The Universite de Laval will welcome Canada’s best 250-or-so university male and female runners to the historic Plains of Abraham Sat., Nov. 11.
The first five finishers from each school have their placings added together to determine team scores, with the lowest total winning.
From the desks of student newspapers across the country, here’s a look at what to expect from some of the top teams and individuals, organized by conference:
CANADA WEST
Calgary Dinos
2005 CIS men’s team placing: 12th
2005 CIS women’s team placing: fourth
Lifetime men’s medals: none
Lifetime women’s medals: four
Top male: Geoff Kerr
Top female: Heather Sim
The Dinos women’s team brought home gold from all three of its meets this year before nationals, winning in Saskatoon, Eastern Washington and Calgary. Lindsay Winter and Heather Sim have been neck-and-neck all year to lead the way for Calgary.
The men’s team has also been impressive, with a victory and two bronzes from the same meets. Geoff Kerr has been on fire all year, taking the individual gold at all three events. His 32:03 10 km time in Calgary was a full minute faster than the next varsity finisher.
– Jon Roe, the Gauntlet
Victoria Vikes
2005 CIS men’s team placing: third
2005 CIS women’s team placing: third
Lifetime men’s medals: eight
Lifetime women’s medals: 17
Top male: Geoff Martinson
Top female: Kate Sloan
It’s been a mediocre season for UVic’s cross-country teams. The highlight was a win for the women’s team at the Arizona State Invitational, but Canada’s second-ranked men’s team and fifth-ranked women’s squad have had mixed results the rest of the year.
Kate Sloan, who played National Collegiate Athletic Association div. 1 soccer before running into concussion trouble, has had a surprising impact in her rookie season. On the men’s side, Geoff Martinson, Daniel Mallie and Logan Burke have had consistent performances throughout the season.
– David Karp, the Martlet
ONTARIO UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
Windsor Lancers
2005 CIS men’s team placing: first
2005 CIS women’s team placing: seventh
Lifetime men’s medals: eight
Lifetime women’s medals: one
Top male: Dave Weston
Top female: Jackie Malette
In what is always the country’s strongest cross-country conference, the Windsor Lancers still managed to develop a dynasty over the last three years with their men’s national titles. However, many members of those championship teams have graduated. It’s unlikely the Lancers will be able to repeat last year’s success, but the team is expected to do well overall.
– Julie Sobowale, the Lance
Toronto Varsity Blues
2005 CIS men’s team placing: ninth
2005 CIS women’s team placing: second
Lifetime men’s medals: 16
Lifetime women’s medals: 12
Top male: Joe Campanelli
Top female: Megan Brown
If it weren’t for the Guelph Gryphons, all the talk might be about the Varsity Blues at this year’s CIS championships. Ranked third on the men’s and women’s sides, a national silver medal is still a very realistic possibility for the double OUA runners-up.
– Dan Plouffe, Canadian University Press sports bureau chief
Guelph Gryphons
2005 CIS men’s team placing: second
2005 CIS women’s team placing: first
Lifetime men’s medals: nine
Lifetime women’s medals: seven
Top male: Steve Koziarski
Top female: Laura Moulton
The Gryphons men and women’s team are ranked first in the country for a reason. Guelph distanced itself from its nearest competitors at the OUA championships by an unheard of 46 points on the men’s side and 55 on the women’s. The men placed all five scorers in the top-seven.
– Matt Katzsch, the Ontarion
Western Mustangs
2005 CIS women’s team placing: sixth
Lifetime women’s medals: 16
Top female: Lynn Mockler
The OUA bronze-medalist Western Mustangs are rebuilding themselves into one of the country’s best as Ashley Korman is guiding the women’s team as the only runner with more than two years experience.
– Dan Plouffe
Queen’s Golden Gaels
2005 CIS men’s team placing: sixth
Lifetime men’s medals: seven
Top male: Braden Novakowski
The OUA men’s bronze medalists just don’t quite have enough elite runners to place well as a team. But Braden Novakowski, a former Pan-Am juniors 1,500 m silver-medalist, has developed into the province’s best runner in his third year and will certainly challenge for the national title.
– Dan Plouffe
ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY SPORT
St. Francis-Xavier X-Men/X-Women
2005 CIS men’s team placing: tenth
2005 CIS women’s team placing: ninth
Lifetime men’s medals: none
Lifetime women’s medals: none
Top male: John Tramble
Top female: Erin MacLean
Dalhousie Tigers
2005 CIS men’s team placing: fifth
2005 CIS women’s team placing: tenth
Lifetime men’s medals: one
Lifetime women’s medals: three
Top male: Russell Christie
Top female: Janice Ashworth
The AUS women’s team championship was decided by a single point as the St. FX X-Women edged their conference rivals, the Dalhousie Tigers. St. FX drew massive support from their hometown on their own course, as Erin MacLean, Gina Stewart and AUS rookie-of-the-year Heather Mosher led the X-Women to victory.
– Jarett Burke, Xaverian Weekly
QUEBEC STUDENT SPORTS FEDERATION
McGill Martlets
2005 CIS women’s team placing: fifth
Lifetime women’s medals: two
Top female: Lauren Whyte
Just like in the famous battle hundreds of years earlier between Montcalm and Wolfe, expect the French to get killed by the English on the Plains of Abraham. The French schools in the Quebec conference, Sherbrooke and host Laval, have good teams on the men’s and women’s sides, but simply aren’t talented enough to be contenders at the national level.
Quebec’s only legitimate team podium threat comes from the McGill women, who phenomenonally outclassed their conference competitors this year, placing six runners in the top-seven at the provincial finals.
– Dan Plouffe