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
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Slanders and Speculation: Volume 2, Issue 4; The Women, Mid-Season
1. Guelph – DST is the Thomas Sutpen of the CIS, ruthless ambitious in his quest to construct a great dynasty. That ambition was on display at Paul Short, where a strong team effort re-established the Gryphons as Canada’s top XC team. That title was put in doubt by a second place finish at UWO, but remember that key runners Laurie and Lalonde were absent that race. With these two ruenning, the Gryphons are the favourites for the win, and DST will be adding another banner (or two) to his Welfenschatz[1]. Cliff and Pearo are likely going to have some battles at the championship meets, and the winner of that battle could end up deciding the team winner as well, given how closely these two squads appear to be matched. Guelph has the big names; proven veterans who will undoubtedly get it done on the big day. Conversely, Mac has some young upstarts who are clearly capable of big things. Are they up to the challenge of ending the Gryphons 5 year win streak? As Mr. Mottram would say that all depends on the size of their balls….
2. McMaster – An upset at UWO over the Gryphs and a strong team run in Chicago solidify this team as the number 2 in the nation. They also inch closer to the might Gryphon, providing some excitement at the top heading into the championship season. Pearo is a contender, possibly even a favourite for the individual title at OUAs and CIS (if you can win Western, you must be a contender for the CIS win, right?). Coates, Anderson and MacNeil are running fast and all look like top 20 threats. Solid depth makes the Marauders a lethal team, ready to strike on any weaknesses the Gryphons offer up. This is clearly a two-team race for the National title. A betting man would take Guelph, but a man with a soul would pick the underdawgs from Steel-city. I have a gambling problem, so I’m sticking with Guelph.
3. Victoria – Julia “Take a Tschanz on me” Tschanz won the Charles Bowles Invite in 17:26, proving she hasn’t lost a step since indoors when she won multiple medals in the distance events at the CIS meet. Moron, Mitic, Roske and Jean are again in shape and rolling for Coach Butler and Coach Fougner. When your 7th woman hits 18:33 for 5km, you know you are in business, no matter how fast the course is. So long as things continue for the Vikettes, this team is putting up a strong case as to why they are the most likely one to get on the podium in November. They have the low-stick at the front and fantastic depth to back it up. Getting another runner or two a bit closer to Tschanz and Moran would be helpful, but Fougner can’t always get what he wants (though we think that, for a podium finish, he’s got what he needs).
4. Calgary – Stenning, MacDonald, Querengesser, Kary, Kanuka. These are the 5 that led Calgary to victory at the U of S open, beating many of their western Canadian rivals. Now, this is a similar team to last year’s that we hyped as the CanWest favourites. That team fell short of our expectations, and likely their own. However, the 2010 edition has a lot of carryover from that team. And we are no fickle, fairweather fans. If we learned anything in our years in the CIS, it’s that a team that chokes once at CIS likely will not come back the following year and make the same mistake. Calgary is too good to not make some noise in the top 4 or 5 this year, and perhaps they are good enough to take the bronze. The last time CIS were in Quebec City, 2008, the Dinettes won bronze led by a solid run out of Querengesser. Can she repeat her heroics of 2008 and carry her teammates on to the podium? We believe.
5. Alberta – Findley has been a no-show so far this fall, but that’ll likely change when the big meets come along. Deguast lead Da Pandas in Quebec City with a solid 15:20 on a hilly course. Soderberg and Bergeron also ran capably in the 2-3 helping Alberta to a narrow win over McGill. It’s great to see some head-to-head competition pre-championship season in the CIS. Not only does it make our job easier, it likely creates some additional rivalries that will do nothing but make CIS even more exciting. The Martlets will be thirsty for Panda blood at CIS. And why shouldn’t they be? Alberta went all the way to Quebec to steal the team title away from perennial Quebec champs McGill. The only way to get revenge is to take it to Da Pands at the most important race of the year, in the most savage way possible.
6. Mcgill – Sarah McCuaig ran very well in Quebec City last weekend on the Plaines to take the individual title. She looks like an AC threat and gives the Martlets a low-stick that they desperately need to climb up the team ranks. Behind her, Barrett is relying on Puel, Cummings and Drouin-Audet to pack up. This group ran well against the Pandas last weekend, and a collective effort to get ahead of their main opposition such as Alberta will pay off in a big way at Nationals. This may mean more hill repeats of Mount Royal, or perhaps less orders of the great Montreal Poutine. Not sure what Barrett’s training methods are, but these girls need to get serious if they want any chance of being something other than an also ran in 2010.
7. Queen’s – Hate to say it, but this squad is starting to scare us. They had what appeared to be an outside chance at a medal in the pre-season, but the loss of Sexton and not a whole lot of improvement from some of their key members from 2009 mean Queen’s will drop down our rankings list. Larocque is steady and proving to be a strong leader in her 4th year. Hulse is running like the thoroughbred she was expected to be when Coach Bulak made his recruiting pitch to her a way back in 2009. Beyound these two, Boyd has an arsenal of strong, but not top of the line talent to keep the Gaels in the top 10. He’ll need to take a break from message board bickering and peak this team with great care and skill if they’re to improve on last year’s 10th place edition. It’s a far cry from the pre-season hype, where we thought the Gaels might be returning to the level of their Beth-Wightman-led golden years.
8. Western – Pieterson and Desjardins had solid runs in Chicago, giving UWO a good 1-2 punch. This team has had a lot of turnover from last year and the new faces are doing a good job of upholding the rich tradition of UWO women’s cross-country. Hambleton, Bays and Savill also ran well and give UWO a good shot at taking down Queen’s and U of T in the OUA. This would put them into the bronze at Provincials, meaning they are a sure-bet at this point for a top 10 in the CIS (provided that the course is clearly marked).
9. St. FX - They had a solid run in Fredericton, just squeeking out the victory over Dal. Kennanberg led in 18:06 with all other X scorers coming in under 19:35. Not a bad day at the office for Coach Chisholm, although he's probably getting worried about the battle ahead at AUS. This group of X women have been together for a few years now and are probably hoping to leave Antigonish with another AUS team title. MacNeil and Bates have started the season well and need to continue to progress. Now that the male Czech cross-country stallions from X have graduated (as has John Corbit, the colt who can never be tamed), these ladies have no distractions at practice, and can focus solely on the running.
2. McMaster – An upset at UWO over the Gryphs and a strong team run in Chicago solidify this team as the number 2 in the nation. They also inch closer to the might Gryphon, providing some excitement at the top heading into the championship season. Pearo is a contender, possibly even a favourite for the individual title at OUAs and CIS (if you can win Western, you must be a contender for the CIS win, right?). Coates, Anderson and MacNeil are running fast and all look like top 20 threats. Solid depth makes the Marauders a lethal team, ready to strike on any weaknesses the Gryphons offer up. This is clearly a two-team race for the National title. A betting man would take Guelph, but a man with a soul would pick the underdawgs from Steel-city. I have a gambling problem, so I’m sticking with Guelph.
3. Victoria – Julia “Take a Tschanz on me” Tschanz won the Charles Bowles Invite in 17:26, proving she hasn’t lost a step since indoors when she won multiple medals in the distance events at the CIS meet. Moron, Mitic, Roske and Jean are again in shape and rolling for Coach Butler and Coach Fougner. When your 7th woman hits 18:33 for 5km, you know you are in business, no matter how fast the course is. So long as things continue for the Vikettes, this team is putting up a strong case as to why they are the most likely one to get on the podium in November. They have the low-stick at the front and fantastic depth to back it up. Getting another runner or two a bit closer to Tschanz and Moran would be helpful, but Fougner can’t always get what he wants (though we think that, for a podium finish, he’s got what he needs).
4. Calgary – Stenning, MacDonald, Querengesser, Kary, Kanuka. These are the 5 that led Calgary to victory at the U of S open, beating many of their western Canadian rivals. Now, this is a similar team to last year’s that we hyped as the CanWest favourites. That team fell short of our expectations, and likely their own. However, the 2010 edition has a lot of carryover from that team. And we are no fickle, fairweather fans. If we learned anything in our years in the CIS, it’s that a team that chokes once at CIS likely will not come back the following year and make the same mistake. Calgary is too good to not make some noise in the top 4 or 5 this year, and perhaps they are good enough to take the bronze. The last time CIS were in Quebec City, 2008, the Dinettes won bronze led by a solid run out of Querengesser. Can she repeat her heroics of 2008 and carry her teammates on to the podium? We believe.
5. Alberta – Findley has been a no-show so far this fall, but that’ll likely change when the big meets come along. Deguast lead Da Pandas in Quebec City with a solid 15:20 on a hilly course. Soderberg and Bergeron also ran capably in the 2-3 helping Alberta to a narrow win over McGill. It’s great to see some head-to-head competition pre-championship season in the CIS. Not only does it make our job easier, it likely creates some additional rivalries that will do nothing but make CIS even more exciting. The Martlets will be thirsty for Panda blood at CIS. And why shouldn’t they be? Alberta went all the way to Quebec to steal the team title away from perennial Quebec champs McGill. The only way to get revenge is to take it to Da Pands at the most important race of the year, in the most savage way possible.
6. Mcgill – Sarah McCuaig ran very well in Quebec City last weekend on the Plaines to take the individual title. She looks like an AC threat and gives the Martlets a low-stick that they desperately need to climb up the team ranks. Behind her, Barrett is relying on Puel, Cummings and Drouin-Audet to pack up. This group ran well against the Pandas last weekend, and a collective effort to get ahead of their main opposition such as Alberta will pay off in a big way at Nationals. This may mean more hill repeats of Mount Royal, or perhaps less orders of the great Montreal Poutine. Not sure what Barrett’s training methods are, but these girls need to get serious if they want any chance of being something other than an also ran in 2010.
7. Queen’s – Hate to say it, but this squad is starting to scare us. They had what appeared to be an outside chance at a medal in the pre-season, but the loss of Sexton and not a whole lot of improvement from some of their key members from 2009 mean Queen’s will drop down our rankings list. Larocque is steady and proving to be a strong leader in her 4th year. Hulse is running like the thoroughbred she was expected to be when Coach Bulak made his recruiting pitch to her a way back in 2009. Beyound these two, Boyd has an arsenal of strong, but not top of the line talent to keep the Gaels in the top 10. He’ll need to take a break from message board bickering and peak this team with great care and skill if they’re to improve on last year’s 10th place edition. It’s a far cry from the pre-season hype, where we thought the Gaels might be returning to the level of their Beth-Wightman-led golden years.
8. Western – Pieterson and Desjardins had solid runs in Chicago, giving UWO a good 1-2 punch. This team has had a lot of turnover from last year and the new faces are doing a good job of upholding the rich tradition of UWO women’s cross-country. Hambleton, Bays and Savill also ran well and give UWO a good shot at taking down Queen’s and U of T in the OUA. This would put them into the bronze at Provincials, meaning they are a sure-bet at this point for a top 10 in the CIS (provided that the course is clearly marked).
9. St. FX - They had a solid run in Fredericton, just squeeking out the victory over Dal. Kennanberg led in 18:06 with all other X scorers coming in under 19:35. Not a bad day at the office for Coach Chisholm, although he's probably getting worried about the battle ahead at AUS. This group of X women have been together for a few years now and are probably hoping to leave Antigonish with another AUS team title. MacNeil and Bates have started the season well and need to continue to progress. Now that the male Czech cross-country stallions from X have graduated (as has John Corbit, the colt who can never be tamed), these ladies have no distractions at practice, and can focus solely on the running.
10. Windsor - With Toronto's subpar run in Chicago, Windsor has moved into the 10th position in the country. Given they averaged 19:07 (albeit on a fast course), they probably deserve to be ranked. This is a legit team with a legit spread between 1-5, but given the way the CIS have improved in recent years, a 19:07 average doesn't get you very far. Not long ago a team like this would have a shot at a top 4 or 5, but in 2010 this team will be stretched to get into the top 10. Kellam appears to be the leader of this squad on the course and is followed by the Gill sisters. This squad, much like Queen's, is one that has very good depth, but no really established front-runners to rely on. Some resourceful mid-season recruiting would do wonders for Fairall's Lancers.. hint hint.. Coach.
[1] The Welfenschatz, or “Guelph Treasure,” is a collection of Medieval relics founded by the Duke Henry the Lion, from the Brunswick Province of Bavaria, in 1195. The collection grew to include hundreds of items, dating from the 9th Century through to the 15th Century. Until 1929, these items remained in the hands of the Dukes of Brunswick, but finally economic pressures forced the family to sell the collection, and the various pieces have since been scattered amongst various museum collection across the world. Since the disintegration of the Dukes of Brunswick’s collection, the collection of CIS banners at Guelph University
Slanders and Speculations - Volume 2, Issue 3; The Men, Mid-Season
1. Guelph – “Hmm.. Now I'm depressed because I am an old and lame. Good news though, we have a hard 5xMile workout today and I am going to absolutely drill the shit out of those young kids on the Guelph team, that'll make me feel better”. Statements like this one, made by one of the training partners of the Gryphs, make us wonder whether or not these boys, who are on fire right now, will have enough gas to make it through ‘til the end of the season! Coach DST better be able to restrain his varsity guys, or else they might go the way of one of those many teams who show great promise early, only to fizzle late. All that being said, a couple of very strong weekends of racing for the Gryphs only solidifies what everyone already knows – this team is far and away the best in the nation. Proudfoot got the W at Western, which is unbelievably impressive for a young pup like him (interestingly, etymologically, the word “Guelph” shares its root with the word “whelp” meaning young pup). The first 4 at Lehigh were absolutely stellar. Boorsma is on fire this fall, as one should expect, given he’s in his fifth year. Genest is running well, and always gets better as the season progresses, as does Brett. This team has guys who are potential All Canadians that won’t even make their top 7.
2. Windsor – Good runs at Chicago make this team a clear number 2 in Canada. Keller, Sinclair, and Colonel Saunders ran ~25:20 and are potential ACs. Weston is laying low. His only outing being a tempo at Western. This bodes well for his chances at the individual title. We rank this man among the Lancers greats, along with such legends as Ryan Mackenzie, Goose Gosselin, and Mark Kitely. Agaunno, Walters x 2 and Berkis give this team even more fast dudes to rely on at CIS. Windsor basically has no flaws; however, the 2010 Guelph team is just unbelievably good. This Lancer squad should win CIS, but they’ve run into yet another amazing squad from up the 401.
3. Victoria – A couple of 24:30s on theFAST course at Willamette by Chainsaw and Pieterson lead UVic a solid opener. Cliff Childs backed those two up with a 25:10, providing the Vikes with the tools to do some damage in the CIS. Dylan Haight (25:26), Bocksnick (25:44) and Irvine (25:47) mean there are 6 legitimate guys to fill out the 5 scoring spots on this team. UVic is a good team, in fact, we’d go as far as to say UVic is a great team. Only time will tell if they are good enough to knock off Calgary. We are starting to think that bronze medal will be a dogfight between these two CanWest rivals. It’ll come down to a battle between the proven, more naturally talented vets from Victoria vs. the blue-collar, heavy-drinking lads from Cow-town… who will prevail?
4. Calgary – Nicol led the Dinos at the U of S meet running just off of Regina’s number 2. But, like last year, Calgary beats most other CIS teams with their impressive depth. Cloutier, Merry, Bickley and Pootz packed it in well, with a few other Dinos not much further behind. This incredibly deep team has a lot of firepower; however the question - much like last year - is who will step up enough to get the Dinos close to UVic. Up front, UVic holds a big advantage, but Calgary’s depth will allow them to take risks. Mr. Nicol, are you willing to get after an AC spot and try to give your team a boost in their hopes for a medal? If I was your fifth man, I’d sure be hoping my leader was going to lay it down at CIS. In other words, unless Nicol runs like an absolute stud, UVic will be stealing what could belong to the Dinos.
5. Western – Similar to most editions of the Mustangs that we’ve seen in recent years, this squad ran very well at Chicago with Armstrong proving he’s getting back into his 2008 form quickly. Huff is having a career year and running like a potential AC guy. O’neil, not as much. This guy is usually clutch in the fall – but perhaps his long year last year including cross, indoors, FISU, summer track, and a ton of ballin’ is catching up to him. If he can get it going soon, this UWO team could be a force at OUAs and CIS. The depth men Smith and Adrin ran capably in 26ish on a quick course. These 5 should be good enough for their 6th place rank, but with 6-7 awfully far back, this team is as delicate as a house on stilts, on a foundation of sand. Just a little bad luck could be the Mel Gibson that pulls the whole structure down. “It’s just been revoked.”
6. Regina – Wiebe slaughtered everyone at the U of S open – what a surprise. Guess he wasn’t all that injured afterall. Fyfe also ran very well for 2nd and gives Regina that strong 1-2 punch needed to catapult them up the rankings. Beyound those two, they have some returners from last year’s 4th place team that are in similar shape to last year, and a couple new faces who should help them get their fifth man in before 117th (as in 2009). The Cougars are good, but not good enough to improve upon their placing last year. We’re sure they are dreaming of hardware, but Calgary and UVic are too strong for Regina to sneak into the medals.
7. McMaster – Abbott had a strong opener at UWO, but not a great outing in Chicago where he was barely under 26 minutes. Yorke stepped in though, and showed that a summer of triathlon training is good for something other than learning the most efficient method for shaving one’s legs. Helluva run for him in 11th place in a good field. He was backed up by another good run by sophomore sensation, Reid. The depth wasn’t too strong, but given these top three, Mac stands a good chance at being a top 10 team in the country with a good peak late in the season. And, speaking of peaking well, Sneyd knows his stuff and you can count on Mac having their best effort in November.
8. Queen’s – Patterson and Courchene are running as expected. Low 26s at Lehigh makes them legit front-men on a top 10 team. Hulse hasn’t shown his cards yet, but should be ready to go when the real racing starts in a few weeks. His presence up front will help Queen’s tremendously, as right now they are lacking the low stick that pushes them up the top 10 list. Beyond these three, there is a slew of guys who are gunning for the remaining scoring spots, which will hopefully propel a few to new, faster levels. Boyd is holding his cards close to his chest, having not run a full “A” squad yet. Look for the Queen’s open to give a clearer indication of how good (or average) this team will be in 2010.
9. Toronto – Boring. Can U of T please do something interesting before the post-season starts? This team is always a difficult one to size-up. They have names, and stats, but they never run their whole team at the same meet, and they rarely even race hard until OUAs. A couple of mediocre 26 – 26:30 8kms from their expected top 4 at Chicago means TO is a safe bet for a top 10 at CIS. Pettes seems to be the type of guy who needs to have someone holding his hand every waking moment, whether it’s Nicholl (one step ahead in Chicago) during XC races or his girlfriend every other minute of the day- this is not the kind of quality you want to see in your Captain. Mountain running legend Gavin Hamilton boosts their shot at an upper tier placing, given he was 20th at UWO and the fact that he will run very well at the end of the season. Although we’ve never met him, we will pretty much guarantee that he steps up big at CIS.
10. Alberta – Although they didn’t field their A team at the U of S Open, Alberta has been totally unimpressive so far in 2010. Gone are the glory days of the blue-collared guys who worked hard and played hard. This group got dusted in Saskatchewan and needs to regroup in a hurry if they have any visions of repeating their 2009 heroics. That being said, there are some positive things this team can take away from the early season meets. They have been so bad that most other Canwest teams are probably counting them down and out. If there’s anywhere in Canada that knows about being at the bottom of the rankings list, it’s Edmonton. Can Da Bears regroup the way Tambellini has with the Hall, Eberle and Paajarvi acquisitions?
2. Windsor – Good runs at Chicago make this team a clear number 2 in Canada. Keller, Sinclair, and Colonel Saunders ran ~25:20 and are potential ACs. Weston is laying low. His only outing being a tempo at Western. This bodes well for his chances at the individual title. We rank this man among the Lancers greats, along with such legends as Ryan Mackenzie, Goose Gosselin, and Mark Kitely. Agaunno, Walters x 2 and Berkis give this team even more fast dudes to rely on at CIS. Windsor basically has no flaws; however, the 2010 Guelph team is just unbelievably good. This Lancer squad should win CIS, but they’ve run into yet another amazing squad from up the 401.
3. Victoria – A couple of 24:30s on the
4. Calgary – Nicol led the Dinos at the U of S meet running just off of Regina’s number 2. But, like last year, Calgary beats most other CIS teams with their impressive depth. Cloutier, Merry, Bickley and Pootz packed it in well, with a few other Dinos not much further behind. This incredibly deep team has a lot of firepower; however the question - much like last year - is who will step up enough to get the Dinos close to UVic. Up front, UVic holds a big advantage, but Calgary’s depth will allow them to take risks. Mr. Nicol, are you willing to get after an AC spot and try to give your team a boost in their hopes for a medal? If I was your fifth man, I’d sure be hoping my leader was going to lay it down at CIS. In other words, unless Nicol runs like an absolute stud, UVic will be stealing what could belong to the Dinos.
5. Western – Similar to most editions of the Mustangs that we’ve seen in recent years, this squad ran very well at Chicago with Armstrong proving he’s getting back into his 2008 form quickly. Huff is having a career year and running like a potential AC guy. O’neil, not as much. This guy is usually clutch in the fall – but perhaps his long year last year including cross, indoors, FISU, summer track, and a ton of ballin’ is catching up to him. If he can get it going soon, this UWO team could be a force at OUAs and CIS. The depth men Smith and Adrin ran capably in 26ish on a quick course. These 5 should be good enough for their 6th place rank, but with 6-7 awfully far back, this team is as delicate as a house on stilts, on a foundation of sand. Just a little bad luck could be the Mel Gibson that pulls the whole structure down. “It’s just been revoked.”
6. Regina – Wiebe slaughtered everyone at the U of S open – what a surprise. Guess he wasn’t all that injured afterall. Fyfe also ran very well for 2nd and gives Regina that strong 1-2 punch needed to catapult them up the rankings. Beyound those two, they have some returners from last year’s 4th place team that are in similar shape to last year, and a couple new faces who should help them get their fifth man in before 117th (as in 2009). The Cougars are good, but not good enough to improve upon their placing last year. We’re sure they are dreaming of hardware, but Calgary and UVic are too strong for Regina to sneak into the medals.
7. McMaster – Abbott had a strong opener at UWO, but not a great outing in Chicago where he was barely under 26 minutes. Yorke stepped in though, and showed that a summer of triathlon training is good for something other than learning the most efficient method for shaving one’s legs. Helluva run for him in 11th place in a good field. He was backed up by another good run by sophomore sensation, Reid. The depth wasn’t too strong, but given these top three, Mac stands a good chance at being a top 10 team in the country with a good peak late in the season. And, speaking of peaking well, Sneyd knows his stuff and you can count on Mac having their best effort in November.
8. Queen’s – Patterson and Courchene are running as expected. Low 26s at Lehigh makes them legit front-men on a top 10 team. Hulse hasn’t shown his cards yet, but should be ready to go when the real racing starts in a few weeks. His presence up front will help Queen’s tremendously, as right now they are lacking the low stick that pushes them up the top 10 list. Beyond these three, there is a slew of guys who are gunning for the remaining scoring spots, which will hopefully propel a few to new, faster levels. Boyd is holding his cards close to his chest, having not run a full “A” squad yet. Look for the Queen’s open to give a clearer indication of how good (or average) this team will be in 2010.
9. Toronto – Boring. Can U of T please do something interesting before the post-season starts? This team is always a difficult one to size-up. They have names, and stats, but they never run their whole team at the same meet, and they rarely even race hard until OUAs. A couple of mediocre 26 – 26:30 8kms from their expected top 4 at Chicago means TO is a safe bet for a top 10 at CIS. Pettes seems to be the type of guy who needs to have someone holding his hand every waking moment, whether it’s Nicholl (one step ahead in Chicago) during XC races or his girlfriend every other minute of the day- this is not the kind of quality you want to see in your Captain. Mountain running legend Gavin Hamilton boosts their shot at an upper tier placing, given he was 20th at UWO and the fact that he will run very well at the end of the season. Although we’ve never met him, we will pretty much guarantee that he steps up big at CIS.
10. Alberta – Although they didn’t field their A team at the U of S Open, Alberta has been totally unimpressive so far in 2010. Gone are the glory days of the blue-collared guys who worked hard and played hard. This group got dusted in Saskatchewan and needs to regroup in a hurry if they have any visions of repeating their 2009 heroics. That being said, there are some positive things this team can take away from the early season meets. They have been so bad that most other Canwest teams are probably counting them down and out. If there’s anywhere in Canada that knows about being at the bottom of the rankings list, it’s Edmonton. Can Da Bears regroup the way Tambellini has with the Hall, Eberle and Paajarvi acquisitions?
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Slanders and Speculations - Volume 2, Issue 2: 2010 Season Preview; The Women
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).
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).
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.
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