WINNIPEG – Trinity Western University fifth-year Kenny Blackman Jr. (Surrey, B.C.) earned a bronze medal in the 60m at the U SPORTS Track & Field Championships with a time of 6.76 in the final Thursday at the James Daly Fieldhouse on the campus of the University of Manitoba. 

Competing in the final U SPORTS competition of his Spartans career, Blackman was 0.01 off his personal best and Spartans record while taking nabbing his first ever U SPORTS medal. Blackman Jr. was coming off a bronze-medal winning effort at the Canada West Championships, where he ran 6.75 in the preliminaries. The Canada West conference swept the national podium with Manitoba's Jordan Soufi (6.69) and Tyrell Davis (6.73) taking gold and silver respectively. 

In the pentathlon, Nikita Bradshaw (Pickering, Ont.) finished with 3,522 points, leaving her just 19 points shy of her own Spartans record of 3,541 points, which she set earlier this year. Bradshaw earned a personal best in both shot put (11.57m) and long jump (5.67m). 

Brandon Gremaud (Kamloops, B.C.) sits second overall in the heptathlon through the first day of the two-day event, having collected 2,825 points. Gremaud had a personal best in shot put (12.62m).

QUOTABLE
Shane Wiebe – Director and Head Coach 
"To have Kenny run as well as he did and to have both Nikita and Brandon perform as well as they did coming off injuries, it was a full day of smiles. It was a great way to start to our national championship here in Winnipeg and we're looking forward to the next two days." 

TWU SPARTANS MEDALS (1)
MEN (1)
Bronze: Kenny Blackman Jr. (60m)

UP NEXT
The Spartans will compete in Day 2 of the U SPORTS Championships Friday 

TWU RESULTS
MEN
60m 
Preliminaries 
4th – 6.83Q
Final
3rd – 6.76 

Heptathlon 
Through 4 Events 
2nd – Brandon Gremaud – 2825 points 

60m 
1st – Brandon Gremaud – 7.17 
Long Jump
8th – Brandon Gremaud – 6.42m 
Shot Put 
3rd – Brandon Gremaud – 12.62m 
High Jump
2nd – Brandon Gremaud – 1.86m 

WOMEN
Pentathlon 
4th – Nikita Bradshaw 

60m Hurdles
8th – Nikita Bradshaw – 9.12 
High Jump 
6th – Nikita Bradshaw – 1.58m 
Shot Put 
3rd – Nikita Bradshaw – 11.57m 
Long Jump
2nd – Nikita Bradshaw – 5.67m 
800m 
10th – Nikita Bradshaw – 2:42.69 

About Spartan Athletics
As official members of U SPORTS, the Spartans currently compete in 13 sports in the Canada West conference, including women's and men's soccer, volleyball, basketball, hockey, cross country and track & field, as well as women's rugby sevens. TWU also competes as an independent team in men's rugby and disc golf. Since TWU entered U SPORTS in 1999, the Spartans have won 13 U SPORTS team championships and 32 Canada West team championships.

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