The 2024 CTFL draft saw 119 athletes be selected by the league’s four teams in hopes of guiding them to a championship. Established stars and prolific youngsters were snatched up, with some picks panning out, while others weren’t as impactful as predicted. As NWA did ahead of last season’s draft, we’ll be looking ahead at the most exciting prospects of the upcoming draft. Each week, we’ll pull three athletes who will likely be high on team’s draft boards.

These promising athletes aren’t ranked in any particular order, as they all have the potential to impact their teams. Some look to be competitive within their discipline, while others look poised for a sweep of all three marks. 

William Batley, 200m 

Batley is a rising star in the Canadian track world. The 2007-born sprinter racked up an impressive number of accomplishments in his last outdoor season, winning the U20 National Championships, and the OFSAA Championship while breaking a 40-year high school record. Setting his personal best of 20.95 at the OFSAA meet in June, Batley would have been the only sub-21 athlete besides discipline leader Domenic Barresi. Now in his final year of high school, the Ottawa-area athlete will be sought after by all teams. He will likely bring an instant impact to the league by challenging reigning champion Barresi, and his age means he’ll be competing for years to come.

Best Fit: Bears, Spitfires

Audrey Jackson, 400m 

After Arctics athletes comfortably took the top two spots of the discipline last season, Jackson will appeal to teams looking to end the reigning league champions’ dominance in the women’s 400m. The 26-year-old athlete is an alumnus of the Université de Montréal with a personal best of 53.98. Jackson has not broken 54 seconds since her personal best in 2022, but teams will hope she can situate herself inside the massive gaps in the discipline. Last season the women’s 400m had one athlete run below 51 seconds, one below 53 seconds, and one sub-54-second athlete. Last outdoor season, Jackson recorded a season-best of 54.05, which would’ve made her the fourth-fastest athlete in the discipline. If she can return to – or improve on – that form, she’ll be worth a selection from any team.

Best Fit: Huskies, Bears

James Kerr, 400mH

Like Jackson, Kerr’s value looks to come from his ability to sit in a sizeable gap in the men’s 400mH. Roxroy Cato has dominated the discipline for years and looks to continue doing so, but Kerr seems to be an exciting challenger for the runner-up spot. The 2005-born hurdler is in his second year competing with the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds and set his personal best of 52.30 in June of 2024. That mark would have comfortably positioned Kerr in the four-second gap between Cato and second-placed Oliver Grant. Only 20 years old, teams will hope Kerr can win all the 61 points available with three second-placed marks, and possibly become the aging Cato’s successor in the discipline.

Best Fit: Spitfires, Huskies