Women's Preview: Some Early Season Expectations
1. Guelph: The Gryphon women won last year with an 85 point margin of victory, and they should be similarly dominant this year. DST may have shed a plaintive tear or two for the loss of his star, Lindsay Carson, but as the season approaches he should be dry eyed and proud to survey his troops. It’s an admirable line-up: many time All-Canadian Rachel Cliff has shown significant improvement on the track since finishing 8th last year; she’ll be going for the win this season. Gen Lalonde must be feeling confident after a strong summer track season that qualified her to compete at the Commonwealth Games. She’s turning down that opportunity to focus on the cross season, so expect her to be right up with Cliff in November. Courtney Laurie showed her strength in the 5000/10000 on the track this summer and should be good for another AC spot. After that, take your pick from the mob of Gryphons capable of at least a top-30 finish. With a recruiting class that features 5 of the top 11 from last year’s OFSAA XC championships, DST keeps getting the cream of the Canadian distance crop, and he’s shown himself very capable of churning that cream into the rich, delicious butter of CIS victory.
2. Mac: “La Maraude describes the tactic employed by Napoleonic armies of scavenging for supplies instead of relying on extended lines of supply.” (Wikipedia) The McMaster women have been steadily marauding their way up the CIS rankings over the past few years. Can they continue that momentum? Well, consider this: “The tactic was particularly flawed whenever an army was forced to retreat over land which it had already scavenged as in the retreat from Moscow.” (ibid) There’s no retreat for these marauders. Behind them lies nothing but starvation and desolation; the only way is forward, to slay the mighty Gryphon and feast upon its fleshy hindquarters. This year, the Mac women should improve upon last year’s third place finish to take silver. They lose the invaluable Jillian Wyman, who is skipping this season to focus on squash (is this a joke?) but they retain the leadership of Jessica Pearo (5th at 2009 CI’s, and 17th at FISU). Sarah Giovanetti and Katie Anderson have made great progress since last November, and they should be ready to provide excellent depth. Last year’s fourth, Sarah Haliburton, will look to run with Anderson again this year, though there will no doubt be some younger runners challenging for a scoring position (including blue-chip recruit, Megan Beverley)
3. Alberta: As a general rule, I don’t like triathlons and I don’t liike triathletes. Even so, I am able to acknowledge that Paula Findlay is an excellent runner. After taking a year off school to focus on triathlon training, Findlay is back at the U of A. She had some big triathlon wins this summer, and she will have a huge impact on the CIS (and on the U of A team) if she wants to run cross. We hope she runs, as she would add some real excitement at the front of the race. She’s backed up by Hayley Degaust (2:11 800, 29th last year) and Alana Soderberg (4:33 1500) for a strong top 3. If two of Szynkarczuk, Tomas, and Medinski can step it up for a strong 4-5, the Pandas will be in position to move up from last year’s 5th place.Hearthrobs on the men's team at the U of A will surely distract some of these ladies, but hopefully not so much that they lose sight of why they are on the XC team: to return the CW crown to Edmonton.
4. Victoria Women: Vic was fourth last year, and they should be returning that entire team. Two runners in the top twenty last year (both returning) should make for a strong front end. We have this team ranked fourth right now, but they could easily move into the medals if a couple of their runners have good years or if Findlay doesn’t run for Alberta. I’m sure that, as a young team finishing fourth last year, the Vikes have their sights set solidly on medalling. That ambition may spur Moran and Jean up into the AC spots, and Tschanz into the top 20, or they may crumble under the pressure as so many teams with podium dreams do.
5. Queen’s: This team is helped immensely by the return of Leslie Sexton, who missed last cross season due to injury but is now back running 120 miles a week, PB’ing over every distance from 1500m to 10 miles, and medalling at nationals. Based on those results, she should be first team AC and will be thirsting for the blood of her Gryphon rivals. The Gaels were tenth last year, with good depth but no one up front. They have been knocking on the door of placing in the top 5 for a few years now, only to fall short at CIS. Add Sexton’s low stick to the returning depth runners and this team should move up several spots. With a strong run from Larocque, the Gaels will be almost, but not quite, Golden.
6. Toronto: Toronto takes a big hit, losing last year’s 1-2 punch of Brown and McClure (1st and 4th in Kingston). But they retain the very talented Tamara Jewett as a capable front runner. Rookies Colleen Hennessey (OFSAA 1500m champion) and Shannon Kennedy (2:14 800m) are added to the roster, along with veterans Sasha Gollish and Alex DiGiacomo. Sophomore Katie Housley ran a nice 4:36 PB this summer, so she should be much better than her result from last year. The Blues don’t have the guns to compete with the very top teams, and they’re not at the level of their 2009 edition, but they’re a solid top ten team.
7. Calgary: The dinos had a strong team last year, but they underperformed to finish 6th behind Canwest rivals UVic and Alberta. This year they lose their top 2009 finisher, Riley McQueen, as well as promising rookie Katie Fenton (injured?). There's still some talent on this team, but they'll need to use it better than they did in 2009. Querengesser needs to recreate her 2008 form that saw her finish 16th, and Stenning and MacDonald need to translate their track ability to cross country. If they run to their potential, they'll be a strong top 3, and Calgary should be a top ten team. But if those top runners are finishing in the 30s and 40s the Dinos are in trouble.
8. St FX: After they took third in 2007, led by a 4th place finish by Monika Preibischova, the X-women have faltered the last couple of years. Preibischova hasn't been able to replicate that 1st team AC finish, and the 4-5 women have been 20 or 30 places back from where they need to be. But there's some talent on this team, and Bernie just needs to take a few of his mid-packers and bring them along to finish in the 30s this fall. He did it with Kelly MacDonald, who went from 84th in 2008 to 30th last year, and there's no reason a few other X-Women can't do the same, if they've spent the summer logging miles on the hard, hilly roads of Antigonish County. If these girls have done the work, and especially if MacDonald is back, this team should be looking to improve significantly on last year's eighth place finish. And why wouldn’t they have done the work? What else is there to do in Antigonish?
9. Laval: Laval was a top ten team last year by virtue of their star Catherine Cormier's 11th place finish. With Manon Letourneau in 26th, they had a solid 1-2, and both are returning this year. That should get them into the top ten, but they'll need to improve their depth to move up the list. This means either bringing in some new blood or seeing Croteau-Carignan, Picard-Arsenault, and Pichard-Jolicoeur step it up this season. A cross country team is like a ship: either you’ve got depth, or you run aground. Will Laval’s 3-4-5 be good enough to keep them afloat?
10. Sherbrooke: Like Laval, this team has strength up front but no depth. If you have an individual finishing 3rd , and yet your team finishes 14th, you're doing something wrong. For now I'm giving this team a spot in the top ten, because I think Hughes will be improved from last year to give them a really strong 1-2 punch (Belanger-Hughes). After that, how hard can it be to find 3 women to run 19 or 20 minutes for 5km? If Sherbrooke can dig up some decent grinders for their 3-4-5 runners, they'll be comfortably in the top ten on their home course this November. But if you can't put all five scorers in the top 100, you get dropped from the rankings (rule #643 in the Slanders and Speculations Code of Conduct).
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Slanders and Speculations - Volume 2, Issue 1: 2010 Season Preview; The Men
Men's Preview: The End of Summer Summary
1. Guelph - The killer bees - Brett and Boorsma - are back, but Queen B Brunsting is gone. They’ve picked up the 2007 Champ in Genest, who was ineligible last year. Nigel Wray returns as do Jackson and mini-Kozi. Transfer Andrew Nixon will be able to run and is good for a sub-31 10000. Having never been ranked outside of number 1 in our polls, this team is again the overwhelming favourite to win in 2010. And if for some reason they aren’t looking good heading into the Championships, DST can choose from any number of former NCAA / CIS stars to insert onto the team and have them run under some mysterious alias. Rumour has it that DST is going to take up quilting, so that he can find a use for the huge pile of banners that he is accumulating.
2. Windsor - Do they have the horses to go after Guelph in 2010?? How should we know? All we can tell you is that Dave “Wild Wild West”on is back, probably running 250 miles a week in preparation for his assault on the individual title – he’s our pick for the win. 3:42 guy Berkis has been imported from High Point; Walters (I don’t know which one, but it really doesn’t matter) had a great summer; and so did Keller (3:44). If the CIS changed the race distance to 1500m I’d bet my life savings on Windsor to beat Guelph. Too bad its 10km. Aguanno is a stalwart on this team, as is 2008 AC Sinclair. Both will add great depth at the 4-5 spots and provide Windsor with an outside chance at ending the Gryphon’s streak. If they manage to take the win, it will be the greatest upset since the invention of sport some 3000 years ago.
3. Calgary - This is the year for the Dinos. They were 5th last year and return all 7 this year. Cloutier ran well in XC and track last year with an 8:36 3000, Scott Nicol ran 3:50 for 1500 this summer and Pootz dropped his 3km to 8:37. While these aren’t earth-shattering statistics, I have faith in these guys simply because they aren’t from the OUA. The Dinos have the luxury of focusing entirely on the CIS meet, building strength through September and October while other teams are wasting energy hammering away at their conference rivals in a vainglorious quest for Conference championships. Calgary may be the armpit of Canada and their hockey team may be awful (thanks for accepting Toronto’s garbage and for giving away DOUBLE-DION!), but this team has the legs to medal in 2010. Dorosz stepped up last year at 60th as did Ryan Russel (52nd) and both will be relied upon to return the CW title to cow-town. One issue this group may have is they have a lot of depth and therefore heated competition for roster spots, potentially causing too much racing in practice.
4. Victoria - Gone is the last member from the golden days of middle-distance dominance by UVic, Dan Mallie, but first-team AC Pieterson is back. Apparently he was hurt this summer, so not sure where his fitness will be at this fall. His instability at the number 1 will be remedied by Rejean “Chainsaw” Chiasson, who comes to UVic with 67 minute half ability. He’s fast, but more importantly, he’s scary. I wouldn’t be ellbowing a guy named Rejean Chiasson around any corners. I heard he got those tats in prison. Dylan Haight (2nd at Nats Jr XC last year) is also in the mix, as is Cliff Childs (3:46 for 1500). That gives UVic 3-4 legitimate AC runners. Of course, as was the case the last two years, they are going to be crapping themselves as they wait for their number 5 to cross the line. Last year it took 35:05 for that fifth man to finish at CIS. If that time can’t be cut by at least 60 seconds this year, the Guelph and Windsor teams will be cooled down, showered, and three beers deep by the time the UVic guys are done running; that kind of spread will most certainly cost them a medal.
5. Alberta - One of the surprises last year, Da Bears of Alberta slotted in at number 6 in Kingston. Weikum is back for his 4th tour of duty and will lead Da Bears in 2010. He’s one of those guys who lay low during the summer, through the most of the fall, and then BAM! He’s a top 15 guy at the big dance. Don’t ask him to babysit for you, ‘cause he’s way too unreliable, but if you need an All-Canadian cross-country runner, JW is your man. “The Beef” Leboeuf is a pure mountain man and loves the grass while the number 3 Ostapowich is an 800m guy (1:48) who somehow extends that speed all the way to 10km. These front three are backed up by a slew of strong depth guys like “GI Joe” Boland, Harry-to-the-Moore, Law, Lauzon, Carver, and Lambert (we’ve heard the U of A has found him some eligibility for this fall). Here’s an idea for all those Ontario coaches looking for training camp ideas: fly your team to Alberta, have them hammer a 6 hour mountain run together through snow and rain and see how cohesive they are at the end of the day. These boys may have picked up pneumonia and a few stress fractures along the way, but they sure do get along (except for that one guy no one likes).
6. Queen’s - 7th place in 2009 and returning 5 of their top 7. Losses are severe in Walmsley and Klaus, but the return of Hulse for a fifth year will help this squad tremendously. In his first year, Hulse was a pure football player who ran track for “fun”. Now four years later he’s running 3:42 and moving his name up the list of elite milers in this country. Backing up Hulse is Patterson, who ran 3:59 indoors and was 39th last year. If he can sort out his horrific dietary problems he’ll likely morph into a stud this fall. Courchene is running on glass legs, but has lots of potential, as does Nishiyama (65th in 09) and Hatheway (56th in 09), the pride of Lunenberg, Nova Scotia. Boyd has brought in some fast young guys in Nick McGraw and Jeff archer. This team might not have the legs for a top 3 this year, but is one to watch down the road. After years of sharpening his rapier wit on the message boards, Boyd is finally taking to the CIS field, fully intending to cut the Gordian knot that is Guelph’s stranglehold on Canadian distance running.
7. McMaster - What does 2$ million get you? A full-time coach and more kegs of beer at team parties. Larry Abbott leads this squad into the 2010 season, returning from a near-miss AC run last fall (15th). Andrew York has “been training in Europe with some of the world’s best triathletes” which obviously means he’ll see large improvements in XC. Taylor Reid, another triathlete (I just puked in my mouth a little) and Cory “Rico Suave” McCurry will provide ample ammunition as well. It appears that Coach Sneyd is getting frustrated with his men’s squad’s steady improvement over the last few years. Unlike the women from MAC who have seen massive improvement since 2006, the men have slowly climbed the ranks. To remedy this and propel them to the top faster, Sneyd has brought in expensive and proven vets Braden Novakowski and Deng Marial. They likely aren’t running in 2010, but will be the franchise players in 2011. Until then, they can both be counted on to contribute maturity and wisdom to the group.
8. St. FX - What is happening in Antigonish? This group medaled the past two seasons and is likely returning a good chunk of that roster, though Gerych is done. Is Doubravsky back? If the answer is Yes, X will catapult up a few spots on our list. If not, then X will be bumped down to the lower tier of the top 10. McCarron, Addison, and Mclean return, hoping to keep X in the top 10. Leave it up to Bernie to bring in some more “recruits” and this squad may have the legs to take down Calgary for the bronze. If he’s relying entirely on homegrown talent this year, X is going to be in a battle with a number of teams from Ontario to see who can win the second-tier race from 6th to 10th.
9. UWO - On paper, this is a pretty good team. They’re led by Kyle ”Blue Steel” O’Neill, who’s pretty much a lock for All-Canadian (10th last year, and 2nd in the 3000 last winter). Ryan Huff, a 3:53 / 8:30 man, should make a capable second (31st last year). After that, you’ve got Ryan Armstrong, a one-time sub-15 5k guy, who’s done nothing recently to prove his fitness. Will Komer was a 17:35 5km runner this summer, which is a far cry from his 23rd place CIS finish in 2008. Brent Smith struggled with over-training and anemia this summer; he’s back and looking fast now, but if he falls back into the over-training cycle he’ll be one to watch for at the UWO intersquad, maybe the first km of OU’s, and that’s about it. If everyone on this team ran to their potential, they could be top 5. Realistically, they’ll barely crack the top 10. It is worth noting that Vigars looks to be preparing to hand over the reigns to former Mustang stud Guy Schultz.
10. Toronto - Lambert (to the U of A) and Del Monte (to the EU) are gone. Pettes is back after a productive summer on the circuit where he worked on his tan and lowered his personal bests. RR is relying heavily on this youngster’s ability to guide an even younger contingent of cross-country teammates. For once, Toronto isn’t full of high-priced veterans, but of younger more inexperienced recruits to lead the charge. Behind Pettes, they’ve got a great group of sophomores in Davenport, Denault, Woloshyn, and Ahmed. Cruicktank, Snicholl, and Kennedy will provide the veteran leadership on both the course and in the bars as this team prepares to do something no Toronto team has ever done: actually have a presence at the after party. As for the running, this group have all run at or under 4 minutes for 1500, 9 minutes for 3000, and 34 for 10km xc - probably enough to sneak into the top 10.
Notes: Regina lost ROY Wyatt Baiton to UBC and the NAIA and Wiebe is starting the year hurt, so they drop right out of the top 10 given they lack the depth to replace their front two from last year. The QSSF will be competitive between Laval, McGill, and Concordia, but on paper these teams don’t have the legs to crack the CIS top 10. Sherbrooke has lost just about everyone from last year’s 10th place team.
1. Guelph - The killer bees - Brett and Boorsma - are back, but Queen B Brunsting is gone. They’ve picked up the 2007 Champ in Genest, who was ineligible last year. Nigel Wray returns as do Jackson and mini-Kozi. Transfer Andrew Nixon will be able to run and is good for a sub-31 10000. Having never been ranked outside of number 1 in our polls, this team is again the overwhelming favourite to win in 2010. And if for some reason they aren’t looking good heading into the Championships, DST can choose from any number of former NCAA / CIS stars to insert onto the team and have them run under some mysterious alias. Rumour has it that DST is going to take up quilting, so that he can find a use for the huge pile of banners that he is accumulating.
2. Windsor - Do they have the horses to go after Guelph in 2010?? How should we know? All we can tell you is that Dave “Wild Wild West”on is back, probably running 250 miles a week in preparation for his assault on the individual title – he’s our pick for the win. 3:42 guy Berkis has been imported from High Point; Walters (I don’t know which one, but it really doesn’t matter) had a great summer; and so did Keller (3:44). If the CIS changed the race distance to 1500m I’d bet my life savings on Windsor to beat Guelph. Too bad its 10km. Aguanno is a stalwart on this team, as is 2008 AC Sinclair. Both will add great depth at the 4-5 spots and provide Windsor with an outside chance at ending the Gryphon’s streak. If they manage to take the win, it will be the greatest upset since the invention of sport some 3000 years ago.
3. Calgary - This is the year for the Dinos. They were 5th last year and return all 7 this year. Cloutier ran well in XC and track last year with an 8:36 3000, Scott Nicol ran 3:50 for 1500 this summer and Pootz dropped his 3km to 8:37. While these aren’t earth-shattering statistics, I have faith in these guys simply because they aren’t from the OUA. The Dinos have the luxury of focusing entirely on the CIS meet, building strength through September and October while other teams are wasting energy hammering away at their conference rivals in a vainglorious quest for Conference championships. Calgary may be the armpit of Canada and their hockey team may be awful (thanks for accepting Toronto’s garbage and for giving away DOUBLE-DION!), but this team has the legs to medal in 2010. Dorosz stepped up last year at 60th as did Ryan Russel (52nd) and both will be relied upon to return the CW title to cow-town. One issue this group may have is they have a lot of depth and therefore heated competition for roster spots, potentially causing too much racing in practice.
4. Victoria - Gone is the last member from the golden days of middle-distance dominance by UVic, Dan Mallie, but first-team AC Pieterson is back. Apparently he was hurt this summer, so not sure where his fitness will be at this fall. His instability at the number 1 will be remedied by Rejean “Chainsaw” Chiasson, who comes to UVic with 67 minute half ability. He’s fast, but more importantly, he’s scary. I wouldn’t be ellbowing a guy named Rejean Chiasson around any corners. I heard he got those tats in prison. Dylan Haight (2nd at Nats Jr XC last year) is also in the mix, as is Cliff Childs (3:46 for 1500). That gives UVic 3-4 legitimate AC runners. Of course, as was the case the last two years, they are going to be crapping themselves as they wait for their number 5 to cross the line. Last year it took 35:05 for that fifth man to finish at CIS. If that time can’t be cut by at least 60 seconds this year, the Guelph and Windsor teams will be cooled down, showered, and three beers deep by the time the UVic guys are done running; that kind of spread will most certainly cost them a medal.
5. Alberta - One of the surprises last year, Da Bears of Alberta slotted in at number 6 in Kingston. Weikum is back for his 4th tour of duty and will lead Da Bears in 2010. He’s one of those guys who lay low during the summer, through the most of the fall, and then BAM! He’s a top 15 guy at the big dance. Don’t ask him to babysit for you, ‘cause he’s way too unreliable, but if you need an All-Canadian cross-country runner, JW is your man. “The Beef” Leboeuf is a pure mountain man and loves the grass while the number 3 Ostapowich is an 800m guy (1:48) who somehow extends that speed all the way to 10km. These front three are backed up by a slew of strong depth guys like “GI Joe” Boland, Harry-to-the-Moore, Law, Lauzon, Carver, and Lambert (we’ve heard the U of A has found him some eligibility for this fall). Here’s an idea for all those Ontario coaches looking for training camp ideas: fly your team to Alberta, have them hammer a 6 hour mountain run together through snow and rain and see how cohesive they are at the end of the day. These boys may have picked up pneumonia and a few stress fractures along the way, but they sure do get along (except for that one guy no one likes).
6. Queen’s - 7th place in 2009 and returning 5 of their top 7. Losses are severe in Walmsley and Klaus, but the return of Hulse for a fifth year will help this squad tremendously. In his first year, Hulse was a pure football player who ran track for “fun”. Now four years later he’s running 3:42 and moving his name up the list of elite milers in this country. Backing up Hulse is Patterson, who ran 3:59 indoors and was 39th last year. If he can sort out his horrific dietary problems he’ll likely morph into a stud this fall. Courchene is running on glass legs, but has lots of potential, as does Nishiyama (65th in 09) and Hatheway (56th in 09), the pride of Lunenberg, Nova Scotia. Boyd has brought in some fast young guys in Nick McGraw and Jeff archer. This team might not have the legs for a top 3 this year, but is one to watch down the road. After years of sharpening his rapier wit on the message boards, Boyd is finally taking to the CIS field, fully intending to cut the Gordian knot that is Guelph’s stranglehold on Canadian distance running.
7. McMaster - What does 2$ million get you? A full-time coach and more kegs of beer at team parties. Larry Abbott leads this squad into the 2010 season, returning from a near-miss AC run last fall (15th). Andrew York has “been training in Europe with some of the world’s best triathletes” which obviously means he’ll see large improvements in XC. Taylor Reid, another triathlete (I just puked in my mouth a little) and Cory “Rico Suave” McCurry will provide ample ammunition as well. It appears that Coach Sneyd is getting frustrated with his men’s squad’s steady improvement over the last few years. Unlike the women from MAC who have seen massive improvement since 2006, the men have slowly climbed the ranks. To remedy this and propel them to the top faster, Sneyd has brought in expensive and proven vets Braden Novakowski and Deng Marial. They likely aren’t running in 2010, but will be the franchise players in 2011. Until then, they can both be counted on to contribute maturity and wisdom to the group.
8. St. FX - What is happening in Antigonish? This group medaled the past two seasons and is likely returning a good chunk of that roster, though Gerych is done. Is Doubravsky back? If the answer is Yes, X will catapult up a few spots on our list. If not, then X will be bumped down to the lower tier of the top 10. McCarron, Addison, and Mclean return, hoping to keep X in the top 10. Leave it up to Bernie to bring in some more “recruits” and this squad may have the legs to take down Calgary for the bronze. If he’s relying entirely on homegrown talent this year, X is going to be in a battle with a number of teams from Ontario to see who can win the second-tier race from 6th to 10th.
9. UWO - On paper, this is a pretty good team. They’re led by Kyle ”Blue Steel” O’Neill, who’s pretty much a lock for All-Canadian (10th last year, and 2nd in the 3000 last winter). Ryan Huff, a 3:53 / 8:30 man, should make a capable second (31st last year). After that, you’ve got Ryan Armstrong, a one-time sub-15 5k guy, who’s done nothing recently to prove his fitness. Will Komer was a 17:35 5km runner this summer, which is a far cry from his 23rd place CIS finish in 2008. Brent Smith struggled with over-training and anemia this summer; he’s back and looking fast now, but if he falls back into the over-training cycle he’ll be one to watch for at the UWO intersquad, maybe the first km of OU’s, and that’s about it. If everyone on this team ran to their potential, they could be top 5. Realistically, they’ll barely crack the top 10. It is worth noting that Vigars looks to be preparing to hand over the reigns to former Mustang stud Guy Schultz.
10. Toronto - Lambert (to the U of A) and Del Monte (to the EU) are gone. Pettes is back after a productive summer on the circuit where he worked on his tan and lowered his personal bests. RR is relying heavily on this youngster’s ability to guide an even younger contingent of cross-country teammates. For once, Toronto isn’t full of high-priced veterans, but of younger more inexperienced recruits to lead the charge. Behind Pettes, they’ve got a great group of sophomores in Davenport, Denault, Woloshyn, and Ahmed. Cruicktank, Snicholl, and Kennedy will provide the veteran leadership on both the course and in the bars as this team prepares to do something no Toronto team has ever done: actually have a presence at the after party. As for the running, this group have all run at or under 4 minutes for 1500, 9 minutes for 3000, and 34 for 10km xc - probably enough to sneak into the top 10.
Notes: Regina lost ROY Wyatt Baiton to UBC and the NAIA and Wiebe is starting the year hurt, so they drop right out of the top 10 given they lack the depth to replace their front two from last year. The QSSF will be competitive between Laval, McGill, and Concordia, but on paper these teams don’t have the legs to crack the CIS top 10. Sherbrooke has lost just about everyone from last year’s 10th place team.
Slanders and Speculations - Volume 1, Issue 9: The Final Edition; The Men
1. Guelph: Was there ever any doubt? We’ve been building this team up all season long and they delivered at OUAs. 1, 2, 3, 5, 6. Are you kidding me? I guess the whole OUA owes Dave Weston a beer for stopping the clean sweep. The top three on this squad are all title-threats in Kingston, while emerging star John Parrott and vet Nigel Wray will also be battling for first-team honours. Too bad Hinton didn’t get a shot at the OUA ROY, although I guess DST is trying to be generous by letting other schools have a shot at awards. We’ll take this opportunity to give a shout out to Nixon of Lakehead for his ROY run and his coach, Kip Sigsworth, for preparing him so well. Coming back to Guelph, we feel like we’ve said everything that can be said. They are going to win, and they are probably going to beat the field at CIS. Two questions remain to be answered: Will they sweep the individual podium? And will Hinton get a shot at CIS ROY?
2. Windsor: This team was a very comfortable second at OUAs without the services of Meyer and Sinclair. With those two back in the line-up, Windsor will have the edge on X on the 14th. Weston ran tough at OUAs, as did Aguanno. Keller ran like the savvy vet he is, picking people off in the last 5km to finish in a very solid 8th. The top three for Windsor will need to match X’s top three. The advantage for the Lancers comes from the fact that they have 5 or even 6 guys who are capable of matching up with the top 3 X-men, and that means they will have plenty of breathing room at the big dance. We’d love to see this squad give Guelph at least a bit of scare but, now more than ever, it seems virtually impossible for the Gryphs to lose.
3. X: These guys put on a clinic at the AUS meet and have three runners at the front who will be battling for AC honours. Gerych is ready to bust one, McCarron is fit, and Doubrovsky is rockin’ once more. Based on the results, we think that X took it fairly easy, had a nice little pack run at the AUS meet, and has more in the tank for CIS. This team could perhaps be the 2nd team in the field with three runners in; however, they need to shore up the back end a bit more if they are going to hang on to 2nd. Addison ran well, maybe even saving something for Kingston, but Corbitt was a ways back and puts the only damper on an otherwise flawless performance at Point Pleasant. If Corbitt can get it rolling, this team has a good shot at taking down the Lancers for 2nd. But who can predict what Corbitt will do? X doesn’t need Windsor to make any mistakes, but they need all five of their scorers to have big runs on the day. Even for the best coaches, there’s an element of luck in that proposition. Are you feeling lucky, Bernie?
4. Regina: Wiebe is FIT. All signs are telling us that Wiebe is one of the men to beat at CIS. He dominated the field at Stewart Cup, beating his teammate and potential AC Wyatt Baiton by over a minute. That’s nasty. Baiton had a great run, especially for a rookie, with his 2nd place finish. Fyfe is getting better every week and gave Regina three guys in the top 5 out west. That’s a very good start, and with Dale Wig performing like a top 30 guy this team is in a great spot through 4. The regular 5-man for the Cougars was out at Stewart Cup, but apparently Ben-jamin’ will be back and ready to go for CIS. This team needs him badly as a 37 minute guy in a scoring position will push Regina way down the list. Regina is in the medal hunt, especially if they can get a great run from their fifth man.
5. UVic: This team is almost identical to last year’s squad, with a great front 3 and question marks for their 4th and 5th scorers. Pieterson is a top 7 guy after running 31:12 at BCs. Mallie is in good shape and is an athlete who usually brings his best at the big races. The improvement of Cliff Childs over the last month is helping this team and makes them another group that is sniffing at the podium. Childs brings his best when it matters and may end up being an AC. Clouthier and Irvine had good runs at BCs, but one wonders how well these young guns will fare with the pressure of a national championship on the line. The story of the day at BCs for the Vikes was Tom Fleming, who ran 32:32 and was only 30 seconds back of Childs. He needs to reproduce that in Kingston; if he does, this team can win the bronze. However, this squad is in a precarious position where one bad run will result in a big slide down the results page.
6. Queen’s: This team put on a pack-running clinic at OUAs. Hulse took Patterson and Courchene for a ride, and Captain Walmsley carried Nishiyama and Potvin as far they could go. This team got it done on the day and now enters CIS as a potential upset team. They are relatively young and inexperienced, with only 3 of the top 7 having CIS experience. They may just be naïve enough to ignore the pressure of a home CIS meet and run out of their minds. On paper, this team has no business beating Toronto - they were just 6th in the OUA last year - but they did just that. History doesn’t lie: the last time the third place OUA team wasn’t top 6 was way back in 2004. That seems like a good goal for this group. The one thing holding them back from a medal is not having an AC type of guy. Hulse has the pedigree for that type of performance, but 12th at OUAs doesn’t get you top 14 at CIS. If he can step it up like he has in the past (see 2008 CIS track) and if Patterson can follow suit, this team can start to dream about a trip to the stage.
7. Sherbrooke: Baghdad Rachem dominated at QSSF, although we wouldn’t bet on him for the individual title at CIS due to his racing schedule this fall. A half-marathon the weekend before the QSSF meet means he’ll probably be gassed come the 4th loop at the Fort. As Deng Mariel explained, when asked how he had made such improvements as an XC runner, “I stopped running half marathons during the season.” Sage advice. Rachem’s a great runner, but a man’s got to know his limitations. JPC has been getting better and better and knows what it takes to be top 10, as he’s done it before (though there have been some ups and downs in this guy’s running over the last few years). Buzingo is back and in his usual form, and his addition helps this squad’s chances. This group has the top end necessary to be on the podium and, like X and Regina, is relying on its later scorers to step up and get it done. Gahumgu and Day rounded out the top 5 at QSSF, and if they can improve their performance level, this team will be in the top 5. However, an off day will result in this team adding enough points on that they will be eaten up by the group of teams right behind them.
8. Toronto: Del Monte ran well at OUAs, getting after it with the lead pack, a strategy that will probably benefit him on the Fort Henry course where letting a gap go early can ruin one’s race. It’s a course where getting out where you want to finish is absolutely necessary. When the winds start howling and the course gets chewed up, the even-pace strategy almost never works. Douglas ran well, although being a fifth year guy he’ll probably run even better at CIS when the heat is on. Pavelic and Nicholl ran admirably in the absence of usual 3-4 men, Lambert and Pettes. This team is still a question mark, as it has been all season. Pettes and Lambert have the ability to be much higher than they were at OUAs, and so does Murray-Lawson. However, unless 2 of these 3 can step up, the Varsity Blues will be light years away from a medal, and battling just to stay in the top 10. Consider this your wake-up call, Blues.
9. Calgary: Cloutier has given Calgary a boost in the last few weeks, proving to be a strong front-man with AC potential. Pootz and Nicol are back in business after great runs at Stewart Cup and now complete a strong top 3 for the Dinos. The problem with this team is that they had a minute gap back to Russell and Dorosz in the 4 and 5 spots. That’s okay if the third man is a top 10 guy, but Nichol doesn’t appear to be at that level. He’s more like a 30th place guy, which means Calgary is probably going to be scoring two guys in the 50s. That pushes them out of the medal picture and into the mid-level top 10 picture. As we’ve said before, this team has shown in the past that they run well at the show, and if they can do that again this year, they will be looking at as high as a 6th place finish. After UVic, there is a cluster of teams that are going to be very close on Saturday.
10. Alberta: Finally, we see where this team stands. They had a good run at Stewart Cup, although probably not what they were hoping. The West is strong this year, and this team comes into CIS as the number 4 ranked CanWest team. Weikum, Ostapowich, and Leboeuf need to pack run and get into the top 20 if this squad wants to be top 5. Carver stepped up at Stewart cup and gave Da Bears another guy capable of a good placing, but the fifth man was way too far back. Some of their usual suspects ran uncharacteristically slow at Stewart Cup, so if everything is okay health-wise, this team has the potential to pull a few upsets. The 6-11 teams are incredibly tight; a team like UWO, who we have 11th right now, can actually move up to 6th or 7th if they get some great runs. Conversely, if a group like Alberta has an off day, they can very easily drop right out of the top ten.
Teams left off with a chance to upset:
Mac: On the surface, their OUA performance looked bad; however, Yorke had a bad day. With him up to his usual form, this team actually could’ve been 3rd in the conference. A big day from a couple of athletes and Mac could move well into the top 10.
UWO: Not a great day at OUAs, although O’Neil appears due for another AC run. This squad was just off of Toronto and Queen’s, although their performances are trending down. If this squad can do the unthinkable and actually run better at CIS than the Western International, they too, can move into the top 10. Guelph should watch out for brash, young Brent Smith during the opening kilometer.
Concordia: This squad has been getting better each year and is led by CIS ROY hopeful Colle. He was a DNS at QSSF, but his early season form indicates he’s got the ability to be an AC. Noel-Hodge looks like a top 25 guy and could help lead this squad to a top 10.
Individuals:
Tier 1: Christie, Pieterson, Wiebe, Baghdad, Brunsting, Boorsma, Brett
Tier 2: Weston, Gerych, Doubravsky, Parrott, Wray, Poulin-Cadavius
Tier 3: McCarron, Mallie, O’Neil, Baiton, Cloutier, Childs, Marin, Snider, Del Monte, Keller, Colle
Individual Champion: This is a very hard pick, especially with so many Guelph guys up at the top which gives them an advantage, but we are calling a three-way battle between Wiebe, Brunsting, and Boorsma. Boorsma is probably the most talented of the bunch, so we give him a nod for the win.
Darkhorse: Gerych
ROY: Colle, Baiton, and Nixon are the top candidates. Baiton will take it. Without having ever seen him run, we’re guessing that he’s a mudder, something that will likely come in handy at the Fort.
2. Windsor: This team was a very comfortable second at OUAs without the services of Meyer and Sinclair. With those two back in the line-up, Windsor will have the edge on X on the 14th. Weston ran tough at OUAs, as did Aguanno. Keller ran like the savvy vet he is, picking people off in the last 5km to finish in a very solid 8th. The top three for Windsor will need to match X’s top three. The advantage for the Lancers comes from the fact that they have 5 or even 6 guys who are capable of matching up with the top 3 X-men, and that means they will have plenty of breathing room at the big dance. We’d love to see this squad give Guelph at least a bit of scare but, now more than ever, it seems virtually impossible for the Gryphs to lose.
3. X: These guys put on a clinic at the AUS meet and have three runners at the front who will be battling for AC honours. Gerych is ready to bust one, McCarron is fit, and Doubrovsky is rockin’ once more. Based on the results, we think that X took it fairly easy, had a nice little pack run at the AUS meet, and has more in the tank for CIS. This team could perhaps be the 2nd team in the field with three runners in; however, they need to shore up the back end a bit more if they are going to hang on to 2nd. Addison ran well, maybe even saving something for Kingston, but Corbitt was a ways back and puts the only damper on an otherwise flawless performance at Point Pleasant. If Corbitt can get it rolling, this team has a good shot at taking down the Lancers for 2nd. But who can predict what Corbitt will do? X doesn’t need Windsor to make any mistakes, but they need all five of their scorers to have big runs on the day. Even for the best coaches, there’s an element of luck in that proposition. Are you feeling lucky, Bernie?
4. Regina: Wiebe is FIT. All signs are telling us that Wiebe is one of the men to beat at CIS. He dominated the field at Stewart Cup, beating his teammate and potential AC Wyatt Baiton by over a minute. That’s nasty. Baiton had a great run, especially for a rookie, with his 2nd place finish. Fyfe is getting better every week and gave Regina three guys in the top 5 out west. That’s a very good start, and with Dale Wig performing like a top 30 guy this team is in a great spot through 4. The regular 5-man for the Cougars was out at Stewart Cup, but apparently Ben-jamin’ will be back and ready to go for CIS. This team needs him badly as a 37 minute guy in a scoring position will push Regina way down the list. Regina is in the medal hunt, especially if they can get a great run from their fifth man.
5. UVic: This team is almost identical to last year’s squad, with a great front 3 and question marks for their 4th and 5th scorers. Pieterson is a top 7 guy after running 31:12 at BCs. Mallie is in good shape and is an athlete who usually brings his best at the big races. The improvement of Cliff Childs over the last month is helping this team and makes them another group that is sniffing at the podium. Childs brings his best when it matters and may end up being an AC. Clouthier and Irvine had good runs at BCs, but one wonders how well these young guns will fare with the pressure of a national championship on the line. The story of the day at BCs for the Vikes was Tom Fleming, who ran 32:32 and was only 30 seconds back of Childs. He needs to reproduce that in Kingston; if he does, this team can win the bronze. However, this squad is in a precarious position where one bad run will result in a big slide down the results page.
6. Queen’s: This team put on a pack-running clinic at OUAs. Hulse took Patterson and Courchene for a ride, and Captain Walmsley carried Nishiyama and Potvin as far they could go. This team got it done on the day and now enters CIS as a potential upset team. They are relatively young and inexperienced, with only 3 of the top 7 having CIS experience. They may just be naïve enough to ignore the pressure of a home CIS meet and run out of their minds. On paper, this team has no business beating Toronto - they were just 6th in the OUA last year - but they did just that. History doesn’t lie: the last time the third place OUA team wasn’t top 6 was way back in 2004. That seems like a good goal for this group. The one thing holding them back from a medal is not having an AC type of guy. Hulse has the pedigree for that type of performance, but 12th at OUAs doesn’t get you top 14 at CIS. If he can step it up like he has in the past (see 2008 CIS track) and if Patterson can follow suit, this team can start to dream about a trip to the stage.
7. Sherbrooke: Baghdad Rachem dominated at QSSF, although we wouldn’t bet on him for the individual title at CIS due to his racing schedule this fall. A half-marathon the weekend before the QSSF meet means he’ll probably be gassed come the 4th loop at the Fort. As Deng Mariel explained, when asked how he had made such improvements as an XC runner, “I stopped running half marathons during the season.” Sage advice. Rachem’s a great runner, but a man’s got to know his limitations. JPC has been getting better and better and knows what it takes to be top 10, as he’s done it before (though there have been some ups and downs in this guy’s running over the last few years). Buzingo is back and in his usual form, and his addition helps this squad’s chances. This group has the top end necessary to be on the podium and, like X and Regina, is relying on its later scorers to step up and get it done. Gahumgu and Day rounded out the top 5 at QSSF, and if they can improve their performance level, this team will be in the top 5. However, an off day will result in this team adding enough points on that they will be eaten up by the group of teams right behind them.
8. Toronto: Del Monte ran well at OUAs, getting after it with the lead pack, a strategy that will probably benefit him on the Fort Henry course where letting a gap go early can ruin one’s race. It’s a course where getting out where you want to finish is absolutely necessary. When the winds start howling and the course gets chewed up, the even-pace strategy almost never works. Douglas ran well, although being a fifth year guy he’ll probably run even better at CIS when the heat is on. Pavelic and Nicholl ran admirably in the absence of usual 3-4 men, Lambert and Pettes. This team is still a question mark, as it has been all season. Pettes and Lambert have the ability to be much higher than they were at OUAs, and so does Murray-Lawson. However, unless 2 of these 3 can step up, the Varsity Blues will be light years away from a medal, and battling just to stay in the top 10. Consider this your wake-up call, Blues.
9. Calgary: Cloutier has given Calgary a boost in the last few weeks, proving to be a strong front-man with AC potential. Pootz and Nicol are back in business after great runs at Stewart Cup and now complete a strong top 3 for the Dinos. The problem with this team is that they had a minute gap back to Russell and Dorosz in the 4 and 5 spots. That’s okay if the third man is a top 10 guy, but Nichol doesn’t appear to be at that level. He’s more like a 30th place guy, which means Calgary is probably going to be scoring two guys in the 50s. That pushes them out of the medal picture and into the mid-level top 10 picture. As we’ve said before, this team has shown in the past that they run well at the show, and if they can do that again this year, they will be looking at as high as a 6th place finish. After UVic, there is a cluster of teams that are going to be very close on Saturday.
10. Alberta: Finally, we see where this team stands. They had a good run at Stewart Cup, although probably not what they were hoping. The West is strong this year, and this team comes into CIS as the number 4 ranked CanWest team. Weikum, Ostapowich, and Leboeuf need to pack run and get into the top 20 if this squad wants to be top 5. Carver stepped up at Stewart cup and gave Da Bears another guy capable of a good placing, but the fifth man was way too far back. Some of their usual suspects ran uncharacteristically slow at Stewart Cup, so if everything is okay health-wise, this team has the potential to pull a few upsets. The 6-11 teams are incredibly tight; a team like UWO, who we have 11th right now, can actually move up to 6th or 7th if they get some great runs. Conversely, if a group like Alberta has an off day, they can very easily drop right out of the top ten.
Teams left off with a chance to upset:
Mac: On the surface, their OUA performance looked bad; however, Yorke had a bad day. With him up to his usual form, this team actually could’ve been 3rd in the conference. A big day from a couple of athletes and Mac could move well into the top 10.
UWO: Not a great day at OUAs, although O’Neil appears due for another AC run. This squad was just off of Toronto and Queen’s, although their performances are trending down. If this squad can do the unthinkable and actually run better at CIS than the Western International, they too, can move into the top 10. Guelph should watch out for brash, young Brent Smith during the opening kilometer.
Concordia: This squad has been getting better each year and is led by CIS ROY hopeful Colle. He was a DNS at QSSF, but his early season form indicates he’s got the ability to be an AC. Noel-Hodge looks like a top 25 guy and could help lead this squad to a top 10.
Individuals:
Tier 1: Christie, Pieterson, Wiebe, Baghdad, Brunsting, Boorsma, Brett
Tier 2: Weston, Gerych, Doubravsky, Parrott, Wray, Poulin-Cadavius
Tier 3: McCarron, Mallie, O’Neil, Baiton, Cloutier, Childs, Marin, Snider, Del Monte, Keller, Colle
Individual Champion: This is a very hard pick, especially with so many Guelph guys up at the top which gives them an advantage, but we are calling a three-way battle between Wiebe, Brunsting, and Boorsma. Boorsma is probably the most talented of the bunch, so we give him a nod for the win.
Darkhorse: Gerych
ROY: Colle, Baiton, and Nixon are the top candidates. Baiton will take it. Without having ever seen him run, we’re guessing that he’s a mudder, something that will likely come in handy at the Fort.
Slanders and Speculations - Volume 1, Issue 8: Final Edition; The Women
Slanders and Speculations - The Prophet’s Precognitions:
Well, here it is folks, the granddaddy of them all. Saturday, November 14th is in sight and teams across the country are getting psyched up and spiked up for what is the most exciting race of the year: the CIS Cross-Country Champs. We don’t want to build this race up anymore than it needs to be, but it has to be mentioned that both fields this year are very, very deep. Clearly, there is a strong team favourite on each side, but there are 12 or 13 high level men’s and women’s teams behind tham. On the women’s side, there is lots of depth with 10 teams who have top 5 ability. On the men’s side the picture is clear through 2, and then all hell breaks loose with at least 4 others who are battling for the last medal, and 5 more who could squeak into the top 6 if things go well. It’s going to be a fantastic day at Fort Henry, and with Lakins in charge there is no doubt the 2009 championships will be a classy affair. The course at Fort Henry has been fast and beautiful a few times in November, but a betting man would be safe to assume it’s going to be ugly in K-town. Boys and girls, eat your Wheaties; it’s time for OT.
Women:
1. Guelph: As if to prove that they could win OU’s with one hand tied behind their back, the Gryphons dominated last weekend without their star runner. We’re still hoping to see a Carson-Brown show down at CI’s, but we saw this weekend that the team title should be secured whether or not she runs. The Gryphons could have won this weekend, even if they’d scored their 3 through 7 runners. This was their 6th OUA team title in a row, and this Saturday they will be looking for their 5th consecutive CIS title. Obviously the loss of Carson hurts this squad, and if she’s out of CIS then there is a slim chance another team can get close. However, Mac is the best bet right now and they were a ways off at OUAs. 5 girls in the top 10 in the OUA with the fifth runner beating 2008 AC’s means this team is a shoe in for the title.
2. McMaster: Pearo had a strong run this weekend, claiming a rare spot amongst Guelph’s top five. The rest of the Mac women were not far behind, all finishing in the top 20. Their fifth scorer ran 18:46, and another effort like that will mean this team has 5 runners in the top 30, characteristic of most silver medal winning teams at CIS. With Toronto failing to show up, Mac had this OUA silver handed to them; look for a more hotly contested battle at CIs, with teams from East and West fighting for podium spots. This squad hasn’t shown any weaknesses yet, and it appears their OUA race was their best team effort of the season. If they can continue that trend, they will more than likely be rewarded with some silver, although it’s tight enough between teams 2-7 that an off day from the Marauders will knock them off the podium.
3. Toronto: Great runs by Brown and McClure took the top two spots at OUAs this weekend. Brown was dominant, well clear of the field, and it was a very strong run by McClure to hold off the pack of Gryphons. But, after these two there was a substantial gap. Granted, U of T should have a better team than this for CIs. Once Gollish returns, and if Jewett returns, they will be much stronger than the team we saw this past weekend. But we’ve been saying this all year: if Toronto can’t get someone to step up and give them a strong fifth, they won’t be able to compete with the Gryphons. This ranking assumes Jewett runs; if she doesn’t, a betting man can slot this team in at 6th or 7th. Last year’s 5th place finisher and ROY will be relied upon to get RR’s Blues onto the podium for the second straight year.
4. Calgary : Although they didn’t win Stewart Cup, we think that the Dinos have more upside than the Pandas and Bisons. They sat Fenton, their top runner, so that’s an obvious gain once she’s back in action. Also, they put four runners in front of Albert’s third. Bring Fenton back into the mix, and that’s five runners in front of Alberta’s third. Conclusion: enjoy your Stewart Cup victory, Alberta; you won’t be CanWest champions two weeks from now. From a national perspective, this team wasn’t impressive last weekend, as their 2-5 runners were more than a minute behind the leaders at Stewart Cup. That is enough to move them a notch below the Toronto and McMaster level. Unless they have that 2-5 group step-up there won’t be 7 cowgirl hats on the CIS awards stage on Saturday. Add Fenton in, and the Dinos’ results at conference look very similar to the X-Women’s; both teams are in a great position, but need to make some gains to take the bronze. Mac appears to be a step ahead of the Dinos, but they should be battling with X, Laval, and maybe Toronto for the final podium spot.
5. X: It’s very hard to know what happened at AUS. The X-women were pretty far back of Ryer of St. Mary’s, although they might not have been going 100%. If Chisholm is smart, which we think he is, he may have told his squad to run just hard enough to win the AUS title. They also sat a few athletes from their usual top 5, but this squad only has one girl capable of a low-stick finish, similar to Calgary. To be a medal team, a squad usually needs to get at least 2 athletes in the top 15, something that X seems to be lacking. If they can get a big run from their 2 or 3 athletes, this squad stands a chance at moving up. X’s 2-6 runners are all very close, which gives them a great opportunity to work together (as they have been all season). But that’s no use if their pack isn’t fast enough. At CI’s, one or two of these ladies will have to strike out from the pack and make a bid for a finish in the teens. A strong 6th gives them some room for error, so the X-Women needn’t be afraid to go after it. This team is close to the podium; a few calculated risks could get them there.
6. Laval: A very good front three gives this team a great shot at sneaking onto the podium this weekend. Cormier showed fantastic shape by running away with the QSSF title, and her teammates Fortin and Letourneau backed her up very well with what appears to be top 25 fitness. That’s a great front 3; however, the 4-5 are another minute in arrears and are going to need to get better. That minute over a 5km will be full of OUA and CanWest athletes, who will cause Laval’s score to rise to heights not deemed eligible for the podium. In the women’s race, the 30s, 40s, and 50s are packed in very tight, and Laval’s team fate is going to be determined by how far into this pack their later scorers can get. A team podium will be theirs if Pichard-Jolicoeur and Dumont can have a breakthrough performance and get down to 19 flat or so.
7. Queen’s: Bolton and Dunbar appear to be teaching the same lessons to the women that they are to the men, as this group had a fantastic pack-run at OUAs that was rewarded with a third place finish. Roney ran 18:35 as their first runner, and their sixth came in at 19:01. That’s some pretty awesome depth and should assure this team of a finish well inside the top 10. The beauty of this squad is that if they can get that pack going just 10 seconds faster they will take nearly 40 points off their team score. That kind of decrease in points would be enough for a type 5 finish on the home course. Similarly, one athlete making a big step and getting into the AC mix will also so help this squad’s chances. On the flip side, the reason this team isn’t battling with the 4 teams directly ahead of them is because they lack the low-stick. They’re strong enough to pick off some of the teams above them, if those teams make mistakes. But, unlike the 3-6 teams, they’re not ready to make a serious bid for the podium. Queen’s hasn’t seen a women’s squad this good since Lakins’ glory days of 2003 when they took silver. We’ll see if Bolton can fire his squad up enough to make their presence felt.
8. UVic: Some impressive results from the Vikes at BCs, although it’s hard to decipher just how impressive. In the Sr. race, this squad had three girls come in at 22:25 to 22:40 for 6km. Their top runner a few weeks ago, Moran, didn’t run at BCs. If you throw her in that pack, the Vikes likely have 4 who can get into the top 35. Their junior star Therrien ran 18:16 and provides the final piece to the puzzle for this squad. A few other names from this team were DNS at BCs, although knowing the Vikes’ style they are probably just resting up for the Dance. This squad may be able to repeat if not improve upon last year’s 6th place finish. We see it being between the Dinos and Vikes for the CanWest title. The result of that match-up also determining what team will close out the top 6 in the country. For now, the Vikes get a low ranking, because they don’t run against other CIS schools; this makes our job difficult, and we resent that.
9. Alberta: Props to this squad for the Stewart Cup title, although we’re sure they are aware that the one that matters is this Saturday. Acheson had a great run at Stewart Cup running 18:12. Degaust ran capably as the number two, while the Soderberg’s also had fine runs with near 19 minute efforts. This team is good, but they need to be great to be any higher than 9th this year. The teams in front of them are all very strong. There isn’t anything negative that can be said about this team; they’re pretty solid across the board. The addition of 2-time first-team AC Findlay would help them tremendously. If she’s racing this weekend, we say watch out for Alberta. If she’s not, we like them for 9th.
10. Windsor: A great run by Dayna Pidhoresky for 6th at OU’s was a step forward for the Lady Lancers. Raeleen Hunter’s 16th was another fine performance. But then, before Windsor could get their third runner in, Queen’s had six across the line. Two good runners at the front should get this team into the top ten, but a cross country team without depth can’t go far. Windsor may sneak past a few teams ranked above them if things go wrong for those teams, but the Lancers don’t have the horses to get up much higher than 10th.
Teams left off with a chance to upset:
Dalhousie: Al Yarrrrr!
‘Toba: A good front end, but lacking depth. Can they get Tessmann and Barrett to step up? There’s a lot of points there for the taking, if they do.
UWO: It was a tough day for the Mustangs at OU’s. Can they pull themselves back together for CI’s? They’ve been a top ten team all season, but will they be there when it counts?
Individuals:
Tier 1: Brown, Jewett, Carson, McClure, Cliff, Bruckschwaiger, Souter, Cormier, Ryer
Tier 2: Laurie, Lalonde, Pidhoresky, Pearo, Belanger, Fortin, Schlosser
Tier 3: Fenton, Acheson, Gregoire, Mockler, Furtado, Preibischova
Individual Champion: This should be a battle between Carson and Brown, but with Carson hurt and potentially not running, Brown takes it hands down. Cormier (Laval) could challenge her, but we’re pretty sure Brown will win her third individual title.
Darkhorse: Souter
ROY: Lalonde of Guelph was 4th at OUAs and will probably be top 10 at CIS.
Well, here it is folks, the granddaddy of them all. Saturday, November 14th is in sight and teams across the country are getting psyched up and spiked up for what is the most exciting race of the year: the CIS Cross-Country Champs. We don’t want to build this race up anymore than it needs to be, but it has to be mentioned that both fields this year are very, very deep. Clearly, there is a strong team favourite on each side, but there are 12 or 13 high level men’s and women’s teams behind tham. On the women’s side, there is lots of depth with 10 teams who have top 5 ability. On the men’s side the picture is clear through 2, and then all hell breaks loose with at least 4 others who are battling for the last medal, and 5 more who could squeak into the top 6 if things go well. It’s going to be a fantastic day at Fort Henry, and with Lakins in charge there is no doubt the 2009 championships will be a classy affair. The course at Fort Henry has been fast and beautiful a few times in November, but a betting man would be safe to assume it’s going to be ugly in K-town. Boys and girls, eat your Wheaties; it’s time for OT.
Women:
1. Guelph: As if to prove that they could win OU’s with one hand tied behind their back, the Gryphons dominated last weekend without their star runner. We’re still hoping to see a Carson-Brown show down at CI’s, but we saw this weekend that the team title should be secured whether or not she runs. The Gryphons could have won this weekend, even if they’d scored their 3 through 7 runners. This was their 6th OUA team title in a row, and this Saturday they will be looking for their 5th consecutive CIS title. Obviously the loss of Carson hurts this squad, and if she’s out of CIS then there is a slim chance another team can get close. However, Mac is the best bet right now and they were a ways off at OUAs. 5 girls in the top 10 in the OUA with the fifth runner beating 2008 AC’s means this team is a shoe in for the title.
2. McMaster: Pearo had a strong run this weekend, claiming a rare spot amongst Guelph’s top five. The rest of the Mac women were not far behind, all finishing in the top 20. Their fifth scorer ran 18:46, and another effort like that will mean this team has 5 runners in the top 30, characteristic of most silver medal winning teams at CIS. With Toronto failing to show up, Mac had this OUA silver handed to them; look for a more hotly contested battle at CIs, with teams from East and West fighting for podium spots. This squad hasn’t shown any weaknesses yet, and it appears their OUA race was their best team effort of the season. If they can continue that trend, they will more than likely be rewarded with some silver, although it’s tight enough between teams 2-7 that an off day from the Marauders will knock them off the podium.
3. Toronto: Great runs by Brown and McClure took the top two spots at OUAs this weekend. Brown was dominant, well clear of the field, and it was a very strong run by McClure to hold off the pack of Gryphons. But, after these two there was a substantial gap. Granted, U of T should have a better team than this for CIs. Once Gollish returns, and if Jewett returns, they will be much stronger than the team we saw this past weekend. But we’ve been saying this all year: if Toronto can’t get someone to step up and give them a strong fifth, they won’t be able to compete with the Gryphons. This ranking assumes Jewett runs; if she doesn’t, a betting man can slot this team in at 6th or 7th. Last year’s 5th place finisher and ROY will be relied upon to get RR’s Blues onto the podium for the second straight year.
4. Calgary : Although they didn’t win Stewart Cup, we think that the Dinos have more upside than the Pandas and Bisons. They sat Fenton, their top runner, so that’s an obvious gain once she’s back in action. Also, they put four runners in front of Albert’s third. Bring Fenton back into the mix, and that’s five runners in front of Alberta’s third. Conclusion: enjoy your Stewart Cup victory, Alberta; you won’t be CanWest champions two weeks from now. From a national perspective, this team wasn’t impressive last weekend, as their 2-5 runners were more than a minute behind the leaders at Stewart Cup. That is enough to move them a notch below the Toronto and McMaster level. Unless they have that 2-5 group step-up there won’t be 7 cowgirl hats on the CIS awards stage on Saturday. Add Fenton in, and the Dinos’ results at conference look very similar to the X-Women’s; both teams are in a great position, but need to make some gains to take the bronze. Mac appears to be a step ahead of the Dinos, but they should be battling with X, Laval, and maybe Toronto for the final podium spot.
5. X: It’s very hard to know what happened at AUS. The X-women were pretty far back of Ryer of St. Mary’s, although they might not have been going 100%. If Chisholm is smart, which we think he is, he may have told his squad to run just hard enough to win the AUS title. They also sat a few athletes from their usual top 5, but this squad only has one girl capable of a low-stick finish, similar to Calgary. To be a medal team, a squad usually needs to get at least 2 athletes in the top 15, something that X seems to be lacking. If they can get a big run from their 2 or 3 athletes, this squad stands a chance at moving up. X’s 2-6 runners are all very close, which gives them a great opportunity to work together (as they have been all season). But that’s no use if their pack isn’t fast enough. At CI’s, one or two of these ladies will have to strike out from the pack and make a bid for a finish in the teens. A strong 6th gives them some room for error, so the X-Women needn’t be afraid to go after it. This team is close to the podium; a few calculated risks could get them there.
6. Laval: A very good front three gives this team a great shot at sneaking onto the podium this weekend. Cormier showed fantastic shape by running away with the QSSF title, and her teammates Fortin and Letourneau backed her up very well with what appears to be top 25 fitness. That’s a great front 3; however, the 4-5 are another minute in arrears and are going to need to get better. That minute over a 5km will be full of OUA and CanWest athletes, who will cause Laval’s score to rise to heights not deemed eligible for the podium. In the women’s race, the 30s, 40s, and 50s are packed in very tight, and Laval’s team fate is going to be determined by how far into this pack their later scorers can get. A team podium will be theirs if Pichard-Jolicoeur and Dumont can have a breakthrough performance and get down to 19 flat or so.
7. Queen’s: Bolton and Dunbar appear to be teaching the same lessons to the women that they are to the men, as this group had a fantastic pack-run at OUAs that was rewarded with a third place finish. Roney ran 18:35 as their first runner, and their sixth came in at 19:01. That’s some pretty awesome depth and should assure this team of a finish well inside the top 10. The beauty of this squad is that if they can get that pack going just 10 seconds faster they will take nearly 40 points off their team score. That kind of decrease in points would be enough for a type 5 finish on the home course. Similarly, one athlete making a big step and getting into the AC mix will also so help this squad’s chances. On the flip side, the reason this team isn’t battling with the 4 teams directly ahead of them is because they lack the low-stick. They’re strong enough to pick off some of the teams above them, if those teams make mistakes. But, unlike the 3-6 teams, they’re not ready to make a serious bid for the podium. Queen’s hasn’t seen a women’s squad this good since Lakins’ glory days of 2003 when they took silver. We’ll see if Bolton can fire his squad up enough to make their presence felt.
8. UVic: Some impressive results from the Vikes at BCs, although it’s hard to decipher just how impressive. In the Sr. race, this squad had three girls come in at 22:25 to 22:40 for 6km. Their top runner a few weeks ago, Moran, didn’t run at BCs. If you throw her in that pack, the Vikes likely have 4 who can get into the top 35. Their junior star Therrien ran 18:16 and provides the final piece to the puzzle for this squad. A few other names from this team were DNS at BCs, although knowing the Vikes’ style they are probably just resting up for the Dance. This squad may be able to repeat if not improve upon last year’s 6th place finish. We see it being between the Dinos and Vikes for the CanWest title. The result of that match-up also determining what team will close out the top 6 in the country. For now, the Vikes get a low ranking, because they don’t run against other CIS schools; this makes our job difficult, and we resent that.
9. Alberta: Props to this squad for the Stewart Cup title, although we’re sure they are aware that the one that matters is this Saturday. Acheson had a great run at Stewart Cup running 18:12. Degaust ran capably as the number two, while the Soderberg’s also had fine runs with near 19 minute efforts. This team is good, but they need to be great to be any higher than 9th this year. The teams in front of them are all very strong. There isn’t anything negative that can be said about this team; they’re pretty solid across the board. The addition of 2-time first-team AC Findlay would help them tremendously. If she’s racing this weekend, we say watch out for Alberta. If she’s not, we like them for 9th.
10. Windsor: A great run by Dayna Pidhoresky for 6th at OU’s was a step forward for the Lady Lancers. Raeleen Hunter’s 16th was another fine performance. But then, before Windsor could get their third runner in, Queen’s had six across the line. Two good runners at the front should get this team into the top ten, but a cross country team without depth can’t go far. Windsor may sneak past a few teams ranked above them if things go wrong for those teams, but the Lancers don’t have the horses to get up much higher than 10th.
Teams left off with a chance to upset:
Dalhousie: Al Yarrrrr!
‘Toba: A good front end, but lacking depth. Can they get Tessmann and Barrett to step up? There’s a lot of points there for the taking, if they do.
UWO: It was a tough day for the Mustangs at OU’s. Can they pull themselves back together for CI’s? They’ve been a top ten team all season, but will they be there when it counts?
Individuals:
Tier 1: Brown, Jewett, Carson, McClure, Cliff, Bruckschwaiger, Souter, Cormier, Ryer
Tier 2: Laurie, Lalonde, Pidhoresky, Pearo, Belanger, Fortin, Schlosser
Tier 3: Fenton, Acheson, Gregoire, Mockler, Furtado, Preibischova
Individual Champion: This should be a battle between Carson and Brown, but with Carson hurt and potentially not running, Brown takes it hands down. Cormier (Laval) could challenge her, but we’re pretty sure Brown will win her third individual title.
Darkhorse: Souter
ROY: Lalonde of Guelph was 4th at OUAs and will probably be top 10 at CIS.
Slanders and Speculations - Volume 1, Issue 7: Pre Conference; The Men
Pre-Conference Consternation
1. Guelph- This team now has 5 potential first team ACs with the addition of Nigel Wray (formerly of D1 powerhouse Iona). They put on a clinic at the Queen’s Open and had 7 in the top 10. One guy who deserves a shout out and hasn’t been mentioned yet is Cody Murray, who ran 32:40 and almost scored for the Gryphs (this team is so good that their displacers deserve recognition). Boorsma sat out this one, but Brunsting and Brett both look like podium guys come OUAs and CIS. This team has the potential to sweep the individual medals. Guys who can stop them are Christie, Pieterson, Rachem, O’Neil, and Weston. This group is going to make it very difficult to make the AC list this year as Guelph will almost certainly take 5 spots, and perhaps as many as 7. It probably needs to be mentioned that the group of Brunsting, Brett, Parrot, and Wray appeared to be lollygagging through the early going at Queen’s and only really turned it on after halfway. I assume that means there is more in the tank, and that a team run is likely what we will see on Oct. 31st at OUAs. They are good enough that they can completely dictate the race, and will be looking for ways to use the narrow, winding Brock course to their advantage. But, really, strategy doesn’t matter for these guys; they are absolutely invulnerable.
2. Windsor- This is a very, very good team. But they have no shot at the win. Weston is fit and running fast, similarly to last year. Hopefully he doesn’t get ill leading into the big races, although he was top 10 in 2007 so he knows what it takes to get it done. Sinclair, Keller, Aguanno, Walters, and Meyer all appear to be potential AC guys, although not more than two of them will get the honour. Sinclair is a likely suspect, and we have a feeling Aguanno is due for a big one. If the rest of their scorers end up in the high teens / low twenties, the Lancers will score very well. They’ve got 6 very fast dudes leading this team, so they are not only potent at the front, but have some breathing room as well. This list doesn’t even include former world XC guy Henshaw who’s only outing this season came in Chicago. We would never count out Fairell’s squad at CIS because they know how to bring it, and this is a team that is good enough to win a CIS title. Unfortunately for them, the 2009 Guelph squad is just way too good. Unless Windsor can convince Mauricio to use up his last year of eligibility, they won’t be better than second.
3. X- This team started the year as a clear 3rd place team in our minds. Now they are on the ropes. They’ve run well, but there is a group of teams behind them making inroads. Gerych is improving every time out, and McCarron looks like an AC type with his great run at UNB last week. They also have a very strong third in Addison, who was less than 20 seconds behind Gerych last weekend. That’s three guys who should be in the top 20 or 25. However, there is a gap forming between 3 and 4 which could put them into a bit of trouble, as Doubrovsky hasn’t been running like his usual self lately. 40 seconds back of a 20th place guy in Addison means X’s 4 and 5 are looking at near 40th place finishes. If Doubravsky and the mercurial Corbit can get a little bit better, this team is most certainly taking the bronze. But, if one of the 5 scorers have an off day, X will plummet down the rankings as they are overtaken by the group of teams currently about 15-25 points behind them.
4. Regina- Finally, Wiebe shows he’s back and fit. He and Baiton ran 25:05 and 25:10 on what was probably a quick course. However, they beat their third man Wig by a minute. This has a couple of implications. First, we think it means these two are both going to be ACs (if they hold it together; Baiton is a rookie so you never know) and second, Regina needs to close the gap down between the 2 and 3. The CIS ROY battle will come down to Baiton vs Colle of Concordia, with both showing the fitness necessary to be in the top 14. Fyfe has joined Wig now which gives this squad 4 in the top 35 or so, but Benjamin is a little too far back for a team podium. A minute between the 4th and 5th is what kills this team’s chances, but it gives a guy like Benjamin a shot at glory. Again, this is a team that is 5 deep, so if any one of the 5 gets hurt or has a bad day their hopes will be wrecked like the Edmund Fitzgerald.
5. Calgary- Here’s another strong Western team that could step up at CI’s. We must admit that there’s some truth in the cacophony of Calgary cheerleading here on TnF. Matt Cloutier had a very nice run down in Idaho (the Gem State), and will be looking for an AC spot when he comes down to sea level. Dorosz ran capably as well. If Pootz can return to action at a similar level, and Nicol can get things back together, this team will be as hard to catch as the cutthroat trout (Idaho’s state fish). But we need to see all five Calgary scorers show up and put together a strong performance before they can move ahead of We look forward to seeing how things pan out at the Stewart Cup; these Western teams are leaving lots of questions unanswered, conserving their strength for the big races.
6. Toronto- Del Monte and Pettes haven’t raced since 1994, but I assume they are still fit and raring to go. Douglas and Lambert had solid outings at the Queen’s Open with 33:08 and 33:13. That’s a pretty good level for your 3-4 scorers. That being said, this team’s fate is more than likely going to be dictated by how much better Lambert can get. A once (and future?) first-team AC, he needs to get back into that form, and then this will be the team in the best position to take the bronze away from X. Going from 33:13 to 32:13 in 4 weeks is tough to do, but Lambert has the credentials. One issue with this squad is the fifth man. 33:42 for Pavelic and 3 more teammates within 15 seconds of him makes this a deep squad, but one which needs a big-run at the 5-spot to get into the medal mix. Del Monte is going to have to make sure he’s a low-stick, probably in the single digits, and Pettes will also have to have a career-performance for the Blues to upset the three teams we see between them and the medals.
7. UVic- Pieterson is fit and probably in a position to run in the lead pack on Nov. 14th. Mallie sat out the Puma classic but we’re confident he’ll be running as well as in 2008 when he was 9th at CIS. Childs had a good one last weekend with 20:15 for four miles, which helps this team’s prospects. I like this team for the CanWest title, although in a deeper field like CIS they will suffer. Their 4, 5, and 6 men are getting better but still need to improve if this group wants a shot at a podium. Fleming, Irvine, and Clouthier are in a position where if one or two of them can step up, they can help their team vault past a number of higher ranked squads. It appears that teams 4-9 are actually quite similar in ability and it really is going to come down to who can get it done on the day. UVic is a team that has a lot of potential, like U of T and Calgary, because they will likely be scoring a couple of guys in the middle of the pack where a 10 second pb can account for 10 points.
8. UWO- This team was left off the list last week because of a not-so-stellar effort at Chicago, but they get back into the top 10 this week with a great run in Rochester. Real Deal ran 24:59 and is probably a first-team type of guy right now,while Huff backed him up with a fast 25:29. This team’s rank has been bolstered by monster runs from Brent Smith and David Arango. 25:45 and 25:54 for the 4-5 makes this team capable of perhaps even a top 5 at CIS. However, they are in a bit of trouble as Strokach ran 26:22 and was pretty far back. Komer sat this one out and he was 21st at CIS last year so this team has potential. We expect a big battle between Queen’s and UWO at OUAs and likely again at CIS. It’s hard to say where both of these teams stack up against CanWest schools like UVic and Calgary without having seen them race against one-another. My gut says that those 4 teams will separated by less than 20 points at the show.
9. Queen’s- What a run by Clay Patterson. My colleague appears to have been right when he announced that Patterson had arrived after the Western Invite in September. It’s still early to say he’s an AC type but his run at Queen’s (32:42) shows a lot of promise and gives Queen’s a boost. With him and Hulse, this squad has two guys who should be near the front of the pack at OUAs and CI’s. Courchene is another guy who has come out of the woodwork as a solid third guy running 33:15 at Queen’s. Potvin was off at Queen’s; however, Nishiyama answered our prayers for a fifth man on this squad running 33:40. It’s hard to say how good this team really is, as this is their home meet, and we know all too well that Queen’s usually runs well at Queen’s. Hopefully Oct. 17th won’t be their best effort of the year, and they’ll run well at Queen’s again, in November, when it counts. If they avoid the hosts’ curse, they can use their home field advantage to great effect; Fort Henry is a thinking man’s course, where knowledge of its contours and caprices can pay real dividends.
10. Alberta- This is a young squad that we will learn a whole lot more about at Stewart cup this weekend. They’ve only run their A-team once and it wasn’t against any other CIS A-teams at the Calgary meet. As we’ve mentioned, Ostapowich and Weikum look like top 25 threats and there is some good backing in the 3-6 positions. However, unless this team can continue to improve they will be looking at a place just inside the top ten, similar to last year when they were 9th. Now that we’ve been educated, we realize that the grinders on this team will limit the squad to a top 10 type effort, not a top 5… No but really, this is a good team that is running into a large pack of opponents in front of them that they can upset if they get some big days from their later scorers. The 6th man on this team has run 33:19 for 10km already this year, and the fact that they are only 10th on our radar speaks volumes about how high the level of CIS cross-country running is. With all that being said, Playfair usually gets a surprise race or two out of his team. Who will it be in 2009? Leboeuf… Law… Lauzon… Moore… I dare you to make your coach look good one more time.
1. Guelph- This team now has 5 potential first team ACs with the addition of Nigel Wray (formerly of D1 powerhouse Iona). They put on a clinic at the Queen’s Open and had 7 in the top 10. One guy who deserves a shout out and hasn’t been mentioned yet is Cody Murray, who ran 32:40 and almost scored for the Gryphs (this team is so good that their displacers deserve recognition). Boorsma sat out this one, but Brunsting and Brett both look like podium guys come OUAs and CIS. This team has the potential to sweep the individual medals. Guys who can stop them are Christie, Pieterson, Rachem, O’Neil, and Weston. This group is going to make it very difficult to make the AC list this year as Guelph will almost certainly take 5 spots, and perhaps as many as 7. It probably needs to be mentioned that the group of Brunsting, Brett, Parrot, and Wray appeared to be lollygagging through the early going at Queen’s and only really turned it on after halfway. I assume that means there is more in the tank, and that a team run is likely what we will see on Oct. 31st at OUAs. They are good enough that they can completely dictate the race, and will be looking for ways to use the narrow, winding Brock course to their advantage. But, really, strategy doesn’t matter for these guys; they are absolutely invulnerable.
2. Windsor- This is a very, very good team. But they have no shot at the win. Weston is fit and running fast, similarly to last year. Hopefully he doesn’t get ill leading into the big races, although he was top 10 in 2007 so he knows what it takes to get it done. Sinclair, Keller, Aguanno, Walters, and Meyer all appear to be potential AC guys, although not more than two of them will get the honour. Sinclair is a likely suspect, and we have a feeling Aguanno is due for a big one. If the rest of their scorers end up in the high teens / low twenties, the Lancers will score very well. They’ve got 6 very fast dudes leading this team, so they are not only potent at the front, but have some breathing room as well. This list doesn’t even include former world XC guy Henshaw who’s only outing this season came in Chicago. We would never count out Fairell’s squad at CIS because they know how to bring it, and this is a team that is good enough to win a CIS title. Unfortunately for them, the 2009 Guelph squad is just way too good. Unless Windsor can convince Mauricio to use up his last year of eligibility, they won’t be better than second.
3. X- This team started the year as a clear 3rd place team in our minds. Now they are on the ropes. They’ve run well, but there is a group of teams behind them making inroads. Gerych is improving every time out, and McCarron looks like an AC type with his great run at UNB last week. They also have a very strong third in Addison, who was less than 20 seconds behind Gerych last weekend. That’s three guys who should be in the top 20 or 25. However, there is a gap forming between 3 and 4 which could put them into a bit of trouble, as Doubrovsky hasn’t been running like his usual self lately. 40 seconds back of a 20th place guy in Addison means X’s 4 and 5 are looking at near 40th place finishes. If Doubravsky and the mercurial Corbit can get a little bit better, this team is most certainly taking the bronze. But, if one of the 5 scorers have an off day, X will plummet down the rankings as they are overtaken by the group of teams currently about 15-25 points behind them.
4. Regina- Finally, Wiebe shows he’s back and fit. He and Baiton ran 25:05 and 25:10 on what was probably a quick course. However, they beat their third man Wig by a minute. This has a couple of implications. First, we think it means these two are both going to be ACs (if they hold it together; Baiton is a rookie so you never know) and second, Regina needs to close the gap down between the 2 and 3. The CIS ROY battle will come down to Baiton vs Colle of Concordia, with both showing the fitness necessary to be in the top 14. Fyfe has joined Wig now which gives this squad 4 in the top 35 or so, but Benjamin is a little too far back for a team podium. A minute between the 4th and 5th is what kills this team’s chances, but it gives a guy like Benjamin a shot at glory. Again, this is a team that is 5 deep, so if any one of the 5 gets hurt or has a bad day their hopes will be wrecked like the Edmund Fitzgerald.
5. Calgary- Here’s another strong Western team that could step up at CI’s. We must admit that there’s some truth in the cacophony of Calgary cheerleading here on TnF. Matt Cloutier had a very nice run down in Idaho (the Gem State), and will be looking for an AC spot when he comes down to sea level. Dorosz ran capably as well. If Pootz can return to action at a similar level, and Nicol can get things back together, this team will be as hard to catch as the cutthroat trout (Idaho’s state fish). But we need to see all five Calgary scorers show up and put together a strong performance before they can move ahead of We look forward to seeing how things pan out at the Stewart Cup; these Western teams are leaving lots of questions unanswered, conserving their strength for the big races.
6. Toronto- Del Monte and Pettes haven’t raced since 1994, but I assume they are still fit and raring to go. Douglas and Lambert had solid outings at the Queen’s Open with 33:08 and 33:13. That’s a pretty good level for your 3-4 scorers. That being said, this team’s fate is more than likely going to be dictated by how much better Lambert can get. A once (and future?) first-team AC, he needs to get back into that form, and then this will be the team in the best position to take the bronze away from X. Going from 33:13 to 32:13 in 4 weeks is tough to do, but Lambert has the credentials. One issue with this squad is the fifth man. 33:42 for Pavelic and 3 more teammates within 15 seconds of him makes this a deep squad, but one which needs a big-run at the 5-spot to get into the medal mix. Del Monte is going to have to make sure he’s a low-stick, probably in the single digits, and Pettes will also have to have a career-performance for the Blues to upset the three teams we see between them and the medals.
7. UVic- Pieterson is fit and probably in a position to run in the lead pack on Nov. 14th. Mallie sat out the Puma classic but we’re confident he’ll be running as well as in 2008 when he was 9th at CIS. Childs had a good one last weekend with 20:15 for four miles, which helps this team’s prospects. I like this team for the CanWest title, although in a deeper field like CIS they will suffer. Their 4, 5, and 6 men are getting better but still need to improve if this group wants a shot at a podium. Fleming, Irvine, and Clouthier are in a position where if one or two of them can step up, they can help their team vault past a number of higher ranked squads. It appears that teams 4-9 are actually quite similar in ability and it really is going to come down to who can get it done on the day. UVic is a team that has a lot of potential, like U of T and Calgary, because they will likely be scoring a couple of guys in the middle of the pack where a 10 second pb can account for 10 points.
8. UWO- This team was left off the list last week because of a not-so-stellar effort at Chicago, but they get back into the top 10 this week with a great run in Rochester. Real Deal ran 24:59 and is probably a first-team type of guy right now,while Huff backed him up with a fast 25:29. This team’s rank has been bolstered by monster runs from Brent Smith and David Arango. 25:45 and 25:54 for the 4-5 makes this team capable of perhaps even a top 5 at CIS. However, they are in a bit of trouble as Strokach ran 26:22 and was pretty far back. Komer sat this one out and he was 21st at CIS last year so this team has potential. We expect a big battle between Queen’s and UWO at OUAs and likely again at CIS. It’s hard to say where both of these teams stack up against CanWest schools like UVic and Calgary without having seen them race against one-another. My gut says that those 4 teams will separated by less than 20 points at the show.
9. Queen’s- What a run by Clay Patterson. My colleague appears to have been right when he announced that Patterson had arrived after the Western Invite in September. It’s still early to say he’s an AC type but his run at Queen’s (32:42) shows a lot of promise and gives Queen’s a boost. With him and Hulse, this squad has two guys who should be near the front of the pack at OUAs and CI’s. Courchene is another guy who has come out of the woodwork as a solid third guy running 33:15 at Queen’s. Potvin was off at Queen’s; however, Nishiyama answered our prayers for a fifth man on this squad running 33:40. It’s hard to say how good this team really is, as this is their home meet, and we know all too well that Queen’s usually runs well at Queen’s. Hopefully Oct. 17th won’t be their best effort of the year, and they’ll run well at Queen’s again, in November, when it counts. If they avoid the hosts’ curse, they can use their home field advantage to great effect; Fort Henry is a thinking man’s course, where knowledge of its contours and caprices can pay real dividends.
10. Alberta- This is a young squad that we will learn a whole lot more about at Stewart cup this weekend. They’ve only run their A-team once and it wasn’t against any other CIS A-teams at the Calgary meet. As we’ve mentioned, Ostapowich and Weikum look like top 25 threats and there is some good backing in the 3-6 positions. However, unless this team can continue to improve they will be looking at a place just inside the top ten, similar to last year when they were 9th. Now that we’ve been educated, we realize that the grinders on this team will limit the squad to a top 10 type effort, not a top 5… No but really, this is a good team that is running into a large pack of opponents in front of them that they can upset if they get some big days from their later scorers. The 6th man on this team has run 33:19 for 10km already this year, and the fact that they are only 10th on our radar speaks volumes about how high the level of CIS cross-country running is. With all that being said, Playfair usually gets a surprise race or two out of his team. Who will it be in 2009? Leboeuf… Law… Lauzon… Moore… I dare you to make your coach look good one more time.
Slanders and Speculations - Volume 1, Issue 6: The Women
1. Guelph: A course record for Carson after an “easy” opening lap where she ran with her teammates got Guelph off to a good start at Queen’s. Lalonde followed her up in 2nd as the Gryphons put two in front of Toronto’s Jewett. 9 Guelph girls ran faster than McMaster’s fifth, who came in in a none too shabby 18:53. This team has athletes who won’t even make it to CIS, who would be scorers for other top tier teams. That’s scary. The championship is theirs to lose, and it’s going to take a miracle for any team to even give Guelph a run for their money. Perhaps the Gryphons will be in for a tight battle, if Toronto and Mac team up to form an all-star super team.
2. Toronto: While the Gryphons made another strong statement at Queen’s, the Blues continue their dissimulations and wilful obscurantism. McClure didn’t run, Brown didn’t race, and Gollish tempoed. Of the top four, only Jewett put in a solid effort. With her leg taped up, she did what she does best, going out hard and putting the hurt on the entire field. That’s going to be a good strategy come CIS because, as Toronto’s second runner, she’s going to need to be in the top 5 to help her squad build a lead on McMaster’s front runners. Two of Digiacomo, Aust, and Hickok are probably going to be required to sacrifice themselves for the sake of the team by pacing the third to a huge breakthrough race. Things are getting more muddied at the top after the Queen’s Open, and Toronto is going to have to have an athlete in the 5-6-7 group step up in order to secure a silver medal team finish.
3. Mac (18:26): Pearo just made things a whole lot more interesting by nipping Jewett at Queen’s Meet. A 17:53 moves her from a potential second team AC to a potential first team AC. That doesn’t sound like a lot of points, but based on what we’re seeing, it’s going to be a very tight battle for the silver. Wyman and Giovannetti both had solid runs and provide this squad with three potential ACs. That’s getting darn close to as good as Toronto at the front; with a faster 5-woman, this squad will gain valuable points further back. Their fifth girl ran 18:53 at Queen’s – and yes, times were fast on the day, but this was due to a quality field as well as good conditions. We are thinking that McMaster will take U of T out at OUAs, but CIS is going to be an absolute dogfight.
4. Calgary: A strong team run at Idaho moves this team closer to the medals, but it still doesn’t put them ahead of McMaster. Kary didn’t run, and yet had 5 in at 19:07. If she did race this squad would probably have 5 runners at 18:39 or better. That’s pretty sick. Fenton stepped up and helps her squad’s chances with an AC type of run (17:55). However, Mac and U of T have 3 athletes who appear to be at an AC level right now, and that’s the difference. This Calgary squad is dynamite but they have run into three very good squads ahead of them. McNicoll proved she’s back, and with her season clearly on the upswing the Dinos are relying on another AC run from her to get into the medals. McMaster’s 4 and 5 will going to head to head with the Dinos 4 and 5, and it’s going to come down to but a few points at the big dance.
5. UVic: That’s more like it. This group took down the other BC schools (SFU and UBC) in winning the PUMA Classic in the US of A. It’s too bad SFU and UBC won’t race in the CIS. While they do have a great rivalry, if they were in the CIS it would make the CanWest stronger and UVic would have some close by rivals to motivate them. Alas, they don’t, but Victoria still manages to stick it to them every once in a while. Moran ran great in 18:09, as did Skinner and Mitic. Jean and Beaulieu ran solidly as well at 18:42 and 18:44. It seems like 18:30 is the new 19 minute mark in the women’s CIS. With a fifth runner coming in at 18:44 this squad can be ranked no higher than 5th. This is a very good team that will find themselves in a very tight race with X and probably Calgary. While I hate to say it, it’s worth mentioning that an 18:09 front-runner hurts this squad. They need at least one athlete to drop into the 17:50 range if they want to move up on Slanders. That is the piece that Calgary has and UVic does not.
6. X: Here’s another squad that is very good, and probably one which would battle for a team podium in most years. They averaged 18:40 on what looked like a fast - but reasonable - course at UNB, and they smoked CIS #10 Dalhousie. Preibischova looks like she’s back in her 2007 fitness (4th at CIS) with a 17:54, and the depth on this squad is also strong. Fouskova, Macdonald, Bates, Macneil, and Mosher all ran 19:07 or faster; however, this team only has one low stick. As we’ve mentioned before, it’s going to take 2 or 3 of these types of athletes to medal on the women’s side. This team has the advantage of being in a weaker (although perhaps not this year) conference, and therefore having the opportunity to hold back a little and still win the AUS champs. OUA squads like Queen’s and UWO will be bleeding from the pours on Oct. 31st trying to solidify their spot on the starting line two weeks later.
7. UWO: Another good weekend for the ‘Stangs in Rochester with rookie Knox providing this team with a third runner capable of a top 20 or 25 at CIS. Unfortunately, this group drops a spot because of the strong outing by UVic. Mockler and Convery (the Mighty Mites) are clearly fit and doing a great job of leading their team. With a fifth girl at 19:13, it appears this squad and Queen’s are almost identical in terms of talent. Queen’s has a little bit of an edge at the front, but UWO makes up for it with their third. We predict OUAs will come down to about 5 points between UWO and Queen’s. This battle could have a big impact on the ‘Stangs’ season as they do not get to run CIS unless they are top 3 at the Provincial Champs. It is possible that the 7th best team in the country won’t be at the Fort unless they do something miraculous at OUAs. Perhaps it’s time for a change in policy at UWO; this group is more than deserving of getting to show their stuff at the season finale.
8. Queen’s: This squad stepped up big time on their home course and Liza Howard answered our question from last week with a huge 18:08 run. She provides Queen’s with the low-stick that they so desperately needed and was backed up by another strong run from Roney in 18:37. Queen’s had 4 girls in under 19 minutes and their fifth, Keenleyside in 19:09, was 44th at CIS in 2008. That’s a pretty darn good squad, but one that is only 8th in our ranking. Again, with another big run from someone this squad has the potential to take a jump up the list into the top 5. The battle for places 4-8 are very tight this year and one big run, or perhaps one off-day, will have huge implications for any of these teams. One last point is that this team appears to be headed in the right direction, having gotten better in each outing so far. If they can continue with this progression they will likely make Coach Bolton a very happy man.
9. Manitoba: Nothing changed here. We’ve scoured college cross-country results from across the globe, and it doesn’t appear they raced this past weekend. As stated in our last report, this group has a great 1-2 punch but the depth positions make this a group battling for top 10 instead of top 5. They will manage a better result in the CanWest scoring than the CIS where the large gap from 1 to 5 hurts them a lot more. Bruckschwaiger appears poised for an AC spot and Gregoire will probably be battling in the 20s. Ginter, Barret, and Tessmann need to keep improving if this squad has visions of moving up. It’s freaking cold in Winnipeg, and there was snow on the ground last week. That probably makes these girls tougher than those running for schools like Windsor and Victoria. For the sake of the Bisons, one hopes it snows at the Fort, so that they can take advantage of the collapse of those weaker-willed souls.
10. Dalhousie: This team edged out Sherbrooke at UNB and will probably edge them (and Windsor) out again at CIS to round out the top 10. Schlosser is ready to make the AC team, and Groves will be battling on the fringe of that team in Kingston. The Hennigar-Yarr-Sheffield coaching trio is working some magic on these ladies. But this squad spirals into a world of trouble after these two, as they waited 50 seconds for their 3rd runner to come in last weekend. Even so, they get some points back on the next tier of teams because there were only 12 seconds between their 3 and 5. This isn’t to say girls running 19:11 for 5km aren’t legit, but it will not be enough to move up any higher than 10th. Two teams from the AUS in the top ten at CIS is something that doesn’t often happen but it’s likely that it will in 2009. That’s great news. There are some strong teams in Quebec as well that are just on the outside looking in but will have some great battles at the conference champs in two weeks. Also, Ryer from St. Mary’s will make the individual race at AUS interesting as the top 10 won’t be made entirely up of X-women and Tigers.
2. Toronto: While the Gryphons made another strong statement at Queen’s, the Blues continue their dissimulations and wilful obscurantism. McClure didn’t run, Brown didn’t race, and Gollish tempoed. Of the top four, only Jewett put in a solid effort. With her leg taped up, she did what she does best, going out hard and putting the hurt on the entire field. That’s going to be a good strategy come CIS because, as Toronto’s second runner, she’s going to need to be in the top 5 to help her squad build a lead on McMaster’s front runners. Two of Digiacomo, Aust, and Hickok are probably going to be required to sacrifice themselves for the sake of the team by pacing the third to a huge breakthrough race. Things are getting more muddied at the top after the Queen’s Open, and Toronto is going to have to have an athlete in the 5-6-7 group step up in order to secure a silver medal team finish.
3. Mac (18:26): Pearo just made things a whole lot more interesting by nipping Jewett at Queen’s Meet. A 17:53 moves her from a potential second team AC to a potential first team AC. That doesn’t sound like a lot of points, but based on what we’re seeing, it’s going to be a very tight battle for the silver. Wyman and Giovannetti both had solid runs and provide this squad with three potential ACs. That’s getting darn close to as good as Toronto at the front; with a faster 5-woman, this squad will gain valuable points further back. Their fifth girl ran 18:53 at Queen’s – and yes, times were fast on the day, but this was due to a quality field as well as good conditions. We are thinking that McMaster will take U of T out at OUAs, but CIS is going to be an absolute dogfight.
4. Calgary: A strong team run at Idaho moves this team closer to the medals, but it still doesn’t put them ahead of McMaster. Kary didn’t run, and yet had 5 in at 19:07. If she did race this squad would probably have 5 runners at 18:39 or better. That’s pretty sick. Fenton stepped up and helps her squad’s chances with an AC type of run (17:55). However, Mac and U of T have 3 athletes who appear to be at an AC level right now, and that’s the difference. This Calgary squad is dynamite but they have run into three very good squads ahead of them. McNicoll proved she’s back, and with her season clearly on the upswing the Dinos are relying on another AC run from her to get into the medals. McMaster’s 4 and 5 will going to head to head with the Dinos 4 and 5, and it’s going to come down to but a few points at the big dance.
5. UVic: That’s more like it. This group took down the other BC schools (SFU and UBC) in winning the PUMA Classic in the US of A. It’s too bad SFU and UBC won’t race in the CIS. While they do have a great rivalry, if they were in the CIS it would make the CanWest stronger and UVic would have some close by rivals to motivate them. Alas, they don’t, but Victoria still manages to stick it to them every once in a while. Moran ran great in 18:09, as did Skinner and Mitic. Jean and Beaulieu ran solidly as well at 18:42 and 18:44. It seems like 18:30 is the new 19 minute mark in the women’s CIS. With a fifth runner coming in at 18:44 this squad can be ranked no higher than 5th. This is a very good team that will find themselves in a very tight race with X and probably Calgary. While I hate to say it, it’s worth mentioning that an 18:09 front-runner hurts this squad. They need at least one athlete to drop into the 17:50 range if they want to move up on Slanders. That is the piece that Calgary has and UVic does not.
6. X: Here’s another squad that is very good, and probably one which would battle for a team podium in most years. They averaged 18:40 on what looked like a fast - but reasonable - course at UNB, and they smoked CIS #10 Dalhousie. Preibischova looks like she’s back in her 2007 fitness (4th at CIS) with a 17:54, and the depth on this squad is also strong. Fouskova, Macdonald, Bates, Macneil, and Mosher all ran 19:07 or faster; however, this team only has one low stick. As we’ve mentioned before, it’s going to take 2 or 3 of these types of athletes to medal on the women’s side. This team has the advantage of being in a weaker (although perhaps not this year) conference, and therefore having the opportunity to hold back a little and still win the AUS champs. OUA squads like Queen’s and UWO will be bleeding from the pours on Oct. 31st trying to solidify their spot on the starting line two weeks later.
7. UWO: Another good weekend for the ‘Stangs in Rochester with rookie Knox providing this team with a third runner capable of a top 20 or 25 at CIS. Unfortunately, this group drops a spot because of the strong outing by UVic. Mockler and Convery (the Mighty Mites) are clearly fit and doing a great job of leading their team. With a fifth girl at 19:13, it appears this squad and Queen’s are almost identical in terms of talent. Queen’s has a little bit of an edge at the front, but UWO makes up for it with their third. We predict OUAs will come down to about 5 points between UWO and Queen’s. This battle could have a big impact on the ‘Stangs’ season as they do not get to run CIS unless they are top 3 at the Provincial Champs. It is possible that the 7th best team in the country won’t be at the Fort unless they do something miraculous at OUAs. Perhaps it’s time for a change in policy at UWO; this group is more than deserving of getting to show their stuff at the season finale.
8. Queen’s: This squad stepped up big time on their home course and Liza Howard answered our question from last week with a huge 18:08 run. She provides Queen’s with the low-stick that they so desperately needed and was backed up by another strong run from Roney in 18:37. Queen’s had 4 girls in under 19 minutes and their fifth, Keenleyside in 19:09, was 44th at CIS in 2008. That’s a pretty darn good squad, but one that is only 8th in our ranking. Again, with another big run from someone this squad has the potential to take a jump up the list into the top 5. The battle for places 4-8 are very tight this year and one big run, or perhaps one off-day, will have huge implications for any of these teams. One last point is that this team appears to be headed in the right direction, having gotten better in each outing so far. If they can continue with this progression they will likely make Coach Bolton a very happy man.
9. Manitoba: Nothing changed here. We’ve scoured college cross-country results from across the globe, and it doesn’t appear they raced this past weekend. As stated in our last report, this group has a great 1-2 punch but the depth positions make this a group battling for top 10 instead of top 5. They will manage a better result in the CanWest scoring than the CIS where the large gap from 1 to 5 hurts them a lot more. Bruckschwaiger appears poised for an AC spot and Gregoire will probably be battling in the 20s. Ginter, Barret, and Tessmann need to keep improving if this squad has visions of moving up. It’s freaking cold in Winnipeg, and there was snow on the ground last week. That probably makes these girls tougher than those running for schools like Windsor and Victoria. For the sake of the Bisons, one hopes it snows at the Fort, so that they can take advantage of the collapse of those weaker-willed souls.
10. Dalhousie: This team edged out Sherbrooke at UNB and will probably edge them (and Windsor) out again at CIS to round out the top 10. Schlosser is ready to make the AC team, and Groves will be battling on the fringe of that team in Kingston. The Hennigar-Yarr-Sheffield coaching trio is working some magic on these ladies. But this squad spirals into a world of trouble after these two, as they waited 50 seconds for their 3rd runner to come in last weekend. Even so, they get some points back on the next tier of teams because there were only 12 seconds between their 3 and 5. This isn’t to say girls running 19:11 for 5km aren’t legit, but it will not be enough to move up any higher than 10th. Two teams from the AUS in the top ten at CIS is something that doesn’t often happen but it’s likely that it will in 2009. That’s great news. There are some strong teams in Quebec as well that are just on the outside looking in but will have some great battles at the conference champs in two weeks. Also, Ryer from St. Mary’s will make the individual race at AUS interesting as the top 10 won’t be made entirely up of X-women and Tigers.
Slanders and Speculations - Volume 1, Issue 5: The Men
Installment Three: Thanksgiving Thrashing
1. Guelph: Last year, this group scored 27 points at CIS and beat the whole field for their 3rd consecutive title. The 2009 edition ran 20 seconds faster per runner at Paul Short, and placed 5th as a team in a solid field. The course appears to be a lot faster this year than last, and Paul Short is short, but even a less than favourable evaluation would say that this year’s squad is just as good as last year’s. Brett took down his comrade Boorsma, and with Parrot beating Brunsting and running 24:26, there are 4 legitimate first-team All-Canadian contenders on this squad. We see two questions that need to be answered when it comes to this team: Can they beat last year’s score of 27? And will they refrain from wearing those red suspenders at the banquet in 2009? To be honest, we’re getting kinda sick of not even having to think about which team should be ranked number 1. We challenge Windsor and X to step up and provide some excitement at the top of the list!
2. Windsor: A solid outing at Loyola last weekend where they sat some of their top guys all but solidifies this team as the second best in the country. Henshaw was a no-show, but Sinclair proved he’s ready to go, with Walters also putting his name down on Fairell’s potential “CIS Candidates” list. Meyer and Aguanno are beauties that any coach would love to have on their team. Consistent, tough racers who show up no matter what they may or may not have been doing the weekend prior. Weston is laying low after his win at UWO, and if we have any advice for an athlete who wins the UWO invite in September, it’s to take a week of down time afterwards. It’s a scary proposition to be rolling over 10km at the end of September, unless of course you are totally dominant (see 2005, one Christiano Mauricio). Keller ran 3:58 at Francophone but we’re sure the reason for this is he’s poundin’ miles and hasn’t stepped on the track in months (hopefully…another possibilty is that he blew his load with a big run at the Halifax Bridge Mile).
3. X: Another good run at Murray Keating; however, we are starting to get a little worried about this squad. Russell Christie is fit, probably in first-team shape, but he absolutely destroyed the X-men in Maine. Their fifth man was 1:20 behind, and that can amount to quite a few places at the show, especially when you consider that this was only an 8km. It’s too early to worry about it, but it’s worth mentioning that Gerych doesn’t seem to be in the same form as prior years when he was 3rd at CIS. That said, he’s a clutch performer and likely will get back to the top by the time Nov. 14th rolls around. This team is good, and holds their 3rd place ranking; however, last weekend’s results show some weaknesses that need to be addressed. It would be encouraging if X had at least been able to field a 6th runner for this meet; that’s not leaving much of a margin for error. These results can give hope to some of the 4-7 teams who dream about wearing some hardware around their necks during the after-party at Ale House.
4. Calgary: This is another team we get a first look at in October. This group should be battling for a top 5 at CIS and Canwest title in 2009. Like we mentioned in our first installment, they have some great depth, but are lacking that front man or two necessary to keep the points down. Pootz, Cloutier, and Nicol had good runs last weekend, and are valuable 3-5 guys on a medal-winning team. Unfortunately for Lamont, he’s relying on them to be the front 3 right now. With that being said, if these guys can time it right, they have the arsenal behind them to do some serious damage at the Fort. We like what we’re seeing out West right now, with 3 or 4 very good teams battling away and continuing on with some awesome rivalries. Regina and Calgary appear to have the edge right now, but UVic and Alberta usually run well when it counts. What a finish to the season we might see.
5. Regina: OK, so Wiebe has been hurt. Big deal. We are still sticking with this team in the top 5. Baiton is the leading man for CIS ROY right now as he put the hurt on a deep field in Saskatchewan. Kiteley has his opinions, but my vote for Canada’s version of the name Quenton Cassidy is definitely Wyatt Baiton. Wig ran well sticking tough with Calgary’s front two, which gives Regina a bit of an edge on them when/if Wiebe comes back into the line-up. Fyfe is getting better as is Benjamin. This team is relying heavily on the return of Wiebe. If he can step in and be a top 10 guy, they are sitting pretty. However, if he’s not at 100% then the Cougs are in a boatload of trouble. Also, they have no 6th man right now so if anyone goes down, especially their top guy, they are done. Hopefully we haven’t put too much pressure on these guys by ranking them so high all season, and specifically Wiebe who we’ve now called out three reports in a row.
6. UVic: Now what can we take away from UVic’s first appearance of the season? Well, we’ll wager that through 3 men, Uvic will be in the medals on Nov. 14th. Through 5, they will be out of the top 5, however. Pieterson ran well with 32:11, 44 seconds ahead of last year’s 9th place man Mallie. I think this gap is more a result of Pieterson being in top notch shape rather than Mallie having a bad day. That means this squad is likely boasting two All-Canadians. Childs was just 35 seconds back of Mallie, showing he’s probably looking at a top 25 type of finish right now. All this implies the Vikes will be in a titantic battle with X through 3. However; I must warn Coach Fougner and the Vike faithful, you will not be keeping pace with the medal teams when your fourth and fifth come in 90 seconds after your third. That just will not cut it. If this team can shore up this weakness through new additions to the roster, or if the 4 and 5 had off days down in San Diego, then they will yet again be in the medal hunt at CIS.
7. Da Bears: The U of C results don’t tell us a whole lot. Rumours are spreading that Calgary tempoed while it appears U of A went after it destroying them in the team race. Ostapowich had a great run and helps Da Bears immensely as they were in need of another top end lad. Weikum appears to be rounding into form and will probably be battling near the front of the field at Fort Henry. Law, Leboeuf, Lauzon, and Moore are dependable depth men which fortunately for Alberta, is where the important battles will be taking place. The beauty of cross-country is that the most important athletes are the ones who don’t get much attention during the track season. It’s the top guys from XC who are notably successful on the track, but in XC it’s the grinders in the 30s and 40s that can determine the fate of a team. We’ll see if Alberta’s grinders can get it done between 5 and 8k in K-town. If that question can be answered with an unequivocal yes, then and only then, might we see Alberta reclaim the Canwest title from their hated rivals, the Calgary Dinos.
8. Toronto: Finally! RR gives us some indication of who he’s got and what kinda shape they are in. With a weekend off for Del Monte and Pettes, the other group of Varsity Blues stepped up to the plate and took their swing. Davenport had a great run and has announced himself an OUA ROY candidate. Since when does Toronto have fast rookies? Between this guy and Zain Ahmed, the Blues seem to have recruited and aren’t relying entirely on the older generation. Perhaps this is a team to watch out for down the road. Stephen Douglas, the guy with the ugliest running form in the CIS, showed he’s got some base under him with a fine run at Waterloo. Lambert and Murray-Lawson made their debuts with less-than-stellar runs and as a result, this team is a question mark right now. The horses are there to make a move towards the top half of the list, but RR is going to have to pull some magical stuff out of you know where for that to happen.
9. McMaster: All right, all right you guys have made our prestigious top 10. I’m sure these boys were pretty ticked off that they weren’t ranked in the first two installments, but we needed to see where their fitness actually was before we could put them in. Abbott had a great run in Chicago showing that’s ready to challenge for All-Canadian. Yorke has transitioned from his triathloning-ways back to the pure stuff and having most likely taken some downtime in September, I would expect him to get much better over the next 5 weeks. Rookie Taylor Reid (who is this guy?) had a good run in Chicago to put his name on the short list for OUA ROY and is a huge help on a team that is in desparate need of a fifth man. If this group can find someone to fill that whole, they have some potential to move up the Slanders list. I need hardly say that the upcoming Queen’s Invite will be an important clash between Toronto, Mac, and Queen’s to decide who will fill out the OUA podium, and thus who will have an outside shot at CIS hardware.
10. Sherbrooke: JPC and Rachem seem to rollin’ out in Quebec and are likely strong enough to carry this squad to the forefront of the conference at CIS. However, the front may not be enough to win at the Q championshps as there just aren’t enough bodies in the field to make the 1-2 punch enough of a difference-maker. Gahungu, Lavoie, and Day were about a minute behind these two in what looked like a 4-mile race. That’s about 90 seconds over 10km which means the last three scorers on this squad are looking at 60+points each. That’s not going to place a team very well in the CIS, and I’m sure the Sherbrooke guys know this. Like so many teams, this group is relying on a big day from the backend in order to get near the top 5 in the country. The departure of Buzingo and Genest is hurting this team but the beauty of this sport is with one or two gutty performances, Sherbrooke has a fighting chance at upsetting some paper tigers.
Individuals: All-Canadian Pool:
Boorsma (Guelph), Brunsting (Guelph), Parrott (Guelph), Brett (Guelph), Jackson (Guelph), Weston (Win), Sinclair (Win), Keller (Win), Abbott (Mac), Del Monte (TO), O’Neil (UWO), Hulse (Queen’s), Pieterson (UVic), Mallie (UVic), Ostapowich (Alb), Weikum (Alb), Pootz (Cal), Marin (Sask), Baiton (Reg), Wiebe (Reg), Rachem (Sherb), JPC (Sherb), Colle (Con), Michaud (Laval), Gerych (X), McCarron (X), Christie (Dal).
1. Guelph: Last year, this group scored 27 points at CIS and beat the whole field for their 3rd consecutive title. The 2009 edition ran 20 seconds faster per runner at Paul Short, and placed 5th as a team in a solid field. The course appears to be a lot faster this year than last, and Paul Short is short, but even a less than favourable evaluation would say that this year’s squad is just as good as last year’s. Brett took down his comrade Boorsma, and with Parrot beating Brunsting and running 24:26, there are 4 legitimate first-team All-Canadian contenders on this squad. We see two questions that need to be answered when it comes to this team: Can they beat last year’s score of 27? And will they refrain from wearing those red suspenders at the banquet in 2009? To be honest, we’re getting kinda sick of not even having to think about which team should be ranked number 1. We challenge Windsor and X to step up and provide some excitement at the top of the list!
2. Windsor: A solid outing at Loyola last weekend where they sat some of their top guys all but solidifies this team as the second best in the country. Henshaw was a no-show, but Sinclair proved he’s ready to go, with Walters also putting his name down on Fairell’s potential “CIS Candidates” list. Meyer and Aguanno are beauties that any coach would love to have on their team. Consistent, tough racers who show up no matter what they may or may not have been doing the weekend prior. Weston is laying low after his win at UWO, and if we have any advice for an athlete who wins the UWO invite in September, it’s to take a week of down time afterwards. It’s a scary proposition to be rolling over 10km at the end of September, unless of course you are totally dominant (see 2005, one Christiano Mauricio). Keller ran 3:58 at Francophone but we’re sure the reason for this is he’s poundin’ miles and hasn’t stepped on the track in months (hopefully…another possibilty is that he blew his load with a big run at the Halifax Bridge Mile).
3. X: Another good run at Murray Keating; however, we are starting to get a little worried about this squad. Russell Christie is fit, probably in first-team shape, but he absolutely destroyed the X-men in Maine. Their fifth man was 1:20 behind, and that can amount to quite a few places at the show, especially when you consider that this was only an 8km. It’s too early to worry about it, but it’s worth mentioning that Gerych doesn’t seem to be in the same form as prior years when he was 3rd at CIS. That said, he’s a clutch performer and likely will get back to the top by the time Nov. 14th rolls around. This team is good, and holds their 3rd place ranking; however, last weekend’s results show some weaknesses that need to be addressed. It would be encouraging if X had at least been able to field a 6th runner for this meet; that’s not leaving much of a margin for error. These results can give hope to some of the 4-7 teams who dream about wearing some hardware around their necks during the after-party at Ale House.
4. Calgary: This is another team we get a first look at in October. This group should be battling for a top 5 at CIS and Canwest title in 2009. Like we mentioned in our first installment, they have some great depth, but are lacking that front man or two necessary to keep the points down. Pootz, Cloutier, and Nicol had good runs last weekend, and are valuable 3-5 guys on a medal-winning team. Unfortunately for Lamont, he’s relying on them to be the front 3 right now. With that being said, if these guys can time it right, they have the arsenal behind them to do some serious damage at the Fort. We like what we’re seeing out West right now, with 3 or 4 very good teams battling away and continuing on with some awesome rivalries. Regina and Calgary appear to have the edge right now, but UVic and Alberta usually run well when it counts. What a finish to the season we might see.
5. Regina: OK, so Wiebe has been hurt. Big deal. We are still sticking with this team in the top 5. Baiton is the leading man for CIS ROY right now as he put the hurt on a deep field in Saskatchewan. Kiteley has his opinions, but my vote for Canada’s version of the name Quenton Cassidy is definitely Wyatt Baiton. Wig ran well sticking tough with Calgary’s front two, which gives Regina a bit of an edge on them when/if Wiebe comes back into the line-up. Fyfe is getting better as is Benjamin. This team is relying heavily on the return of Wiebe. If he can step in and be a top 10 guy, they are sitting pretty. However, if he’s not at 100% then the Cougs are in a boatload of trouble. Also, they have no 6th man right now so if anyone goes down, especially their top guy, they are done. Hopefully we haven’t put too much pressure on these guys by ranking them so high all season, and specifically Wiebe who we’ve now called out three reports in a row.
6. UVic: Now what can we take away from UVic’s first appearance of the season? Well, we’ll wager that through 3 men, Uvic will be in the medals on Nov. 14th. Through 5, they will be out of the top 5, however. Pieterson ran well with 32:11, 44 seconds ahead of last year’s 9th place man Mallie. I think this gap is more a result of Pieterson being in top notch shape rather than Mallie having a bad day. That means this squad is likely boasting two All-Canadians. Childs was just 35 seconds back of Mallie, showing he’s probably looking at a top 25 type of finish right now. All this implies the Vikes will be in a titantic battle with X through 3. However; I must warn Coach Fougner and the Vike faithful, you will not be keeping pace with the medal teams when your fourth and fifth come in 90 seconds after your third. That just will not cut it. If this team can shore up this weakness through new additions to the roster, or if the 4 and 5 had off days down in San Diego, then they will yet again be in the medal hunt at CIS.
7. Da Bears: The U of C results don’t tell us a whole lot. Rumours are spreading that Calgary tempoed while it appears U of A went after it destroying them in the team race. Ostapowich had a great run and helps Da Bears immensely as they were in need of another top end lad. Weikum appears to be rounding into form and will probably be battling near the front of the field at Fort Henry. Law, Leboeuf, Lauzon, and Moore are dependable depth men which fortunately for Alberta, is where the important battles will be taking place. The beauty of cross-country is that the most important athletes are the ones who don’t get much attention during the track season. It’s the top guys from XC who are notably successful on the track, but in XC it’s the grinders in the 30s and 40s that can determine the fate of a team. We’ll see if Alberta’s grinders can get it done between 5 and 8k in K-town. If that question can be answered with an unequivocal yes, then and only then, might we see Alberta reclaim the Canwest title from their hated rivals, the Calgary Dinos.
8. Toronto: Finally! RR gives us some indication of who he’s got and what kinda shape they are in. With a weekend off for Del Monte and Pettes, the other group of Varsity Blues stepped up to the plate and took their swing. Davenport had a great run and has announced himself an OUA ROY candidate. Since when does Toronto have fast rookies? Between this guy and Zain Ahmed, the Blues seem to have recruited and aren’t relying entirely on the older generation. Perhaps this is a team to watch out for down the road. Stephen Douglas, the guy with the ugliest running form in the CIS, showed he’s got some base under him with a fine run at Waterloo. Lambert and Murray-Lawson made their debuts with less-than-stellar runs and as a result, this team is a question mark right now. The horses are there to make a move towards the top half of the list, but RR is going to have to pull some magical stuff out of you know where for that to happen.
9. McMaster: All right, all right you guys have made our prestigious top 10. I’m sure these boys were pretty ticked off that they weren’t ranked in the first two installments, but we needed to see where their fitness actually was before we could put them in. Abbott had a great run in Chicago showing that’s ready to challenge for All-Canadian. Yorke has transitioned from his triathloning-ways back to the pure stuff and having most likely taken some downtime in September, I would expect him to get much better over the next 5 weeks. Rookie Taylor Reid (who is this guy?) had a good run in Chicago to put his name on the short list for OUA ROY and is a huge help on a team that is in desparate need of a fifth man. If this group can find someone to fill that whole, they have some potential to move up the Slanders list. I need hardly say that the upcoming Queen’s Invite will be an important clash between Toronto, Mac, and Queen’s to decide who will fill out the OUA podium, and thus who will have an outside shot at CIS hardware.
10. Sherbrooke: JPC and Rachem seem to rollin’ out in Quebec and are likely strong enough to carry this squad to the forefront of the conference at CIS. However, the front may not be enough to win at the Q championshps as there just aren’t enough bodies in the field to make the 1-2 punch enough of a difference-maker. Gahungu, Lavoie, and Day were about a minute behind these two in what looked like a 4-mile race. That’s about 90 seconds over 10km which means the last three scorers on this squad are looking at 60+points each. That’s not going to place a team very well in the CIS, and I’m sure the Sherbrooke guys know this. Like so many teams, this group is relying on a big day from the backend in order to get near the top 5 in the country. The departure of Buzingo and Genest is hurting this team but the beauty of this sport is with one or two gutty performances, Sherbrooke has a fighting chance at upsetting some paper tigers.
Individuals: All-Canadian Pool:
Boorsma (Guelph), Brunsting (Guelph), Parrott (Guelph), Brett (Guelph), Jackson (Guelph), Weston (Win), Sinclair (Win), Keller (Win), Abbott (Mac), Del Monte (TO), O’Neil (UWO), Hulse (Queen’s), Pieterson (UVic), Mallie (UVic), Ostapowich (Alb), Weikum (Alb), Pootz (Cal), Marin (Sask), Baiton (Reg), Wiebe (Reg), Rachem (Sherb), JPC (Sherb), Colle (Con), Michaud (Laval), Gerych (X), McCarron (X), Christie (Dal).
Slanders and Speculations - Volume 1, Issue 4: The Women
October Occurrences:
1. Guelph – This is getting repetitive. The Gryphons remain in the top spot after a ridiculously strong team effort at Paul Short without their number 2 Lalonde. A 2nd place team finish to top 10 D1 team WVU makes this most definitely the strongest Canadian women’s xc team we’ve ever seen. (And we’d say the best CIS women’s team ever, but we don’t want any flack from the old guys (re: everything and everyone 30 years ago was better)). Carson put up a very strong run and looks like she’ll be an absolute force for the individual title. Backed up by solid depth (well, depth on this team, but studs on any other team in the CIS) with 7 runners well under 22 for 6km and a team average of 20:58 for 6km. I think this team would be better off towing the line in the men’s field at CIS if they are up for a challenge. All joking aside, it’s fantastic to see a Canadian squad go down south and thrash big US programs like Wake Forest and NC State.
2. Toronto - Well, considering the plethora of vocal supporters for Calgary, we are going to take some heat for not having them in the top 3, but how can you argue with 4 potential All-Canadians? Brown ran a 77 minute half a week ago, Jewett is rollin’ - running one of the fastest times ever at UWO, and McClure and Gollish ran very well at Waterloo. Interesting fact: all four of these women were CIS Rookies of the Year, in 2000, 2002, 2004, and 2008. This group of 4 may even be able to keep it even with the Gryphs, but the 5-woman will be of utmost importance. Considering the depth of the Guelph squad, we just don’t see the upset happening. A women’s national championship team not starting with the letter ‘G’ would be like Usain Bolt not breaking 10 seconds for the 100m. (oh wait, he came to Toronto and didn’t do that, bad comparison…)
3. Mac Marauders- Another great showing for this team down at Loyola with 5 girls in at 19:10. This team is showing good depth beyond the 5 which will most certainly come in handy when midterms and disrupted residence sleeps catch up to Sneyd’s rookies. Wyman and Pearo fit the part of top 10ers at CIS and that’s what is required for this team to get into the medals. The unfortunate part for Mac and many other elite CIS women’s teams this year is that it appears to be a very strong year on the women’s side. There really are only two team medals up for grabs and there are three teams that would almost definitely be in the medals any other year. Unfortunately, one of them will be left off the stage at the Queen’s cafeteria on Nov. 14th.
4. Dinettes- It appears a pack run was all Lamont sent the troops out to do this past weekend. The group was fairly far back of the leaders, but the ridiculous depth they showed means they have room for error, something that many teams can only dream of. Stenning, Fenton, Kary, and McQueen seem to be fit and suitable to be relied upon for a pretty good score. However, as of yet, this group hasn’t shown any thoroughbreds who are ready to battle in the lead pack at CIS. That one flaw means that the three flawless teams ahead of them will have the upper hand. Those top 3 teams have strong front-runners, and they’ll get their fifth in fairly soon after. Calgary has great depth, but their front-end will lose just a little too much ground to Toronto and Mac to be made up by Kary and McQueen.
5. St. F X- 7 girls under 18:50 on the track...I mean road...I mean grass down at Murray Keating. The times are very impressive; the depth even more so. Preibiscbova was 4th in ’07 and X had 4 others within a minute of her. That’s pretty damn good. Fouskova, MacDonald, Kannenberg, and Bates completed the scoring and will help make this team a strong threat to sneak ever closer to the medals. Coach Chisholm knows what he’s doing, and that gives us some faith that this team will perform better at CIS then they did in Maine. That’s not to say they didn’t run admirably, but anytime we see a team run well down south in early October, it brings back painful memories of our own misguided undergrad cross-country careers. Let’s hope X can keep it together and bring it at CIS so that the East can get some much needed representation at the banquet.
6. UWO- Well, after 3 straight weeks of racing the ‘Stangs are holding strong and seem to be getting better. With a week off now hopefully they can rest their legs from the beating of a grueling race schedule and get back to the long intervals and threshold work. Mockler and Convery had great races in Chicago and provide this team with two low sticks that should be battling for All Canadian spots. That is a huge plus for this team that last year was strong on depth, not front-end skill. This team is better than last year’s 5th place version; however, the strength of the women’s teams is such that they are going to have step it up even more if they are going to get closer to the medals. Another interesting fact: did you know that Bob Vigars has won Women’s Coach of the Year 7 times, more than any other coach in the CIS?
7. Sherby – These ladies dominated the competition at their home meet this weekend. We’re not sure what that’s worth. Sherbrooke had a pack of five runners all within five seconds of each other, which is promising, but these five were 1:20 back from their top runner, Belanger. If Belanger is super fit (ie: first team All-Canadian), this is promising. But 1:20 is a big gap on this short course, and there are going to be a lot of bodies at CI’s filling that gap. We’re always encouraged when we see this sort of pack running, in the hope that it’s evidence of a great group training environment that will lead to some big performances at the end of the season. If this is the case, then that Sherbrooke group could be rolling past a lot of fading runners over the second half of CI’s and securing a solid team finish. But Belagner had better be really rolling or else that 1:20 gap becomes a deal-breaker. With 1 low stick and a capable group a fair ways back, this squad is firmly in the top 10, but needs to improve to move up any higher.
8. Prancers- This squad was only 9 points back of Western in Chicago and appears to be following Coach Fairell’s training plan quite well. Looking back over the years, even a fool can recognize that the Prancers are a program that performs when it matters, and this team is likely no exception. The only hesitation is that this version appears to be relying on some shorter distance athletes, who are far more likely to cave under the pressure of a cold, muddy, ugly day at Fort Henry. Not like those tough, battle-ready distance athletes who salivate at the thought of losing their shoes (and their breakfest) in the mud of a chewed up cross-country course. That being said, this team is good with Pidhoresky and Hunter leading the way with All-star type ability backed up with 10th placeish team depth. This group will lose substantial ground if they can’t shore up the back end a little bit better.
9. Vikes- Nothing has changed on this front having not raced yet this season. This is a storied program that never seems to drop too far down the top 10. They are racing this weekend in San Diego and that should give us some indication of where they stand relative to the rest of the country. No matter who the core is this team always seems to have a couple potential All-Canadians, which they appear to have in Estey and Jean. Two low sticks is good enough that Coach Fougner can go out to the Nordic ski practice (I guess there is no Nordic team at UVic, in which case he’d have to recruit from the women’s soccer team) to get three woman who can race at CIS. This isn’t to say that UVic doesn’t have any depth, but with a solid front end anything is possible.
10. unGolden Gales- A deep team gives this group the potential to capitalize on others’ mistakes. Roney lead the way at UWO in 18:52, with Hutton, Tatlow, and Hulse running as a unit and finishing within 9 seconds of each other. The fifth on this team, Larocque, is a 2-time OUA all star. What’s more, they ran conservatively at Western, clearly holding back in the early stages of the race. We like that. You gain nothing by collapsing from exhaustion at the end of the Western Invitational. The trouble is, this team doesn’t have a big gun…yet. If a lady or two steps up and gets in the mix at the front of the OUA, this team could catapult way up in the team rankings. As it is, though, great depth doesn’t get you very far into the top 10 on the women’s side. Still, if the tame Queen’s homecoming this year (only 250 tickets were given out, and no cars were burned) is any indication, this group is in the right headspace to actually do something at CIS, unlike so many of their predecessors.
11. ‘Toba- A solid team effort at U of S open moves this team into the top 11 this week. Bruckschwaiger lead the way with solid runs from Gregoire and Ginter to get this group within 7 points of Calgary. However, I caution Bison fans: when your fifth runner is 1:40 behind your lead runner, you are in a fair bit of trouble. This group was able to stay close to Calgary, because the field at U of S was small and the bodies were pilling in during that 1:40 at a much slower rate than they will at CIS. A solid run by the front 3 at Griak shows this group is legit, but the back end has to get better if ‘Toba wants any chance of moving up the Slanders’ list.
1. Guelph – This is getting repetitive. The Gryphons remain in the top spot after a ridiculously strong team effort at Paul Short without their number 2 Lalonde. A 2nd place team finish to top 10 D1 team WVU makes this most definitely the strongest Canadian women’s xc team we’ve ever seen. (And we’d say the best CIS women’s team ever, but we don’t want any flack from the old guys (re: everything and everyone 30 years ago was better)). Carson put up a very strong run and looks like she’ll be an absolute force for the individual title. Backed up by solid depth (well, depth on this team, but studs on any other team in the CIS) with 7 runners well under 22 for 6km and a team average of 20:58 for 6km. I think this team would be better off towing the line in the men’s field at CIS if they are up for a challenge. All joking aside, it’s fantastic to see a Canadian squad go down south and thrash big US programs like Wake Forest and NC State.
2. Toronto - Well, considering the plethora of vocal supporters for Calgary, we are going to take some heat for not having them in the top 3, but how can you argue with 4 potential All-Canadians? Brown ran a 77 minute half a week ago, Jewett is rollin’ - running one of the fastest times ever at UWO, and McClure and Gollish ran very well at Waterloo. Interesting fact: all four of these women were CIS Rookies of the Year, in 2000, 2002, 2004, and 2008. This group of 4 may even be able to keep it even with the Gryphs, but the 5-woman will be of utmost importance. Considering the depth of the Guelph squad, we just don’t see the upset happening. A women’s national championship team not starting with the letter ‘G’ would be like Usain Bolt not breaking 10 seconds for the 100m. (oh wait, he came to Toronto and didn’t do that, bad comparison…)
3. Mac Marauders- Another great showing for this team down at Loyola with 5 girls in at 19:10. This team is showing good depth beyond the 5 which will most certainly come in handy when midterms and disrupted residence sleeps catch up to Sneyd’s rookies. Wyman and Pearo fit the part of top 10ers at CIS and that’s what is required for this team to get into the medals. The unfortunate part for Mac and many other elite CIS women’s teams this year is that it appears to be a very strong year on the women’s side. There really are only two team medals up for grabs and there are three teams that would almost definitely be in the medals any other year. Unfortunately, one of them will be left off the stage at the Queen’s cafeteria on Nov. 14th.
4. Dinettes- It appears a pack run was all Lamont sent the troops out to do this past weekend. The group was fairly far back of the leaders, but the ridiculous depth they showed means they have room for error, something that many teams can only dream of. Stenning, Fenton, Kary, and McQueen seem to be fit and suitable to be relied upon for a pretty good score. However, as of yet, this group hasn’t shown any thoroughbreds who are ready to battle in the lead pack at CIS. That one flaw means that the three flawless teams ahead of them will have the upper hand. Those top 3 teams have strong front-runners, and they’ll get their fifth in fairly soon after. Calgary has great depth, but their front-end will lose just a little too much ground to Toronto and Mac to be made up by Kary and McQueen.
5. St. F X- 7 girls under 18:50 on the track...I mean road...I mean grass down at Murray Keating. The times are very impressive; the depth even more so. Preibiscbova was 4th in ’07 and X had 4 others within a minute of her. That’s pretty damn good. Fouskova, MacDonald, Kannenberg, and Bates completed the scoring and will help make this team a strong threat to sneak ever closer to the medals. Coach Chisholm knows what he’s doing, and that gives us some faith that this team will perform better at CIS then they did in Maine. That’s not to say they didn’t run admirably, but anytime we see a team run well down south in early October, it brings back painful memories of our own misguided undergrad cross-country careers. Let’s hope X can keep it together and bring it at CIS so that the East can get some much needed representation at the banquet.
6. UWO- Well, after 3 straight weeks of racing the ‘Stangs are holding strong and seem to be getting better. With a week off now hopefully they can rest their legs from the beating of a grueling race schedule and get back to the long intervals and threshold work. Mockler and Convery had great races in Chicago and provide this team with two low sticks that should be battling for All Canadian spots. That is a huge plus for this team that last year was strong on depth, not front-end skill. This team is better than last year’s 5th place version; however, the strength of the women’s teams is such that they are going to have step it up even more if they are going to get closer to the medals. Another interesting fact: did you know that Bob Vigars has won Women’s Coach of the Year 7 times, more than any other coach in the CIS?
7. Sherby – These ladies dominated the competition at their home meet this weekend. We’re not sure what that’s worth. Sherbrooke had a pack of five runners all within five seconds of each other, which is promising, but these five were 1:20 back from their top runner, Belanger. If Belanger is super fit (ie: first team All-Canadian), this is promising. But 1:20 is a big gap on this short course, and there are going to be a lot of bodies at CI’s filling that gap. We’re always encouraged when we see this sort of pack running, in the hope that it’s evidence of a great group training environment that will lead to some big performances at the end of the season. If this is the case, then that Sherbrooke group could be rolling past a lot of fading runners over the second half of CI’s and securing a solid team finish. But Belagner had better be really rolling or else that 1:20 gap becomes a deal-breaker. With 1 low stick and a capable group a fair ways back, this squad is firmly in the top 10, but needs to improve to move up any higher.
8. Prancers- This squad was only 9 points back of Western in Chicago and appears to be following Coach Fairell’s training plan quite well. Looking back over the years, even a fool can recognize that the Prancers are a program that performs when it matters, and this team is likely no exception. The only hesitation is that this version appears to be relying on some shorter distance athletes, who are far more likely to cave under the pressure of a cold, muddy, ugly day at Fort Henry. Not like those tough, battle-ready distance athletes who salivate at the thought of losing their shoes (and their breakfest) in the mud of a chewed up cross-country course. That being said, this team is good with Pidhoresky and Hunter leading the way with All-star type ability backed up with 10th placeish team depth. This group will lose substantial ground if they can’t shore up the back end a little bit better.
9. Vikes- Nothing has changed on this front having not raced yet this season. This is a storied program that never seems to drop too far down the top 10. They are racing this weekend in San Diego and that should give us some indication of where they stand relative to the rest of the country. No matter who the core is this team always seems to have a couple potential All-Canadians, which they appear to have in Estey and Jean. Two low sticks is good enough that Coach Fougner can go out to the Nordic ski practice (I guess there is no Nordic team at UVic, in which case he’d have to recruit from the women’s soccer team) to get three woman who can race at CIS. This isn’t to say that UVic doesn’t have any depth, but with a solid front end anything is possible.
10. unGolden Gales- A deep team gives this group the potential to capitalize on others’ mistakes. Roney lead the way at UWO in 18:52, with Hutton, Tatlow, and Hulse running as a unit and finishing within 9 seconds of each other. The fifth on this team, Larocque, is a 2-time OUA all star. What’s more, they ran conservatively at Western, clearly holding back in the early stages of the race. We like that. You gain nothing by collapsing from exhaustion at the end of the Western Invitational. The trouble is, this team doesn’t have a big gun…yet. If a lady or two steps up and gets in the mix at the front of the OUA, this team could catapult way up in the team rankings. As it is, though, great depth doesn’t get you very far into the top 10 on the women’s side. Still, if the tame Queen’s homecoming this year (only 250 tickets were given out, and no cars were burned) is any indication, this group is in the right headspace to actually do something at CIS, unlike so many of their predecessors.
11. ‘Toba- A solid team effort at U of S open moves this team into the top 11 this week. Bruckschwaiger lead the way with solid runs from Gregoire and Ginter to get this group within 7 points of Calgary. However, I caution Bison fans: when your fifth runner is 1:40 behind your lead runner, you are in a fair bit of trouble. This group was able to stay close to Calgary, because the field at U of S was small and the bodies were pilling in during that 1:40 at a much slower rate than they will at CIS. A solid run by the front 3 at Griak shows this group is legit, but the back end has to get better if ‘Toba wants any chance of moving up the Slanders’ list.
Salnders and Speculations - Volume 1, Issue 3: The Men
``Slanders and Speculations: Assorted Writings and Prognostications regarding CIS cross country competion, by Jeff Barr and Rob Kitz (Being two gentlemen of much learnedness and CIS Experience)`
The Men: Installment the Second.
1. Guelph: A partial Guelph squad was easily the top Canadian team at Western (albeit Windsor was also missing a few runners) and there’s no reason to think that anyone will challenge them. Allan Brett spent the first half of the race lying in the weeds, but came on strong over the second half for a creditable 4th place finish. Parrot and Jackson also snuck into the top 10 with conservative racing strategies. Koziarski and the young Alex Hinton performed creditably, and would be a welcome addition to many a CIS team’s top 5, though I expect that they’ll be knocked out of their scoring positions when the full Gryphons roster toes the line. Hopefully the battle for the final championship spots on this squad doesn’t wreak havoc with the peaking of the Gryphon machine…
2. Windsor: The Western Invite is a jagged shoal, upon which many a fine ship has foundered. Weston was in good form this weekend, dispatching all challengers with ease; let’s hope that this doesn’t turn out to be the highpoint of his season. On the whole, the Lancers were impressive this weekend. Aguanno and “Oscar” Meyer proved themselves dependable scorers with their 12th and 13th finishes. Add Sinclair, Kellar, and Henshaw to that mix, and you’ve got yourself a nice little roster. I will put a bit of question mark beside Kellar, though, given that he’s on his way to Lebanon to race the 1500; that may not be compatible with an ideal cross country training plan. I also question if we’ve seen the full Lancer roster as of yet. One wonders if they might get an old guy (Old guy, Def: one who was born before 1983 and / or started their undergrad before 2002) to come back for one more kick at the can.
3. St. F X: It would be silly to get excited about a bunch of 26 minute 8K’s at the St F X Invitational. That’s not interesting, even by Antigonish standards. And yet… X had their top 5 finish this race within 20 seconds of each other. One of those guys, David Gerych (X’s second finisher), was 3rd at CI’s last year. The only other runner able to keep up with the X Men was Russel Christie, a 3-time All-Canadian. Their fifth man, Brent Addison, was 32nd at CI’s last year. Hopefully, X will show us what they’re capable of at Murray Keating this coming weekend, but until then I take this as a very positive result. My only caveat is that it’s a significant gap back to their sixth runner, so all five of these X-Men will have to be in good form come November. If they put it all together, they will be in position to come home with another team medal.
4. Regina: What could have been in 2008? It doesn’t matter now, as this is 2009, and Baiton and Wig have taken the Cougars’ fate into their own hands. Alberta was number 1 in our pre-season Canwest analysis, but with fantastic runs by the aforementioned athletes Regina moves up to remove the target from Da Bear’s backs. 25:47 and 26:12 on a slow day at Roy Griak (which is NOT a fast course, come to think of it I think Kunter ran 25:10ish when he was 2nd in Victoria) for the lead Cougars bodes very well for their front end. Keep in mind, Wiebe hasn’t raced yet, perhaps to save himself for later in the season. Good to see the young guy is learning from last year when he was tearin’ it up early and faltered late. Fyfe and Benjammin need to get it rolling. If this team has any hope of medaling, they are going to need to have the 4-5 in under 40th.
UVic: This team moves up with the HUGE addition of Pieterson (14:30 for 5km) from UNB. Along with Mallie, these two form a ridiculously strong top 2 that we won’t see in action until Oct. 10th in San Diego. As usual, this group will be running fast times down south and there won’t be much of a reference point with which the rest of the CIS can compare UVic. Cliff Childs and Karl Robertson make this team very deep through 4, but again the 5-man needs to step up to bring the Vikes into the medals. They have the thouroughbreds to be in the hunt for a podium, but to be safe one must hope that Coach Fougner has convinced a former Vike or Olympic triathlete to don the Blue and Gold this fall. If not, I fear the fate of the Vikes will be deteremined by their ability (or inability) to tough it out during the later loops on the famed Fort Henry course. That course will make a man out of anyone… even a Vike!
6. UWO: It’s starting to look like this paper tiger has no claws. Emberley is out for the season with injury. So is Armstrong. The various handsome and talented distance runners seen looping / lurking about Gibbons Park aren't actually running for the team. O’Neil didn’t look great on his home course this weekend, but he ran a solid race and continues to be the real deal in my books. Huff did what he needs to do, but Suda, Komer, and Smith are going to need to step it up in November. Like so many Mustang teams before them, this group has the talent to battle for a medal, but whether or not they can reproduce their early season form when it matters remains to be seen.
7. Da Bears: The Edmonton Thunder message board tells me Da Bears have been putting in the miles and like so many Bears teams before them do not plan on racing in the early season. Perhaps this is the reason why on most occasions these Western teams come into the championships and are able to outperform expectations. While the OUA teams are hammering away at the Thames, Alberta xc runners are nailing 60 minute progression runs and 6x12mins. with 30s rest at 10km pace. No, this is not a lie. We won’t know more about this team, and likely a few other Canwest teams before this coming weekend. If history is any indication, watch for this team to capitalize on the mistakes of some Ontario teams to hold their position in the second tier of the CIS.
8. Laval: Maybe we got the boys fired up two weeks ago with our first report, because Laval impressed at the McGill open. They got some nice scalps by edging out UWO (who were sitting a few top guys) and blowing out Queen’s on Mount Royal. Michaud put his name in the “Prospective All-Canadian” pile with a strong 2nd place and was backed up well by mid-distance man Tommy Lecours. Fournier-Dufour also ran well but the 4-5 men were too far back for this team to move into the top 5. The team battle in the Q is developing with JPC and Baghdad Rachem also having strong runs in the last few weeks for Sherbrooke. For now, the less-weak depth on the Laval squad solifies them as the top team in the Q, and therefore one of the top 10 teams in the country.
9. Queen’s: A big run by Clay Patterson this weekend really helps the Gaels’ prospects. I think that this was a breakthrough race for him, not a one-off, and that his future is bright. As for the rest of the team, Matt Hulse continues to impress, though it would seem that the 6km distance at McGill suited him better than the full 10km at Western. Walmsley suffered a similar fate, fading significantly in the last mile. I prescribe 8 X 1 mile on 1:00 rest to make these boys strong. Potvin looked good just barely being outkicked by archrival Pettes (Toronto), but the Gaels need another runner in the same range as these 4. Supposedly, this triathlete guy they’ve got is going to fill this gap (He’s run 29:45 for 10km in a triathlon, so he’d likely have been under 34 on Saturday…).
10. U of T: A long, mid-distance focused track season this summer certainly does not appear to have damaged Del Monte’s cross country preparations. He came charging hard over the last km to finish second behind Weston. Impossible to say whether that order would be reversed in a most-luxurious-hair competition. But what of the rest of the Blues? Adrian Lambert was spotted amongst the spectators, back from his sojourn in the Italian Alps, with the sunken cheeks, scraggly beard, and piercing stare of the chamois hunter. In his hands, he clutched an enormous bag of gummy bears. “I buy them in bulk,” he explained to me. “It’s more economical.” I do not know how this will translate to XC fitness. Pettes and Nicholl had solid runs at the Thames while rookie Zain Ahmed ran well at Guelph last week. Rumour has it Stephen Douglas was called into the operating room last minute and wasn’t able to race this past weekend as a result. If he doesn’t cut back on the extracurriculars, the Varsity Blues will be in for a tough ride at OUAs with Queen’s making its presence felt at Western.
The Men: Installment the Second.
1. Guelph: A partial Guelph squad was easily the top Canadian team at Western (albeit Windsor was also missing a few runners) and there’s no reason to think that anyone will challenge them. Allan Brett spent the first half of the race lying in the weeds, but came on strong over the second half for a creditable 4th place finish. Parrot and Jackson also snuck into the top 10 with conservative racing strategies. Koziarski and the young Alex Hinton performed creditably, and would be a welcome addition to many a CIS team’s top 5, though I expect that they’ll be knocked out of their scoring positions when the full Gryphons roster toes the line. Hopefully the battle for the final championship spots on this squad doesn’t wreak havoc with the peaking of the Gryphon machine…
2. Windsor: The Western Invite is a jagged shoal, upon which many a fine ship has foundered. Weston was in good form this weekend, dispatching all challengers with ease; let’s hope that this doesn’t turn out to be the highpoint of his season. On the whole, the Lancers were impressive this weekend. Aguanno and “Oscar” Meyer proved themselves dependable scorers with their 12th and 13th finishes. Add Sinclair, Kellar, and Henshaw to that mix, and you’ve got yourself a nice little roster. I will put a bit of question mark beside Kellar, though, given that he’s on his way to Lebanon to race the 1500; that may not be compatible with an ideal cross country training plan. I also question if we’ve seen the full Lancer roster as of yet. One wonders if they might get an old guy (Old guy, Def: one who was born before 1983 and / or started their undergrad before 2002) to come back for one more kick at the can.
3. St. F X: It would be silly to get excited about a bunch of 26 minute 8K’s at the St F X Invitational. That’s not interesting, even by Antigonish standards. And yet… X had their top 5 finish this race within 20 seconds of each other. One of those guys, David Gerych (X’s second finisher), was 3rd at CI’s last year. The only other runner able to keep up with the X Men was Russel Christie, a 3-time All-Canadian. Their fifth man, Brent Addison, was 32nd at CI’s last year. Hopefully, X will show us what they’re capable of at Murray Keating this coming weekend, but until then I take this as a very positive result. My only caveat is that it’s a significant gap back to their sixth runner, so all five of these X-Men will have to be in good form come November. If they put it all together, they will be in position to come home with another team medal.
4. Regina: What could have been in 2008? It doesn’t matter now, as this is 2009, and Baiton and Wig have taken the Cougars’ fate into their own hands. Alberta was number 1 in our pre-season Canwest analysis, but with fantastic runs by the aforementioned athletes Regina moves up to remove the target from Da Bear’s backs. 25:47 and 26:12 on a slow day at Roy Griak (which is NOT a fast course, come to think of it I think Kunter ran 25:10ish when he was 2nd in Victoria) for the lead Cougars bodes very well for their front end. Keep in mind, Wiebe hasn’t raced yet, perhaps to save himself for later in the season. Good to see the young guy is learning from last year when he was tearin’ it up early and faltered late. Fyfe and Benjammin need to get it rolling. If this team has any hope of medaling, they are going to need to have the 4-5 in under 40th.
UVic: This team moves up with the HUGE addition of Pieterson (14:30 for 5km) from UNB. Along with Mallie, these two form a ridiculously strong top 2 that we won’t see in action until Oct. 10th in San Diego. As usual, this group will be running fast times down south and there won’t be much of a reference point with which the rest of the CIS can compare UVic. Cliff Childs and Karl Robertson make this team very deep through 4, but again the 5-man needs to step up to bring the Vikes into the medals. They have the thouroughbreds to be in the hunt for a podium, but to be safe one must hope that Coach Fougner has convinced a former Vike or Olympic triathlete to don the Blue and Gold this fall. If not, I fear the fate of the Vikes will be deteremined by their ability (or inability) to tough it out during the later loops on the famed Fort Henry course. That course will make a man out of anyone… even a Vike!
6. UWO: It’s starting to look like this paper tiger has no claws. Emberley is out for the season with injury. So is Armstrong. The various handsome and talented distance runners seen looping / lurking about Gibbons Park aren't actually running for the team. O’Neil didn’t look great on his home course this weekend, but he ran a solid race and continues to be the real deal in my books. Huff did what he needs to do, but Suda, Komer, and Smith are going to need to step it up in November. Like so many Mustang teams before them, this group has the talent to battle for a medal, but whether or not they can reproduce their early season form when it matters remains to be seen.
7. Da Bears: The Edmonton Thunder message board tells me Da Bears have been putting in the miles and like so many Bears teams before them do not plan on racing in the early season. Perhaps this is the reason why on most occasions these Western teams come into the championships and are able to outperform expectations. While the OUA teams are hammering away at the Thames, Alberta xc runners are nailing 60 minute progression runs and 6x12mins. with 30s rest at 10km pace. No, this is not a lie. We won’t know more about this team, and likely a few other Canwest teams before this coming weekend. If history is any indication, watch for this team to capitalize on the mistakes of some Ontario teams to hold their position in the second tier of the CIS.
8. Laval: Maybe we got the boys fired up two weeks ago with our first report, because Laval impressed at the McGill open. They got some nice scalps by edging out UWO (who were sitting a few top guys) and blowing out Queen’s on Mount Royal. Michaud put his name in the “Prospective All-Canadian” pile with a strong 2nd place and was backed up well by mid-distance man Tommy Lecours. Fournier-Dufour also ran well but the 4-5 men were too far back for this team to move into the top 5. The team battle in the Q is developing with JPC and Baghdad Rachem also having strong runs in the last few weeks for Sherbrooke. For now, the less-weak depth on the Laval squad solifies them as the top team in the Q, and therefore one of the top 10 teams in the country.
9. Queen’s: A big run by Clay Patterson this weekend really helps the Gaels’ prospects. I think that this was a breakthrough race for him, not a one-off, and that his future is bright. As for the rest of the team, Matt Hulse continues to impress, though it would seem that the 6km distance at McGill suited him better than the full 10km at Western. Walmsley suffered a similar fate, fading significantly in the last mile. I prescribe 8 X 1 mile on 1:00 rest to make these boys strong. Potvin looked good just barely being outkicked by archrival Pettes (Toronto), but the Gaels need another runner in the same range as these 4. Supposedly, this triathlete guy they’ve got is going to fill this gap (He’s run 29:45 for 10km in a triathlon, so he’d likely have been under 34 on Saturday…).
10. U of T: A long, mid-distance focused track season this summer certainly does not appear to have damaged Del Monte’s cross country preparations. He came charging hard over the last km to finish second behind Weston. Impossible to say whether that order would be reversed in a most-luxurious-hair competition. But what of the rest of the Blues? Adrian Lambert was spotted amongst the spectators, back from his sojourn in the Italian Alps, with the sunken cheeks, scraggly beard, and piercing stare of the chamois hunter. In his hands, he clutched an enormous bag of gummy bears. “I buy them in bulk,” he explained to me. “It’s more economical.” I do not know how this will translate to XC fitness. Pettes and Nicholl had solid runs at the Thames while rookie Zain Ahmed ran well at Guelph last week. Rumour has it Stephen Douglas was called into the operating room last minute and wasn’t able to race this past weekend as a result. If he doesn’t cut back on the extracurriculars, the Varsity Blues will be in for a tough ride at OUAs with Queen’s making its presence felt at Western.
Slanders and Speculations - Volume 1, Issue 2: 2009 Season Preview; The Women
The wait is Over. Welcome to the Ladies' Edition of ``Slanders and Speculations: Assorted Writings and Prognostications regarding CIS cross country competion, by Jeff Barr and Rob Kitz (Being two gentlemen of much learnedness and CIS Experience)``. We hope that you will find the following edifying.
First Instalment: Early Season Eagerness
1.Q: What is the only 2009 CIS team more dominant then the Gryphon men?
A: The Gryphon Women.
Don’t you hate when you get asked a question on an exam, and to you the answer is pretty simple, but then the professor asks you to “explain” why? In this case, the explanation is pretty simple. 2007 CIS XC CHAMP Carson is back after a 3rd in 2008. Follow that up with Gen Lalonde who is fresh off of a trip to world cross-country, Courtney Laurie (9:43, 16:29) and 3-time All-Canadian Rachael Cliff. Now, the lynch-pin for any cross-country team is the fifth, and Guelph has about a dozen girls who can fill that role. Pick any one of Vahie, Frost, Frost, McIver, Mildren, or Furtado, all of whom are 4:3something 1500 runners or past National team members. Is this a good enough explanation?
2. McMaster: Here is a young team that made a giant leap last year led by OUA women’s coach of the year Rory Sneyd. All-Canadians Pearo and Wyman are back as is OUA All-Star Anderson. These three form a very strong front-end that will be backed up very well by Giovannetti and newcomers Coates and Giles, who are both top 15 OFSAA XC recruits. Mac seems to be turning into a distance-powerhouse, which shouldn’t come as a surprise. The trails and greenspace along with the fantastic new indoor facility provide amazing traning locations for any promising distance runner. The hard-nosed steeltown work ethic is something that any Mac runner will develop over their undergrad and serves them well out on the XC course.
3. Calgary Dinos: The only team to break up the OUA domination last fall, the DINOS are back with major losses on the front-end, but a group that on paper appears to be ready to tackle the CANWEST once more. Leading the way will be near-miss All-Canadian Querrenguesser, 4:37 1500 runner McQueen, and Stenning (4:37, 9:47). This is one of the strongest top 3’s in the CIS and they backed up with former All-Canadian McNicoll and a group of capable youngsters. Like the men, this is a team that brings their A-game on the right day so I say watch out Coach Ross and Coach Sneyd, Lamont’s girls will be charging in the last 1000m in K-town!
4. Toronto: Back are the formidable top 3 of Brown, Jewett, and McClure. All three were first-team All-Canadians in 2008 and made up the best 1-2-3 punch in the country. RR has brought in a solid transfer in Elonnai Hickok from the US; however, I hesitate to put this team in the top 3 because of the most important piece of the puzzle: number 5. I’m told that Van Veghal recruited hard in the off-season and this team has picked up some strong depth for that 5-spot, but rumours don’t mean squat. In the words of Jerry McGuire, show me the money! The battle for silver and bronze is going to be intense. For now, the Blues are 4th, but the jump to silver will be come down to pure guts baby!!
5. Victoria: The Vikes lose the leadership and experience of Marilyn Arsenault, and that’s a tough blow, but it’s a good program with enough solid runners to easily be within the top 10. Rookie Laura Estey is coming to Victoria after qualifying for World Cross last year, and she should make an impact down the road. It remains to be seen how she handles to transition to university running. Claire Jean will be looking to improve on last year’s 30th place finish, and should be able to do so if she can avoid falling down any manholes (or, if she does fall down a manhole, she should be able to improve on last year’s finish in a teenage mutant ninja turtles – type situation) (Super powers, I mean). Roske, Skinner, and Moran will provide competent support for the all-important 3-4-5 positions. Like the men’s team race, after the first four there appears to be 5 or 6 teams battling for the 5th spot. I think it’s a rule that UVic has to be ranked in the top 5 in the pre-season poll so, for now, Vikes in 5th.
6. St F X: Led by Monika Preibischova (4th at CIs in ’07, though only 22nd last year), the X-Women, like so many teams, will stand or fall based on their depth. After a Bronze medal in 2007, this team slipped to 9th last year, with their 5th runner coming in 94th. Now they’re losing their top finisher from last year, two-time All Canadian Gina Stewart, and they can even less afford high finishes from their 4th and 5th runners. They had a good pack running together at their home meet this weekend, and if the X-Women can work together through the season they can show up at CI’s with a solid squad, but this team doesn’t have the star power to carry a scorer outside of the top 50. These ladies will also have to be wary of the corrupting influence of heart-throb transfer / workout stud John Corbit.
7. Windsor: The Lancers program is too good for this team to be outside of the top ten. This squad features lots of decent runners but no standouts. Their top finishers from last year are finished. Raeleen Hunter and Dayna Pidhoresky will be looking to lead the team, neither one of them a sure thing top finisher, but I’m told that they’re both gearing up for big seasons. They’ve got a slew of new recruits bringing in new energy and pushing everyone forward, and lots of veteran mid-packers on the squad. If a couple of the veterans can step it up and have some big races, and the rookies can hold things together through the season, the Lancers will be strong come November.
8. UWO: A strong 5th last year for Vigars’ squad, however there are some big losses in ’09. Gone are Fox, Van Veen, and Guiliani and according to the UWO pre-season intersquad, this team hasn’t shored up the losses as well as one would hope. 1-2 will likely be Mockler and Convery (17th and 19th, respectively, in Quebec) with rookies Knox, Desjardins, and Cummings filling in the later scorers. Expect to see some older athletes move into these top five positions as the season wears on as the rookies’ inexperience starts to tax them. On paper, it will be a surprise if this team fights its way into the top tier come November.
9. McGill: What will Barrett pull out in 2009? They lose Brittany Therien and Christina Lobasso, but Myrand is back and they’ve also returned Puel, Beatty, Pontoreau-Bazinet, and Lajeunesse whom all have CIS experience. This team has been the dominant female team in the Q for the last 20 years and after a down year last year, appears to be ready to bring some glory back to campus. The conference should be a tight affair again in 2009 for the team title as Laval should be strong as will be a vastly-improved Concordia. The winner of the conference will lock into number 9 in the CIS, and given the history of the Martlets, we are going with them in the pre-season polls.
10. Da Pandas: To start, I must say there is no better person to consult with on CIS xc then Harry Moore. Thanks for bailing us out Mr. Moore. Da Pandas are back from 12th in ’08 and ready to crack the top 10. Led by recent World U23 Tri bronze medalist Paula Findlay (2-time All-Canadian) and Snatcheson, this team appears to have a solid 1-2 punch. Beyound this, they are relying on some fast 4x800m runners. But, one must keep in mind, that the previously-referred to mid-distance, half-tight wearing nancy boys (er.. girls) can get through a 5km a heck of a lot easier than the 10km. Therefore, we feel some expectation can be placed on the 4x8 runners that Alberta seems to be relying on this fall. The Vikes, Lancers, and Mustangs of the world better be looking over their shoulder’s for some Green and Gold in the last 500m on Nov. 14th, don’t say we didn’t warn you!
11. Queen’s: What is the price of a much-needed indoor track in Kingston? Apparently more than $250 million. Luckily, those things aren’t useful during cross-country as coach Bolton loves the tempo. No track needed in this visionaries’ training plan. The loss of Sexton (5th in 07) hurts this squad in a big way however the loss might just be made up for with the addition of Matt Hulse’s sister, Stephanie. A two-time top 10 OFSAA XC athlete who is a true cross-country stallion. Another pick-up is a transfer from UVic named Tricia who runs 37 minutes for 10km. Larocque (OUA All Star in 07 and 08) and Miller provide viable options in the 3 and 4 spots. The depth on this squad is good (about 15 girls who can run near 20 minutes for 5km) and gives them a fighting chance at moving into the top 10.
First Instalment: Early Season Eagerness
1.Q: What is the only 2009 CIS team more dominant then the Gryphon men?
A: The Gryphon Women.
Don’t you hate when you get asked a question on an exam, and to you the answer is pretty simple, but then the professor asks you to “explain” why? In this case, the explanation is pretty simple. 2007 CIS XC CHAMP Carson is back after a 3rd in 2008. Follow that up with Gen Lalonde who is fresh off of a trip to world cross-country, Courtney Laurie (9:43, 16:29) and 3-time All-Canadian Rachael Cliff. Now, the lynch-pin for any cross-country team is the fifth, and Guelph has about a dozen girls who can fill that role. Pick any one of Vahie, Frost, Frost, McIver, Mildren, or Furtado, all of whom are 4:3something 1500 runners or past National team members. Is this a good enough explanation?
2. McMaster: Here is a young team that made a giant leap last year led by OUA women’s coach of the year Rory Sneyd. All-Canadians Pearo and Wyman are back as is OUA All-Star Anderson. These three form a very strong front-end that will be backed up very well by Giovannetti and newcomers Coates and Giles, who are both top 15 OFSAA XC recruits. Mac seems to be turning into a distance-powerhouse, which shouldn’t come as a surprise. The trails and greenspace along with the fantastic new indoor facility provide amazing traning locations for any promising distance runner. The hard-nosed steeltown work ethic is something that any Mac runner will develop over their undergrad and serves them well out on the XC course.
3. Calgary Dinos: The only team to break up the OUA domination last fall, the DINOS are back with major losses on the front-end, but a group that on paper appears to be ready to tackle the CANWEST once more. Leading the way will be near-miss All-Canadian Querrenguesser, 4:37 1500 runner McQueen, and Stenning (4:37, 9:47). This is one of the strongest top 3’s in the CIS and they backed up with former All-Canadian McNicoll and a group of capable youngsters. Like the men, this is a team that brings their A-game on the right day so I say watch out Coach Ross and Coach Sneyd, Lamont’s girls will be charging in the last 1000m in K-town!
4. Toronto: Back are the formidable top 3 of Brown, Jewett, and McClure. All three were first-team All-Canadians in 2008 and made up the best 1-2-3 punch in the country. RR has brought in a solid transfer in Elonnai Hickok from the US; however, I hesitate to put this team in the top 3 because of the most important piece of the puzzle: number 5. I’m told that Van Veghal recruited hard in the off-season and this team has picked up some strong depth for that 5-spot, but rumours don’t mean squat. In the words of Jerry McGuire, show me the money! The battle for silver and bronze is going to be intense. For now, the Blues are 4th, but the jump to silver will be come down to pure guts baby!!
5. Victoria: The Vikes lose the leadership and experience of Marilyn Arsenault, and that’s a tough blow, but it’s a good program with enough solid runners to easily be within the top 10. Rookie Laura Estey is coming to Victoria after qualifying for World Cross last year, and she should make an impact down the road. It remains to be seen how she handles to transition to university running. Claire Jean will be looking to improve on last year’s 30th place finish, and should be able to do so if she can avoid falling down any manholes (or, if she does fall down a manhole, she should be able to improve on last year’s finish in a teenage mutant ninja turtles – type situation) (Super powers, I mean). Roske, Skinner, and Moran will provide competent support for the all-important 3-4-5 positions. Like the men’s team race, after the first four there appears to be 5 or 6 teams battling for the 5th spot. I think it’s a rule that UVic has to be ranked in the top 5 in the pre-season poll so, for now, Vikes in 5th.
6. St F X: Led by Monika Preibischova (4th at CIs in ’07, though only 22nd last year), the X-Women, like so many teams, will stand or fall based on their depth. After a Bronze medal in 2007, this team slipped to 9th last year, with their 5th runner coming in 94th. Now they’re losing their top finisher from last year, two-time All Canadian Gina Stewart, and they can even less afford high finishes from their 4th and 5th runners. They had a good pack running together at their home meet this weekend, and if the X-Women can work together through the season they can show up at CI’s with a solid squad, but this team doesn’t have the star power to carry a scorer outside of the top 50. These ladies will also have to be wary of the corrupting influence of heart-throb transfer / workout stud John Corbit.
7. Windsor: The Lancers program is too good for this team to be outside of the top ten. This squad features lots of decent runners but no standouts. Their top finishers from last year are finished. Raeleen Hunter and Dayna Pidhoresky will be looking to lead the team, neither one of them a sure thing top finisher, but I’m told that they’re both gearing up for big seasons. They’ve got a slew of new recruits bringing in new energy and pushing everyone forward, and lots of veteran mid-packers on the squad. If a couple of the veterans can step it up and have some big races, and the rookies can hold things together through the season, the Lancers will be strong come November.
8. UWO: A strong 5th last year for Vigars’ squad, however there are some big losses in ’09. Gone are Fox, Van Veen, and Guiliani and according to the UWO pre-season intersquad, this team hasn’t shored up the losses as well as one would hope. 1-2 will likely be Mockler and Convery (17th and 19th, respectively, in Quebec) with rookies Knox, Desjardins, and Cummings filling in the later scorers. Expect to see some older athletes move into these top five positions as the season wears on as the rookies’ inexperience starts to tax them. On paper, it will be a surprise if this team fights its way into the top tier come November.
9. McGill: What will Barrett pull out in 2009? They lose Brittany Therien and Christina Lobasso, but Myrand is back and they’ve also returned Puel, Beatty, Pontoreau-Bazinet, and Lajeunesse whom all have CIS experience. This team has been the dominant female team in the Q for the last 20 years and after a down year last year, appears to be ready to bring some glory back to campus. The conference should be a tight affair again in 2009 for the team title as Laval should be strong as will be a vastly-improved Concordia. The winner of the conference will lock into number 9 in the CIS, and given the history of the Martlets, we are going with them in the pre-season polls.
10. Da Pandas: To start, I must say there is no better person to consult with on CIS xc then Harry Moore. Thanks for bailing us out Mr. Moore. Da Pandas are back from 12th in ’08 and ready to crack the top 10. Led by recent World U23 Tri bronze medalist Paula Findlay (2-time All-Canadian) and Snatcheson, this team appears to have a solid 1-2 punch. Beyound this, they are relying on some fast 4x800m runners. But, one must keep in mind, that the previously-referred to mid-distance, half-tight wearing nancy boys (er.. girls) can get through a 5km a heck of a lot easier than the 10km. Therefore, we feel some expectation can be placed on the 4x8 runners that Alberta seems to be relying on this fall. The Vikes, Lancers, and Mustangs of the world better be looking over their shoulder’s for some Green and Gold in the last 500m on Nov. 14th, don’t say we didn’t warn you!
11. Queen’s: What is the price of a much-needed indoor track in Kingston? Apparently more than $250 million. Luckily, those things aren’t useful during cross-country as coach Bolton loves the tempo. No track needed in this visionaries’ training plan. The loss of Sexton (5th in 07) hurts this squad in a big way however the loss might just be made up for with the addition of Matt Hulse’s sister, Stephanie. A two-time top 10 OFSAA XC athlete who is a true cross-country stallion. Another pick-up is a transfer from UVic named Tricia who runs 37 minutes for 10km. Larocque (OUA All Star in 07 and 08) and Miller provide viable options in the 3 and 4 spots. The depth on this squad is good (about 15 girls who can run near 20 minutes for 5km) and gives them a fighting chance at moving into the top 10.
Slanders and Speculations - Volume 1, Issue 1: 2009 Season Preview; The Men
Hello all, and welcome to the first edition of ``Slanders and Speculations: Assorted Writings and Prognostications regarding CIS cross country competion, by Jeff Barr and Rob Kitz (Being two gentlemen of much learnedness and CIS Experience)`` Obviously, we`ve inherited the format from the Kitely-McInnes reports of yesteryears, and I need hardly say that we are both intimidated and inspired by their great example. But we`re going to do our best, and, with your help, we think this can be pretty good. “What help?” you ask? We are looking – always looking - for more information. Whether material or immaterial to your XC hopes, we want to know more about your teams. So send whatever you can to this tnfnorth account. And note that we are more than willing to be taken in by hoaxes and tall-tales, provided that your lies are amusing.
The Report will be published more or less bi-weekly, depending on our convenience.
Finally, the absence of any mention of the women`s teams is a glaring flaw in our efforts. We`re working on it. Jeff and I have a hard time speaking to women, so we`re short on information, but we should have something out soon.
And so, our Rankings of the Men`s CIS XC Teams:
First Instalment: Frosh-Week Frenzy
1. Guelph Gryph: Well, what can be said about a team that scored 27 points in 2008? “I hope they graduated all 7?” This team is looking for a fourth title in a row and looks to be about as dangerous as ever. Led by 4-minute miler Bling-Boom-Boorsma and Matt “I can run track” Brunstring this team looks unstoppable. Throw in 2008 OUA XC champ Brett (yes, I am putting him down in the 3rd spot on this team; scary, isn’t it?), 2008 OUA ROY Rob Jackson, and 2008 OUA All-star John Parrott and you have a dominant team in the making. Support is added by the younger-Kozi, newcomer Alex Hinton and a whole lotta other solid rookies. This team is absolutely dominant on paper and has the history to back it up.
2. Windsor Lancers: Is it any surprise who is in the 2-spot? This team has been the most powerful and consistent squad in the CIS over the past decade… other than Guelph. Assuming Dave “Mantracker” Weston hasn’t had too many pints at the Madison over the summer he should be a medal-contender. Follow that up with 2008 All-Canadian Sinclair, OUA All-stars Adam Keller, Andrew “I don’t know to spell your last name” Aguanno, Phil Dalton, Alex Meyer, and Mark “world cross” Henshaw. Yeah, that’s a deep team. Coach Fairell peaks his boys well and with this arsenal who knows how good the 2009 Lancer edition can be?
3. St. FX: What a year it was for these boys in 2008. A total team effort led to a somewhat-surprising team silver in Quebec City, and I bet these boys are back to prove it wasn’t a fluke. Rumour has it that Coach Chisolm has been flipping through his mail-order catalogue of Eastern European Cross Country runners, and they’re going to show us soft Westerners what true toughness looks like. As well, home-grown talents McCarron, Addison and Winslow should all be back and profiting from another year of long, lonely miles in the Antigonish highlands. Most importantly, X produces real cross country runners (not a bunch of half tights wearing, middle distance running, nancy boys), exactly the kind of guys who will enjoy the harsh winds and rough footing of Fort Henry (oldtimers may recall Eric Gillis’ win on the horendously difficult Moncton course).
4. UWO: What’s this I hear? The ‘Stangs are loaded with talent and a boatload of depth? Who would’ve thought? Kyle “Real Deal” O’Neil had a nasty summer running 8:53 and 14:29 (for 4th and 5th at senior nats) and will be a legitimate title threat along with Weston and the Guelph top 5. Following him up are Armstrong (5th at OUA xc 2008), Komer, Emberley, Strokach, and some other other top 50 types. There is a rumour going around that this squad has brought in a stud graduate student who will remain unnamed. As usual with this team, they look quite good on paper and this young group is growing up. Hailed as the best recruiting class in 2007, these guys will definitely be rolling for the Western Invitational, probably strong for OU’s, and maybe, just maybe - if they can hold it together – a force to contend with come November.
5. Da Bears: Can the Bears regain the form of just 5-6 years ago when they were team medalists on multiple occasions? To answer this question, one needn’t look any further than Jamie Weikum. This guy may be soft when it comes to the K100, but he’s clutch at CIS xc. All-Canadian last year and just off of a 15:07 at Canada Games. Weikum will be getting some good support from: Ostapowich (1:49, 3:54), Carver (3:57, 8:52), Maxime Laboeuf (Francois’ bro), and Harry Moore (33:19 and 6:34 beer mile). This team may appear to be ranked pretty high based on the past couple year’s results; however, I witnessed these boys crush 45km mountain runs and tame Grizzly’s this summer. Da Bears are 4real.
6. Regina: Wiebe is back and ready to go after 14:40 and 3:57 runs this summer. Here’s a distance donkey who should be battling for a first-team spot come November. Add to that low-stick potential top 25 men Wig, Baiton, and Fyfe and you have a very good top 4. This squad hurts where it counts, the depth. They have a capable 5 man in Benjammin but beyond him they appear to be pretty thin. If all 5 perform up to par on Nov. 14th, this team will be in the top 5.
7. Victoria Vikes: Well the information flow certainly hasn’t been overwhelming from out west, but based on memory, 3:43 guy Mallie is back as is Cliff Childs. I think they picked up a strong recruit, but the loss of Martinson hurts this team big time. Beyond the top 4, it appears there is a big gap that any team in the top 10 could sneak into. That will make for some important battles in the 30s, 40s, and 50s at the Fort.
8. Calgary Dinos: Wel, after back-to-back CanWest championships, Lamont has made me a believer. While these teams had great front men, it was great timing and depth that has carried the Dinos to top 5s the past two years. Cloutier, Nicol, and Pootz form a strong top 3. After these guys, expect a good season from Pittman and Spendiff. This team has no big guns but as always has depth. Don’t make me look bad Dinos, on paper I’ve got you overranked!
9. Toronto: As always, the Varsity Blues roll into the season with question marks all over the place. Will Lambert survive a summer of mountain goat hunting, did Del Monte sample a little too much beer, cheese, and french fries with mayonaisse over in Belgium, and did T-Pain Pettes avoid the cottage party circuit and put in the base this summer? Backing up those three, it appears past CIS medalist Stephen “1/4 a Doctor” Douglas is back for another tour of duty - this time in varsity blue - as is Colin Murray-Lawson (OFSAA wrestling champion). I also have it from a reliable source that one or two of the better UTTC guys have dug up another year of eligibilty; of course, Ristuccia won`t show his hand until OU`s, so don`t expect confirmation of these rumours any time soon.
10. This pick is hard. It appears the Quebec teams are in rebuilding mode (should mention Colle of Concordia who ran 14:27 this summer and is a “lock” All-Canadian) as is Dalhousie (should mention Christie who is gunning for his fourth All-Canadian this fall, which is freaking impressive). I guess that leaves the number 5 OUA team which is a battle between MAC and Queen’s. Larry Abbott, Corey McCurry, 600m man Noah Fleming, and Andrew Douglas make up the core of the MAC squad. No doubt Coach Sneyd has brought in a good group of rookies to compliment this core. As for Queen’s, Matt Hulse is back from Austrailia with a mullet (mullets make you faster kids), Potvin (no, not Felix) had a good season last year and is a warrior on the grass. Walmsley, Klaus, and some triathlete round out this KEVIN DUNBAR coached team. With a Legend like Dunbar behind the bench, who wouldn’t rank this team in the top 11?
The Report will be published more or less bi-weekly, depending on our convenience.
Finally, the absence of any mention of the women`s teams is a glaring flaw in our efforts. We`re working on it. Jeff and I have a hard time speaking to women, so we`re short on information, but we should have something out soon.
And so, our Rankings of the Men`s CIS XC Teams:
First Instalment: Frosh-Week Frenzy
1. Guelph Gryph: Well, what can be said about a team that scored 27 points in 2008? “I hope they graduated all 7?” This team is looking for a fourth title in a row and looks to be about as dangerous as ever. Led by 4-minute miler Bling-Boom-Boorsma and Matt “I can run track” Brunstring this team looks unstoppable. Throw in 2008 OUA XC champ Brett (yes, I am putting him down in the 3rd spot on this team; scary, isn’t it?), 2008 OUA ROY Rob Jackson, and 2008 OUA All-star John Parrott and you have a dominant team in the making. Support is added by the younger-Kozi, newcomer Alex Hinton and a whole lotta other solid rookies. This team is absolutely dominant on paper and has the history to back it up.
2. Windsor Lancers: Is it any surprise who is in the 2-spot? This team has been the most powerful and consistent squad in the CIS over the past decade… other than Guelph. Assuming Dave “Mantracker” Weston hasn’t had too many pints at the Madison over the summer he should be a medal-contender. Follow that up with 2008 All-Canadian Sinclair, OUA All-stars Adam Keller, Andrew “I don’t know to spell your last name” Aguanno, Phil Dalton, Alex Meyer, and Mark “world cross” Henshaw. Yeah, that’s a deep team. Coach Fairell peaks his boys well and with this arsenal who knows how good the 2009 Lancer edition can be?
3. St. FX: What a year it was for these boys in 2008. A total team effort led to a somewhat-surprising team silver in Quebec City, and I bet these boys are back to prove it wasn’t a fluke. Rumour has it that Coach Chisolm has been flipping through his mail-order catalogue of Eastern European Cross Country runners, and they’re going to show us soft Westerners what true toughness looks like. As well, home-grown talents McCarron, Addison and Winslow should all be back and profiting from another year of long, lonely miles in the Antigonish highlands. Most importantly, X produces real cross country runners (not a bunch of half tights wearing, middle distance running, nancy boys), exactly the kind of guys who will enjoy the harsh winds and rough footing of Fort Henry (oldtimers may recall Eric Gillis’ win on the horendously difficult Moncton course).
4. UWO: What’s this I hear? The ‘Stangs are loaded with talent and a boatload of depth? Who would’ve thought? Kyle “Real Deal” O’Neil had a nasty summer running 8:53 and 14:29 (for 4th and 5th at senior nats) and will be a legitimate title threat along with Weston and the Guelph top 5. Following him up are Armstrong (5th at OUA xc 2008), Komer, Emberley, Strokach, and some other other top 50 types. There is a rumour going around that this squad has brought in a stud graduate student who will remain unnamed. As usual with this team, they look quite good on paper and this young group is growing up. Hailed as the best recruiting class in 2007, these guys will definitely be rolling for the Western Invitational, probably strong for OU’s, and maybe, just maybe - if they can hold it together – a force to contend with come November.
5. Da Bears: Can the Bears regain the form of just 5-6 years ago when they were team medalists on multiple occasions? To answer this question, one needn’t look any further than Jamie Weikum. This guy may be soft when it comes to the K100, but he’s clutch at CIS xc. All-Canadian last year and just off of a 15:07 at Canada Games. Weikum will be getting some good support from: Ostapowich (1:49, 3:54), Carver (3:57, 8:52), Maxime Laboeuf (Francois’ bro), and Harry Moore (33:19 and 6:34 beer mile). This team may appear to be ranked pretty high based on the past couple year’s results; however, I witnessed these boys crush 45km mountain runs and tame Grizzly’s this summer. Da Bears are 4real.
6. Regina: Wiebe is back and ready to go after 14:40 and 3:57 runs this summer. Here’s a distance donkey who should be battling for a first-team spot come November. Add to that low-stick potential top 25 men Wig, Baiton, and Fyfe and you have a very good top 4. This squad hurts where it counts, the depth. They have a capable 5 man in Benjammin but beyond him they appear to be pretty thin. If all 5 perform up to par on Nov. 14th, this team will be in the top 5.
7. Victoria Vikes: Well the information flow certainly hasn’t been overwhelming from out west, but based on memory, 3:43 guy Mallie is back as is Cliff Childs. I think they picked up a strong recruit, but the loss of Martinson hurts this team big time. Beyond the top 4, it appears there is a big gap that any team in the top 10 could sneak into. That will make for some important battles in the 30s, 40s, and 50s at the Fort.
8. Calgary Dinos: Wel, after back-to-back CanWest championships, Lamont has made me a believer. While these teams had great front men, it was great timing and depth that has carried the Dinos to top 5s the past two years. Cloutier, Nicol, and Pootz form a strong top 3. After these guys, expect a good season from Pittman and Spendiff. This team has no big guns but as always has depth. Don’t make me look bad Dinos, on paper I’ve got you overranked!
9. Toronto: As always, the Varsity Blues roll into the season with question marks all over the place. Will Lambert survive a summer of mountain goat hunting, did Del Monte sample a little too much beer, cheese, and french fries with mayonaisse over in Belgium, and did T-Pain Pettes avoid the cottage party circuit and put in the base this summer? Backing up those three, it appears past CIS medalist Stephen “1/4 a Doctor” Douglas is back for another tour of duty - this time in varsity blue - as is Colin Murray-Lawson (OFSAA wrestling champion). I also have it from a reliable source that one or two of the better UTTC guys have dug up another year of eligibilty; of course, Ristuccia won`t show his hand until OU`s, so don`t expect confirmation of these rumours any time soon.
10. This pick is hard. It appears the Quebec teams are in rebuilding mode (should mention Colle of Concordia who ran 14:27 this summer and is a “lock” All-Canadian) as is Dalhousie (should mention Christie who is gunning for his fourth All-Canadian this fall, which is freaking impressive). I guess that leaves the number 5 OUA team which is a battle between MAC and Queen’s. Larry Abbott, Corey McCurry, 600m man Noah Fleming, and Andrew Douglas make up the core of the MAC squad. No doubt Coach Sneyd has brought in a good group of rookies to compliment this core. As for Queen’s, Matt Hulse is back from Austrailia with a mullet (mullets make you faster kids), Potvin (no, not Felix) had a good season last year and is a warrior on the grass. Walmsley, Klaus, and some triathlete round out this KEVIN DUNBAR coached team. With a Legend like Dunbar behind the bench, who wouldn’t rank this team in the top 11?
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