OUA announces 2016 Cross Country Major Awards and All-Stars
BURLINGTON, Ont. – Ontario University Athletics (OUA) is excited to announce the 2016 cross country major awards and all-stars.
BURLINGTON, Ont. – Ontario University Athletics (OUA) is excited to announce the 2016 cross country major awards and all-stars.
Queen's Gaels standout Claire Sumner (Calgary, Alta.) set the pace at the OUA Cross Country Championship in Etobicoke, Ont. last Sunday, finishing atop the podium in a time of 20:16.7
Sumner, a fourth-year psychology student-athlete, was named Women's MVP and a first-team all-star for her efforts, becoming just the third Gaels runner to be crowned individual champion since 1982.
After finishing fifth in the event a season ago, the Calgary, Alta. native turned a strong regular season into a gold medal performance, outlasting University of Toronto Varsity Blues rookie Lucia Stafford (Toronto) in a sprint for the finish line.
Coming off a win earlier in the season on the Centennial Park course, Stafford entered the OUA Championship considered by many as a gold medal contender and she didn't disappoint. Representing her hometown Blues, Stafford finished just .3 seconds back of Sumner on her way to being named Women's Rookie of the Year.
The Gryphons women's team won an unprecedented 13th consecutive championship title and once again this year, Guelph head coach Dave Scott-Thomas has been selected by his peers as the Women's Coach of the Year. This is the fifth time in the past six seasons that Scott-Thomas has been recognized with the award.
When she isn't racing with the Laurentian Voyageurs, Marissa Lobert (Sault Ste Marie, Ont.) is heavily involved in community initiatives, both locally and abroad and is this year's recipient of the Women's Community Service Award.
Last summer, Lobert, a fourth-year nursing student-athlete, volunteered with Action International, where she travelled to the Philippines to assist at the Shalom Christian Birthing Home helping women leading up to, during and after the birth of their babies. Back in her hometown of Sault Ste. Marie, Lobert coached five and seven year old girls soccer teams in the Sault Youth Soccer League and helped organize tours and team breakfasts for the Laurentian Challenge Elementary School Races. Lobert was named an Academic All-Canadian in 2015-16 and earlier this year placed 1st overall at the Laurentian Open.
On the men's side, Windsor Lancers runner Corey Bellemore (Windsor, Ont.) topped the field to claim the individual gold medal at the OUA championship. Bellemore completed the 10-kilometre race in 30:35.8 and was named Men's MVP and a first-team all-star.
Running for his hometown Lancers, Bellemore finished eight second ahead of the second place finisher, Lakehead Thunderwolves Kevin Tree (Tottenham, Ont.) , who crossed the finish line in 30:43.2. Bellemore becomes the first Windsor runner to win the individual championship since former student-athlete Cristiano Mauricio in 2005.
Making his OUA championship debut, Western Mustangs runner Muhumed Sirage turned in a 15th place performance on his way to being named Rookie of the Year.
A late surge from Sirage is a major reason why the Mustangs men's team captured gold, ending the Guelph Gryphons remarkable 11 year run of dominance and giving Western their first men's cross country banner since 1988.
With the Mustangs bringing the H.R. Little Cup back to Western University for just the seventh time since the trophy was award in 1912, head coach Guy Schultz has been honoured by his fellow coaches as the Men's Coach of the Year for the first time in his career.
In his fifth and final season, McMaster Marauders standout Gabriel Ghiglione (York, Ont.) has been recognized for his efforts off the trails with Men's Community Service Award.
Since 2013, Ghiglione has been the President of the McMaster ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) Society where he is responsible for organizing fundraising and awareness efforts, including the ALS Hamilton Walk which raised over $110,000 last year alone. The York, Ont. native has also been a member of McMaster Athletes Care (MAC) since 2012 and recently was elected as an executive member of the group. Ghiglione has also helped organize McMaster Athletic & Recreational Think Pink Breast Cancer Awareness Week and is an active member of the Canadian Centre for Ethics & Sport's 'Succeed Clean' initiative. In the spring Ghiglione was honoured with the Les Prince Award which recognizes the Marauder who best combines leadership and community service. In one of the final races of his university career, Ghiglione was named a second-team all-star after placing 14th overall at the OUA championship.
For a complete recap from the OUA Cross Country championship, click here. Individual and team results can be found here.
OUA MAJOR AWARDS
Women's MVP
Claire Sumner (Queen's)
Women's Rookie of the Year
Lucia Stafford (Toronto)
Women's Community Service Award
Marissa Lobert (Laurentian)
Women's Coach of the Year
Dave Scott-Thomas (Guelph)
Men's MVP
Corey Bellemore (Windsor)
Men's Rookie of the Year
Muhumed Sirage (Western)
Men's Community Service Award
Gabriel Ghiglione (McMaster)
Men's Coach of the Year
Guy Schultz (Western)
WOMEN'S OUA ALL-STARS
First Team
Claire Sumner (Queen's)
Lucia Stafford (Toronto)
Julie-Anne Staehli (Queen's)
Katelyn Ayers (Guelph)
Kristina Popadich (Western)
Stefanie Smith (Windsor)
Amy Stephenson (Western)
Second Team
Heather Petrick (Guelph)
Sophia Watts (Guelph)
Katherine Lampard (Western)
Madeleine Kelly (Toronto)
Cheryse Mitton (Guelph)
Katrina Allison (Guelph)
Jazz Shukla (Toronto)
MEN'S OUA ALL-STARS
First Team
Corey Bellemore (Windsor)
Kevin Tree (Lakehead)
Jack Sheffar (Western)
Jeffrey Tweedle (McMaster)
Connor Darlington (McMaster)
Ben Carson (Western)
Brayden Seneca (Guelph)
Second Team
Chris Balestrini (Western)
Benjamin Workman (Guelph)
Eric Wynands (Queen's)
Mark Patton (Guelph)
Alex Ulman (Windsor)
Andrew Nebel (Windsor)
Gabriel Ghiglione (McMaster)
