UVic Sports Hall of Fame
Trish Wellmann–Fougner joins her teammates Silverado Socrates, Robyn Meagher and Ulla Hansen as individual inductees, along with the rest of 1987 cross country squad in the team category in the Sports Hall of Fame. Other cross country and track inductees are Debbie Scott and Carey Nelson.
"I know many of the athletes that have been inducted into the Hall of Fame and to be one of them now is truly an honour. I am very proud to call myself a Vike and now an inductee into the Hall of Fame. As they say, once a Vike always a Vike," said Wellmann-Fougner.
Wellmann-Fougner's list of conference medals and records is staggering. Along her five-year journey at UVic, she amassed 13 Canada West championships, set eight conference records and earned six national titles in track, relay and cross country events.
In Wellmann-Fougner's first year at UVic in 1982, she launched her pre-season that summer by winning gold in the 800-metre at the Pan American Junior Championships in Venezuela. The following varsity season, she helped her cross country team capture gold in Canada West and bronze at the CIAU championships. Later that spring she went on to set a conference and Canadian Junior record in the 1,000m in a time of 2:50.21. In the same meet, Wellmann-Fougner added another gold medal in the 1,500m and was named Outstanding Female Performer for Canada West for her efforts. She was presented at the end of the 1983 season with the UVic Rookie of the Year (The Robert T Wallace Shield).
In the summer of 1983, Wellmann-Fougner was invited to take part in an Olympic warm-up event in Los Angeles with 38 other countries where she competed in the finals for the 800m.
The following 1983-84 Vikes season, Wellmann-Fougner helped her cross country team to another Canada West crown and later in indoor season broke her own Canada West 1,000m record from the year before to claim gold and anchored her 4x800m relay team to a gold medal. At the CIAU meet, she claimed her first championship win in the 1,000m in a time of 2:47.75 and added another in the 4x800m relay. Later that summer, Wellmann-Fougner received the bronze medal in the 1,500m at the National Olympic trails in Winnipeg.
"Our varsity team was strong in so many ways and that strength helped motivate us in our competitions. We were friends and supporters for each other in our running days and have remained close to this day," said Wellmann-Fougner.
From 1984-86, Wellmann-Fougner was plagued with Achilles injuries. Despite the reoccurring injuries, she battled through and helped the 4x800m relay team win gold during the 1985 Canada West meet and set a new conference record of 8:58.55. She wasn't done there, as she added a bronze medal in the 1,000m. The following cross country season was yet another gold at Canada West and CIAU championships.
Wellmann-Fougner's final year in 1987-88 was some of her finest moments in both cross country and indoor track. It started with an outstanding performance with the cross country team at Canada West in which her seven teammates occupied the top seven places. Their dominance continued at CIAU championships in Victoria that season with another win and all members finishing in the top ten with a record 15 points. That record stands today and was a significant factor in the team's 2018 induction into the Sports Hall of Fame in 2018.
"A strong individual performer and a driving force behind one of UVic's most iconic national championship programs, Trish Wellmann-Fougner is a most deserving recipient of our program's highest honour," said Hamilton.
With her varsity cross country season behind her, Wellmann-Fougner completed her final indoor Canada West season with two more records, one in the 1,000m in 2:45.10 and the other anchoring the 4x800m relay team for another win. Her performances earned her the outstanding athlete award for the meet. Her final CIAU Championships ended with a tough silver medal in the 1,000 meters in 2:44 and a record-breaking win for the 4x800m relay, smashing the old record by more than five seconds. Wellmann-Fougner finished the 1988 outdoor season with Canada's fastest time in the 800m at the International Harry Jerome Classic in 2:01.20, missing the Olympic team to Seoul, Korea by less than half a second.
