GAELS WOMEN, GRYPHONS MEN WIN OUA CROSS COUNTRY BANNERS
The Queen’s Gaels women and Guelph Gryphons men were crowned champions at the 2017 OUA Cross Country Championships on Saturday, October 28, hosted by the Windsor Lancers at Malden Park.
The Queen’s Gaels dethroned the 13-time reigning champion Guelph Gryphons, finishing with 37 points, 25 points ahead of the silver medalist Toronto Varsity Blues (62). The Gryphons earned the team bronze medal with 79 points, while the McMaster Marauders placed fourth (100) and Laurentian Voyageurs finished fifth (131).
The Gryphons men reclaimed the banner that eluded them a year ago. Guelph finished with 41 points to win their 16th OUA title in the past 19 years. The McMaster Marauders claimed the silver medal with 50 points, while the Queen’s Gaels earned the bronze medal with 85 points. The Western Mustangs (99) and Windsor Lancers (117) finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
Second-year runner Branna MacDougall finished first overall in the women’s 8km race, becoming the second consecutive Queen’s Gael to earn OUA MVP honours after Claire Sumner won the title in 2016. MacDougall crossed the finish line in 27:19.5.
Fellow sophomore Kristina Popadich of the Western Mustangs improved upon her fifth-place finish as a rookie a year ago, claiming the individual silver medal in 27:22.8. Appearing in her fourth OUA Cross Country Championships since 2000, Varsity Blues veteran Sasha Gollish earned the bronze medal. The 35-year old from Toronto crossed the finish line in 27:36.3.
Lakehead’s Rebekkah Pyle garnered Female Rookie of the Year honours, finishing 21st overall in a time of 29:33.9.
On the men’s side, fourth-year Guelph Gryphons veteran Connor Black earned the individual gold and OUA MVP honours, crossing the 10km finish line in 30:32.2.
A pair of McMaster Marauders claimed the individual silver and bronze medals. Sophomore Sergio Raez Villanueva placed second overall in 30:37.3, while first-year standout Max Turek picked up the individual bronze and OUA rookie of the year honours with a time of 30:39.5.
WOMEN'S RESULTS (6 km)
Team standings
1. Queen’s, 37 points
2. Toronto, 62
3. Guelph, 79
4. McMaster, 100
5. Laurentian, 131
6. Western, 151
7. Waterloo, 209
8. Wilfrid Laurier, 223
9. Windsor, 228
10. Lakehead, 284
11. Brock, 324
12. Nipissing, 349
T13. Trent, 394
T13. Ryerson, 394
Individual honours
MVP: Branna MacDougall, Queen’s
Rookie of the year: Rebekkah Pyle, Lakehead
Student-Athlete Community Service Award: TBD
Coach of the year: TBD
OUA first team all-stars (top 7 finishers)
1. Branna MacDougall, Queen’s, 27:19.5
2. Kristina Popadich, Western, 27:22.8
3. Sasha Gollish, Toronto, 27:36.3
4. Amy Stephenson, Queen’s, 27:43.3
5. Claire Sumner, Queen’s, 27:46.1
6. Lucia Stafford, Toronto, 27:53.7
7. Stef Smith, Windsor, 27:56.0
OUA second team all-stars (finishers 8-14)
8. Danielle Jossinet, Guelph, 28:27.9
9. Sarah Wismer, Guelph, 28:33.2
10. Molly Steer, Queen’s, 28:35.2
11. Melissa Caruso, McMaster, 28:40.7
12. Bettina Boucher, Wilfrid Laurier, 28:51.1
13. Hannah Woodhouse, Guelph, 28:51.6
14. Emily Nowak, McMaster, 28:57.1
MEN'S RESULTS (10 km)
Team standings
1. Guelph, 41 points
2. McMaster, 50
3. Queen’s, 85
4. Western, 99
5. Windsor, 117
6. Toronto, 162
7. Wilfrid Laurier, 234
8. Laurentian, 237
9. Waterloo, 241
10. Brock, 299
11. Lakehead, 311
12. Nipissing, 337
13. Ryerson, 352
14. Trent, 425
Individual honours
MVP: Connor Black, Guelph
Rookie of the year: Max Turek, McMaster
Student-Athlete Community Service Award: TBD
Coach of the year: TBD
OUA first team all-stars (top 7 finishers)
1. Connor Black, Guelph, 30:32.2
2. Sergio Raez Villanueva, McMaster, 30:37.3
3. Max Turek, McMaster, 30:39.5
4. Eric Wynands, Queen’s, 30:45.3
5. Jeffrey Tweedle, McMaster, 30:46.4
6. Josh Kellier, Guelph, 30:47.1
7. Isaiah Frielink, Western, 30:48.4
OUA second team all-stars (finishers 8-14)
8. Andrew Nebel, Windsor, 30:49.7
9. Ben Carson, Western, 30:50.3
10. Andrew Shepherd, Guelph, 30:52.3
11. Mark Patton, Guelph, 31:02.2
12. Robert Lawand, Toronto, 31:02.8
13. Mitchell Ubene, Guelph, 31:05.2
14. Mark Schmidt, Queen’s, 31:06.4
