Sienna MacDonald’s record-breaking season in track and field lifts Calgary Dinos to new heights

From the moment she first stepped onto the track, Sienna MacDonald never imagined the sport would take her to national records, gold medals and a spot on Canada’s senior team.

The University of Calgary Dinos veteran is coming off a season for the ages, one that saw her smash two U SPORTS records, win multiple gold medals and be named Athlete of the Meet at the national championships.

“It’s been amazing,” MacDonald said. 

“The atmosphere around conference meets like Canada West and U SPORTS brings another level. You go there and everyone’s fighting to get on that podium.”

Her path to the top of Canadian university track didn’t start on the track at all. MacDonald grew up in competitive gymnastics until a back injury at 13 forced her to quit immediately on a specialist’s advice. She pivoted to every school sport she could, like basketball, volleyball, badminton, and soccer, before a club coach suggested she try track.

By Grade 11, she was competing in the heptathlon at provincials despite having tried only a few of the seven events. She won, and within two years, she had earned a place with the Dinos.

At Calgary, a major factor kept her close to home: longtime Dinos coach Les Gramantik.

“I had offers in the States and other Canadian schools,” she said. 

“Les sat me down, ran me through his plan, and I stayed. I’m glad I did.”

That decision has paid off. At this year’s U SPORTS championships, MacDonald delivered one of the most memorable performances in recent memory, breaking the women’s 60-metre hurdles record in both the preliminaries and the final while winning gold. She also set a new long jump mark that had stood since 2001.

The hurdles record, she admitted, wasn’t on her mind at first.

“I honestly didn’t realize I’d broken it because I was so focused on getting back to long jump,” she said. 

“In the final, I was more nervous than usual. I wanted to run a sub-eight and set a record that would be hard to beat and hopefully I can beat it next year.”

The long jump record was more of a “happy accident.” She knew she was capable of jumping in the high 6.20-metre range, but hadn’t done so indoors that season. When officials pulled out the certified measuring tape, she knew it was big. The mark beat the record by just a centimetre.

It was the second time she had broken a Dinos long jump record by the narrowest of margins.

“The girl who held it before messaged me and said, ‘Can you at least beat it by more than a centimetre?’” MacDonald laughed.

Her double-record day also earned her the Athlete of the Meet award.

“With so many great athletes there, to be picked out for that is something I’m beyond grateful for,” she said.

MacDonald credits her success to her multi-sport background, a commitment to sports psychology and the ability to reset quickly between events.

“You have to leave one event behind and go to the next,” she said. 

“Having the right mindset is huge. When you get down on yourself, results start to drop.”

That mindset served her well on the international stage. Earlier this year, she made her senior national team debut at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China, lining up against Olympic hurdlers.

“It was an eye-opener,” she said. 

“The atmosphere was two or three steps above anything I’d competed in. You’re seeing athletes at their best in person, it was crazy.”

She learned how to adjust when things went wrong, including competing while under the weather and adapting to time zone changes. Those lessons were valuable when she competed at the prestigious Hypo Meeting in Götzis, Austria.

“It’s one of the biggest multi-event competitions in the world,” she said. 

“I got my official invitation alongside Nicole Ostertag, Pierce LePage and Damian Warner. I’m excited. What happens, happens, I’m going to give it my all.”

Away from the track, MacDonald is pursuing a versatile arts degree that’s allowed her to explore painting, sculpture, photography and art history. She often uses art as an outlet, drawing inspiration from her athletic experiences. One recent piece was a self-portrait inspired by her trip to China.

“I’ve learned so much, not just about myself but about how I use art for emotional release,” she said. 

“It’s something that calms me down and puts me in a different space.”

Her advice to younger athletes is to embrace the ups and downs.

“When the going gets rough, just stick with it,” she said. 

“One year nothing might work, but the next you could PB by a mile. Take it year by year.”