The McMaster Marauders men's and women's track teams competed in Boston and Windsor this weekend in their first two meets since the return to competition after the recent Covid-19 shutdown.
 
Track and cross country veterans Erin Mawhinney and Caroline Forbes were the only two athletes from McMaster to race in the Boston University David Hemery Valentine Invitational on Saturday.
 
Both racers competed in the women's 3000m event — Mawhinney was the first of the two to cross the finish line, placing 40^th overall with a time of 9:41.93 — the fifth fastest time in U SPORTS thus far. Following just 17 seconds behind Mawhinney was Forbes, in a time of 9:58.70.
 
Following the meet in Boston, MA., the Marauders had a larger representation at the Lancer Season Reboot in Windsor, ON. on Sunday.
 
McMaster runners, many of whom are also members of the cross country team, competed in various middle-distance events at the meet, including the men's and women's 1500m, 1000m, 3000m, and 4x800m relay. Rosalyn Barrett was the first Marauder to cross the finish line on Sunday, taking third place in the women's 1500m with a time of 4:44.51, followed by Sarah Nolan in fourth place running 4:46.39 and Ana Morariu in seventh in a time of 5:14.24.
 
Third-place U SPORTS cross country champions Alex Drover and Max Turek, earned third (3:51.59) and fifth-place (3:53.16) finishes, respectively, in the men's 1500m. With their times, Drover now ranks fifth in the nation in the event, with Turek ranked ninth. David Marchant also raced in the men's 1500m finishing in ninth in a time of 4:01.26, and Alex Megas in 12^th running 4:09.47.
 
Later in the afternoon, in the women's 1000m, Olivia Macaskill and Sarah Clements took fifth (2:56.96) and sixth place (3:06.31), while Henry Gage kept the competition on their toes in the men's 1000m, earning second-place with a time of 2:30.42. Connor Black (2:34.13), Noah Mulkewich (2:36.73), and Ryan Were (2:39.48) claimed sixth, ninth, and 11^th, respectively, in the same event.
 
Seven McMaster runners competed in the women's 3000m, but it was Hannah Goodjohn who had the best performance for her school, placing sixth — her time of 9:54.52 now ranks her 11^th in the country. On the men's side of the 3000m, Chris Hoftyzer (9:14.50) and Connor Lashley (9:20.66) finished sixth and seventh.
 
To end a successful day, the Marauders competed in the final two events of the meet, the women's and men's 4x800m relay, running 7:55.81 and 9:37.90, respectively. Hope Harnack made an appearance for McMaster alongside Barrett, Nolan, and Macaskill to earn fourth place in the women's event, behind Guelph, Western, and Windsor.

Beating Western, York, and Windsor, the Marauders men's relay team took home second place in the 4x800m with a time of 7:55.81. Marchant, Drover, Black, and Gage fought hard and fell less than one second to the Guelph Gryphons who crossed the finish line at 7:55.37.

Mawhinney, Goodjohn, Drover, and Turerk all put down performances that could lead them on route to represent McMaster at the U SPORTS Championships — The top 12 fastest times by the end of the conference championships automatically qualify for the national Championships in Saint John, NB., beginning on March 31^st.