CDS Cyclone track team captures 8 gold medals at CISAA Championships in Toronto

By Jim Stewart

CDS Cyclone Track and Field Coach Denise Steadman was pleased with her team's results at the CISAA Championships at York University last week.
Eight of her athletes captured gold medals at the meet in Toronto, but she was even more impressed with the level of individual achievement beyond the podium: “We had so many great performances. Our focus is to get personal bests at track meets and one of our athletes – Reese Falkenberg –  dropped an incredible 7 seconds off her personal best in the 400m hurdles.”
Coach Steadman was particularly proud of her novice boys and girls team, seven of which qualified for Metros. Juliet Chieduch won two gold medals – in the 400m dash and the grueling 800m race – as well as a silver in the triple jump with a hop, skip, and jump of 9.51m. Chieduch qualified for Metros in all three individual events as did Aiden Quast who won the silver in the 100m hurdles, a bronze in the long jump, and fourth-place finish in the triple jump.
Like Chieduch, Carter Saley was a double gold medal winner with victories in the 100m hurdles and the 300m hurdles. Eamon Sheppard rounded out the impressive list of gold medal winners from the CDS Novice team with his first-place finish in the 100m dash. The Novice Girls 4 x 100 relay team – Kendal Jones, Arielle Ginsberg, Juliet Chieduch, and Caterina Cesaria – captured the bronze medal with a time of 56.57. All in all, Chieduch had an exceptional set of afternoons in Toronto by qualifying for the Metros in a total of four Novice events and her team hauled in 9 medals in their first CISAA championship meet.
Steadman noted that her athletes' “effort and results are very important, but so is dealing with adversity.”
The most adverse event this year for the CDS Track team was the disqualification of the Senior Girls 4 x 100 relay team comprised of Sarah Cathers, Alex Estabrooks, Reese Falkenberg, and Hannah Clarke.
Coach Steadman explained the heartbreaking moment for the relay team: “They had the fastest time by 2 seconds. Their goal was to qualify for the OFSAA Championships as they did last year. Sarah was not on the team in 2022, but replaced Lauren who had graduated last year.”
What impressed the veteran track coach the most about this veteran quartet were the results they put up in Day 2 of the meet after their tragic disqualification. Undaunted by relay plans that went awry, Alex Estabrooks won a gold medal in the 100m dash with a time of 12.22 and qualified for Metros. Hanna Clarke showed her grace under pressure by winning a gold medal in the 200m dash with a time of 25.47, qualified for Metros, ran a personal best, and set a new school record.
In addition to Estabrooks and Clarke's golden performances, Reese Falkenberg captured the bronze medal in the 400m hurdles with a time of 1:15 – lopping off 7 seconds from her previous personal best – and qualified for Metros.
Lastly, Sarah Cathers took 2 seconds from her previous personal best in the 200m dash with a time of 31.69.
Clarke also turned in a gold medal performance in Day One of the meet when she won the 100m hurdles in 16.10 seconds which qualified her for Metros in a second event. Rounding out the CDS Metro qualifiers was the Senior Boys Cyclone 4 x 100 relay team – Michael De Poce, Rigas Lambakis, Jacob Ginsberg, and Cole Sheppard – which placed fourth with a time of 46.45.
The Metros are being held at Birchmount Stadium, wrapping up Thursday, May 25.