CIS cross country championships: Guelph sweeps team titles for eighth straight year

 
LONDON, Ont. (CIS) – The University of Guelph claimed both the women’s and men’s titles at the 2013 CIS cross-country running championships, marking the eighth consecutive year the Gryphons have captured both banners. The races were held at London’s Thames Valley Golf Course for the second straight season.
 
It was the ninth consecutive banner performance for the Guelph women and the eighth straight for the men’s squad, extending their own CIS records. The Gryphons have now racked up 23 team titles in their prestigious history, also a CIS mark, 10 more than Victoria.
 
“Every team is unique and every time we come out to race it is the most exciting thing we have ever been involved in,” said Guelph head coach Dave Scott Thomas. “We go through this journey together as a team and there is no better way to finish the year.”
 
In individual competition, Queen’s Julie-Anne Staehli captured the women’s gold medal in the six-kilometre event thanks to a time of 20 minutes and 51.4 secondes, while Aaron Hendrikx (30:49.3) of Guelph took top spot in the men’s 10-kilometre race. Staehli’s victory was a first for the Gaels since a Beth Wightman triumph in 2003, while Hendrikx’s individual gold was Guelph’s fifth in the last six years.
 
In the women’s race, the Gryphons placed seven runners in the top 13, including a silver-medal performance by Carise Thompson (21:08.8), their five scorers giving them 31 points for a comfortable lead over Western (89) and Queen’s (112) in the team standings.
 
The Gaels’ Victoria Coates (21:09.1) joined teammate Staehli and Thompson on the podium, while Western’s best individual effort came from Amanda Truelove (21:26.4), who was the sixth competitor to cross the line.
 
“I didn’t know what to expect coming into the race, but the good weather helped with the result,” said Staehli, who finished second behind Coates at the OUA conference championship two weeks ago. “Victoria and I trained together all season and we have a tremendous push-pull relationship. It is a great way to finish the year.”
 
The women’s coach of the year award went to Western’s Bob Vigars, who led the Mustangs to second place finished in the last race of his coaching career, which spanned more than 40 years.
 
On the men’s side, Guelph runners claimed gold and silver, placed three runners in the top four and had six in the top 13 to finish with 22 points. Freshman Tristan Woodfine (30:51.1) chased his teammate Hendrikx down the home stretch and took second place in front of Laval’s Charles Philibert-Thiboutot (31:01.8).
 
Philibert-Thiboutot’s effort helped his Rouge et Or to third place in the team standings with 91 points, just behind Windsor (87), whose top finisher was Nick Falk (31:48.8), in ninth.
 
“Every year I am focused on trying to build on the success of the previous year,” said Hendrikx, who had finished third at the 2012 national championships and came into today’s meet as this season’s OUA champ. “We have such a strong training environment and we push each other every day to get better.”
 
Scott Thomas was named CIS men’s coach of the year for the third straight season.
 
Complete results: http://english.cis-sic.ca/championships/xc/2013/files/sched_results
 
WOMEN’S RESULTS (6 km)
 
Team standings
1. Guelph, 31 points
2. Western, 89
3. Queen’s, 112
4. Trinity Western, 129
5. Toronto, 145
6. McMaster, 189
7. McGill, 197
8. Victoria, 201
9. Windsor, 253
10. Calgary, 296
11. Waterloo, 322
12. Dalhousie, 340
13. Laurentian, 345
14. Sherbrooke, 358
15. Regina, 366
16. Manitoba, 379
17. Laval, 416
18. Concordia, 462
 
Individual honours
Athlete of the year: Julie-Anne Staehli, Queen’s
Rookie of the year: Heather Petrick, Guelph
Student-Athlete Community Service Award: Marie-Elen Côté, UQTR
Coach of the year: Bob Vigars, Western
 
First All-Canadians (top 7 finishers)
1. Julie-Anne Staehli, Queen’s, 20:51.4
2. Carise Thompson, Guelph, 21:08.8
3. Victoria Coates, Queen’s, 21:09.1
4. Heather Petrick, Guelph, 21:17.6
5. Alison Jackson, Trinity Western, 21:25.1
6. Amanda Truelove, Western, 21:26.4
7. Madeline Yungblut, Guelph, 21:28.4
 
Second All-Canadians (finishers 8-14)
8. Geneviève Lalonde, Guelph, 21:40.8
9. Colleen Hennessy, Toronto, 21:59.6
10. Katrina Allison, Guelph, 22:00.4
11. Grace Kary, Western, 22:02.9
12. Joanna Brown, Guelph, 22:12.9
13. Robyn Mildren, Guelph, 22:13.9
t-14. Danielle Thiel, Lakehead, 22:19.4
t-14. Rebekah Sass, Manitoba, 22:19.4
 
MEN’S RESULTS (10 km)
 
Team standings
1. Guelph, 22 points
2. Windsor, 87
3. Laval, 91
4. McMaster, 114
5. Queen’s, 140
6. Victoria, 141
7. Trinity Western, 214
8. Manitoba, 281
9. Regina, 282
10. Western, 288
11. St. FX, 302
12. Toronto, 321
13. Calgary, 331
14. Alberta, 334
15. Waterloo, 367
16. Laurier, 386
17. Saskatchewan, 403
18. Concordia, 522
 
Individual honours
Athlete of the year: Aaron Hendrikx, Guelph
Rookie of the year: Tristan Woodfine, Guelph
Student-Athlete Community Service Award: Kyle Irvine, Victoria
Coach of the year: Dave Scott Thomas, Guelph
 
First All-Canadians (top 7 finishers)
1. Aaron Hendrikx, Guelph, 30:49.3
2. Tristan Woodfine, Guelph, 30:51.1
3. Charles Philibert-Thiboutot, Laval, 31:01.8
4. Andrew Nixon, Guelph, 31:04.8
5. Matthew Johnson, Regina, 31:21.8
6. Ryan Cassidy, Victoria, 31:25.6
7. Ross Proudfoot, Guelph, 31:29.6
 
Second All-Canadians (finishers 8-14)
8. Yves Sikubwabo, Guelph, 31 :35.9
9. Nick Falk, Windsor, 31:48.8
10. Lionel Sanders, McMaster, 31:52.8
11. Blair Morgan, McMaster, 31:54.3
12. Paul Janikowski, Windsor, 31:55.3
13. Christian Gravel, Guelph, 32:11.8
14. Emmanuel Boisvert, Laval, 32:12.8

Source: CIS