Huskies track and field alumna signs professional contract with On Athletics Club
Avery Pearson (BSKI’26), who graduated from USask’s College of Kinesiology, is the first Canadian to join OAC’s team in Boulder, Colorado
By SHANNON BOKLASCHUK“It’s truly a dream job.”
That’s how University of Saskatchewan (USask) graduate Avery Pearson (BSKI’26) describes her new role as a professional runner, after signing a contract in October with the On Athletics Club (OAC) Global Team.
Pearson, who earned her Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology degree in exercise and sport studies at USask in June, is a Canadian 800m specialist currently living in Boulder, Colorado, USA. One of her goals is to represent Team Canada at her first Olympic Games.
“We’re thrilled to have Avery joining our OAC Boulder Team,” said team manager Andrew Wheating in a news release announcing Pearson’s signing. “As our first Canadian to join the OAC Club, Avery has an enormously high ceiling in the sport with an abundance of untapped potential. Coming from a non-traditional background in small-town Saskatchewan, she has a trajectory that speaks to her incredible drive and natural grit. We’re excited to support her next phase of development and see her progress on the track as she chases the international stage.”
Pearson grew up in Meadow Lake, Sask., where she played various sports such as volleyball and basketball. Because Meadow Lake didn’t have a formal track team or a track club, Pearson largely created her own running workouts while receiving some training support from her father and from the vice-principal at her high school.
Pearson said her “intrinsic motivation flourished” in that environment.
“It was a great activity because I can do it by myself,” she said of running. “I can do it on these dirt roads with no one on them. It’s a very simple sport to do.”
As a teen, Pearson dreamed of where running could take her one day—including having a professional career.
“This dream kind of sparked in me when I was around 16 years old, just getting into track and field and discovering not only my talent and my passion for the sport, but just what the possibilities could be for me,” said Pearson, who is now 23 years old.
After graduating from high school in Meadow Lake and enrolling in USask’s College of Kinesiology, Pearson thrived in Saskatoon as a Huskie student-athlete and as a member of the track and field team. She enjoyed getting to know the other student-athletes, and she valued the team environment that came with being a Huskie. She enjoyed other perks at USask, too.
“I hadn’t been on an indoor track before, until I went to university,” Pearson said.
“I think being a part of the kinesiology program as well was a lot of fun,” she added. “And that is definitely a very common route that a lot of my teammates went on as well. To have classes with teammates and practices is a fond memory because, you know, we’re all in that grind of a student-athlete together. So that was a lot of fun.”
Pearson shone as a middle-distance runner with the Huskies, earning U SPORTS Rookie of the Year honours and numerous U SPORTS medals and Canada West titles during her time at USask. She also represented Team Canada as a World U20 finalist in the 800m before moving to the U.S. and competing for the University of Colorado Buffaloes, where she claimed the 2026 Big 12 Indoor title in the 600-yard event.
At USask, Pearson was grateful for the coaching and support that she received from Jamie Epp (BSKI’03) and Jason Reindl (BSKI’06).
“They’re also University of Saskatchewan alumni,” Pearson said of Reindl, who was her head coach at USask, and Epp, who served as her event coach.
Pearson was proud to work with Epp and Reindl and to learn alongside her fellow Huskie student-athletes.
“We all hold ourselves to a high standard and want to keep what the heritage of the Huskies means to us,” she said. “We have all our banners hanging up in the indoor track, and you can see the legacy that other people have created. And so that was just very special to be a part of that.”
During her time with the Huskies, Pearson captured an impressive 13 individual Canada West gold medals, four Canada West team gold medals, and four U SPORTS individual gold medals, in addition to being named both the 2021-22 Huskie Athletics Female Rookie of the Year and Canada West Female Rookie of the Year. She also captured multiple silver and bronze medals at both the Canada West and U SPORTS levels.
Now, as a member of the OAC Global Team, Pearson will train with other athletes who have also inspired her, including U.S. Olympic silver medalist Yared Nuguse and Kenya’s Hellen Obiri, a two-time world champion, while three-time U.S. Olympian Dathan Ritzenhein serves as head coach.
Pearson has many goals for the future, including beating her own personal best of 2:00.76 in the 800m and going to the Olympics.
“I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to be part of On and OAC,” said Pearson in the announcement about joining the OAC Global Team. “What drew me to On is the people and the culture of always learning, growing, and striving to be better. It feels like the perfect high-performance environment to surround myself with people who challenge and support me as I chase my biggest dreams. And the gear is pretty sick, too.”
Avery Pearson’s athletic achievements as a Huskie:
- U SPORTS 4x Gold Medalist
- U SPORTS 7x Silver Medalist
- U SPORTS 2x Bronze Medalist
- U SPORTS Women’s Team Silver Medalist
- U SPORTS 2x Women’s Team Bronze Medalist
- Canada West 13x Gold Medalist
- Canada West 3x Silver Medalist
- Canada West 4x Women’s Team Gold Medalist
- Canada West Rookie of the Year (2021-22)
- U SPORTS Rookie of the Year (2021-22)
- Huskie Athletics Female Rookie of the Year (2021-22)
- Huskie Track and Field Female Rookie of the Year (2021-22)
- Huskie Track and Field Female Athlete of the Year (2023-24)
- U20 Worlds Team Member (2022)
- U20 Worlds 800m Finalist (2021)
- Team Saskatchewan, Canada Summer Games (2022)