HIGH ACHIEVERS: 11 Ottawa high school conference track and field records set, but where’s Barclay?

By Martin Cleary

For two days, they came by car, bus and foot for the largest Ottawa high school sports championship of the year.

About a thousand student-athletes and teacher-coaches, retired teachers transformed into officials and volunteers made their way to the Terry Fox Athletic Facility each day to determine the qualifiers for next week’s National Capital Secondary School Athletic Association track and field championships.

The weather was unpleasant at best with persistent rain and cold temperatures for the West Conference finals on Wednesday, and slightly better, but still overcast and chilly for the East Conference championships on Thursday.

It’s known as hamstring weather. If the athletes don’t properly warm up, they could pull a hamstring and ruin their upcoming season. It was certainly not ideal weather for breaking records, but 11 new marks were set just the same.

The mass of people in the track area and at the various field event sites was impressive, but when you surveyed the venue there was something wrong. Someone was missing.

Where’s Barclay?

There can’t be an Ottawa high school track and field meet without Barclay Frost, the field referee who knows the rule book backwards and forwards and will keep you entertained with numerous and detailed stories from his officiating past.

Frost estimates he has volunteered his officiating services at Ottawa high school meets for close to 50 years. His provincial, national and international officiating career goes back to 1967.

When a young longer jumper leaps a distance that is assumed to be record-breaking, volunteers will be instructed not to rake over the imprint in the sand. That’s when Frost is usually called over to double-check and authenticate the new mark.

But instead of moving from field event to field event in his golf cart over the past two days, Frost was at his home in Munster dealing with a serious health issue.

He would have loved to have been on site, measuring high school records, giving mini clinics to new high school teachers overseeing various boys’ and girls’ novice, junior and senior throws and jumps events and answering questions of all kinds.

But first things first.

Frost, who turns 85 next month, is recovering from his recent chemotherapy and radiation treatments for bladder cancer. His various medical sessions at the Queensway Carleton Hospital were draining for him and he’s in the process of regaining his energy and staying mildly active.

“It’s a grind, a real grind,” the perpetually moving Frost offered in a phone interview on Friday about going through the treatment process. “You don’t feel well after (the treatments). It knocks your energy level right out. My last treatment was Monday. I’m now in a healing pattern.”

His medical team has advised Frost to do a little something each day as he rebuilds his food intake and an overall sense of feeling better.

In the process of getting well, Frost has lost his immune system and must be careful where he travels. He recently spent eight days in the Queensway Carleton Hospital with pneumonia.

Earlier this year, he discovered significant blood in his urine, after one of his many hockey games as the goalkeeper for the Octokids. A dose of antibiotics didn’t work to treat a suspected infection, but a probe found a mass on his bladder, which was diagnosed as cancer.

In his absence at this week’s NCSSAA conference meets, the show went on as Frost was replaced as field referee by his ‘protégé’ Rick Watkins, who is 82.

“He’s a warrior out there. He loves to do it,” Frost added.

Frost, who is one year shy of 60 years of officiating in athletics, and Watkins are members of Sue’s Crew, a group of retired high school teachers who play vital roles as starters and co-ordinators for various track and field competitions. Sue Fleming started the volunteer project about 20 years ago.

“I’ve had a lot of support from the track and field community. They’re checking in on me. It’s appreciated,” noted Frost, the past chair of the Ottawa Sports Awards.

But recovering at home when there’s a high school track meet at the Terry Fox venue is hard for Frost.

“It drives me crazy,” he admitted. “I miss not being there.”

If everything falls into place, Frost said he might try to attend the NCSSAA city championships on Wednesday and Thursday, but only as a spectator and only for a few hours.

“I will try to avoid big crowds,” he added.

Here are the highlights from the NCSSAA East and West Conference track and field championships from each of the boys and girls’ age groups.

EAST CONFERENCE

GIRLS’ SENIOR

· Jorai Oppong-Nketiah of Louis-Riel improved her own 100-metre record to 11.92 seconds from last year’s 11.96 seconds and also placed first in the 200 metres at 25.73 seconds. She also erased the 200-metre record in the heats with a time of 24.75 seconds, which surpassed the mark of 24.80 seconds by Sharelle Samuel of Ashbury in 2018. Oppong-Nketiash finished her meet as part of the winning Riel women’s 4×100-metre relay team at 50.98 seconds.

· Mallea McMullin of Louis-Riel was a double champion in field events as she won the javelin in a near-record 42.00 metres and the discus at 28.14 metres. The two-time defending OFSAA champion was 20 centimetres short of the javelin record, which was set by Lucie Archambault of De La Salle in 1981.

· Shannon Dewar of St. Francis Xavier placed first in the 400 metres at 59.18 seconds and the 800 metres at 2:23.34.

BOYS’ SENIOR

· Ayoub Shangai of Louis-Riel was untouchable in the sprints, winning the 100 metres in 10.92 seconds, the 200 metres in 22.13 seconds and the 400 metres in 50.45 seconds.

· Tan Tside was strong over the hurdles as he won the 110-metre race by 3.33 seconds at 14.51 seconds and the 400-metre race at 58.38 seconds. He narrowly missed the 110-metre record of 14.28 seconds set by future Olympian Segun Makinde in 2009.

· Olivier Thibault of Lisgar couldn’t be beaten in the middle-distance races as he won the 800 metres in 1:58.75 and the 1,500 metres in 4:07.14.

· The narrowest of margins separated the top three in the long jump – Elliott Barker, Colonel By, first, 5.90 metres; Conal Deegen, Ashbury, second, 5.89 metres; and Fiji Kusa, St. Peter, third, 5.88 metres.

GIRLS’ JUNIOR

· Anabelle Muir of Glebe must love flying because it showed as she won the 80-metre hurdles in 13.48 seconds, the 300-metre hurdles in 50.22 seconds and the pole vault in a record 3.46 metres. The previous pole vault record was set in 2008 by Bailey Arnott of Lester B. Pearson at 2.71 metres.

· Reve McInnes of Glebe also was a triple winner with strong efforts in the 800 metres at 2:38.06, the 1,500 metres at 5:08.53 and the 3,000 metres at 11:10.96.

· Sprinter Cassidy Sookochef led her peers to the finish line in the 100 metres and 200 metres with respective times of 12.59 seconds and 26.49 seconds.

· Lassanah Mvudi of Louis-Riel showed well in the jumps, taking first in the long jump at 4.52 metres as well as the high jump at 1.40 metres.

BOYS’ JUNIOR

· Brody Charbot of St. Francis Xavier recorded the fastest times in the 1,500 metres at 4:29.23 and the 3,000 metres at 9:31.84.

· Onyx Sineus of Canterbury was the 400-metre champion at 55.60 seconds and added a second title in the 800 metres at 2:06.07.

· Samuel Pemale of St. Peter won the 100 metres in 11.53 seconds and placed second to teammate Brandon Bell in the 200 metres. Bell had the best 200-metre time of 23.41 seconds.

· Maxime Cazabon of Garneau was the winner in the high jump at 1.80 metres, a height matched by runner-up Robin Eustache of Beatrice-Desloges, and the triple jump at 13.27 metres.

GIRLS’ NOVICE

· Roan Gerth of Glebe was unstoppable with four wins – 1,500 metres in 5:10.96, 3,000 metres in 11:45.74, 300-metre hurdles in 49.17 seconds and was the anchor of the 4×100-metre relay team.

· Freda Isaac-Ighod of St. Matthew registered the best times in the 100 metres at 13.28 seconds and the 200 metres in 28.12 seconds.

· Madeleine Jacobse of Glebe improved the pole vault record to 1.75 metres. It was set by Julia Maine of Lisgar at 1.66 metres in 2014.

BOYS’ NOVICE

· William Lussier of Mer Bleue couldn’t be caught in his three sprint races, winning the 100 metres in 11.62 seconds, the 200 metres in 24.14 seconds and the 400 metres in 57.02 seconds.

· Graeme Siderius of Colonel By, who also is an accomplished cross-country skier, swept the three longer track races – the 800 metres in 2:17.18, the 1,500 metres in 4:29.94 and the 3,000 metres in 9:50.84.

· Osgoode athletes Micah Wendt and Trace Bourgeault finished one-two in the triple jump at 11.11 metres and 10.58 metres.

· Nick Smith of St-Laurent Academy and Lukas Singlehurst of St. Patrick’s tied for first place in the high jump at 1.60 metres.

ATHLETES WITH DISABILITIES

· Dylan DeBoer of Ottawa Tech won the boys’ intellectually-impaired 100 metres with a record time of 13.75 seconds, which improved his own record of 13.89 seconds.

· Molly Boisseau of Ottawa Tech eclipsed the girls’ intellectually-impaired shot put record of 4.00 metres set by Mya Maadarani of Ottawa Tech in 2025 with a winning toss of 4.72 metres.

· Kahyden Matti of Ottawa Tech won the men’s intellectually-impaired shot put with a record toss of 11.88 metres, which overwhelmed the previous mark of 9.85 metres.

WEST CONFERENCE

BOYS’ SENIOR

· Eli Mordel of Sir Robert Borden came within one place of having a triple victory day. But the pole vault record likely made up for that. He cleared 4.60 metres to win the pole vault and erased the 41-year-old record held by Brookfield’s Mike Reichert at 4.38 metres from 1985. Mordel also won the 110-metre hurdles in 15.65 seconds and was second in the long jump at 5.90 metres.

· Ange-Mathis Kramo of Paul-Desmarais was a double sprint champion, winning the 200 and 400 metres in respective times of 22.42 seconds and 51.64 seconds.

· Heat two of the 400-metre hurdles proved one of the most exciting finishes of the day as Zachary Tory of Holy Trinity won in 1:06.44, a blink of an eye ahead of runner-up David Kelly of St. Mark at 1:06.45.

GIRLS’ SENIOR

· Teagan Casselman of Holy Trinity had a full day of sprinting, which led to first-place finishes in the 100 metres in 13.14 seconds, the 200 metres in 27.37 seconds, the 100-metre hurdles in 18.26 seconds and the 4×100-metre relay at 52.37 seconds.

· When it came to jumping, Roxy Gardiner of Sir Robert Borden was jumping for joy, after winning the long jump at 5.16 metres, the triple jump at 10.73 metres and the high jump, which she shared with teammate Serenity Stewart at 1.40 metres.

· Once around the track was good for Norah Nitta Macka of Holy Trinity as she won the 400 metres in 58.98 seconds and the 400-metre hurdles in 1:10.78.

· Middle-distance runner Maya Allibon of John McCrae produced the best times in the 800 metres and 1,500 metres at 2:24.44 and 5:03.87 respectively.

· Kyra Lauter of Franco-Ouest loved the distance races as she won the women’s 2,000-metre steeplechase in 7:33.11 and the 3,000 metres in 10:44.86.

· The pole vault area was the scene of another record as Kyra Dobson Takoff of Sir Robert Borden cleared 2.50 metres to surpass the old mark of 1.50 metres by Jacqueline Aubin of St. Mother Teresa in 2024.

BOYS’ JUNIOR

· Declan McGinnity of All Saints produced a rare triple in sprint and middle-distance races by winning the 200 metres in 24.62 seconds, the 400 metres in 53.22 seconds and the 800 metres in 2:22.21.

GIRLS’ JUNIOR

· Holly Smith set the only girls’ junior record and it also came in the pole vault and from yet another Sir Robert Borden student-athlete. Smith cleared 2.05 metres to ease past the meet record of 2.03 metres set by Lindsay Thompson of West Carleton in 2007.

· Zoe Tobal of Merivale kept herself busy by winning the 200 metres and 400 metres in respective times of 26.90 seconds and 1:00.88 as well as anchoring the Marauders to a victory in the 4×100-metre relay in 54.17.

· Eden Pridikman of Holy Trinity accomplished her double on the track and in the field by winning the 80-metre hurdles in 13.66 seconds and the high jump at 1.35 metres.

· Annelise Takam of Pierre-Savard was a field specialist with best throws in the discus at 25.17 metres and shot put at 8.90 metres.

· Now that’s teamwork. South Carleton athletes swept the top three positions in the triple jump – Kinley Parratt, 9.34 metres; Lily Bishop, 8.60 metres; and Bethany Clark, 8.03 metres.

BOYS’ NOVICE

· There was no stopping Jake Claydon of John McCrae on the track as he won the 400 metres in 55.51 seconds, the 800 metres in 2:12.55 and the 1,500 metres in 4:31.22.

· Antoine Araya of Merivale was too fast for his peers as he posted the top times of 12.98 seconds in the 100 metres and 26.73 seconds in the 200 metres. He finished 0.5 seconds ahead of Nicholas Siolek of Sacred Heart in the 200 metres.

GIRLS’ NOVICE

· Hurdles specialist Sasha Stephenson of Nepean crossed the finish line first over 80 metres in 14.16 seconds and 300 metres in 51.18 seconds.

· Sprinter Michelle Nalwoga of Sacred Heart was a double champion, taking the 100 metres in 14.14 seconds and the 200 metres in 28.45 seconds.

· Saoirse Hoogenraad of Longfields-Davidson Heights excelled in the middle-distance races, winning the 800 metres at 2:35.13 and the 1,500 metres at 5:16.20.