first Canadian record was set in Calgary in the women’s 80-metre hurdles at age 45 in the 45-49 masters age class.

“I was absolutely over the moon, because it means I’m the first Canadian woman at this age that has ever run this fast,” said Gieni, who also sometimes has to chuckle when she sets a record. “Then I got into jumping, and I found out I could set Canadian records in the triple jump and long jump.

“I’ve been very successful in shotput as well. I’ve been very successful in high jump lately for some reason in my 60s. I’ve over 65.

“I’m jumping higher than I ever did in my 40s. What’s with that? The things that coaches challenge me with then I ask my body to try it, and I have actually no idea where this is going to go but sometimes it has been extremely successful and kind of laughable.”

Over the years, Gieni has cherished the friendships she has made through track and field. Last year, she did regular training sessions in the morning with the elite group on the Track and Field Track on the Gordie Howe Sports Complex grounds that includes Michelle Harrison, Nicole Ostertag, Savannah Sutherland and Madisson Lawrence.

For one morning session last year, Gieni brought a camera to get photos of herself going through her events. She decided to get a photo of herself together with Harrison, Ostertag, Sutherland and Lawrence for a keepsake.

“My relationship with the other athletes is just the joy I carry around with me,” said Gieni. “I’m taking a picture, because this is who I am out here training with.

“They like me, but I like them way more. I love these kids. They treat me really, really well.”

Muriel Gieni picked up shot put to enter pentathlons and heptathlons.

With the track and field track being her happy place, Gieni plans to competing in the sport for as long as possible. Due to the fact masters records are classified via five year age groups, Gieni has a new set of records to go after the older she gets. At the moment, she his just at the beginning of going after the records in the women’s 65-69 age group.

While she enjoys pursuing Canadian records, Gieni stays in track and field, because she flat out loves it.

“It is absolutely my thing,” said Gieni.“I don’t do it to inspire others, but I do it to charge myself up, and my family loves it.

“They get a big kick out of it. It brings happiness all around. Fitness brings happiness. You got this where you are feeling good everyday.”

Harrison, Ostertag tackle busy outdoor track season

Pair gets chance to represent Canada internationally

By Darren Steinke
Gordie Howe Sports Complex

Michelle Harrison and Nicole Ostertag are track and field standouts.

Michelle Harrison and Nicole Ostertag are continuing to keep Saskatoon’s great track and field tradition on the map.

Harrison and Ostertag are part of the current generation of a long line of athletes that have come from Saskatoon and excelled in the track and field world. Harrison, who is 29-years-old, won the women’s 100-metre hurdles final at the Canadian Olympic track and field trials that doubled as the Canadian nationals in June of 2021, and Ostertag, who is 22-years-old, is a national standout in the women’s heptathlon.

Both will compete in the Canadian Track and Field Championships that run later this month from June 22 to 26 in Langley, B.C. Both have represented Canada on the international stage and aim to continue representing Canada in future internationals events.

“It is definitely a privilege to work with athletes of their calibre,” said Jason Reindl, who is the head coach of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies Track and Field teams and is a high-performance track and field coach in Saskatoon. “It is just always fun to see where they go, where they can compete and the opportunities that kind of present themselves at the highest levels of the sport.”

Harrison, who is an alumna of the Huskies track program, represented Canada at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, where she finished in a tie for 15^th overall in the women’s 60-metre hurdles. In April, Harrison took part in a training camp in California and won the 100-metre women’s hurdles title in the Bryan Clay Invitational, the Beach Invitational and the Steve Scott Invitational, which were all held in that state.

Also in April, Harrison traveled to Eugene, Oregon, and took the women’s 100-metre hurdles title at the Oregon Relays.

Michelle Harrison competed at indoor worlds in March.

On May 21, Harrison took the 100-metre women’s hurdles final at the Johnny Loaring Classic in Windsor, Ont., and on June 5, she topped the 100-metre women’s hurdles field at La Classique d’Athlétisme de Montréal in Montreal, Quebec.

“The indoor season started out well,” said Harrison, who stands 5-foot-6. “I was able to make the world indoor team, which was my standard for the indoor season, so I was able to achieve that goal.

“I’m hoping to just use that momentum and move forward into outdoors and hopefully be able to make the world outdoor team as well. My hope is to run the world standard this year, which is 12.84 (seconds).”

She did indeed run the world standard. On June 8 at the Royal City Inferno Track and Field Festival in Guelph, Ont., Harrison ran a personal best time twice with her fastest run in the 100-metre hurdles coming in at 12.80 seconds. Her second fastest time at that event of 12.83 seconds also bested the world standard.

Harrison aims to compete in the World Athletics Championships that run July 15 to 24 in Eugene, Oregon. Following worlds, she would like to take part in the Commonwealth Games, which run July 28 to August 8 in Birmingham, England.

After the Commonwealth Games, Harrison would like to compete at the North American, Central America and Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC) Senior Championships slated for August 19 to 21 in Grand Bahama, Bahamas.

Harrison has enjoyed getting back into a steady competition schedule after the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that gripped the world caused numerous cancellations in 2020 and 2021.

“I think the best part is just getting out and having some consistency, where as the past two years you never really knew what was going on more than like a couple of days ahead of time,” said Harrison. “I really like having a plan and being able to like have relative certainty these X-amount of meets are going to happen and be able to get in consecutive workouts as well especially because I dealt with lots of injuries during COVID.

Nicole Ostertag is quickly putting up good results in the heptathlon.

“It was just nice getting in some consistent training and having a plan moving forward.”

Ostertag is still a relative newcomer to track and field having taken up the sport in her Grade 12 year at Holy Cross High School in 2017-18. She is currently a member of the Huskies track team.

A lower leg injury sidelined her for the 2021-22 U Sports season with the Huskies, and she got back more in the swing of things around the time she joined Harrison in California for that training camp in April. Ostertag returned to full training about a week before she left for the training camp in California.

Taking part in the Bryan Clay Invitational, she placed second among 25 competitors in her division in the women’s heptathlon.

The women’s heptathlon includes the 200-metre race, the 800-metre race, the 100-metre hurdles, high jump, long jump, shot put and javelin throw.

Ostertag’s result at the Bryan Clay Invitational allowed her to earn a spot to represent Canada at the at the NACAC Combined Events Championship that ran May 14 and 15 in Ottawa, Ont. At that event, Ostertag, who was representing Canada for the first time in her track and field career, placed second in the women’s heptathlon setting personal bests in the 200-metre race, the 800-metre race, the 100-metre hurdles, high jump, long jump and javelin throw.

Due to lost training time because of her injury troubles, Ostertag is still looking to round into top form.

“I haven’t done as much training as I would have liked, but it is coming along quickly,” said Ostertag, who stands 5-foot-8. “I’m surprising myself I guess.

Michelle Harrison has her sights set on making worlds in July.

“I have been able to work on my endurance and my strength and kind of working out some imbalances in my body, so that is serving me well. I’ve been a bit rusty with the technical side of things, but we’ve been able to do a lot more work. It is not ideal preparation, but it is how it has to be.

“You’ve always got to be adaptable with combined events too. There is a little more wiggle room.”

Ostertag will join Harrison at the Canadian Track and Field Champions. Following that event, Ostertag has her sights set on competing at the Canada Games that will run August 6 to 21 in Niagara, Ont., before returning to the U of S to rejoin the Huskies and continue her academic studies in kinesiology.

“Winning nationals would be the ultimate goal for this season,” said Ostertag. “Canada Games is in August, and I would also love to win that one as well.

“I’m actually happy to be able to compete in Canada and have a little bit more of a low-key summer.”

Reindl expects Harrison and Ostertag to make noise in the track and field world for some time to come. He said their ability to zero in and complete what they need to do in training on a day to day basis helps them excel in track and field at an elite level. 

When they are in Saskatoon, Reindl said it has been big for them to train at the Track and Field Track and Indoor Training Centre at the Gordie Howe Sports Complex.

Nicole Ostertag is aiming for first at nationals and Canada Games.

“Their mindset and just ability to focus and get the work that they need to get in is a testament to them and their characters as strong women,” said Reindl. “Having facilities like the Gordie Howe Sports Complex here and the Indoor Training Centre and Ignite Athletics are really the other pieces of the puzzle.

“You can have all the determination in the world, but you need to have somewhere to go and somewhere to train and somewhere to work. This is why on a Wednesday morning at 10 a.m. we’re able to come out here and have a focused high-quality training environment, which is truly world class for what we are trying to achieve.”

Sweet happenings in photos sees more memories get made

By Gordie Howe Sports Complex staff
Gordie Howe Sports Complex

Team North celebrates their win in the Senior Bowl.

The Gordie Howe Sports Complex is still the place memories are made just like it has been for decades.

With the spring and summer season in full swing, all the facilities on the Gordie Howe Sports Complex grounds have been filled seemingly with non-stop action in the sports of baseball, football, softball and track and field. A couple of championship trophies were handed out in football and medals were won at track and field meets and tournaments in baseball and softball.

Events that weren’t able to happen the past two years due to world pandemic related factors have returned to our grounds this spring. That includes Football Saskatchewan’s Ed Henick Senior Bowl, which was played at Saskatoon Minor Football Field on May 29.

The lead photo of this post shows an image of Team North’s victory celebration after winning the Senior Bowl, which is the annual high school football all-star game for Grade 12 players in the province. Team North downed Team South 28-17 in a solid contest.

Other events that returned to action after a two-year hiatus included the Saskatoon Secondary Schools Athletic Directorate City Track and Field Championships, the Quinn Stevenson Memorial Under-18 AA Baseball Tournament and Saskatoon Minor Softball League’s President’s Tournament.

The activity that happens on our grounds continues to provide great material for our continuing photo roundups.

These photos capture some of the memories that are made on our grounds. In this photo roundup, most of these pictures were taken by our Communications Coordinator in Darren Steinke. A long-time friend of the Complex checked in with a cool night photo too.

Without further ado, here is a selection of 11 shots we hope you enjoy.

Throwing the javelin is fun

An athlete has a big smile on her face throwing the javelin during warmups on the first day of the SSSAD’s City Track and Field Championships on May 25 at the Track and Field Track. The scene of someone having fun participating in sports is always priceless.

Feeling the need for speed

A sprinter from the St. Joseph High School Guardians jets down the final straightaway to the finish line during a relay race on the first day of the SSSAD’s City Track and Field Championships at the Track and Field Track. The track and field athletes from Saskatoon and area can sure put up strong results.

“Friday Night Lights” at Bob Van Impe Stadium

“Friday Night Lights” can expand beyond football venues. During the first day of Saskatoon Minor Softball League’s President’s Tournament, Jon Equina took this beauty picture from a night game held at Bob Van Impe Stadium. Equina has made a second home at the Complex over the years as a player and coach and has an eye for the beauty pictures on the diamonds.

“Green and White” going to the house

Receiver Kian Schaffer-Baker (#89) races into the end zone for a touchdown during the Saskatchewan Roughriders Green and White Game on May 28 at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. On top of playing the Green and White Game at SMF Field, the Roughriders held their Green and White Day activities that same day on our grounds.

Roughriders meet Rider Nation

Following the Green and White Game held at Saskatoon Minor Football Field on May 28, members of the Saskatchewan Roughriders met the fans or more accurately members of Rider Nation that came out to support the team. The interactions between the players and fans are always sweet to see.

Beating the throw to home

A base runner from the Regina White Sox slides home safe in a game against the Parkland Expos on May 28 at Leakos Field. The contest was part of the Quinn Stevenson Memorial Under-18 AA Baseball Tournament. The Expos ultimately took the tournament title.

Valkyries roll to 4-0

Sarah Wright (#88) had a big night on May 28 as her Saskatoon Valkyries downed the Regina Riot 46-7 in a WWCFL regular season game at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. Wright carried the ball 10 times for 84 yards and two touchdowns. She also caught seven passes for 195 yards and two touchdowns. The Valkyries finished first in the WWCFL’s Western Conference with a 4-0 record and could host as many has three post-season games over the rest of June including the WWCFL title game on June 25.

Wrapping up in the Academy Final

A tackler from Team Black wraps up to tackle a receiver from Team Green in the North Sask Academy Championship game on June 3 at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. Team Black just edged out Team Green 26-23 in an exciting final.

Cubs drive clears the bases

Infielder Kalen Parent drives in three runs with this triple hit for the Saskatoon Cubs in a Saskatchewan Premier Baseball League under-18 AAA game on June 4 at Cairns Field. Parent’s hit allowed the Cubs to down the Regina Athletics 6-3 and sweep a doubleheader.

Flat out effort

A Regina Athletic outfielder makes a diving catch in a Saskatchewan Premier Baseball League under-18 AAA game on June 5 at Cairns Field against the Saskatoon Giants. The Athletics and Giants split a doubleheader.

An off-speed challenge

A Saskatoon Shock pitcher throws an off-speed pitch during a Saskatoon Amateur Softball Association game at Glenn Reeve Field #3 on June 7. The Shock downed the Saskatoon Sabres 11-4 in a battle of under-23 teams.

Harrison aims to hit new heights, leave no doubts with track

By Darren Steinke
Gordie Howe Sports Complex

Michelle Harrison is at home at the Indoor Training Centre.

Michelle Harrison could have left track and field on a high, but she didn’t want to have any doubts of what might have been.

Last season, Harrison had a dream campaign finishing up her fifth and final year of U Sports eligibility with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s track and field team.

At that Canada West Championships last February in Saskatoon, Harrison won gold in 60-metre hurdles, 60-metre dash and 4 X 200-metre relay. She ran her specialty in the 60-metre hurdles in a conference record time of 8.21 seconds.

Harrison captures conference honours as Female Track Athlete of the Year and the award for Female Outstanding Performance of the Meet.

At the U Sports championships held last March in Edmonton, Harrison won gold in the 60-metre hurdles in a record time for the meet in 8.15 seconds. She won two silver medals with the Huskies 4 X 200-metre and 4 X 400-metre relay teams.

The graduate of Saskatoon’s Evan Hardy Collegiate was named the U Sports Female Track Athlete of the Year and was the Female Athlete of the Meet at the U Sports championships.

On April 1, the Huskies announced Harrison as recipient of the Mary Ethel Cartwright Trophy as the athletic program’s overall female athlete of the year.

After completing her U Sports career, Harrison didn’t want to give up on track and field. She believes she has more potential to realize and didn’t want to wonder if she could have done more in the sport.

“It is hard, because the last indoor season was really good,” said Harrison. “I know right now I am a way better athlete than that.”

At age 27, Harrison is a mature athlete too, and she has had a lengthy and decorated career in track and field filled with ups and downs.

Way back in 2009, Harrison was a member of Team Canada at the World Youth Championships competing in the 400-metre hurdles.

Michelle Harrison in action. (Photo courtesy Louis Christ)

At the 2010 Saskatchewan High School Athletic Association track and field championships, Harrison won gold in the 100-metre, 200-metre, 400-metre and 80-metre hurdles races. She also captured gold medals as a member of Evan Hardy’s 4 X 100-metre and 4 X 400-metre relay teams.

After graduating high school, Harrison competed for three different universities and a high performance centre from 2010 to 2017. They included the Rice University Owls in Houston, Texas, in the NCAA ranks, the Huskies and the York University Lions along with the high-performance track and field hub in Toronto, Ont. She experienced a mix of highs and lows as she often battled injuries along the way.

One of the highs included winning gold in the 100-metre hurdles at the Canada Summer Games in 2013 in Sherbrooke, Quebec. The 100-metre hurdles is Harrison’s specialty on the international track circuit.

Other highs during that time included winning gold in the 60-metre hurdles at the Canada West and U Sports championships in 2014.

The toughest of the lows included training in the high-performance hub in Toronto from 2015-17, where Harrison said coaches were getting fired and athletes were leaving. On top of the turmoil there, Harrison was injured most of that time.

During that time, Harrison had a cup of coffee stay with the Lions program.

She returned home to Saskatoon, got married to her long time boyfriend, Graeme Harrison, and was fairly disillusioned with the sport of track and field. With all of that going on, Michelle came into contact with Jason Reindl, who took over as the head coach of the Huskies.

Reindl, who is a former Huskies men’s track team athlete, had happened to just return home to Saskatoon too after being the head coach of the University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds cross-country running and track and field teams in Fredericton.

Michelle Harrison starred with the Huskies. (Photo Courtesy GetMyPhoto.ca)

Harrison rejoined the Huskies, and it was like the perfect storm happened to rejuvenate her track and field career.

“I think just my coach Jason (Reindl) was a big part of it,” said Harrison. “When I was back in Toronto, I had lost lots of interest in the sport.

“I was about to quit. I just really liked working with him (Reindl). I just like the atmosphere of the team too.

“It was a lot more positive than what I have been used to. My performance improving as well helped too. I think it was just like a combination of a bunch of different things.”

After spending a season to train and get back up to speed, Harrison won gold in the 60-metre hurdles at the Canada West and U Sports championships in 2019. She picked up silver medals at the U Sports championships with the Huskies 4 X 200-metre and 4 X 400-metre relay teams.

In June of 2019, Harrison ran the 100-metre hurdles in a personal best time of 13.13 seconds taking top spot at the Speed River Track and Field Festival in Guelph, Ont. She placed third in the 100-metre hurdles at the Canadian Track and Field Championships in July of 2019.

That set the stage for her final campaign with the Huskies. Now, she has renewed aspirations to qualify for the Olympics.

Following her final season with the Huskies, Harrison was slated to go to meets in Asia and California, but the worldwide grip of the COVID-19 pandemic nixed all of that.

In June, she began working out at the Indoor Training Centre here at the Gordie Howe Sports Complex. Harrison has done strength sessions at Ignite Athletes and run on the field turf with Reindl on hand to offer his coaching expertise.

Michelle Harrison is ready for new track and field challenges.

“Being able to lift here and get to full strength is huge,” said Harrison. “My strength is probably the best it ever has been, so I have been able to work on that a lot, which is good.

“Even just being able to run here, it is nice being able to train on a flat surface and not having to worry about stepping in a hole or whatever in the park. It has been a lot more consistent training.”

Harrison can’t wait to get back into live competition and is currently slated to attend the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China, in March of 2021.

“I’m hoping there is like a season,” said Harrison. “I’ve qualified for the world indoor championships, which are in China in March, so I am hoping that is a go.

“After that, it will be just chasing down the Olympic standard again in the summer.”

Dale takes spotlight as Hilltops first female player

By Darren Steinke
Gordie Howe Sports Complex

Emmarae Dale is the Hilltops first female player.

When media from the big cities came calling, Emmarae Dale really realized just how big her addition to the Saskatoon Hilltops roster was.

On September 15, the Hilltops announced that Dale was officially added to the team’s roster at linebacker making her the team’s first female player. Having been a member of the Saskatoon Valkyries women’s football team and the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s track and field team for four seasons each, Dale expected to be interviewed by members of the Saskatoon media, and she has interacted with a number of those media members in the past.

She did about seven or eight interviews on the day the Hilltops made the announcement.

When she started getting interview requests from media members all across Western Canada including big cities like Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg, the significance of becoming the Hilltops first female player and what is believed to be the first female added to the roster of a CJFL team became greater.

“It definitely started to get real at that point,” said Dale, who has also done interviews for national outlets. “That was when it sort of sunk in this is something bigger than I even realize.

“I kind of realized this is a big moment in history. It is not anything I should be taking lightly at all.”

The 22-year-old played four seasons at linebacker for the Valkyries from 2016 to 2019 helping them win Western Women’s Canadian Football League titles in 2016 and 2019. After joining the powerhouse women’s tackle football team, Dale quickly became one of the squad’s best defensive players.

On top of playing for the Valkyries, Dale competed with the Huskies track and field team for the last four seasons at the U Sports level in throwing events. She helped the Huskies women’s team win the last three straight Canada West Conference titles.

Emmarae Dale dished out big hits for the Valkyries.

Her play for the Valkyries and athletic ability attracted the attention of storied Hilltops, who have won 22 CJFL titles since the modern version of the team hit the field in 1947. The venerable Hilltops have won the last six straight CJFL titles and nine of the last 10 CJFL championships.

Dale, who stands 5-foot-6, has been practicing with the Hilltops for the last five weeks, and she has lost count of how many interviews she has done since news broke that she was officially on the club’s roster. The graduate of Saskatoon’s St. Joseph High School has done interviews with various media outlets including newspapers, radio stations, television stations, webcasts and podcasts.

At first, she didn’t know what it was going to be like to be interviewed by media members from major cities.

“It is definitely a little nerve-racking,” said Dale. “You get kind of a feel for what the questions are going to look like and feel like just from all of the interviews.

“You still don’t really know what they are going to ask. I think the biggest thing for me is just trying to stay articulate and take my time in answering questions. You just don’t know what they are going to ask.

“Just trying to think of things on the spot can be a little bit scary, but I don’t get too nervous talking to people.”

Legendary Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant said Dale is on the Hilltops, because she is good enough to be on the team. Sargeant added Dale is powerful, strong and quick, and you can tell she has done a lot of good work at her training sessions at Ignite Athletics, which is on the grounds of the Gordie Howe Sports Complex.

Dale also works shifts operating the front desk at Ignite, where most of the Hilltops also train and workout. She already knew a number of players on the team, and Sargeant she fit in right off the bat.

“She is very comfortable out here right now, and very relaxed,” said Sargeant. “There is always a smile on her face.

Emmarae Dale (#45) made big plays for the Valkyries.

“She is enjoying what she is doing. You can tell she is learning and feeling good, because we are teaching some systems and getting a feel for all that. There is some newness to what is going on, and we are all enjoying it.

“She is a great kid to be around, and she is embracing the situation she is in as we are. Now, it is our job to make her better, so that she can compete at a high level and make a lot of plays for the Hilltops.”

Hilltops defensive coordinator Jeff Yausie was Dale’s head coach during her first season and her defensive coordinator in second season with the Valkyries. He saw Dale playing flag football during her high school days at St. Joseph High School and was impressed with her athletic and playmaking abilities.

Yausie, who spent time as the head coach of Canada’s national women’s tackle football team, talked Dale into joining the Valkyries and was amazed by how quickly she improved in the game.

“You basically watch her mature and grow up each year and get bigger and stronger and get more comfortable in the football systems,” said Yausie. “To me, she has gotten better and better.

“From my experience coaching the national team, I looked at her and I identified her as a player that she can make that level, if that is what she wants and be dominate at that level. She has a great work ethic, and she is tough.

“Sometimes the intangibles of football make a good football player like toughness, mental toughness. At every practice, she works as hard or harder than everybody else.”

As Dale improved, she hit the point Yausie believed she could play and contribute with the Hilltops. He figured the announcement of her being added to the roster would perk up media interest, but he never expected how wide the interest would spread.

“I’m surprised the amount of attention it has got,” said Yausie. “To me, I don’t think it is that big a deal.

“For me as a person, I just want a player who can play. I don’t care if the player is male or female or whatever. It comes back to her character.”

Emmarae Dale is honoured to play for the Hilltops.

Yausie said Dale’s character is outstanding, and the Hilltops know her family fairly well.

Dale is following in the footsteps of her older brothers, Anthony and Donovan, who played for the Hilltops in the late 2000s and early 2010s. As the weeks go on, Emmarae said it feels more and more special to be a member of the Hilltops.

“It is pretty surreal, and it is a huge honour,” said Dale. “I honestly have no other way to put it other than it is just really humbling being on the team that is the best in Canada and the best in history.

“It is just a huge honour to be able to come out and run around with the guys and compete with them. They are amazing football players, and just to be able to be here is a huge privilege and honour that is not being taken for granted at all.”