Former Duncan Christian School Charger Connor Hengstler didn’t leave track and field behind when he graduated from the Duncan high school. He did, however, have to leave his Cowichan club team and join the Nanaimo Track and Field Club after enrolling at Vancouver Island University and moving on campus.
Though the team he’s representing has changed, the thrower’s results have remained consistently high as evidenced by his second-place finish in discus and third place finish in shot put at the B.C. Athletics Provincial Track & Field Championship Jamboree July 7-9 in Nanaimo.
The pair of results haves have helped him qualify for the upcoming Canadian Track & Field Championships July 27-30 in Langley.
While he placed second in the discus competition, he met the standard set by Team BC and as such, has been asked to compete for the provincial team in that event at nationals.
While he didn’t make Team BC’s shot put standard at the provincials, he did meet the national meet’s entry standard so he’ll compete for the Nanaimo Track and Field Club in the shot put event.
The Canadian Track & Field Championships is one of the biggest track meet of the year for Canadian athletes.
“The best Canadian athletes will perform there,” Hengstler said. “I haven’t gone to this specific event before but I do have a small amount of experience in these national level competitions.”
Last year the 18-year-old attended the Legion Nationals in Sherbrooke, Quebec as a member of the Cowichan Valley Athletic Club. Seeded ninth in discus in Canada going into the meet, he beat his previous personal best by about four metres. He placed 12th in shot put, in which he was also seeded ninth prior to Legions.
“Legions is a separate event but equivalent,” he explained. “But I do believe this is the biggest event I’ve qualified for thus far,” he said of the Canadian Track & Field Championships.
The computer science major has been hard at work training and competing since those Legion Nationals.
“I’ve almost already achieved my goal, which was to stay at the same distance as I was last year. Last year I was in a younger age group and had a lighter implement I had to throw, but this year I’m in an older age group and have a heavier implement I have to throw but I’ve actually increased my distance by just over three metres,” he explained.
Of course, winning is always on his radar, too.
“Another goal is to stay in fifth, which is my seeding going into [nationals] but I do believe a medal might be possible in my future here,” he predicted.
