Canadian Working and Beneath Armour have teamed up for the 2024 Canadian U Sports activities indoor observe and area season to focus on a few of the prime homegrown skills throughout the nation. Every week main as much as the 2024 U Sports activities Indoor Monitor and Subject Championships in Winnipeg this March, Canadian Working will choose one female and male observe and area athlete to be the Beneath Armour Athlete of the Week.
The athlete of the week shall be a female and male observe and area athlete who achieved a standout efficiency, broke a college document or crushed a private finest. Every week of the U-Sports activities 2024 season these athletes shall be featured on Canadian Working and awarded an Beneath Armour prize pack. Center-distance runner Avery Pearson of the College of Saskatchewan and distance runner Jude Wheeler-Dee of Queen’s College have been chosen because the Beneath Armour U Sports activities Athletes of the Week for his or her performances between Jan. 15-21.
Feminine Athlete of the Week: Avery Pearson–ladies’s 600m
On the College of Alberta Golden Bear Open on Jan. 20, the third-year middle-distance runner for the College of Saskatchewan Huskies opened her season with a win within the ladies’s 600m. Pearson’s time of 1:30.25 set a brand new meet document, shattering the earlier mark from 2017 by two-tenths of a second, and her efficiency additionally certified her for the 2024 U Sports activities Indoor Monitor and Subject Championships.
“I’m actually proud of my efficiency,” says Pearson on her new private finest. “Going into the race, I used to be simply centered on getting a qualifying time for U Sports activities. So to have the ability to do this and run a meet document, it was a pleasant bonus.”
Pearson informed Canadian Working that her objective for the 2024 U Sports activities season is to contend for a medal on the Canada West Convention championships and at U Sports activities. She can be desperate to compete within the ladies’s 800m on the Bell Canadian Monitor and Subject Olympic Trials in June. “The thrill of an Olympic yr is driving me to proceed to work laborious for the out of doors season,” says Pearson.
Male Athlete of the Week: Jude Wheeler-Dee–males’s 1,500m
Wheeler-Dee has earned prime honours for the week by breaking a 13-year meet document within the males’s 1,500m on the UOttawa Winter Basic on Jan. 20. Wheeler clocked a formidable 3:48.31, surpassing the earlier document of three:50.55 by greater than two seconds. Wheeler-Dee is having a robust third yr with the observe and area and cross-country program at Queen’s, serving to the Gaels males win U Sports activities XC bronze in November 2023.
Reflecting on his race, Wheeler-Dee says he’s comfortable to be exhibiting his health this early within the U Sports activities indoor season. “I’m coming off base health, so to have the ability to run a superb time and really feel robust—it was good.” He shared with Canadian Working that his objective for the 2024 U Sports activities season is to benefit from the course of. “We solely have 4 to 5 years to compete at this college degree, so I’m always reminding myself to take all of it in,” says Wheeler-Dee.
The third-year chemistry main has not finalized his plans for the 2024 season and acknowledges that a lot continues to be unsure. Nonetheless, he intends to proceed working a bunch of observe races.
Julia Agostinelli and David Adeleye named Beneath Armour U Sports activities Athletes of the Week
If you want to appoint a Canadian U Sports activities athlete for Beneath Armour Athlete of the Week, ship @canadianrunning a message on Instagram or e-mail marley@runningmagazine.ca.
