WINNIPEG — On Saturday afternoon, the Manitoba Bisons finished off a weekend where they took advantage of home cooking, as both men and women's track and field teams improved on last year's nationals to conclude the 2019 U SPORTS Track and Field Championships, presented by Beynon Sports.

The Bison men finished in third overall, an improvement from sixth place and 14^th the year prior, with 60.5 points — earning bronze medals at the end of the meet. The women finished ninth, an improvement from tenth last year, with 25 points.

"I did a bit of research and that's the first time our men's team has been on the podium since 1996," head coach Claude Berube said after the meet. "It was the perfect storm this year and super exciting. Our women were also top ten which is great. On a scale from one to ten, this was an 11."

University of Guelph won the men's title with 123 points and the women's title with 139 points, defending their titles from 2018.

On day three, the Bisons took home medals in two events. Third-year Miguel Morrison finished second in the men's 600-metre, posting a 1:19.64 and nearly chasing down his competition in the final stretch of the three-lap race.

"For that race, I led, which is the first time I've led a race this season. But I had to come up with a different plan," Morrison said.

"[Gold medal-winner Stephen Evans] is very experienced. He went from the brick, so I tried to catch him but he was just better on the day. I wanted the gold, I won't lie about that, but at the end of the day I'm happy. I'm really happy."

The other medal went to the Manitoba women's 4x200-metre relay team, who won bronze with a time of 1:38.89. The team consisted of Tegan Turner, Tayo Babalola, Erin White, and Brianna Tynes.

Other day three highlights included first-year Markus Rurangirwa narrowly missing the podium in the men's triple jump, capping a sensational rookie campaign with a 14.34-metre mark and a fourth-place finish. Fourth-year Oyinko Akinola finished fifth with a 14.22-metre leap.

The Bison men's 4x200-metre relay team also just missed a top-three finish, as their 1:27.59 put them in fourth. The team consisted of Sebastien Regnier, Luc Deleau, Syed Aoun, and Alec Dickson.

In all, the Bisons earned medals in six events at the 2019 U SPORTS Track and Field Championships, improving on five from 2018. There were 29 Bison athletes at this year's nationals, as the Herd came in ranked third for the men's team and ninth for the women's team. This year was the first time Bison track and field hosted a national championship since 2013.

As gold medal winners, fifth-year Alhaji Mansaray, fourth-year Simon Berube, fifth-year Matt Van Schepdael, fifth-year Connor Boyd, and second-year Jack Taylor earn U SPORTS First Team All-Canadian honours. Miguel Morrison, Oyinko Akinola, and Emily Blackner earn U SPORTS Second Team All-Canadian nods.

Bisons results on Day 3 of the U SPORTS Championships
Miguel Morrison – men's 600m – 2^nd (1:19.64)
Markus Rurangirwa – men's triple jump – 4^th (14.34m)
Oyinko Akinola – men's triple jump – 5^th (14.22m)
Madisson Lawrence – women's high jump – 9^th (1.65m)
Eniola Adepoju – women's triple jump – 13^th (10.71m)
Women's 4x200m relay – 3^rd (1:38.89)

Men's 4x200m relay – 4^th (1:27.59)
Men's 4x400m relay - DNF

Bisons results on Day 2 of the U SPORTS Championships
Alhaji Mansaray – men's high jump – 1^st (2.15m)
Oyinko Akinola – men's high jump – 2^nd (2.12m)
Emily Blackner – women's pole vault – 2^nd (3.95m)
Jean-Luc Perron – men's heptathlon – 4^th (4610 points)
Sidiki Sow – men's high jump – T-5^th (2.03m)
Simon Berube – men's 1000m – 7^th (2:27.07)
Brooke-Lynn Boyd – women's shot put – 7^th (13.49m)

Men's 4x800m relay – 1^st (7:37.29)
Women's 4x800m relay – 6^th (9:06.53)

Bisons results on Day 1 of the U SPORTS Championships
Tegan Turner – women's 60m – 4^th (7.52)
Madisson Lawrence – women's pentathlon – 8^th (3533 points)

Final team standings at U SPORTS Championships
Women
1. Guelph (139)
2. Saskatchewan (99)
3. Western (57)
4. Laval (46)
5. Toronto (43)
6. Calgary (36)
7. Sherbrooke (35)
8. York (29)
9. Manitoba (25)
10. Lethbridge (24)

Men
1. Guelph (123)
2. Toronto (72)
3. Manitoba (60.5)
4. Western (53)
5. Alberta (43)
6. York (39.5)
7. Laval (34)
8. Saskatchewan (31)
9. Windsor (29)
T10. Waterloo (23)
T10. Dalhousie (23)