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Double silver for Pomfret at nationals

Track and Field

Kendra Pomfret closed out her collegiate running career with the University of Victoria Vikes, winning a pair of silver medals at last weekend’s CIS national track and field championships in Windsor, Ont.

On Friday, March 13 Pomfret and teammates Nicole Soderberg, Shauna McInnis and Rachel Francois finished second in the 4x800m relay (8:42.30) and followed up that performance with an unexpected second place finish in the 4x400m relay on March 14 with the team of rookie Caroline Harrell, Soderberg and Francois crossing in 3:49.31.

Pomfret also competed Saturday in the women’s 1,500m and finished in sixth place, crossing in 4:29.57.

The weekend was filled with emotions for the former Elphinstone student from Roberts Creek. Knowing that it would be her final time on the track with her teammates was bittersweet for the Vikes’ team captain.

“It was a fun weekend and a great team environment,” she said. “I was focused on the 1,500m and I really wanted to do well, but things just didn’t pan out. But to win the silver in the 4x400m relay was certainly unexpected, which made the moment that much more special.”

Pomfret has had a tough go of it recently, battling a case of H1N1 flu, which hampered her training in preparation for nationals, but she pushed through and was certainly satisfied with the results and the overall success of the team.

“The 4x400 relay was very unexpected. We didn’t plan on putting in a team, but when we qualified at Canada West, I was asked to run with them at nationals,” Pomfret said. “I was pretty exhausted after running the 1,500 and I was nervous because I didn’t know what I could give the team, but when I handed off to Rachel, my best friend and training partner for the last time, I knew she would blow away the last leg, and she did. That was a special moment for sure.”

Pomfret looks back on her collegiate career with a lot of fond memories.

“It’s a bit surreal that everything is coming to an end, but I wouldn’t give up the last five years at UVic for anything,” she said. “You hear of fairy tale stories of athletes who go down to the U.S. to NCAA schools and have great careers, but then they struggle a bit, and more often than not that athlete becomes a recycled number. That has never been the case at UVic. I’m so grateful for the support of all my teammates and coaches and the whole program that has helped me develop so much as an athlete, and also as a person.

“I was a good athlete on the Coast, but I was not a stand-out recruit, so to come full circle and have the medals from nationals, the individual and team records, the CIS Athlete of the Year Award — it’s a dream come true. I can’t say thanks enough to everyone here in Victoria and all my family and friends back home on the Coast.”

Pomfret is taking some time off and completing her studies, then will shift her focus to the outdoor season in April in Arizona with the goal of making the World University Games team to compete in South Korea at the end of July.