Daniel Cova earns 3 gold at NCSSAA track & NCAA scholarship
May 23, 2025
By Isabella Disley
A day after taking a solid run at the record books in the senior boys’ 3,000 m, Iona University-bound Daniel Cova of the Louis-Riel Rebelles topped the 1,500 m field in 4:01.14 on May 22 at the national capital high school track and field championships at Terry Fox Athletic Facility. Photo: Isabella Disley
On a cold and wet final day of the national capital high school track and field championships on Thursday at the Terry Fox Athletic Facility, it continued to rain records for athletes from the Ottawa Lions Track and Field Club.
Daniel Cova wasn’t among the record-setters, but the Louis-Riel Rebelles distance runner made a valiant attempt at one of the most stubborn records on the books at the May 21-22 city finals meet – Sean Kaley’s 1994 mark of 8:26.15 in the senior boys’ 3,000 metres.
The Grade 12 student-athlete came within 2.5 seconds of the 2000 Olympian’s record on Wednesday to top a solid field of five athletes who ran under nine minutes. It was Cova’s latest standout performance at Terry Fox. On another rainy day last fall, he took the lead in the first kilometre of the OFSAA Cross-Country Running Championships and maintained his advantage all the way to the finish for a memorable hometown triumph.
“It definitely changed a lot for me,” Cova says of his OFSAA XC win. “It changed my life. I would have never been able to go to the States without that race. I had a lot of scholarships on the line.”
Cova has committed to Iona University – an NCAA Division I school in New York City, where he will become a Gael in the fall semester.
“When you make stuff happen like that, it’s an amazing feeling, and you can never take those moments for granted,” adds Cova, who set a new 3,000 m personal-best of 8:20.89 less than a month ago on April 27 in Thorold, ON.
The 2024 OFSAA steeplechase bronze medallist dropped the high hurdles from his repertoire this year but was still a triple-champion in other events at the city finals.
Ottawa Lions teammates Daniel Cova (right) and Saul Taler. Photo: Isabella Disley
On top of his 3,000 m win, Cova led off the Rebelles open boys’ 4×400 m relay team en route to a solid victory by nearly four seconds, and he outlasted Lions training partner Saul Taler of Glebe to take the 1,500 m in 4:01.14.
Taler is set to become a Gael next fall as well, although he’ll be staying a bit closer to home at Queen’s University.
“It’s been a grind. (Taler) works just as hard as me,” Cova highlights. “He can drop me in workouts any day of the week. At the end of the day, it’s me or him; he’s always here to beat me. I’m really grateful for him as a teammate and to run with him at the Ottawa Lions.”
A pair of Cova’s Louis-Riel/Lions teammates were among those who broke records. Zachary Jeggo already had his name down for Ottawa’s fastest senior boys’ 400 m with his 2024 city finals run, but he bested his own mark by nearly half a second with his 47.50 clocking on the soggy track Thursday.
And national under-16 champion Mallea McMullin set a new benchmark for local junior girls in the javelin competition with her meet-record throw of 39.44 m.
Louis-Riel track and field coach Maude Carrier-Laforte says that it’s an honour to coach such strong athletes, while underlining that they’ve also been leaders by setting good examples through athletics and academics.
Immaculata’s Ellie McGregor runs a 58.33 to win the junior girls’ 400 m at the high school city finals on May 22. Photo: Isabella Disley
Immaculata’s Ellie McGregor ran to the record books of the junior girls’ 800 m, shaving a fraction off of Emma Galbraith’s benchmark of 2:15.86 from 2010 with her 2:15.67 performance Wednesday.
“I’m really happy. I wasn’t sure if I was going to get it, but it was a good effort, especially with the hard weather, with the wind and everything,” reflects McGregor, who also erased a 1994 record at the east conference meet with her time of 2:13.85.
McGregor was victorious in the 400 m Thursday in 58.33 seconds and helped the Saints girls’ open 4×400 m relay team to fourth place.
“I really love my school, and there’s a lot of really good athletes there,” McGregor indicates. “A lot of them work really hard, so it’s great to be a part of the team.”
McGregor’s preparation includes getting a good night’s rest, eating a good meal, staying hydrated and warming up properly. Keeping her on track is her father/coach Stuart McGregor, a three-time Paralympian and an Athletics Ontario Hall of Famer.
“It’s really nice. He’s helped me through everything along the way,” signals McGregor, who began training when she was 10. “He’s a very good and smart coach.”
There were also three records set in para divisions at the city finals: Grayson LeBlanc (Immaculata) in the boys’ 800 m intellectual category, Mya Maadarani (Ottawa Tech) in the girls’ shotput intellectual and Jacob Gauthier (Jules-Léger) in the boys’ shotput visually impaired.
The OFSAA east regional track and field championships will be back at Terry Fox Athletic Facility next week on May 29-30.