got off to an excellent start in their 2012 season with the Spartans Scottish athletes leading the way at the , with Emma Nuttall winning the high jump competition and Calum Innes taking top spot in the 60m hurdles event Saturday at Dempsey Indoor.
鈥淚t was an excellent day especially considering it鈥檚 so early in the indoor track and field season,鈥� said Spartans coach Laurier Primeau. 鈥淲e had some good results all around and I鈥檓 very happy with our start. I know athletes, especially the most motivated ones, are rarely satisfied with their performances. So that鈥檚 good that we are hungry for more and I think this weekend should be a sign of things to come.鈥�
Nuttall posted a meet best jump of 1.81m, which was eight centimetres clear of her nearest competitor and was also her best season-opening jump ever, and, in doing so, moved into the top spot in the CIS women鈥檚 high jump rankings and also qualified for the .
Meanwhile, Innes was busy doing a similar deed on the track as he won the 60m hurdles race in a personal best time of 8.22, which puts him in a tie for the number one spot in the CIS rankings and also qualifies him for nationals. Innes also finished sixth in the 60m dash with a time of 6.99, which is the eighth best time posted this year by a CIS athlete.
Continuing with the Scottish trend of success, the Spartans Hazel Ross won her 60m hurdles preliminary heat in a time of 9.19 but missed out on making the finals by 0.02. Ross also finished in a tie for eighth in high jump with as she got up to 1.63m.
In the women鈥檚 3000m race Fiona Benson finished 10th overall with a time of 10:02.35, which puts her currently tops in , while Alison Jackson crossed the line in 16th place with a time of 10:18.18.
The Spartans Eric Dupuis finished 10th overall in the triple jump with jump of 13.24m while Blair Johnston finished the men鈥檚 3000m 12th overall with a time of 8:32.09.
Hayley Stewart, who was entered in the long jump competition, fouled and did not record a jump.
The Spartans track and field team will be back in action Jan. 20-21 at Alberta鈥檚 Golden Bear Invitational in Edmonton.
