Guay Earns Bronze Medal at Panamerican Juniors

EDMONTON, Alberta – A busy summer for Evelyne Guay ended on the medal stand Saturday at the 2015 Panamerican Junior Athletics Championships. Making her debut in a Canada jersey, the Cyclones' rising sophomore earned a bronze medal in the women's 800-meter run, finishing the race third in 2:08.52 at Foote Field in Edmonton.

The first lap was a tight first 400-meters, with Guay in seventh after a 62-second first circuit, but less than half-a-second from second place. She showed her determination across the final lap and moved her way into the medal positions. With the USA's Raevyn Rogers having claimed gold, the battle between Guay and Puerto Rico's Priscilla Morales heated up for second. It came down to the final couple of steps, but Morales got the edge at the line, but Guay was still able to claim the bronze medal.

Guay's freshman season was a campaign that had its high moments, including a trip to the NCAA Championships West Preliminaries that resulted in her recording a then-PR of 2:08.48 in the 800-meter run. However, it also had its low moments and challenges as she also had a bout with anemia, a condition in which blood does not produce enough healthy red blood cells, which hindered her ability to have a complete season.

In her first week of competition in Canada, Guay had a pair of PRs. At the Harry Jerome Classic in Vancouver, she took on the 1,500-meter run and was able to put in a time of 4:25.74. Then her big break though came two days later at the Victoria International Track Classic, where she shattered her PR in the 800-meter run with a 2:05.98, making her the seventh-fastest Cyclone in program history.

The good form continued to the Canadian Track and Field Championships in Edmonton on July 4-5. After winning her heat in prelims of the women's junior 800-meter run, Guay took that momentum to the finals, and held off the field to clinch herself a Canadian Junior National Championship.

Another Cyclone just missed out on joining Guay on the medal stand. Incoming freshman Erinn Stenman-Fahey, who finished second to Guay in the junior 800-meter run at the Canadian Championships, finished in fourth place, crossing the line 2:09.42.