When the CTFL standings were last updated on June 1, less than 100 points separated the leading Arctics and last placed Bears. After two of the league’s biggest meets, teams have swapped places and the gap between them is substantially bigger.

The Arctics have held their lead, the Bears have made a jump in the standings and the reigning champions, the Spitfires have hit a wall.

Here is how the table (as of June 12) is looking:

Arctics: Still on top

Maintaining their dominance at the top of the league heading into the final preliminary meet, many may believe the Arctics have achieved this spot with discipline-leading athletes, but only four of the teams athletes lead their discipline in both the men’s and women’s category. 

An underwhelming representation of discipline leaders reveals the Artics advantage lies in consistency from its athletes. For example, the women’s 100mH is led by Arctics’ Michelle Harrison with 51 points, who is followed by teammate Nike Abiodun with 40. Two spots behind the pair sits a third teammate in Hannah Blair with 21 points. 

The Arctics’ female athletes are keeping the team atop the standings, contributing an impressive 105 points since the last standing updates, the biggest jump from the three categories. Recent performances from athletes like Lauren Gale and Jaydyn Keeler have won vital points in their respective disciplines.

With multiple mid-table athletes in each division, the Arctics have managed to stay on top. If their athletes are unable to qualify in numbers for the championship, their position may be threatened. 

Bears: Zero to Hero?

Jumping from last to second-place in the space of a few weeks, the Bears have seen record-breaking performances push them into a champion-contending spot. 

A lionshare of the 240 points gained come from the Bob Vigars Classic in London, Ont. The Bears saw athletes dominate multiple disciplines with an Olympic-standard-meeting performance from 400mH star Roxroy Cato, and a strong showing from 100m athlete Usheoritse Itsekiri that further solidified his position atop his discipline. 

With many other athletes performing at the meet, and at the Twilight meet in Guelph, Ont., the Bears have emerged as real challengers just ahead of the finals. Just 36 points behind the leading Arctics, the Bears need just a few athletes to overtake Arctics competitors to reach a leading spot, an entirely possible scenario.

Spitfires: Hero to Zero?

As many teams have excelled as the season winds down, the Spitfires have seemingly hit a wall. The reigning champions sat in a comfortable second-place as of June 1, but a measly 53 point increase since then has seen them slip to the bottom of the standings.

The team was able to top the standings late in the 2023 season by running away with the field events, but their dominance was challenged this year. Although Spitfires Liv Sands and Seth Edwards top both the men’s and women’s categories in the shot put, very few points come from their teammates below. This is especially apparent in the men’s category where no points are won outside Edwards 42.

In the Long Jump, reigning division champion Joshua Foster has fallen to fifth place, with only 21 points and former runner-up Maria Okwechime sits in third place. 

Opposing teams used valuable picks in this season’s draft to even out the playing field in these events, selecting athletes such as Anthony Labbé and Leah Jones, so it is not surprising that the team no longer dominates the field. 

With five leaders of the 10 women’s disciplines, it seems the Spitfires are in dire need of participation in numbers and consistency from its athletes to stand any chance of making an unlikely comeback in the championship race.

Championship

With no more preliminary meets ahead of the championship on Jul. 6, teams must rely on their athletes’ free marks to make progress before the final showdown. Standings will be updated with the results of the final preliminary meet, Calgary’s CALTAF Classic , but a low CTFL turnout means it will have little impact on the table. As there is a designated mark for the championship meet, the standings can be dramatically changed by a dominating performance from any team.

The Arctics and Bears look most likely to become 2024 CTFL champions, but the Huskies and Spitfires will hope a late push and a strong championship showing can see them shoot up in standings.