1. Guelph – Thank you Anthony Berkis! Although this Guelph squad deserves nothing but praise for the dominant performance they laid down at the OUAs, it was good they didn’t get the perfect score. That would’ve been embarrassing for the OUA and the CIS. Genest is ready to win, as is Boorsma in his 5th year, and Alan Brett. Brett has been top 3 at the OUAs three years running now, but still hasn’t managed a podium run at CIS – will this be the year? Proudfoot is a prodigious talent. He beat all of his competitors (just not three of his teammates) as a rookie which is incredibly impressive. Look for him for ROY at CIS by a long shot. Nixon got ‘er done in 6th to round out the scoring. Mosher has had a great year and this team even has a few guys who didn’t run OUAs who could be ACs this weekend. DST’s troops are going to score under 30 points, and possibly as few as 20. Perhaps the only way for them not to totally dominate the awards podium is if someone can steal away the individual title.
2. Windsor – Solid run for them at OUAs but still nowhere near the Gryphs. Berkis deserves much praise for his desperate kick into the top 5 as does Weston for his ballsy (albeit somewhat stupid) early running. That being said, Weston is a gamer and since we’ve been singing his praises all fall, we won’t stop now. This guy poses one of the only serious threats to stopping Guelph from a clean sweep of the podium. He’s been “the” guy for Fairell for five years now and we expect him to close out his Lancer career in style. Walters, Agaunno, Keller, Janikowski et al will run well and secure a silver for Windsor. It’s a shame for these guys that they are up against Guelph. All of these boys would be big time players collecting CIS team titles just a few years ago. Unfortunately for them, they stand absolutely no chance of winning the title this year. That being said, all they can do is try. And, how cool would it be to see 5 lancers and 5 gryphs up at the front 5km into the race this weekend? Head-to-head, mano-a-mano, laying it down and getting after it. Go Lancers!
3. UWO – Being proud Queen’s grads, it pains us more than you know to say that the ‘Stangs are for real and are peaking well. Huff, Armstrong, and O’Neil are solid athletes and have upside. O’Neil is a two-time AC and Armstrong has shown flashes of brilliance in the past (5th at OUAs in ’08) so look for them to be in the AC pack throughout the CIS race. The most important piece on this team though is Brent Smith. This guy is running out of his mind in 2010 and had a courageous run at OUAs. If he can show up one more time and run like an animal, UWO stands a chance at a medal. The fifth man is going to be there for them this year, and so are the 1-2-3. Vigars’ squad can win a medal - their first in 13 years - if they have their best race of the year on Saturday. If they don’t, our beloved Gaels just might be able to take another scalp from UWO at the big dance – something they’ve done many times before.
4. Calgary – Sorry fellas, you’ve had a great year but just haven’t quite lived up to our expectations. Cloutier is running very well, and so are Merry, Pootz, and Hadfield. Nichol was off at Stewart Cup, perhaps a good thing as he’s now less under the gun heading into CIS. If Nicol and Cloutier can get rolling and match Huff, O’Neil, and Armstrong the Dinos can take down the ‘Stangs. In fact, if Calgary runs their best race they can beat UWO on their best day. The problem is, Stewart Cup sent some warning signals that the Dinos are tailing off a little bit. Calgary will determine its own fate this weekend. They are good enough for bronze; it’s a question of how badly they want it. I’m sure Lamont wants a medal pretty badly. His teams have been 4th, 5th, and 5th the last three years. Go get those medals, boys!
5. Queen’s – Matt Hulse anyone? Check out his blog at www.matthulsemiler.blogspot.com. Not only is he a good runner, he’s a pretty good writer, too. It appears Hulse might be able to compete this coming Saturday, and if he does, the Gaels stand a chance at 5th or 6th. If he doesn’t, they will be 9th. Patterson and Courchene are doing everything they can to match the front-runners of the medal teams, but didn’t quite have the legs to carry the Gaels to a top 3 at OUAs. Greener is running like a beauty in his last year as should be expected from a vet. If only Potvin hadn’t hurt himself saving lives this summer, this team would be a force. That said, Boyd has done a great job with an injury-depleted roster this fall. It’s going to get dirty between 3rd and 6th on the team front. You can use all the clichés in the world about every spot counting…etc, but at the end of the day it comes down to who steps up under pressure. Will the Gaels collapse like King Suryavongsa’s Lan Xang Kingdom did in the 17th century? That’s up to Hatheway, the heart and soul of this Gaels squad.
6. UVic – Here is one of our teams with an asterisk beside their rank. Chainsaw’s last outing was nearly a month ago and it wasn’t pretty (26:50 for 8km). Two weeks before that though, he ran 24:30. If he’s healthy, and ready to roll, he and Pieterson will win UVic the bronze. But, we’d be foolish if we made no mention of Childs, Robertson, and Haight who have proven themselves to be reliable 3-4-5 guys. Childs seems to come up big at CIS year-in, year-out and we expect big things from him this weekend. Maybe a top 20? Ready for a big one, Mr. Childs? Like most teams, UVic is relying heavily on its big hitters. If Pieterson or Chainsaw blow up (or don’t run altogether as might be the case for Rejean) UVic is in big trouble. But, with last year’s awful team performance, we are sure these Vikes are ready to come back and show the rest of Canada why Victoria has consistently been a power player in XC.
7. Regina – Wiebe is going to challenge for the win. His run at Stewart Cup, much like last year, was VERY impressive. 10 seconds behind Kangogo makes him the likeliest threat to the Gryphon machine. Last year he won bronze, this year we think he’ll take silver. Behind him, Fyfe has developed into a beast and will likely be an AC. After these two, there is a big gap back to Johnson and Wig. Wig has placed well the last few years and we expect him to step-up his game this weekend. Yet again, this Cougar squad is relying heavily on their fifth man (Middlemeiss, a rookie) to stop the bleeding. He was nearly 4 minutes behind Wiebe at Stewart Cup, too large of a gap for Regina to be sniffing the medals, but likely enough to keep them in the mid top-10 mix. This team ran very well last year at CIS and we expect them to do the same this year, probably exceeding our expectations of them.
8. McMaster. Oh boy, we’ll probably get in trouble for this one given the Mauraders beat the Gaels at OUAs behind Yorke’s brilliant run. Abbott had his usual below-average OUA performance but will no doubt have the race of his life this weekend. Look for both Yorke and Abbott to be close to, if not in the top 14. Behind them, Reid, Bierema, and McCurry will have to run tough if they hope to rise up the ranks in the top 10. Queen’s, Regina, and Mac will be close in the team standings, which means the 4-5 on each team is likely going to determine their fate. Sharpen those elbows, put in the extra long spikes, and get your game faces on, boys. You’ve gotta get nasty out there!
9. Alberta – Before we get to the Championship squad, it’s good to see some other members of the team are keeping up their off-season training, namely, Dr. Harry Moore: www2.macleans.ca/2010/11/11/drink-and-run-instead/
"After the first lap, Harry Moore, a University of Alberta student, is in the lead. Muldrew, the veteran, is a close second."
"For Muldrew, every sober training run pays off. He sets a new Wineman record: 36 minutes, 55 seconds. More than half an hour later, Moore is still working on his last beer. The sips are short; the beer is long. But as he said, in a more coherent state after lap three, “This is a sport that rewards experience. Being only 21, I know that my best Wineman-ing days are ahead of me.” "
Back to the point of this preview: Weikum is coming on strong and will challenge for an AC spot. Leboeuf ran solidly at Stewart Cup but needs to run even better on Saturday. This team’s front 2 are going to play a big role in how they stack up to the three teams in front of them. Based on conference results, Alberta is sitting in no man’s land right now. Well clear of ‘Toba but substantially back of the 6-8 teams. In 2009 they stepped up and had a great meet to grab 7th. They are going to need more of the same if they hope to repeat that performance in 2010. Law ran bravely at Stewart Cup hanging in the top 10 as best he could but ran out of steam down the stretch. At sea level, he just might be able to last the entire 10km. Kong and Lauzon need to step it up and they are capable. Playfair will have his troops fired up to go after those Dinos. The hatred these Bears have for their rivals to the south is intense and given the whooping their endured at Stewart Cup, we know Da Bears will be out for revenge at CIS.
10. Manitoba – With Toronto not sending a team, the Bisons are next in line and will sneak into the top 10 to close out the 2010 season. Carr is a solid front man, with de Jong and Penner providing some solid back up. The Bisons should consider scalping Alberta a reasonable goal for the CIS meet. They matched up fairly well at Stewart Cup and given the size of the field at CIS, Manitoba stands a chance at closing the gap to Da Bears. This is a team that wasn’t even close to the top 10 last year, but has made big strides in the past 12 months. Berube usually gets a solid performance out of his team at CIS, and with a decent day the Bisons have the legs to hold off Waterloo, the next team in line.
Individuals:
Tier 1: Genest, Boorsma, Brett, Proudfoot, Pieterson, Wiebe and Weston
Tier 2: Berkis, Nixon, Kellar, Chainsaw, Hulse and Fyfe
Tier 3: Yorke, Walters, Huff, Hosier, Janikowki, Weikum, Lavoie and Colle
Winner: Wiebe, Boorsma, and Genest will be battle it out. Wiebe is a machine at XC, and Boorsma is on fire, but Genest is just too nasty at the end of the race. Top 3 in order will be Genest, Wiebe, Boorsma.
ROY: Proudfoot, Proudfoot, Proudfoot. No question. Janikowski, Hosier and Boychuk are the next in line.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Slanders and Speculations Volume 2, Issue 5: The Women, Championship Season
1. Guelph – The only negative thing you can say about the Guelph women is that they're not quite as dominant as the Guelph men. Even so, they have dispelled any notion of a Guelph-Mac rivalry by vanquishing the Marauders with ease at OU's. The Gryphons had their 5th scorer finish 8th at OU’s. That doesn’t leave much hope for other teams. We'll take Pearo for the individual title, but on the team side the Gryphon gang is going to continue to grow its banner collection. They’ve got a strangle hold on the CIS, and they’re not giving it up. In fact, with Driedger poised to be this year’s ROY, it looks like they’re only tightening their grip.
2. McMaster – What a season for Jess Pearo! She had a convincing win at OUA’s and is well on track for another win at CI’s. With 3 runners in the top 7 at OU’s, this Mac squad looks very good. But, as much as we’d like to see a real Guelph-Mac rivalry going into CI’s, there’s just no way the Gryphons will be beaten. Like the Washington Generals, the Marauders are a great team, but a great team that will never do better than second. We should congratulate Victoria Coates, who was 37th at last year’s OUA Championships and 4th this year. If the Marauders can consistently deliver that sort of athlete development, the Gryphons’ reign of terror will soon be ended.
3. Victoria – The Vikes had a nice run down in Washington a few weeks ago, with a simple but effective tactic: get your top runner out front for a low stick finish, and then let 2-5 pack run. With Tschantz running very well, and the rest of the squad not too far behind, the Vikes should be able to get the bronze medal that alluded them last season. We expect both Tschantz and Calgary’s Macdonald to finish very well, leaving the depth runners to battle it out for this podium spot. The battle for third will be a duel, a dogfight, a showdown, and more. None of these teams can afford to make any mistakes. Just one runner’s bad race could be the difference between glorious victory and shameful, humiliating defeat.
4. Calgary – Calgary pummelled Alberta at the Stewart Cup, putting four runners in front of Alberta’s top scorer. Macdonald looks very strong, and the supporting cast is solid. It would take some serious bad luck for this team to finish worse than fourth. They’ll be going after the Vikes for the final podium spot, and it will be close. Emma Hann: you need to run faster; the fifth place runner is the lynch pin of a cross country team; everything depends on you. Macdonald is golden; Stenning and Querengesser are both capable of big things; Kary’s doing what she needs to do. Put a fifth runner up with those four, and CI’s will be like a real life version of Jurassic Park: Dinos running wild, terrorizing their victims, crushing their enemies.
5. Queen’s – The Gaels snatched an OUA medal with some very solid running in Guelph. Windsor was not far back, but we think the Gaels will be able to beat them again in Quebec. The problem for Queens is that they were a long way back from McMaster; there are going to be a couple of teams from other conferences fighting for that third spot, knocking the Gaels down the rankings. Without a low stick, this team has no shot at a medal. Still, they had a tight spread at OU’s, and a few of their runners have a lot of upside; we’re going to take a chance on them and pick them for fourth. Either Larocque or Hulse is capable of stepping up for a big race this weekend; as always, its just a question of who can run to their full potential on the day. Big shout out to Tatlow and Keenleyside who in their last season with the Gaels have shown maturity and wisdom beyound their years.
6. Alberta – We’ve been waiting all Fall for Findley, but we’re starting to lose hope. Their pre-CIS write-up is playing coy, calling her a “possible inclusion.” For now, we’re writing her off as a no-show. We were impressed a few weeks ago to see this team handily dispatch McGill at the Laval Open, but things are looking a little less rosy after their complete rout at Stewart Cup. In response, we’re knocking Alberta and McGill down the list, giving that fifth place spot to our Gaels. It could be that this squad was just taking Stewart Cup easy, waiting to go hard at CI’s. In that case, Pandas, prove us wrong. Until then, it’s easy to say you were tempo-ing; not always so easy to show up two weeks later and beat the people who finished 30 seconds ahead of you. But who knows? Maybe you’ve got a feisty triathlete waiting in the wings, giving you a powerful low-stick. If that’s the case, this team will suddenly challenge for a CIS medal.
7. McGill – McGill was dominant at QSSF, easily beating Laval for the title of Quebec National Champions. All well and good, except that not much has changed since Alberta flew in a few weeks ago to put the Quebecers in their place. Knowing that Alberta beat McGill quite easily a few weeks ago, and then seeing Alberta get trounced at Stewart Cup, we don’t have a lot of faith in the Martlettes. McCuaig is definitely top dog in Quebec this season, after winning the Laval Open and the QSSF Championships (and top Uni runner at the McGill open). Unfortunately, this team doesn’t have the depth to back her up.
8. Windsor – Windsor was only 14 points back from Queens at OUs, which is definitely within striking distance. The Lancers line up pretty evenly with the Geals, except each runner is just a few places back. Corrick’s twelfth place is a good run in this very competitive OUA race, but she’s not enough of a star to carry this team. Kellam and Gill will need to step up to keep this team in the top ten. Who knows? Maybe one of these Lancer ladies is another Pidhoresky, ready to bust a 1:13 half. That would be enough for a pretty good CIS finish, I would think.
9. Dalhousie – Not so long ago, Dalhousie had one of the best XC programs in the CIS. Then they went through a bit of a rough patch. But now it looks like things are turning around. Caroline Schlosser had a breakthrough track season last winter and is now leading a reinvigorated Tiger XC team. Interesting to see Gina Stewart, a former X woman and All Canadian, turn turncoat to be Dal’s fourth scorer. Schlosser, Belliveau, Groves, and Stewart are a very respectable group of runners. Unfortunately, they score 5 runners at CIs, and Dal’s fifth was a minute back from Stewart at AU’s. That will be a lot of places at CIs; too many for the Tigers to be competitive. It’s not a huge accomplishment, to defeat this year’s decimated St F X team; still, we congratulate Dal on their AUS victory. Will this tiger rise again from the East? I hear rumblings.
10. UWO – We assume the Lady ‘Stangs are running at CIS even though they weren’t in the top 3 at OUAs, a requirement the UWO Athletic Department has for National participation. This Mustangs squad is not terrible. In fact, they were only 6 points behind Windsor at OU’s. Becky Pieterson is running well and should be good for top 20 this weekend. Desjardins is not too far behind. But 3-4-5 were in the 30s at OUs, which puts them pretty far back in the field at CIs. There are a few youngsters on this team who may develop into something down the road, but for now they’re barely cracking the top ten. That said, Vigars and co. have done a good job at getting an inexperienced team into the CIS top 10.
Individuals:
Pearo, Cliff, Laurie, Coates, Findley (?), Tschantz, Warkentin
Macdonald, McCuaig, Driedger, Lalonde, MacNeil, Jean, Vanhie
Mitic, Pieterson, Stenning, Qeressenger, Schlosser, Furtado, Moran
Winner: Pearo’s been rolling, and we think she’ll continue for the win at CI’s.
If Findley runs, she takes second. If not, Cliff gets it. Third (or fourth if Findley runs) will be a battle: I’m giving it to Tschantz, to go with her other bronze medals from the track.
ROY: Driedger
2. McMaster – What a season for Jess Pearo! She had a convincing win at OUA’s and is well on track for another win at CI’s. With 3 runners in the top 7 at OU’s, this Mac squad looks very good. But, as much as we’d like to see a real Guelph-Mac rivalry going into CI’s, there’s just no way the Gryphons will be beaten. Like the Washington Generals, the Marauders are a great team, but a great team that will never do better than second. We should congratulate Victoria Coates, who was 37th at last year’s OUA Championships and 4th this year. If the Marauders can consistently deliver that sort of athlete development, the Gryphons’ reign of terror will soon be ended.
3. Victoria – The Vikes had a nice run down in Washington a few weeks ago, with a simple but effective tactic: get your top runner out front for a low stick finish, and then let 2-5 pack run. With Tschantz running very well, and the rest of the squad not too far behind, the Vikes should be able to get the bronze medal that alluded them last season. We expect both Tschantz and Calgary’s Macdonald to finish very well, leaving the depth runners to battle it out for this podium spot. The battle for third will be a duel, a dogfight, a showdown, and more. None of these teams can afford to make any mistakes. Just one runner’s bad race could be the difference between glorious victory and shameful, humiliating defeat.
4. Calgary – Calgary pummelled Alberta at the Stewart Cup, putting four runners in front of Alberta’s top scorer. Macdonald looks very strong, and the supporting cast is solid. It would take some serious bad luck for this team to finish worse than fourth. They’ll be going after the Vikes for the final podium spot, and it will be close. Emma Hann: you need to run faster; the fifth place runner is the lynch pin of a cross country team; everything depends on you. Macdonald is golden; Stenning and Querengesser are both capable of big things; Kary’s doing what she needs to do. Put a fifth runner up with those four, and CI’s will be like a real life version of Jurassic Park: Dinos running wild, terrorizing their victims, crushing their enemies.
5. Queen’s – The Gaels snatched an OUA medal with some very solid running in Guelph. Windsor was not far back, but we think the Gaels will be able to beat them again in Quebec. The problem for Queens is that they were a long way back from McMaster; there are going to be a couple of teams from other conferences fighting for that third spot, knocking the Gaels down the rankings. Without a low stick, this team has no shot at a medal. Still, they had a tight spread at OU’s, and a few of their runners have a lot of upside; we’re going to take a chance on them and pick them for fourth. Either Larocque or Hulse is capable of stepping up for a big race this weekend; as always, its just a question of who can run to their full potential on the day. Big shout out to Tatlow and Keenleyside who in their last season with the Gaels have shown maturity and wisdom beyound their years.
6. Alberta – We’ve been waiting all Fall for Findley, but we’re starting to lose hope. Their pre-CIS write-up is playing coy, calling her a “possible inclusion.” For now, we’re writing her off as a no-show. We were impressed a few weeks ago to see this team handily dispatch McGill at the Laval Open, but things are looking a little less rosy after their complete rout at Stewart Cup. In response, we’re knocking Alberta and McGill down the list, giving that fifth place spot to our Gaels. It could be that this squad was just taking Stewart Cup easy, waiting to go hard at CI’s. In that case, Pandas, prove us wrong. Until then, it’s easy to say you were tempo-ing; not always so easy to show up two weeks later and beat the people who finished 30 seconds ahead of you. But who knows? Maybe you’ve got a feisty triathlete waiting in the wings, giving you a powerful low-stick. If that’s the case, this team will suddenly challenge for a CIS medal.
7. McGill – McGill was dominant at QSSF, easily beating Laval for the title of Quebec National Champions. All well and good, except that not much has changed since Alberta flew in a few weeks ago to put the Quebecers in their place. Knowing that Alberta beat McGill quite easily a few weeks ago, and then seeing Alberta get trounced at Stewart Cup, we don’t have a lot of faith in the Martlettes. McCuaig is definitely top dog in Quebec this season, after winning the Laval Open and the QSSF Championships (and top Uni runner at the McGill open). Unfortunately, this team doesn’t have the depth to back her up.
8. Windsor – Windsor was only 14 points back from Queens at OUs, which is definitely within striking distance. The Lancers line up pretty evenly with the Geals, except each runner is just a few places back. Corrick’s twelfth place is a good run in this very competitive OUA race, but she’s not enough of a star to carry this team. Kellam and Gill will need to step up to keep this team in the top ten. Who knows? Maybe one of these Lancer ladies is another Pidhoresky, ready to bust a 1:13 half. That would be enough for a pretty good CIS finish, I would think.
9. Dalhousie – Not so long ago, Dalhousie had one of the best XC programs in the CIS. Then they went through a bit of a rough patch. But now it looks like things are turning around. Caroline Schlosser had a breakthrough track season last winter and is now leading a reinvigorated Tiger XC team. Interesting to see Gina Stewart, a former X woman and All Canadian, turn turncoat to be Dal’s fourth scorer. Schlosser, Belliveau, Groves, and Stewart are a very respectable group of runners. Unfortunately, they score 5 runners at CIs, and Dal’s fifth was a minute back from Stewart at AU’s. That will be a lot of places at CIs; too many for the Tigers to be competitive. It’s not a huge accomplishment, to defeat this year’s decimated St F X team; still, we congratulate Dal on their AUS victory. Will this tiger rise again from the East? I hear rumblings.
10. UWO – We assume the Lady ‘Stangs are running at CIS even though they weren’t in the top 3 at OUAs, a requirement the UWO Athletic Department has for National participation. This Mustangs squad is not terrible. In fact, they were only 6 points behind Windsor at OU’s. Becky Pieterson is running well and should be good for top 20 this weekend. Desjardins is not too far behind. But 3-4-5 were in the 30s at OUs, which puts them pretty far back in the field at CIs. There are a few youngsters on this team who may develop into something down the road, but for now they’re barely cracking the top ten. That said, Vigars and co. have done a good job at getting an inexperienced team into the CIS top 10.
Individuals:
Pearo, Cliff, Laurie, Coates, Findley (?), Tschantz, Warkentin
Macdonald, McCuaig, Driedger, Lalonde, MacNeil, Jean, Vanhie
Mitic, Pieterson, Stenning, Qeressenger, Schlosser, Furtado, Moran
Winner: Pearo’s been rolling, and we think she’ll continue for the win at CI’s.
If Findley runs, she takes second. If not, Cliff gets it. Third (or fourth if Findley runs) will be a battle: I’m giving it to Tschantz, to go with her other bronze medals from the track.
ROY: Driedger
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