GRYPHONS FIVE-PEAT AS DUAL CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPIONS
Five of the top six men come from Guelph, including two-time individual champion Allan Brett (Ottawa) who finished the 10 kilometre course in a time of 30:08. Finishing three seconds behind Brett was 2007 OUA champion Kyle Boorsma (Guelph, Ont.), earning a silver medal. Teammate and defending Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) champion Matt Brunsting (Stirling, Ont.), who won OUA silver last year took bronze in a time of 30:18.
Only Dave Weston (Windsor, Ont.) of the Windsor Lancers was able to infiltrate the lead Guelph pack, finishing in fourth spot with a time of 30:26. Rounding out the top six were Gryphons John Parrott of Newmarket, Ont. (30:38) and Nigel Wray of Oshawa, Ont. (30:44). All earn OUA first-team all-star recognition, along with Kyle O'Neill (Aylmer, Ont.) of the Western Mustangs who finished seventh with a time of 30:54.
The Gryphons earned 17 points for the OUA team title, their fifth straight and ninth since 1999. Team points are based on placement of top five runners from each school (1+2+3+5+6=17 for Guelph). Weston's Lancers placed second with 63 points, followed by the Queen's Gaels who earned 120 points.
On the women's side, the Gryphons may have claimed their sixth straight OUA championship, but it was a pair of Toronto Varsity Blues that dominated individually. Two-time CIS individual champion Megan Brown (Toronto) picked up where she left off last year, claiming her second straight OUA individual crown and her third in four years with a time of 17:07 on the five kilometre course. Teammate Erin McClure (Waterloo, Ont.) took the silver medal with a time of 17:41.
Three Gryphons completed the Top 5, including Rachel Cliff of Vancouver (17:47), Courtney Laurie of Toronto (17:52) and Genevieve Lalonde of Moncton, N.B. (17:54). Lalonde was the top rookie in the competition and named OUA women's rookie of the year. The top seven finishers earn OUA first-team all-star recognition, with Dayna Pidhoresky (Tecumseh, Ont.) of the Windsor Lancers and Jessica Pearo (Richmond Hill, Ont.) of the McMaster Marauders rounding out the list.
The Gryphons earned 30 points to claim their sixth consecutive OUA women's title, winning nine of the last 11. The McMaster Marauders placed second in the women's team standings with 67 points, with the Gaels finishing third with 105.
Pre-race favourite Lindsay Carson (Cambridge, Ont.) of the Guelph Gryphons was held out of the competition due to injury, but she is expected to return for the CIS Cross-Country Championships hosted by Queen's University on Saturday, Nov. 14.
Student-athletes who placed eighth to 14th are named OUA second-team all-stars. The male second-team all-stars (in order of finish) are Adam Kellar (French Village, N.B.) of the Lancers, Mike Del Monte (Guelph, Ont.) of the Varsity Blues, Robert Koziarski (Mississauga, Ont.) of the Gryphons, Andrew Nixon (Thunder Bay, Ont.) of the Lakehead Thunderwolves, Matt Hulse (Hartington, Ont.) of the Gaels, Andrew Aguanno (Etobicoke, Ont.) of the Lancers and Robert Jackson (Guelph, Ont.) of the Gryphons. Nixon was the top rookie with a time of 31:17 and earns OUA rookie of the year honours.
The female second-team all-stars (in order of finish) are Lindsay Furtado (Brampton, Ont.) of the Gryphons, Lynn Mockler (London, Ont.) of the Mustangs, Jess Van Hie (Alisa Craig, Ont.) of the Gryphons, Sara Giovannetti (Mississauga, Ont.) of the Marauders, Laura McIvor (Burnaby, B.C.) of the Gryphons, Jillian Wyman (Dundas, Ont.) of the Marauders and Lorelle Convery (Toronto) of the Mustangs.
2009 OUA CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS
OUA Men's Results (html)
OUA Men's Results (pdf)
OUA Women's Results (html)
OUA Women's Results (pdf)
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