The Lethbridge College Kodiaks wrapped up the 2017-18 ACAC season with a bang, claiming medals at both the indoor track and women’s futsal championship tournaments.
The Kodiaks indoor track team won a total of six medals at the championships in Edmonton. Meanwhile, the women’s futsal team earned silver at the tournament in Lloydminster.
Kodiaks claim six medals at ACAC indoor track championships
Lethbridge College’s rookie sensation, Sophia Nowicki, completed a season to remember by winning four medals at the ACAC indoor track championships. Her medal haul was part of a total of six medals won by Kodiaks athletes at the meet held by MacEwan University in Edmonton on Friday and Saturday.
The Kodiaks team finished fourth in the combined team standings. The Kodiaks women’s squad finished third in the female standings, while the men’s team tied for fourth in the male rankings.
Nowicki (first year, General Studies, Bragg Creek, Alta.) earned two silver and two bronze medals to finish third in points among female competitors. She won a silver in the 3,000-metre event with a time of 10:39.08, and another in the 1,500-metres, where her time of 4:59.64 left her less than seven-tenths of a second back of the gold medal position. She added an individual bronze in the 1,000-metres in a time of 3:09.42.
To cap off her memorable weekend, Nowicki was part of a finish that no runner will forget, as a photo finish proved that the Kodiaks tied with SAIT for third place in the women’s 4x400-metre relay. The Trojans were originally awarded the bronze, but a review showed that both teams tied down to the one-thousandth of a second in 4:22.036, so both teams were awarded medals. Kayla Enders (third year, Therapeutic Recreation-Gerontology, Rocky Mountain House, Alta.) ran the anchor lap of the relay, and was joined on the team by Nowicki, Brooklyn Vogel (first year, Nursing, Turin, Alta.) and Janelle Graham (second year, Criminal Justice-Policing, Olds, Alta.).
Enders also claimed an individual medal, finishing third in the 600-metre race. She was one of three runners who all crossed the finish line in a bunch, just 0.37 seconds apart, finishing second, third and fourth. Her time was 1:42.36. Enders just missed the podium in the 300-metres, finishing fourth in 43.60 seconds.
The Kodiaks men’s lone medal came in the 4x400-metre relay. Dayton Jans (second year, Multimedia Production, Coaldale) ran a strong anchor leg, coming from behind in the final metres, to help the Kodiaks to a bronze medal in 3:41.44. John Krause (second year, Criminal Justice-Policing, Wetaskiwin, Alta.), Tristan Jochems (second year, Criminal Justice-Police, Sundre, Alta.) and Kayden Halladay (first year, General Studies, Medicine Hat) joined Jans on the team.
Jans just missed out on a pair of individual medals, finishing fourth in the 300-metres (37.18 seconds) and fifth in the 600-metres (1:30.35).
Full results are available online.
Kodiaks women’s futsal earns ACAC silver
The Kodiaks women’s futsal team was looking for redemption after a disappointing outdoor soccer season in the fall. The mission was successful, as the Kodiaks made it all the way to the championship game at the tournament hosted by Lakeland College in Lloydminster, before earning a silver medal.
The Kodiaks faced southern Alberta rival Medicine Hat College in the final. The Rattlers had the only goal in a tightly-contested first half, then added two more in the second half for a 3-0 win. It was the fifth-straight ACAC championship for the powerhouse Rattlers. The silver for the Kodiaks comes in just the second year of participation for Lethbridge.
Lethbridge College made it to the playoff round after going 1-2 in round robin action. The team lost its tournament opener 4-3 to Medicine Hat College, before rebounding with a 4-1 win over Ambrose College. A 4-1 loss to Keyano left the Kodiaks playoff hopes in a precarious position, but the team advanced after tiebreakers were factored in.
In the semifinal against Augustana on Sunday morning, Vicki Noronha (third year, Exercise Science, Brooks, Alta.) gave the Kodiaks an early lead. It proved to be the only goal the team needed in a 1-0 win that clinched the first futsal medal in Lethbridge College history.
During the men’s tournament, also hosted by Lakeland College, the Kodiaks men’s team failed to qualify for the playoff round. The team lost all three of its round robin games, two of them by just a single goal.