April 27, 2002

McGill Track & X-country awards announced

MONTREAL -- Sarah Ali-Khan of Baie d'Urfe Que., and Yohsuke Hayashi of Brossard, Que., were announced as track & field team MVPs at the annual McGill track and cross-country awards banquet held at La Brasserie Molson on April 27. Ali-Khan, a fourth-year graduate student in pharmacology, was also selected MVP of the cross-country team, along with Brant Carson, a computer engineering junior from Waterloo, Ont., who also was named as the most improved athlete award in track, sharing that honour with Timothy Woo, a senior from Montreal. Sarah Millar, a psychology senior from Ottawa, was also a double award winner. She won the most improved athlete award in track and received the Andrea Taylor award, named in memory of the former McGill runner who died of a brain tumour at the age of 21 in 1997. The award is presented to a female who contributes something unique to the team, promotes unity and demonstrates the exceptional characteristics portrayed by Taylor -- energy, vitality and inspiration.

Kevin Doyle, a management freshman from Toronto, captured rookie-of-the-year honours in cross-country while Dan Kovacek, a science freshman from Hamilton, won similar honours in track. On the women¹s side, the top freshmen honoured were Leslie Marcotte, a nursing major from Huntingdon, Que., in cross-country and Veronique Foley, an occupational therapy student from Sherbrooke in track.

A BRIEF PROFILE OF EACH AWARD RECIPIENT FOLLOWS:

Ali-Khan, named earlier in the month as the McGill female athlete of the year, was voted the Quebec conference athlete of the year in both track and cross-country and earned All-Canadian status in both as well. In six cross-country races, she won three gold medals, two silvers and a fourth-place finish. She captured the Quebec individual championships and was second at the CIS Nationals missing a gold medal in the 5k race by one second. In track and field, Ali-Khan won 11 gold medals in six meets, including four at the Provincials, plus gold and a silver at the Nationals in Sherbrooke. She ran the fastest times in the country for both the 600m and 1500m and ran the second quickest 1000m, setting a number of McGill and Quebec university records.

Hayashi, a computer engineering senior from Brossard, Que., earned bronze in the 4x800m relay at the national championships, finishing in 7:42.27. Hayashi was also sixth in the 600m and seventh in the 4x400m relay. At the Quebec conference championships, he won three gold medals, including the 600m, the 4x400m and 4x800m. He also earned bronze in the 1000m. Over the season, he set a PB in the 600m,1000m and 1500m. At the Nationals, he was sixth in the 600m.

Carson set personal bests in the 1000m,1500m and 3000m in addition to winning silver in the 3000m at the conference championships.

Woo establish personal bests in the 60m sprint, as well as the pole vault, long jump, triple jump and high jump. At the league championship meet, he won silver medals in the pole vault and triple jump in addition to a pair of bronzes in the 1000m and high jump.

Miller set three PBs -- in the 60m hurdles, plus the 300m and 600m. She won silver medals at the conference championship meet in both the 4x200m and 4x400m in addition to a bronze in the 600m. At the Nationals, she was 10th in the 600m.

Doyle was McGill¹s highest-placing rookie in all five cross-country races, ended up among the team¹s top 10 finishers in every meet and was 25th of 34 runners at the Quebec championships.

Kovacek set three PBs during the season, including the 600m,1000m,1500m and the 3000m.

Marcotte improved throughout the cross-country season. She figured in the scoring three times in six races, including a 12th-place finish at the Sherbrooke meet. She was 10th at the QSSF championships and 63rd of 94 runners at the CIS Nationals.

Foley set five PBs -- in the 300m, 60m hurdles, shotput, long jump and the high jump. She also helped the 4x400m relay squad win silver at the conference championships.

For more info:
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Earl Zukerman, McGill Communication Officer (514) 398-7012