Banner Season: Runners ready to put best foot forward in race for OUA glory
Burlington, Ont. – On your marks, get set, go! Looking to put their best foot forward at the season’s final conference competition, 17 teams will take to the Columbia Ice Fields at the University of Waterloo campus to compete for the 2023 Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Cross Country Championships. Hosted by the Waterloo Warriors, teams will race shoulder to shoulder along the 8km path to see who can ultimately cross the finish line first on Saturday, October 28th and take home the coveted banner season hardware.
Championship Details:
When: Saturday, October 28
Where: Columbia Ice Fields, North Campus (University of Waterloo)
Participating Schools (17): Algoma Thunderbirds, Brock Badgers, Guelph Gryphons, Lakehead Thunderwolves, Laurentian Voyageurs, McMaster Marauders, Nipissing Lakers, Ottawa Gee-Gees, Queen’s Gaels, Toronto Varsity Blues, TMU Bold, Trent Excalibur, Waterloo Warriors (host), Western Mustangs, Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks, Windsor Lancers, York Lions
Defending Champions: Guelph Gryphons (W); McMaster Marauders (M)
Student Athletes to Watch:
Abdullahi Abdullahi, York Lions | In his final year of varsity cross country, Abdullahi has achieved remarkable accomplishments thus far. He has consistently demonstrated excellence by averaging top-30 results in his OUA races and has exemplified strong leadership skills en route to guiding his team to multiple top-seven finishes this year. The Lions’ cross country male MVP in 2022 will look to add to his already lasting legacy with the program in his final OUA Championships performance.
Andre Alie-Lamarche, Ottawa Gee-Gees | Alie-Lamarche has logged a strong season in Garnet and Grey, coming off a second-place finish on a tough and hilly course at the Vert et Or Invitational. He claimed the second fastest performance in course history, six seconds behind the leader, but his accolades don’t stop there. The fifth-year Ottawa, Ont. product also finished first at the Ronald C. Hoffman Invitational and third at the Capital XC Challenge earlier in the season. Having battled admirably among some of the best the conference and country has to offer, Alie-Lamarche will look for more of the same at the 2023 OUA finale.
Rosalyn Barrett, McMaster Marauders | The individual bronze medalist at the 2022 OUA Cross Country Championships, Barrett is one of the veterans for the Hamilton squad. A third-year runner, she was key to McMaster’s bronze medal performance at last year’s finale and is continuing her triumphant efforts this year as a leader and top performer for the maroon and grey. Barrett will enter the championship race with a pair of top-10 results under her belt from the season, placing among the leaders at both the Vigars and Salter Invitational and the Bayfront Open.
Miles Brackenbury, Queen’s Gaels | The Kingston, Ont. local has been nothing short of impressive for his hometown team, showing dramatic improvement from last year. The Gaels’ captain is eyeing OUA all-star and all-Canadian status heading into this weekend’s conference championship, and will do so on the heels of previous success therein. In addition to a top-10 result at the 2022 OUA Championships and a 33rd-place finish nationally, Brackenbury was also this year’s winner of Ottawa Capital City XC and finished second at the Bayfront Open.
Hillary Clark, Waterloo Warriors | Clark is no stranger to championship races and brings veteran experience to the Warriors squad, having competed among the conference’s best in both cross country and track. Among the all-time top-10 list for the Warriors record books in the latter, Clark is looking to prove herself over the longer distance this weekend and is pushing for an all-star race on her home course.
Marco De Felice, Brock Badgers | Like many of this weekend’s competitors, it will be De Felice's first chance to race at the OUA Championships, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be one to watch. The business communication major from Thorold, Ont. has been one of the top rookies in the conference throughout the fall races, has consistently been Brock’s top performer, and recently crossed the finish line in 17th at the Bayfront Open.
Christina Esposito, Toronto Varsity Blues | Leading the women this season, the fourth-year runner has posted the top result for the Blue and White at two events this fall. Esposito finished sixth individually at the Don Mills Open, while also placing 22nd in tougher conditions in Hamilton the following week. The chemical engineering major from Calgary, Alta. will look to once again be a leading figure for not just her Blues, but among the conference as a whole.
Jacob Fitzpatrick, Windsor Lancers | After several successful results on the OCAA circuit in 2022, including a top-10 finish at the Canadian College Cross Country Championships, Fitzpatrick has made the transition from college to OUA competition this year placing. It has been a seamless process for the Windsor, Ont. local, as he has placed in the top-10 at this year’s Western Invitational and is coming off a podium finish in his last race. The OUA rookie will look to replicate his past success in his first university championship outing.
Ella Haas, Algoma Thunderbirds | Despite being a newcomer to the Algoma squad, Haas has been a strong addition to the team in her rookie campaign. The Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. local has proven to be a dedicated and hard-working student-athlete, showing that she has the chance to grow a great deal within the program. A big step in that growth process will happen on Saturday when she takes the starting line for her banner season debut.
Jack Heintz, TMU Bold | In his second season with the Bold, Heintz has been a leader for the team. He has led the TMU men at each pre-meet so far this season, and more impressively, has knocked over two minutes off of his 8km time since last year. Heintz will hope he can keep that momentum rolling into the weekend and turn a strong performance therein into a spot at the national championships as well.
Marcel Scheele, Western Mustangs | Fresh off a fourth-place finish at the McMaster Bayfront Open, Mustangs team captain Scheel is excited to lead the team at his fourth OUA Championships. A two-time OUA all-star, Scheele will be looking to step on the podium this time around and improve on his best finish at the OUA finale, which was a fourth-place result in 2021.
Ainsley Taggett, Trent Excalibur | Having made the transition from soccer to cross country, Taggett brings a unique skill set and an unmatched determination to the sport. Her background on the pitch has endowed her with exceptional agility, endurance, and a strong competitive spirit, all of which have seamlessly translated into her new athletic endeavor. While this will be her first attempt at an OUA cross country title, the Castleton, Ont. standout will surely rely on those aforementioned assets to help her find success along the 8km course.
Mary Tennant, Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks | Tennant is a junior runner for the Golden Hawks, and with a couple seasons under her belt heading into 2023, she has been performing at her best in her third year. The London, Ont. native will be hoping to keep that career-best trajectory on track when she steps up to the starting line in Waterloo this weekend and lead her Laurier team to a strong showing overall.
Keon Wallingford, Laurentian Voyageurs | After an injury kept him out of the finale last year, Wallingford is ready to wow for the Voyageurs in his return to the banner season stage. The North Bay, Ont. product hasn’t missed a step since coming back, once again pacing the men’s squad at Laurentian and finishing as the team’s top runner in each race leading into the championship outing.
Nina Whitford, Guelph Gryphons | Whitford, a biological science major from the nation’s capital, is no stranger to stepping up on the championship course, and the senior is looking to shine for the Gryphons once again. In her last banner season outing in 2022, Whitford placed second as part of the banner-winning Gryphons team, a mark which she then followed up with a top-five result at the national championships. With past success and experience on her side, Whitford will look to keep herself among the leaders this weekend once again.
Storylines to Keep an Eye On:
Brock is bringing the strongest women’s and men’s teams the program has had in some time to this weekend’s festivities. While continuing to focus on the team identity of developing athletes, they will also look to change the trend of recent championship results and make a push for the top eight this time around.
Ranked fourth nationally on both the women’s and men’s circuit, the Gryphons are eyeing team success this weekend. While the latter is looking to get back on the podium, the former is eyeing a title defence following their 2022 triumph, but will need to do so on the heels of five of their seven runners from a year ago having graduated. Despite entering with a different-looking group, the goal remains the same for the talent-laden Guelph squad.
Much like the Gryphons, the defending champs on the men’s side – the McMaster Marauders – will bring a new-look crew to defend their 2022 title. The majority of last season’s championship-winning runners have graduated from the maroon machine and, as a result, the team will roll out an entirely new set of competitors this weekend with none having raced at an OUA championship before. The Marauders women’s team, meanwhile, is very much the opposite, returning the majority of the medal winning team from 2022 and churning out numerous top results heading into the finale.
The Lakers will enter the weekend with a smaller contingent on both the women’s and men’s side, bringing five athletes in the former and six in the latter. Despite the smaller numbers, however, Nipissing will be looking to compete well against the similarly set-up squads and produce a quality team experience overall.
All the way from the nation’s capital, the Ottawa Gee-Gees are excited for another chance at a banner this fall season. Having lost some key members, including 2022 OUA second team all-star Noémie Beauregard, the women’s team has adapted well and will continue to look for a strong showing this weekend. The men’s team is looking for an improvement in their standings heading into the weekend, confident in their ability to pull through a positive result among their conference peers.
So close to victory last year, the Queen’s Gaels have seen some key additions to the squad which they hope will bolster their chances for a banner win this season. The emergence of Dalhousie transfer student Lauren Lowther has added veteran leadership for the women’s side, while the men’s group is relying on a core that has stayed mostly intact in addition to a couple potential top rookie performances to solidify the team’s depth.
Resilience is the word to use for the Trent Excalibur. In its second year of rebuilding after nearly folding, the Peterborough program has experienced a remarkable resurgence. With strong efforts to recruit new runners and retain existing talent has injected renewed energy and enthusiasm into the program, and they’ll each look to put their heart on display at this Saturday’s OUA Championships.
After finishing seventh on the women’s side a year ago, the host Warriors are looking for a jump up the leaderboard when they take to the Columbia Ice Fields this weekend, but they will need to do so without one of their captains – Claudia Heeney – who suffered a season-ending injury. Similarly, the men’s contingent, who finished ninth a year ago, are hoping a rise in the standings is in the cards for them as well.
Western is bringing plenty of top-end talent to Waterloo this weekend and the teams are starting to put it all together after strong respective showings at the Bayfront Open. Four former first team all-stars will spearhead the efforts for the No. 3 nationally ranked women’s team, while fifth-ranked men’s team will rely on Scheele and Ben Fox to give them some punch up front. Both Mustangs teams have their sights set on the podium when all is said and done on Saturday.
The Windsor Lancers are ready to push for the podium this year, as they look to improve upon their fifth and sixth-place results from 2022. The women’s side have relied on the likes of senior Nicole Larue, Samara Quanz, and first-year Lancers Janelle Bykowski to help to take a step up, while the men will turn to their impressive depth to help them overcome the graduation of two OUA all-stars and ultimately step onto the podium this year.
What They’re Saying:
“If we can put ourselves in a position to do something, when that moment comes and that opportunity arrives and we capitalize on it, we could have a great day. We want to be cautiously aggressive and put ourselves in a position to make something happen” – Kevin Moore, Head Coach, Brock Badgers
“This team is ready to show up for themselves and for each other. We’ve spent countless hours together training on hills, running short, running long, and the chance to run as a pack at the championship is a unique one that we're excited for. We know we've got a special group and we're excited to put that on display during banner season.” – Miles Brackenbury, Student-Athlete, Queen’s Gaels
“Our expectations are that everyone puts in a 100 percent effort on race day. Even with a very late start to our training this fall, both teams are very strong and I believe it will be their best race of the year.” – Carl Georgevski, Head Coach, Toronto Varsity Blues
“I've been thoroughly impressed with the team's work ethic, dedication, and consistency over the past two months. I've seen constant improvements from everyone since September and I'm hoping we see everyone's best race of the season on Saturday in Waterloo. I think the team is ready to go.” – Zack Jones, Head Coach, TMU Bold
“It’s such an exciting opportunity to be hosting OUAs this year! We know the course really well and we are ready to bring our best efforts to this championship. Our team spirit will be at an all-time high with the support of our home crowd, making this a great opportunity to see what the Warriors can accomplish." – Hillary Clark, Student-Athlete, Waterloo Warriors
“Going into OUAs, we are looking to build off our strong team performances at Bayfront. We are extremely motivated and excited about the Championship season. Individually, I am feeling confident and ready to compete at the front. As a team, the Mustangs have high goals and are looking to bring home some hardware.” – Chloe Coutts, Student-Athlete, Western Mustangs
“It's been exciting to see our first and second year Lancers step up this year and bridge the gap on our veteran athletes. It's a testament to the leadership on the team and hard-working mentality of both groups. The men's and women's teams have improved each and every race and we're looking to continue that trend through the championship races.” – Jordan Collison, Head Coach, Windsor Lancers