There is a determination and intensity in
Madelyn Eybergen's stride that suggests she's been mastering the art of leading a race for years. Her poise, however, is deceptive. She hasn't spent a decade perfecting her craft; she's simply wired to compete, as was clear at the Canada West Cross Country Championship on October 25, where she finished second, propelling the University of Victoria women's cross-country team to a conference gold medal.
In her third year of eligibility, Eybergen arrived at UVic already decorated—the defending Ontario University Athletics (OUA) cross country champion and a U SPORTS bronze medalist, with national gold in the 3000m and silver in the 1500m on the track.
That résumé would be impressive for any veteran, but Eybergen is still brand new to the sport. She picked up competitive running only two years ago, an unexpected pivot that quickly turned her into one of the most intriguing athletes in the country.
Eybergen has been an athlete for as long as she can remember, recruited into her local track club in Kincardine, Ontario, at just nine years old. And though her path in sport has twisted through moments that challenged her identity and her health, she never let go of that spark that pushes her to find out what's possible. What sets Eybergen apart isn't years of experience; it's a belief that she hasn't yet touched her ceiling.
"I can push myself to a really uncomfortable level; I tell myself that I don't know my limits. I like to see how hard I can push myself and what I can do," said Eybergen.
That ability to suffer was on full display at the Canada West championship, where she set the pace to beat, going back and forth with the eventual winner, Lauren McNeil. Eybergen finished nearly two minutes ahead of the next-fastest time, looking relatively unfazed.
How darkness brought new light
Eybergen began her athletic career as a high jumper and hurdler, finding success early by setting a school high jump record of 1.66 metres—a score that would be competitive even at the university level. In her final year of high school, she committed to the University of Windsor, a nationally respected track program, to continue competing in high jump.
But once she arrived at Windsor, sport no longer provided the stability she'd always relied on. Mental and physical health challenges crept in, and the results that once came naturally suddenly weren't there. By the end of her second year, she wasn't hitting standard in high jump and was cut from the team. For someone whose identity had always been rooted in performance, it was a moment that could have ended her story.
Instead, it became the turning point.
She leaned into rebuilding. She connected with Dr. Andrew Perrotta, an assistant professor at Windsor, who designed a strength program that became the foundation of her comeback. She spent a year away from varsity sport, building strength and conditioning, working with a local club, and finding her competitive spark again.
When she returned for her fourth year of school, she entered the Lancer's Blue & Gold intersquad meet, the team's internal competition and, essentially, its tryout. High jump was the plan, but during the meet, athletes also chose a second [just for fun] event to score points for their squad, and on a whim, Eybergen stepped into the 1500-metre.
She finished fourth out of eleven, not only meeting team standard but surpassing the threshold to travel with the squad's top athletes, just a couple of seconds off the school's all-time top 10 record. Â
That season, she competed in both high jump and middle-distance events, balancing two identities, the jumper she had always been and the runner she was quickly becoming. But while her progress on the track was undeniable, her jumps had plateaued. Over the summer, she felt the pull between the two sports grow stronger. With pressure from her coaches and a curiosity about her potential as a runner, Eybergen made the leap, committing fully to running for the 2024–25 season.
She kept working with Dr. Perrotta, shifting her strength training to emphasize endurance. The results came fast. In what became her breakout season, Eybergen earned U SPORTS First Team All-Canadian honours, was named OUA Runner of the Year and MVP, and capped it off as the University of Windsor's Athlete of the Year before graduating with her degree in kinesiology last spring.
With three years of eligibility still remaining, Eybergen began exploring graduate programs that would allow her to keep chasing the sport she had so quickly fallen in love with. After looking at opportunities across Canada and the U.S., she chose to head west to UVic where she is now pursuing a Master of Science in Kinesiology.
"I got a good feeling about Hilary when we talked. How she structures the team, the resources available to athletes, and the fact that she's a two-time Olympian who has helped the program improve each year since she started," said Eybergen.
 "So far, it's been great, the team is welcoming, and Hilary has been awesome—she's really detail-oriented, which I appreciate. It's been frustrating to have a bit of a recurring injury, but I've been able to keep up and continue to improve with cross-training."
Despite battling an injury early on, Eybergen looks like she will be hard to stop this season. With the Canada West silver medal already secured, she and the Vikes have their sights on Sherbrooke, Quebec, for the U SPORTS Cross Country Championship on November 8, 2025, where few would be surprised to see her leading the pack once again.
After taking home the Canada West title, the Vikes are ranked number one in U SPORTSÂ as the top team to beat. While Eybergen hopes to improve on last year's U SPORTS bronze medal, the goal is to come home with a championship banner.Â
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