October 26, 2006
OUA CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW
The Guelph Gryphons are the pre-eminent cross-country school in Ontario University Athletics but the storied program has undergone a bit of a reversal in 2006. Both the men’s and women’s teams enter this weekend’s OUA championships at the Fort Henry Heights course in Kingston, Ont. (Saturday, October 28) as defending champions and each has been the top-ranked squad in Canadian Interuniversity Sport throughout the whole season. While the Guelph men have earned their reputation as the foundation of the school’s cross-country program with five of the past seven OUA banners, the Gryphon women are taking the reins as they seek out a third straight championship.
“It’s a bit of a change in that our women have been good and more dominant this season,” says Guelph coach Dave Scott-Thomas.
The Gryphons women will look to talented third-year veterans Laura Moulton and Julia Beniusis and a mix of key recruits like rookie Rachel Cliff to lead them to a third straight OUA championship. Guelph has posted strong results throughout the schedule, including a second-place team finish at the Western International in late September, a third overall finish in a recent meet at the Penn State Invitational in Pennsylvania on Thanksgiving weekend and a victory at the Albany Invitational in the team’s tune up before the OUAs. Moulton, the university’s Female Athlete of the Year last season, finished third overall in Albany amongst a slew of talented NCAA Division I competition, posting a personal best time of 17:41. Cliff also established her best ever time of 17:48, placing fifth overall.
“The women have really come together,” says Scott-Thomas. “This group has gelled to become much more than the sum of the individual parts.”
The Toronto Varsity Blues, ranked fourth in the CIS, are one of the teams standing in the way of a Guelph three-peat. A deep Blues squad took the title at the Queen’s Invitational on the same Fort Henry course two weeks ago, led by second-year runner Donna Vakalis, who finished fourth overall in a time of 19:00.6. Third-year star Megan Brown, the 2006 CIS Track & Field Championships Female MVP, has also been a focal point for Toronto. Brown finished first overall in a time of 13:14 on a four-kilometre course at the Mustang Open in London earlier in the month.
“She’s the class of the field,” Scott-Thomas says of Brown.
Jackie Mallette leads the No. 7 nationally ranked Windsor Lancers into Kingston on the heels of two first-place finishes this season. The Lancers co-captain won the Notre Dame Invitational in South Bend, Indiana a month ago in a time of 17:33 just one week after capturing top spot at the Western International, which she won in a time of 18:22.
Both the Lancers’ and Blues’ men’s teams are also expected to provide the biggest challenges to a Guelph squad that has a mix of strong veterans and exciting young talent. Scott-Thomas is confident that the Gryphons are the deepest team in the country and with the OUA Championships being the first meet this season that Guelph fields their full roster; the defending champions are in a strong position to repeat. Fifth-year captain and 2005 all-Canadian Greg Hutchinson has rebounded from hip and shin problems this past year to provide stable leadership, while fourth-year athletes Brendan Hunt and Stephan Koziarski, who placed third at the Western International with a time of 33:12, join Hutchinson in mentoring a class of newcomers that were elite provincial performers at the high school level.
Andrew Coates, Deng Marial and Dave Weston are key components of the No. 3 Lancers and that trio proved themselves with second-, sixth- and ninth-place finishes at the Western International to help Windsor take the meet title over Guelph.
Toronto’s Spencer Morrison, Etienne Bredin, Joe Campanelli and Jeff McCabe all had strong showings for the No. 6 Blues in their victory at the Queen’s Invitational.
No. 5 Western will rely on the talented James Gosselin, the overall individual winner at the international Rochester Invitational event (in a time of 26:05) as the strong Mustang men look to capture their first OUA title since 1988/89.
“It’s going to be competitive on the guy’s side,” says Scott-Thomas, suggesting the importance of a team-first attitude is imperative for success on the course. “The challenge is to appreciate that it’s not just about going out for a hard run.
“We look at it as a team sport.”
OUA CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS
Saturday, October 28 at the Fort Henry Heights course in Kingston
Women’s 5km event 1:00 p.m.
Men’s 10km event 1:45 p.m.
OUA Schools Competing
Brock
Guelph
Lakehead
Laurentian
McMaster
Nipissing
Ottawa
Toronto
Trent
Waterloo
Western
Wilfrid Laurier
Windsor
York
“It’s a bit of a change in that our women have been good and more dominant this season,” says Guelph coach Dave Scott-Thomas.
The Gryphons women will look to talented third-year veterans Laura Moulton and Julia Beniusis and a mix of key recruits like rookie Rachel Cliff to lead them to a third straight OUA championship. Guelph has posted strong results throughout the schedule, including a second-place team finish at the Western International in late September, a third overall finish in a recent meet at the Penn State Invitational in Pennsylvania on Thanksgiving weekend and a victory at the Albany Invitational in the team’s tune up before the OUAs. Moulton, the university’s Female Athlete of the Year last season, finished third overall in Albany amongst a slew of talented NCAA Division I competition, posting a personal best time of 17:41. Cliff also established her best ever time of 17:48, placing fifth overall.
“The women have really come together,” says Scott-Thomas. “This group has gelled to become much more than the sum of the individual parts.”
The Toronto Varsity Blues, ranked fourth in the CIS, are one of the teams standing in the way of a Guelph three-peat. A deep Blues squad took the title at the Queen’s Invitational on the same Fort Henry course two weeks ago, led by second-year runner Donna Vakalis, who finished fourth overall in a time of 19:00.6. Third-year star Megan Brown, the 2006 CIS Track & Field Championships Female MVP, has also been a focal point for Toronto. Brown finished first overall in a time of 13:14 on a four-kilometre course at the Mustang Open in London earlier in the month.
“She’s the class of the field,” Scott-Thomas says of Brown.
Jackie Mallette leads the No. 7 nationally ranked Windsor Lancers into Kingston on the heels of two first-place finishes this season. The Lancers co-captain won the Notre Dame Invitational in South Bend, Indiana a month ago in a time of 17:33 just one week after capturing top spot at the Western International, which she won in a time of 18:22.
Both the Lancers’ and Blues’ men’s teams are also expected to provide the biggest challenges to a Guelph squad that has a mix of strong veterans and exciting young talent. Scott-Thomas is confident that the Gryphons are the deepest team in the country and with the OUA Championships being the first meet this season that Guelph fields their full roster; the defending champions are in a strong position to repeat. Fifth-year captain and 2005 all-Canadian Greg Hutchinson has rebounded from hip and shin problems this past year to provide stable leadership, while fourth-year athletes Brendan Hunt and Stephan Koziarski, who placed third at the Western International with a time of 33:12, join Hutchinson in mentoring a class of newcomers that were elite provincial performers at the high school level.
Andrew Coates, Deng Marial and Dave Weston are key components of the No. 3 Lancers and that trio proved themselves with second-, sixth- and ninth-place finishes at the Western International to help Windsor take the meet title over Guelph.
Toronto’s Spencer Morrison, Etienne Bredin, Joe Campanelli and Jeff McCabe all had strong showings for the No. 6 Blues in their victory at the Queen’s Invitational.
No. 5 Western will rely on the talented James Gosselin, the overall individual winner at the international Rochester Invitational event (in a time of 26:05) as the strong Mustang men look to capture their first OUA title since 1988/89.
“It’s going to be competitive on the guy’s side,” says Scott-Thomas, suggesting the importance of a team-first attitude is imperative for success on the course. “The challenge is to appreciate that it’s not just about going out for a hard run.
“We look at it as a team sport.”
OUA CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS
Saturday, October 28 at the Fort Henry Heights course in Kingston
Women’s 5km event 1:00 p.m.
Men’s 10km event 1:45 p.m.
OUA Schools Competing
Brock
Guelph
Lakehead
Laurentian
McMaster
Nipissing
Ottawa
Toronto
Trent
Waterloo
Western
Wilfrid Laurier
Windsor
York