On Thursday, a total of 22 members of the Laurentian Voyageurs Indoor Track & Field squad made their way to Windsor, site of the 2025 OUA Championships – with this group representing the largest contingent of L.U. athletes to attend provincials in at least the past quarter century.
“We are entered in all six relays, which is new to us,” noted head coach Darren Jermyn excitedly at a final week tune-up. “We’re going to try and win our section and build for the future.”
As much as there are solid expectations in place for veterans such as Keon Wallingford, Kristen Mrozewski, Shelley Hladin and Tristan Routhier, it is the new wave of Voyageurs – and those that are still to come – which give rise to a tangible sense of positivity regarding the direction of this program.
“You can only put four people on our relay teams but some of our events run eight deep – and there is nobody that doesn’t want to be on a relay team,” added Jermyn.
That said, for the likes of first year students such as Abdul Abiodun and Alissa Diavolitsis, both from Sudbury and both reaching OUA standards in their freshman season with the team, the meet this weekend is designed to reward their commitment to continual growth all while creating a springboard to bigger and better things ahead.
Both are laden with potential.
Born in Nigeria but moving to Canada as he commenced his high-school studies, Abiodun did not even compete in the city championships as a member of the Sudbury Secondary School North Stars until his grade 11 year – and even that was far more on a whim.
“I went out to do the high jump but every time I went to practice, the mats were never out,” recalled the 19 year-old Mechanical Engineering major who will look to better his PB of 7.17 seconds in the 60m dash, while also lending a helping hand in the 4 X 200m relay.
“I told my coach: let me do something else,” Abiodun continued. “He tried to put me in the hurdles but I wasn’t doing that.”
In the end, it was the 100m where he would most shine. Unfortunately, much of what led to his early success was built on raw athleticism – not the formula for sustained development as a sprinter.
That much was apparent to the Track North coaching staff, the club that Abiodun would join midway through his final year at SSS.
“Everything changed, all of my form,” he noted. “Even stamina-wise, I was not prepared for it. I thought I would be working a lot on the blocks, but we’re doing blocks, transitioning, top end speed, being relaxed and everything.”
“I still have so much to work on.”
It is perhaps this last statement that most brings a smile to the face of L.U. sprint & jumps coach Jim Taylor. “Abdul came in thinking long jump / triple jump, but I saw the natural skill with the sprints,” said Taylor.
“I knew with the sprints that we could get something done quickly – and he embraced it right away.”
While it seems so counter-intuitive, running relaxed is at the core of every top-end sprinter – a real eye opener for so many who enjoy elementary school triumphs and believe that same approach will get them to an OFSSA final.
“When I first started, I thought the more you push, the more you grunt, then the faster you go,” said Abiodun with a smile. “Changing that was difficult for me. I still grunt sometimes when someone passes me.”
For as much as the 60m will be fun, Abiodun buys completely into the notion that the relays, for indoor track, offer an experience that is simply not to be missed.
“There is just so much more push,” he said. “Everyone is getting hyped; the entire team is getting hyped.”
In her younger years, Alissa Diavolitsis was a basketball-first athlete. Sure, much like her younger sister Misaki (grade 11), the Lockerby Composite graduate would partake in a variety of sport offerings, though club ball topped the list.
And like so many teens at the secondary school level, all it takes is a champion or two in a particular sport to completely captivate someone who is willing to put in the work. “With (Laura) Stanyon and (Kerry) Abols (teachers and coaches at Lockerby), they always made track really fun,” said Diavolitsis.
“I was always looking forward to it.”
Not a fan of longer distances, the 18 year-old who is studying Kinesiology and Concurrent Education deferred to her coaches when it came to looking for alternatives. “Stanyon said to try the 400m and it went better than expected,” said Diavolitsis. “Throughout the years, I kept PB’ing and so I stuck with it.”
Ironically, in the eyes of many, the single lap of an outdoor track is viewed as one of the most gruelling races to run, effectively an all-out sprint - or as close as one can come to it.
“Before all my races in high-school, in the blocks before the 400m, I was wondering why I chose this race,” Diavolitsis recounted with a smile. “It’s too long. But after I finish it, it felt really good. I am not a strong starter so people were ahead of me and I have to push myself to catch up to them.”
“At the end, I would pass them before the finish line which is really rewarding.”
Coach Taylor and his athlete are completely in sync when it comes to this assessment.
“Alissa’s got this killer instinct,” he said. “She’s a second half of the race type of runner.”
Competing in the 300m as well as the 4 X 200m and 4 X 400m, Diavolitsis will look to change this up a bit, strategically speaking, as she makes her return to a Windsor University venue at which she has already performed well this year.
“I tend to try and save some energy, but I don’t lose speed when I run,” she stated. “So we’re going to start out stronger and faster. Jim (Taylor) thinks I can maintain that speed and maybe drop a second.”
And like all of her teammates, any progress would be nice – especially with a team that is growing, as the Laurentian Voyageurs Indoor Track & Field squad certainly is.
Other L.U. female competitors: Sara Booth, Claire Scholl, Abby Lanteigne, Naomi Palmer, Erika McNeill, Maeva Sullivan, Maeva Blake, Georgia Lepage
Other L.U. male competitors: Brandon Radey, Evan Jarvis, Josh Kim, Skyler Savage-Perreault, T.J. Green, Patrick Leroux, Alan Wilkin, Owen Roney
