Bailey Smith leads Panthers to AUS Championships seeking fourth gold medal

By Thomas Becker

UPEI's star sprinter has racked up plenty of accolades in recent years and she has her eyes set on another one this weekend.

Bailey Smith will compete for her fourth straight AUS 60-metre title, while 14 other Panther hopefuls look to make their mark at the AUS Track and Field Championships.

Standing in the way of Smith and another gold medal is rival Maya Reynolds of the Dalhousie Tigers.

"Bailey's training has been good and we worked on a few minor issues, but it's a matter running your best when it counts the most. This is nothing new for Bailey," said head coach Colin MacAdam.

The UNB Reds host this year's event with the venue shifting from Moncton to the Irving Oil Field House in Saint John, which features a 200m oval track.

Altogether UPEI will be represented by 15 athletes — up from the 10 who competed in the event for the past three years.

The major difference in 2020's team is the participation of distance runners led by UPEI cross country coach, Mike Peterson. The distance group is young and will lean heavily on veteran soccer player Danielle Younker, who will compete in the 600m and 1000m. Vet college transfer Dan McGuire competed for the Dalhousie Tigers for four years and has been a welcome addition to the team. He'll run the 600m and 3000m and will be counted on to lead other distance runners, Matt Kozma, Hassan Itani and Patrick Fletcher to personal best performances. 

"We have more athletes than ever before, but we still have a very young team," MacAdam said. "For most of the athletes, this is their first experience at a meet of this calibre, so we will be looking for personal bests and appearances in the final heat."

Another standout who could compete for a podium finish is Malcolm Gilman in shot put. The freshman currently sits top-5 in the conference and has the tools to earn a medal. Sophomore Gemma Shea will also compete in shot put on the women's side. 300m runners Fahad Ahmed, Ellis Blay, Yazen Nelson, Nathalie Lane and Hannah Ives will all be looking for top-10 finishes but could jump into the top-5 if all goes well. 

As the program continues to grow, it's given opportunities for rookie sprinters and P.E.I. natives such as Zach Wilson and Noah Duckworth to make a name for themselves. And they don't have to look any further than Smith for inspiration. She was in their position before, but her work ethic and commitment led her to the top.

MacAdam admits it'll take time to develop these promising athletes into medal contenders, but if they take a page out of Smith's book, anything can happen.

"This is a long-term project as we're facing athletes from established programs with the best training facilities," he said. "Events like this will help our athletes as they prepare for AUS track and field in the future."