An excellent season of Cross Country has wrapped up. NC athletes produced some outstanding results, and the weather for every event this fall was excellent - including the OFSAA Championships, at least right up to almost the very end! Once again the NCSSAA demonstrated it's strength and depth, earning the title of "Toughest Region in Ontario" for Cross Country. Glebe was not able to capture their sixth consecutive Overall Girls Title, placing second overall in a tight battle with Leaside (Toronto), but were able accumulate enough points to capture the Overall Aggregate.
Midget Girls
The Glebe Midget Girls got the event started on the right foot for the NC Region with a convincing victory. The Gryphon quartet of Bialowas (19), Gardiner (21), Heffernan-Wilker (32) and Buckle (96) outscored their closest rival, Leaside of Toronto, by 64 points (168-232) to capture gold. The front running trio stayed tightly bunched and while Heffernan-Wilker struggled a bit over the final 400m, Gardiner moved up from 37th to 21st in the last kilometre as all three finished within 16 seconds of each other. NC Champ Stevens (Ashbury) ran well and placed 24th overall, putting three NC athletes in the top 25.
NC Teams - 1. Glebe, 14. Nepean
Midget Boys
Not to be outdone, the Glebe Midget Boys, Pensom (21), Newman (26), Lam (67) and Mason (125) made a solid bid to match their female counterparts, but ran into a tough Uxbridge team who bested them for the gold (183-239). Porter (Borden) led all NC athletes placing 15th overall, as the NC Region put 4 boys in the top 30 with Allan (Ashbury) finishing 28th.
NC Teams - 2. Glebe, 16. Sir Robert Borden
Junior Girls
The tables were flipped, but a trio of NC athletes put on a dazzling performance in the Junior Girls race. Betty (Lisgar) was the only one brave enough to try and hang with eventual winner Boston (St. Max Kolbe), but a nasty fall on the final downhill took it's toll and she fell back to 4th place, just missing the podium by 1.5 seconds. Right behind Betty came Newlove (St. Peter) with NC Champ Pellerin (St. Fx) right on her heels. Bolduc (Beatrice Desloges) placed 25th putting four NC athletes in the top 25 of the field.
NC Teams - 11. Lisgar, 21. Glebe
Junior Boys
Joe Fast (Ridgemont) joined a select group of multiple OFSAA XC Champions by capturing the individual title for the second year in a row. Fast played it cool, sticking with a large group of 10 athletes that also included Sanger (Glebe) for the first half of the race, until they made the long trip back along the hills of the Kitchissippi Ridge. In their isolation, Fast made a move that only Lampard (Crescent) could match, but it was all he could do to keep Fast in sight as Fast ran to a comfortable 12 second victory. Fast's teammates, Omar Ali (57), Anvari (108), and Luqman (130) ran well behind him, although they struggled with the cooling temperatures, placing 4th overall. Sanger hung on to the lead group to finish 8th, while last years silver medallist Meredith (De La Salle) placed 14th giving the NC region three top 15 finishes.
NC Teams - 4. Ridgemont, 34. Louis Riel
Senior Girls
The Glebe Senior Girls put up a brave fight, despite losing their top runner, Weston, who sat out due to injury. Led by Barrett (24) and Shapansky (31), Glebe rounded out their scoring with Whitford (66) and Macintosh (173) to finish only two points back of 6th, good for 7th place overall, and only 28 points shy of the margin needed to retain their Overall title.
NC Teams - 7. Glebe, 31. All Saints
Senior Boys
NC Champion Alie Lamarche (Gloucester) made a bold move at the mid point of the race as he tried to hang with the lead group. It proved to be a little more than he could handle once he reached the Ridge, as he struggled a bit over the final kilometre as Fournier (Franco Cite) lead all NC finishers to the line, placing 27th. Alie Lamarche (30) was also nipped in the stretch by Pedersen (Merivale), who placed 29th.
NC Teams - 15. Glebe, 24. Sir Robert Borden
Full results are available on the Windsor Timing website.
NC Blogger would like to thank all the NC athletes for representing our Region so well. For analysis on the "toughest region in the province" please see the following thread (Post #29)
Monday, November 6, 2017
Thursday, October 26, 2017
National Capital Championships
Glebe Collegiate captured the 2017 Girls, Boys and Overall Aggregate again on the trails of Green's Creek. Glebe teams won the Midget Girls, Midget Boys, Senior Girls and Senior Boys Titles, while placing 2nd in the Junior Girls and 3rd in the Junior Boys.
Midget Girls
A small lead group of 5, Bialowas (Glebe), Stevens (Ashbury), Heffernan-Wilker (Glebe), Tyman (Mother Teresa) and McCann (Longfields) broke away fairly early and stayed tightly bunched for the first half of the race. Coming down off the ridge, Stevens, Bialowas and Heffernan-Wilker began to pull away and Stevens made another strong move through the swamp to put herself alone in front and maintained it through the line to win.
Glebe placed all four scorers in the top 15 to win the team title over Nepean 27-49, with Mother Teresa close behind (65).
Midget Boys
A large pack of boys played stayed together for the first half before Newman (Glebe) pushed the pace coming back down onto the soccer fields. The entire lead group responded and stayed close until they headed out into the swamp. Porter (Borden) made his move in through the tight twisting trails and came out onto the 600m homestretch with a comfortable lead. Pensom (Glebe) and Allan (Ashbury) waged a bit of a war around the final lap of the soccer fields, with Pensom pulling away for the silver.
Glebe placed 7 runners in the top 15, and 6 in the top 10 to posted a huge victory over West Champs Borden, with Osgoode stepping up to grab third.
Junior Girls
As expected, Pellerin (St. Fx), Betty (Lisgar) and Newlove (St. Peter) broke away very early and established a large lead over the field. Not much changed in the order over the second half of the race, although Pellerin made a good strong move after coming down the hill to open up some daylight, with Betty pulling away from Newlove by a similar gap over the final stretch.
East Champs Lisgar posted a narrow 5 point victory over Glebe, who upset West Champ South Carleton to nab the second OFSAA qualifying spot.
Junior Boys
Similar to the Girls, three boys broke away early, with Sanger (Glebe) pushing the pace while Fast (Ridgemont) and Meredith (De La Salle) seemed content to follow. Meredith fell off the pace a little by the hill, and Fast put in a strong surge up the last little climb onto the ridge to break the race open. Roy (Longfields) closed the gap over the last K, but was unable to bridge the gap and catch Meredith before the line.
Fast's teammates ran a great race behind him to seal the victory, while Louis Riel defined pack running within their top three runners finishing within 10 seconds of each other (12-14th) with Pollock only 20 seconds back to secure the second OFSAA spot. Glebe claimed the final podium spot in a tight battle with Longfields.
Senior Girls
A trio of Glebe girls lead the way to the hill and only East Champ Roy (Louis) was brave enough to try and stay with them. The trio of Weston, Barrett and Shapansky stayed together until heading into the swamp when Weston broke up the party and spread the group out, with Barrett and Shapansky following in that order. Behind them Roy was being chased down by Soroczan-Wright (Colonel By), but the early gap proved sufficient as she held on to fourth.
Glebe went 1-2-3-8 to post the lowest winning score of the day at 14, well ahead of second place All Saints, who finished 12 points up on Canterbury (84-96).
Senior Boys
Alie-Lamarche (Gloucester), Zanetti (Borden) and Rioux (Louis) led the charge early in the race and Alie-Lamarche never took his foot off the pedal as he opened a considerable gap coming back from the hill. Zanetti stayed secure in second while behind him a real battle was brewing for third. Rioux ran into some trouble, taking a bad fall in the swamp, while Fournier (Franco Cite), Steele (West Carleton) and Pedersen (Merivale) all queued up for the long drive to the finish. Coming out of the swamp, Steel made the first move and opened a small gap, but Pedersen came refused to let him go as they fought all the way through the line, with Steele holding on to the smallest of margins for the bronze.
In the tightest team battle of the day, only 7 points separated 4 teams at the halfway point with Borden and Glebe tied (73), while Ashbury held a small one point advantage over Nepean 79-80). The Glebe boys continued to move through the field while Nepean stumbled a bit over the second half, getting nipped by a hard closing Colonel By for 4th. Glebe posted a 20 point victory (56-76) over Borden with Ashbury holding on to third place.
A big thank you to Seb Lalonde and his Louis Crew for putting on a great meet and best of luck to all NC athletes that have qualified for the OFSAA Championships next week in Petawawa.
Full results are available on the Glebe XC or Louis Riel XC page.
Ridgemont runner, Mesmous Khawla, was published in iRun magazine with her perspective on running. Please read the article on page 36-37 of the December 2017 Issue.
Midget Girls
A small lead group of 5, Bialowas (Glebe), Stevens (Ashbury), Heffernan-Wilker (Glebe), Tyman (Mother Teresa) and McCann (Longfields) broke away fairly early and stayed tightly bunched for the first half of the race. Coming down off the ridge, Stevens, Bialowas and Heffernan-Wilker began to pull away and Stevens made another strong move through the swamp to put herself alone in front and maintained it through the line to win.
Glebe placed all four scorers in the top 15 to win the team title over Nepean 27-49, with Mother Teresa close behind (65).
Midget Boys
A large pack of boys played stayed together for the first half before Newman (Glebe) pushed the pace coming back down onto the soccer fields. The entire lead group responded and stayed close until they headed out into the swamp. Porter (Borden) made his move in through the tight twisting trails and came out onto the 600m homestretch with a comfortable lead. Pensom (Glebe) and Allan (Ashbury) waged a bit of a war around the final lap of the soccer fields, with Pensom pulling away for the silver.
Glebe placed 7 runners in the top 15, and 6 in the top 10 to posted a huge victory over West Champs Borden, with Osgoode stepping up to grab third.
Junior Girls
As expected, Pellerin (St. Fx), Betty (Lisgar) and Newlove (St. Peter) broke away very early and established a large lead over the field. Not much changed in the order over the second half of the race, although Pellerin made a good strong move after coming down the hill to open up some daylight, with Betty pulling away from Newlove by a similar gap over the final stretch.
East Champs Lisgar posted a narrow 5 point victory over Glebe, who upset West Champ South Carleton to nab the second OFSAA qualifying spot.
Junior Boys
Similar to the Girls, three boys broke away early, with Sanger (Glebe) pushing the pace while Fast (Ridgemont) and Meredith (De La Salle) seemed content to follow. Meredith fell off the pace a little by the hill, and Fast put in a strong surge up the last little climb onto the ridge to break the race open. Roy (Longfields) closed the gap over the last K, but was unable to bridge the gap and catch Meredith before the line.
Fast's teammates ran a great race behind him to seal the victory, while Louis Riel defined pack running within their top three runners finishing within 10 seconds of each other (12-14th) with Pollock only 20 seconds back to secure the second OFSAA spot. Glebe claimed the final podium spot in a tight battle with Longfields.
Senior Girls
A trio of Glebe girls lead the way to the hill and only East Champ Roy (Louis) was brave enough to try and stay with them. The trio of Weston, Barrett and Shapansky stayed together until heading into the swamp when Weston broke up the party and spread the group out, with Barrett and Shapansky following in that order. Behind them Roy was being chased down by Soroczan-Wright (Colonel By), but the early gap proved sufficient as she held on to fourth.
Glebe went 1-2-3-8 to post the lowest winning score of the day at 14, well ahead of second place All Saints, who finished 12 points up on Canterbury (84-96).
Senior Boys
Alie-Lamarche (Gloucester), Zanetti (Borden) and Rioux (Louis) led the charge early in the race and Alie-Lamarche never took his foot off the pedal as he opened a considerable gap coming back from the hill. Zanetti stayed secure in second while behind him a real battle was brewing for third. Rioux ran into some trouble, taking a bad fall in the swamp, while Fournier (Franco Cite), Steele (West Carleton) and Pedersen (Merivale) all queued up for the long drive to the finish. Coming out of the swamp, Steel made the first move and opened a small gap, but Pedersen came refused to let him go as they fought all the way through the line, with Steele holding on to the smallest of margins for the bronze.
In the tightest team battle of the day, only 7 points separated 4 teams at the halfway point with Borden and Glebe tied (73), while Ashbury held a small one point advantage over Nepean 79-80). The Glebe boys continued to move through the field while Nepean stumbled a bit over the second half, getting nipped by a hard closing Colonel By for 4th. Glebe posted a 20 point victory (56-76) over Borden with Ashbury holding on to third place.
A big thank you to Seb Lalonde and his Louis Crew for putting on a great meet and best of luck to all NC athletes that have qualified for the OFSAA Championships next week in Petawawa.
Full results are available on the Glebe XC or Louis Riel XC page.
Ridgemont runner, Mesmous Khawla, was published in iRun magazine with her perspective on running. Please read the article on page 36-37 of the December 2017 Issue.
Thursday, October 19, 2017
National Capital Preview
Midget Girls
Glebe looks to be the strongest heading into the NC Meet. They have had three different Gryphons lead the way (Bialowas, Heffernan-Wilker and Gardiner) at different times during the season and have great depth to back up their front running trio. West Champs Nepean also have a great upfront trio (Lawson, Brosseau, Whitewolf) who went 3-4-5 at West. Glebe was second at pre-OFSAA and beat West Champs Nepean at the Gryphon Open as well as placing 3 scorers in the top 8 of the Capital XC Challenge Junior Varsity race. East and West Runner's Up Garneau and Mother Teresa have similar strengths with 3 runners likely to be in the hunt for a top 20 placing, with one each hunting for a top 8, but too large a gap back to #4 to seriously threaten for an OFSAA spot. Whichever team can get a bigger run from #4 is likely to come out on top.
Individually, there is no clear cut favorite as no one comes into the NC race undefeated this season. Stevens (Ashbury) was the top NC finisher at the Gryphon Open and the top midget at the XC Challenge, placing 2nd in both races, and had a huge margin of victory (1:30+) at the West Conference Champs. She was beaten to the line by Heffernan-Wilker and Bialowas (Glebe) on the hills at pre-OFSAA, and both Glebe girls were beat by teammate Gardiner at the Gryphon Open. West Champ Semeniuk (St. Pius X) nipped Heffernan-Wilker at the XC Challenge and looked in fine form at West.
NC Blogger's Picks
Teams - 1. Glebe 22, 2. Nepean - 37 3. Mother Teresa - 80
Individuals - 1. Stevens (Ashbury), 2. Bialowas (Glebe), 3. Semeniuk (St. Pius X)
Midget Boys
The Glebe Midget Boys have been undefeated against NC competition all year and have taken down some of the top teams in the province as well. Glebe started off the season with a win at the Trinity Invite over perennial powerhouses St. Michael's College from Toronto, and Thousand Islands of Brockville and were very close to topping St. Michael's again at the pre-OFSAA meet in Petawawa, despite not having their #1 and #3 runners (Pensom and Lam) in the lineup. West Champs Borden could pose a threat with the best 1-2 punch in the city in West Champ Porter and Sjolund, but just have too great a gap back to their #4 to seriously challenge for the top spot on the podium. If they can get a big run from Ma, they may be able to punch their ticket to Petawawa. Conversely, if they are unable to get the big run from Ma West runner up Nepean and John McCrae (3rd at West), along with East runner up Garneau all have legitimate shots at unseating the Bengals. While the gap between their front runners will be significant, if these teams can get three runners in ahead of Borden's 3rd (Forzley), they could relegate the Bengals from a spot in the O-Show.
Individually, West Champ Porter has looked impressive all season. He won the Gryphon Open and was the top Midget Boy at the XC Challenge placing fourth. Pensom (Glebe) has been closest to Porter, only 3 seconds back at the XC Challenge, but was beaten by Sjolund early in the season. East Champ Clemons has only raced once this fall, but if he can run up to his reputation could challenge for a podium spot.
NC Blogger's Picks
Teams - 1. Glebe 28, 2. Borden 85, 3. Nepean 90
Individuals - 1. Porter (Borden), 2. Sjolund (Borden), 3. Pensom (Glebe)
Junior Girls
Last year South Carleton placed 2nd at NC's but gave up their spot at OFSAA due to a conflict that left them without enough runners to field a team. This year they took a major step to bolstering their line up by bumping up a strong grade 9 in Spencer. That move looks to make South the team to beat heading into next weeks NC Championships as they turned the tables on last year's Midget Girls Champs Nepean at West (40-53). With All Saints not far behind (55 at West) and a duo of competent East teams in Lisgar and Beatrice Desloges, the Junior Girls race looks to be the tight for the second OFSAA spot. Expect Nepean to up their game at Green's Creek, as Chadwick was a little further back than she expected to be at West after placing 4th at the Gryphon Open and being the 2nd Junior at the XC Challenge, less than a minute back of Pellerin (St. FX). All three of these teams have a low stick upfront Betty (Lisgar), Reid (All Saints), Bolduc (Beatrice Desloges), but the secret to their success really lies in their third and fourth. There are awfully big gaps in the time differentials, which can mean some big tallies if the back end has an off day. For this reason, the nod goes to Nepean, who seems to have the most consistent top 4 (unfortunately, they only have 4, so they better all have a good day)!
Individually there are four girls who are head and shoulders ahead of the field. Pellerin and Reid put themselves over a minute and a half ahead of the West field, while Newlove (St. Peter) and Betty managed more than two minutes on their closest competitor in the East. Newlove is the only one undefeated this season against NC competition, while West Champ Pellerin has been the busiest (1st - Cookie Run, XC Challenge, Turkey Trot and Pirates Invite, 2nd - Grpyhon Open, 3rd - Trinity Invite and 4th - pre-OFSAA).
NC Blogger's Picks
Team - 1. South Carleton 66, 2. Nepean 84, Lisgar 88
Individuals - 1. Newlove (St. Peter), 2. Betty (Lisgar), 3. Pellerin (St. FX)
Junior Boys
Ridgemont had the most dominant showing at the Conference Meets, putting up a paltry 15 points behind defending OFSAA champ Joe Fast. Behind Fast, Omar Ali, Luqman and Anvari kept a respectable gap and will certainly be the team to beat next week. Louis Riel put in a mighty impressive showing with two athletes on each side of Anvari at East and look to have a stronghold on the second qualifying spot. Only Paul Desmarais has a chance of unseating Riel, but it's a big ask as their front duo of Da Costa and Jetten, may find themselves battling Louis' 3rd and 4th , Ducharme and Pollock. They will all need to step up and knock off a few Rebelles if they hope to pull it off.
Individually, it's Fast, Sanger (Glebe) and Meredith (De La Salle). Fast and Meredith were 1-2 at OFSAA XC last year. Between the three of them, they own six OFSAA XC and Track medals. Fast won XC and the 1500, placing 2nd in the 800. Meredith was second in XC and 3rd in the 800, while Sanger picked up bronze in the 3000. Sanger has upped his game this year and became the only NC athlete to ever best Fast (Trinity Invite), but Fast has returned the favor many times since.
NC Blogger's Picks
Teams - 1. Ridgemont 38, 2. Louis Riel 55, Paul Desmarais 82
Individuals - 1. Fast (Ridgemont), 2. Sanger (Glebe), 3. Meredith (De La Salle)
Senior Girls
The Glebe Senior Girls will take a crack at being perfect at the NC Meet. Glebe boasts the top three runners in the NCSSAA with Weston, Barrett and Shapansky, while their fourth Whitford outkicked West Champ Gaunt (Merivale) and Soroczan-Wright (Colonel By) at pre-OFSAA. Roy (Louis Riel) turned the tables on Soroczan-Wright at East, after being beaten by her at the XC Challenge the previous week, and all three of them should be crowded around Whitford. West Champs All Saints could battle it out with Canterbury for the second qualifying spot. Canterbury looked to be the stronger of the two teams, but suffered a blow when their top runner, Wong, went down within site of the finish line at the East Meet. Without her the nod goes to All Saints, but the Chargers will try and make it close.
Weston is the heavy favorite, having won the Trinity Invite and placing second at pre-OFSAA. She has not had any NC competitors within a minute of her all season (the exception being East, where due to a lockdown, she arrived on site after the SG race had started and began her race over 15 minutes behind her competitors). Barrett and Shapansky have been her closest pursuers with Barrett second at Trinity, then Barrett 6th / Shapansky 7th at pre-OFSAA, and then they went 1-2 at the XC Challenge, 30 seconds ahead of Soroczan-Wright and a minute up on East Champ Roy.
Teams - 1. Glebe 10, 2. All Saints 75, 3. Canterbury 88
Individuals - 1. Weston (Glebe), 2. Barrett (Glebe), 3. Shapansky (Glebe)
Senior Boys
Best for last, as the most exciting team competition of the day will come in the Senior Boys race which will be a three-way battle for the two spots to OFSAA. At last weeks XC Challenge, only 2 points separated Glebe (49), Sir Robert Borden (49) and Nepean (51). By the end of the race, the gap had widened only slightly with Glebe (48) coming out on top over Nepean (55) and Borden (60). Borden got Nepean back at West, edging them 38-39 for the team title. Each team boasts different strengths.
While Glebe has no top individual contenders they will pack very tightly, with likely less than a 30-40 second spread between #1-#4 (which can change on any given day between Perrault, Black, Pensom, and Cunningham). Borden will counter with West Champ Zanetti but then consistent but sizeable gaps back to 2-3 (Pegrum and Price), then another large gap to their #4 (Poole). Finally Nepean will post a small gap between front runner Morgan and Thebaud, then a fairly large gap to a tighter packed 3-4 Nicole and Linehan. Expect to see both Borden and Nepean with two runners in ahead of Glebe's 1st, but then four Gryphons before another Bengal or Knight crosses the line. The key is, how many bodies get in between Glebe's 4th and Borden and Nepean's 3rd.
Individually there are lots of things that can happen up front. Zanetti bested Alie-Lamarche (Gloucester) at the Gryphon Open, but Alie-Lamarche got the better of him on the hilly pre-OFSAA course. Steele (West Carleton) has lurked at the edge of the podium in most of his races this fall, but was a little further back at West. Fournier (Franco Cite) has had a few up and down races, running brilliantly at East, patiently biding his time before moving through the field. He was the second NC runner at the pre-OFSAA race, edging out Zanetti along the Kitchissippi Ridge. Rioux (Louis Riel), Cox (Colonel By), Morgan (Nepean) and Pedersen (Merivale) all have top 5 potential on any give day. Better bring your A game next week boys. With only one of these boys (possibly two) likely to qualify on a team we can expect an epic battle for the remaining OFSAA spots.
NC Blogger's Pick
Teams - 1. Glebe 63, 2. Sir Robert Borden 64, 3. Nepean 70
Individuals - 1. Zanetti (Borden), 2. Alie-Lamarche (Gloucester), 3. Fournier (Franco Cite)
Results from all season meets, along with information about the NC Championships, can be found on the Glebe XC Page. NC Blogger would like to wish good luck to all competitors this coming week and we look forward to cheering you on next week!
Glebe looks to be the strongest heading into the NC Meet. They have had three different Gryphons lead the way (Bialowas, Heffernan-Wilker and Gardiner) at different times during the season and have great depth to back up their front running trio. West Champs Nepean also have a great upfront trio (Lawson, Brosseau, Whitewolf) who went 3-4-5 at West. Glebe was second at pre-OFSAA and beat West Champs Nepean at the Gryphon Open as well as placing 3 scorers in the top 8 of the Capital XC Challenge Junior Varsity race. East and West Runner's Up Garneau and Mother Teresa have similar strengths with 3 runners likely to be in the hunt for a top 20 placing, with one each hunting for a top 8, but too large a gap back to #4 to seriously threaten for an OFSAA spot. Whichever team can get a bigger run from #4 is likely to come out on top.
Individually, there is no clear cut favorite as no one comes into the NC race undefeated this season. Stevens (Ashbury) was the top NC finisher at the Gryphon Open and the top midget at the XC Challenge, placing 2nd in both races, and had a huge margin of victory (1:30+) at the West Conference Champs. She was beaten to the line by Heffernan-Wilker and Bialowas (Glebe) on the hills at pre-OFSAA, and both Glebe girls were beat by teammate Gardiner at the Gryphon Open. West Champ Semeniuk (St. Pius X) nipped Heffernan-Wilker at the XC Challenge and looked in fine form at West.
NC Blogger's Picks
Teams - 1. Glebe 22, 2. Nepean - 37 3. Mother Teresa - 80
Individuals - 1. Stevens (Ashbury), 2. Bialowas (Glebe), 3. Semeniuk (St. Pius X)
Midget Boys
The Glebe Midget Boys have been undefeated against NC competition all year and have taken down some of the top teams in the province as well. Glebe started off the season with a win at the Trinity Invite over perennial powerhouses St. Michael's College from Toronto, and Thousand Islands of Brockville and were very close to topping St. Michael's again at the pre-OFSAA meet in Petawawa, despite not having their #1 and #3 runners (Pensom and Lam) in the lineup. West Champs Borden could pose a threat with the best 1-2 punch in the city in West Champ Porter and Sjolund, but just have too great a gap back to their #4 to seriously challenge for the top spot on the podium. If they can get a big run from Ma, they may be able to punch their ticket to Petawawa. Conversely, if they are unable to get the big run from Ma West runner up Nepean and John McCrae (3rd at West), along with East runner up Garneau all have legitimate shots at unseating the Bengals. While the gap between their front runners will be significant, if these teams can get three runners in ahead of Borden's 3rd (Forzley), they could relegate the Bengals from a spot in the O-Show.
Individually, West Champ Porter has looked impressive all season. He won the Gryphon Open and was the top Midget Boy at the XC Challenge placing fourth. Pensom (Glebe) has been closest to Porter, only 3 seconds back at the XC Challenge, but was beaten by Sjolund early in the season. East Champ Clemons has only raced once this fall, but if he can run up to his reputation could challenge for a podium spot.
NC Blogger's Picks
Teams - 1. Glebe 28, 2. Borden 85, 3. Nepean 90
Individuals - 1. Porter (Borden), 2. Sjolund (Borden), 3. Pensom (Glebe)
Junior Girls
Last year South Carleton placed 2nd at NC's but gave up their spot at OFSAA due to a conflict that left them without enough runners to field a team. This year they took a major step to bolstering their line up by bumping up a strong grade 9 in Spencer. That move looks to make South the team to beat heading into next weeks NC Championships as they turned the tables on last year's Midget Girls Champs Nepean at West (40-53). With All Saints not far behind (55 at West) and a duo of competent East teams in Lisgar and Beatrice Desloges, the Junior Girls race looks to be the tight for the second OFSAA spot. Expect Nepean to up their game at Green's Creek, as Chadwick was a little further back than she expected to be at West after placing 4th at the Gryphon Open and being the 2nd Junior at the XC Challenge, less than a minute back of Pellerin (St. FX). All three of these teams have a low stick upfront Betty (Lisgar), Reid (All Saints), Bolduc (Beatrice Desloges), but the secret to their success really lies in their third and fourth. There are awfully big gaps in the time differentials, which can mean some big tallies if the back end has an off day. For this reason, the nod goes to Nepean, who seems to have the most consistent top 4 (unfortunately, they only have 4, so they better all have a good day)!
Individually there are four girls who are head and shoulders ahead of the field. Pellerin and Reid put themselves over a minute and a half ahead of the West field, while Newlove (St. Peter) and Betty managed more than two minutes on their closest competitor in the East. Newlove is the only one undefeated this season against NC competition, while West Champ Pellerin has been the busiest (1st - Cookie Run, XC Challenge, Turkey Trot and Pirates Invite, 2nd - Grpyhon Open, 3rd - Trinity Invite and 4th - pre-OFSAA).
NC Blogger's Picks
Team - 1. South Carleton 66, 2. Nepean 84, Lisgar 88
Individuals - 1. Newlove (St. Peter), 2. Betty (Lisgar), 3. Pellerin (St. FX)
Junior Boys
Ridgemont had the most dominant showing at the Conference Meets, putting up a paltry 15 points behind defending OFSAA champ Joe Fast. Behind Fast, Omar Ali, Luqman and Anvari kept a respectable gap and will certainly be the team to beat next week. Louis Riel put in a mighty impressive showing with two athletes on each side of Anvari at East and look to have a stronghold on the second qualifying spot. Only Paul Desmarais has a chance of unseating Riel, but it's a big ask as their front duo of Da Costa and Jetten, may find themselves battling Louis' 3rd and 4th , Ducharme and Pollock. They will all need to step up and knock off a few Rebelles if they hope to pull it off.
Individually, it's Fast, Sanger (Glebe) and Meredith (De La Salle). Fast and Meredith were 1-2 at OFSAA XC last year. Between the three of them, they own six OFSAA XC and Track medals. Fast won XC and the 1500, placing 2nd in the 800. Meredith was second in XC and 3rd in the 800, while Sanger picked up bronze in the 3000. Sanger has upped his game this year and became the only NC athlete to ever best Fast (Trinity Invite), but Fast has returned the favor many times since.
NC Blogger's Picks
Teams - 1. Ridgemont 38, 2. Louis Riel 55, Paul Desmarais 82
Individuals - 1. Fast (Ridgemont), 2. Sanger (Glebe), 3. Meredith (De La Salle)
Senior Girls
The Glebe Senior Girls will take a crack at being perfect at the NC Meet. Glebe boasts the top three runners in the NCSSAA with Weston, Barrett and Shapansky, while their fourth Whitford outkicked West Champ Gaunt (Merivale) and Soroczan-Wright (Colonel By) at pre-OFSAA. Roy (Louis Riel) turned the tables on Soroczan-Wright at East, after being beaten by her at the XC Challenge the previous week, and all three of them should be crowded around Whitford. West Champs All Saints could battle it out with Canterbury for the second qualifying spot. Canterbury looked to be the stronger of the two teams, but suffered a blow when their top runner, Wong, went down within site of the finish line at the East Meet. Without her the nod goes to All Saints, but the Chargers will try and make it close.
Weston is the heavy favorite, having won the Trinity Invite and placing second at pre-OFSAA. She has not had any NC competitors within a minute of her all season (the exception being East, where due to a lockdown, she arrived on site after the SG race had started and began her race over 15 minutes behind her competitors). Barrett and Shapansky have been her closest pursuers with Barrett second at Trinity, then Barrett 6th / Shapansky 7th at pre-OFSAA, and then they went 1-2 at the XC Challenge, 30 seconds ahead of Soroczan-Wright and a minute up on East Champ Roy.
Teams - 1. Glebe 10, 2. All Saints 75, 3. Canterbury 88
Individuals - 1. Weston (Glebe), 2. Barrett (Glebe), 3. Shapansky (Glebe)
Senior Boys
Best for last, as the most exciting team competition of the day will come in the Senior Boys race which will be a three-way battle for the two spots to OFSAA. At last weeks XC Challenge, only 2 points separated Glebe (49), Sir Robert Borden (49) and Nepean (51). By the end of the race, the gap had widened only slightly with Glebe (48) coming out on top over Nepean (55) and Borden (60). Borden got Nepean back at West, edging them 38-39 for the team title. Each team boasts different strengths.
While Glebe has no top individual contenders they will pack very tightly, with likely less than a 30-40 second spread between #1-#4 (which can change on any given day between Perrault, Black, Pensom, and Cunningham). Borden will counter with West Champ Zanetti but then consistent but sizeable gaps back to 2-3 (Pegrum and Price), then another large gap to their #4 (Poole). Finally Nepean will post a small gap between front runner Morgan and Thebaud, then a fairly large gap to a tighter packed 3-4 Nicole and Linehan. Expect to see both Borden and Nepean with two runners in ahead of Glebe's 1st, but then four Gryphons before another Bengal or Knight crosses the line. The key is, how many bodies get in between Glebe's 4th and Borden and Nepean's 3rd.
Individually there are lots of things that can happen up front. Zanetti bested Alie-Lamarche (Gloucester) at the Gryphon Open, but Alie-Lamarche got the better of him on the hilly pre-OFSAA course. Steele (West Carleton) has lurked at the edge of the podium in most of his races this fall, but was a little further back at West. Fournier (Franco Cite) has had a few up and down races, running brilliantly at East, patiently biding his time before moving through the field. He was the second NC runner at the pre-OFSAA race, edging out Zanetti along the Kitchissippi Ridge. Rioux (Louis Riel), Cox (Colonel By), Morgan (Nepean) and Pedersen (Merivale) all have top 5 potential on any give day. Better bring your A game next week boys. With only one of these boys (possibly two) likely to qualify on a team we can expect an epic battle for the remaining OFSAA spots.
NC Blogger's Pick
Teams - 1. Glebe 63, 2. Sir Robert Borden 64, 3. Nepean 70
Individuals - 1. Zanetti (Borden), 2. Alie-Lamarche (Gloucester), 3. Fournier (Franco Cite)
Results from all season meets, along with information about the NC Championships, can be found on the Glebe XC Page. NC Blogger would like to wish good luck to all competitors this coming week and we look forward to cheering you on next week!
East Conference Championships
Glebe Collegiate swept the Girls, Boys and Overall Titles at the East Conference XC Championships at Green's Creek on Thursday. Glebe started the day off on the right foot, winning the Midget Girls and Midget Boys races, while their Junior Girls and Senior Boys were also third. Ridgemont Junior Boys had the most impressive showing of the day, placing all four scorers in the top 7 to tally just 15 points, led by individual champ Joe Fast.
Individual girls winners were Isablle Stevens - Ashbury (Midget), Katie Newlove -St. Peter (Junior), Megan Roy - Louis Riel (Senior), while Lucas Clemons - Colonel By (Midget), Joe Fast - Ridegmont (Junior) and Andre Alie-Lamarche - Gloucester (Senior) captured the boys races.
All athletes that completed the Conference Championships are now eligible for the NCSSAA Championships next week.
Full results are available on the Glebe XC page
Individual girls winners were Isablle Stevens - Ashbury (Midget), Katie Newlove -St. Peter (Junior), Megan Roy - Louis Riel (Senior), while Lucas Clemons - Colonel By (Midget), Joe Fast - Ridegmont (Junior) and Andre Alie-Lamarche - Gloucester (Senior) captured the boys races.
All athletes that completed the Conference Championships are now eligible for the NCSSAA Championships next week.
Full results are available on the Glebe XC page
Wednesday, October 18, 2017
West Conference Championships
Nepean were the big winners at the 2018 West Conference Cross Country Running Championships, capturing the Overall Aggregate and the Girls Aggregate. Nepean won the Midget Girls, placed second in the Junior Girls and were 8th in the Senior Girls race. Sir Robert Borden won the boys Aggregate by winning both the Midget Boys and the Senior Boys races, the latter in a very close one point victory over Nepean.
Individual girls winners were Katya Semeniuk - St. Pius X (Midget), Skye Pellerin -St. Francis Xavier (Junior), Keegan Gaunt - Merivale (Senior), while Cameron Porter - Sir Robert Borden (Midget), Theo Woodford - Nepean (Junior) and Lucas Zanetti - Sir Robert Borden (Senior) captured the boys races.
All athletes that completed the Conference Championships are now eligible for the NCSSAA Championships next week.
Full results are available on the Glebe XC page
Individual girls winners were Katya Semeniuk - St. Pius X (Midget), Skye Pellerin -St. Francis Xavier (Junior), Keegan Gaunt - Merivale (Senior), while Cameron Porter - Sir Robert Borden (Midget), Theo Woodford - Nepean (Junior) and Lucas Zanetti - Sir Robert Borden (Senior) captured the boys races.
All athletes that completed the Conference Championships are now eligible for the NCSSAA Championships next week.
Full results are available on the Glebe XC page
Friday, October 13, 2017
Final Week of Invitationals!
The final week of Invitationals saw three races in the NC Region, the North Dundas Invite, the Turkey Trot and the Capital XC Challenge, as now athletes gear up for the their qualifying meets starting next week.
Skye Pellerin (St. Fx) kept her busy season going with victories at the Turkey Trot in Kemptville and again at the Capital XC Challenge.
Glebe came out the big winner at the Capital XC Challenge, winning all four races, JV Girls and Boys, along with Varsity Girls and Boys titles. The Varsity Boys race was exceptionally close with only 2 points separating Sir Robert Borden (49), Nepean (51) and Glebe (49) at the 3K mark of the race. The competition stayed close right through the finish line with Glebe taking the title over Nepean 48-55. Nepean also placed second in the JV Girls race.
Results can be found on the Glebe XC Page
Skye Pellerin (St. Fx) kept her busy season going with victories at the Turkey Trot in Kemptville and again at the Capital XC Challenge.
Glebe came out the big winner at the Capital XC Challenge, winning all four races, JV Girls and Boys, along with Varsity Girls and Boys titles. The Varsity Boys race was exceptionally close with only 2 points separating Sir Robert Borden (49), Nepean (51) and Glebe (49) at the 3K mark of the race. The competition stayed close right through the finish line with Glebe taking the title over Nepean 48-55. Nepean also placed second in the JV Girls race.
Results can be found on the Glebe XC Page
Friday, October 6, 2017
Pre-OFSAA and Rebelles Invitational
Many National Capital athletes headed up the Valley to Petawawa to take advantage of the OFSAA course preview meet, the Kitchissippi Ridge Invitational. For the second consecutive year, OFSAA will be hosted within a reasonable distance enabling many NC teams a chance to see the course.
NC athletes put in some strong performances, beginning with the Midget Girls, in which Glebe placed a close second to Theriault (Timmins), lead by Anna Sierra Heffernan-Wilker (4th) and Ivy Bialowas (6th). Ashbury's Isabelle Stevens also cracked the top 10, finishing 7th.
Not to be outdone by their female classmates, the Glebe Midget Boys, led by Keito Newman's third place finish, placed second to provincial powerhouse St. Michaels' College from Toronto. Glebe had got the best of St. Mike's at the season opener, Trinity Harriers Invitational in Port Hope, but St. Mike's returned the favour on the OFSAA course; however, Glebe was without their top man from Trinity and the Gryphon Open Owen Pensom and #3 Torin Lam.
In the Junior Girls, NC athletes were led by Katie Newlove (St. Peter) who claimed silver, behind last year's OFSAA bronze medalist, Anna Workman of Kingston CVI. Skye Pellerin (St. Fx) placed 4th (her 5th top 4 finish this year). Skye has been all over (and around) the podium in her five races this fall, winning both the Pirates Invite and Louis' Cookie Run, second at the Gryphon Open, third at the Trinity Invite and fourth in Petawawa. Veronique Bolduc (Beatrice Desloges) placed 7th and Lauren Reid (All Saints) placed 10th, putting four NC athletes in the top 10. Glebe edged All Saints by a mere 5 points, to be the top NC school, finishing 5th overall.
Joe Fast (Ridgemont) and Adam Sanger (Glebe) gave the NC a 1-2 finish in the Junior Boys race, repeating their finish order of a week ago at the Gryphon Open. Glebe's Junior Boys finished in a 5th place tie with St. Mike's, but were placed 6th on the tie breaker (higher finishing 4th runner). Longfields-Davidson's Junior Boys were 8th.
The Glebe Senior Girls got a good look at last year's Junior Girls Champions from Northern Secondary (Toronto) and runner up Theriault. Both schools had scored impressively low last year and looked to pose a threat for the podium this year. Glebe, placed all four scorers in the top 15 (and three in the top 7) to easily outpace both schools. Mei Mei Weston captured silver, Rosalyn Barrett was 6th, Teagan Shapansky 7th, and Nina Whitford 15th, giving Glebe the top 4 individual NC athletes in the race.
A trio of NC athletes finished within 9 seconds of each other in the Senior Boys race. Andre Alie-Lamarche (Gloucester) made a valiant effort to hit the podium, staying in the top 3 until late in the race, but faded a little over the final kilo to lead all NC runners placing 7th. Shortly behind Alie-Lamarache, Fournier (Franco Cite) placed 9th, just ahead of Gryphon Open Champ Lucas Zanetti (Sir Robert Borden), who lead his team to 7th place, the only top 8 finish by an NC team in the Senior Boys race.
Full results are available at WindsorTiming.com
For those schools that didn't want to make the trip up the Valley, the Rebelles hosted their Invitational, the first chance for athletes to get a look at the NC Championship courses on the trails of Green's Creek. Nepean won the Overall Title capturing the Varsity Boys and Girls races and placing 2nd in the Junior Varisty Girls race.
Full results available here
NC athletes put in some strong performances, beginning with the Midget Girls, in which Glebe placed a close second to Theriault (Timmins), lead by Anna Sierra Heffernan-Wilker (4th) and Ivy Bialowas (6th). Ashbury's Isabelle Stevens also cracked the top 10, finishing 7th.
Not to be outdone by their female classmates, the Glebe Midget Boys, led by Keito Newman's third place finish, placed second to provincial powerhouse St. Michaels' College from Toronto. Glebe had got the best of St. Mike's at the season opener, Trinity Harriers Invitational in Port Hope, but St. Mike's returned the favour on the OFSAA course; however, Glebe was without their top man from Trinity and the Gryphon Open Owen Pensom and #3 Torin Lam.
In the Junior Girls, NC athletes were led by Katie Newlove (St. Peter) who claimed silver, behind last year's OFSAA bronze medalist, Anna Workman of Kingston CVI. Skye Pellerin (St. Fx) placed 4th (her 5th top 4 finish this year). Skye has been all over (and around) the podium in her five races this fall, winning both the Pirates Invite and Louis' Cookie Run, second at the Gryphon Open, third at the Trinity Invite and fourth in Petawawa. Veronique Bolduc (Beatrice Desloges) placed 7th and Lauren Reid (All Saints) placed 10th, putting four NC athletes in the top 10. Glebe edged All Saints by a mere 5 points, to be the top NC school, finishing 5th overall.
Joe Fast (Ridgemont) and Adam Sanger (Glebe) gave the NC a 1-2 finish in the Junior Boys race, repeating their finish order of a week ago at the Gryphon Open. Glebe's Junior Boys finished in a 5th place tie with St. Mike's, but were placed 6th on the tie breaker (higher finishing 4th runner). Longfields-Davidson's Junior Boys were 8th.
The Glebe Senior Girls got a good look at last year's Junior Girls Champions from Northern Secondary (Toronto) and runner up Theriault. Both schools had scored impressively low last year and looked to pose a threat for the podium this year. Glebe, placed all four scorers in the top 15 (and three in the top 7) to easily outpace both schools. Mei Mei Weston captured silver, Rosalyn Barrett was 6th, Teagan Shapansky 7th, and Nina Whitford 15th, giving Glebe the top 4 individual NC athletes in the race.
A trio of NC athletes finished within 9 seconds of each other in the Senior Boys race. Andre Alie-Lamarche (Gloucester) made a valiant effort to hit the podium, staying in the top 3 until late in the race, but faded a little over the final kilo to lead all NC runners placing 7th. Shortly behind Alie-Lamarache, Fournier (Franco Cite) placed 9th, just ahead of Gryphon Open Champ Lucas Zanetti (Sir Robert Borden), who lead his team to 7th place, the only top 8 finish by an NC team in the Senior Boys race.
Full results are available at WindsorTiming.com
For those schools that didn't want to make the trip up the Valley, the Rebelles hosted their Invitational, the first chance for athletes to get a look at the NC Championship courses on the trails of Green's Creek. Nepean won the Overall Title capturing the Varsity Boys and Girls races and placing 2nd in the Junior Varisty Girls race.
Full results available here
Wednesday, September 27, 2017
Wild Weather Swings highlight Gryphon Open
The anticipated heat was late arriving at the 2017 Gryphon Open. After environment Canada issued another heat advisory, it was decided each event would be shortened to help athletes manage the heat better, but overcast skies and a refreshing breeze kept the temperature bearable for the first few races. As the day progressed, the heat started to rise as a few athletes struggled with the temperatures which peaked during the senior boys race. Several Senior Boys never made it to the finish line, but it wasn't the heat the prevented them from getting there, but "The Storm."
Within seconds, the sky became overcast again, the wind picked up, and within seconds of the first drop falling, the heavens opened. Rain pounded down reducing visibility to next to nothing. Lightning struck a large willow located just a few metres from the start line, ripping the tree in half. Fortunately, no runners were injured and all made it to shelter from their various spots out on the course.
Hosts Glebe Collegiate captured the Overall Aggregate taking titles in the Midget Girls, Midget Boys, and Senior Girls Divisions. The Glebe Girls demonstrated their strength and depth by winning the Senior Girl's race despite not racing their four scorers who won the Trinity Invitational the previous week. Sir Robert Borden established itself as a contender for the NC title with a solid performance in winning the Senior Boy's race led by individual Champion, Lucas Zanetti.
Bishop Smith (Pembroke) and Beatrice Desloges captured the boys and girls Elementary races. Ottawa Citizen photographer, Wayne Cuddington, was on hand to capture a few shots of the action. You can check out his photos here.
Full results are available on the Glebe XC page.
Hosts Glebe Collegiate captured the Overall Aggregate taking titles in the Midget Girls, Midget Boys, and Senior Girls Divisions. The Glebe Girls demonstrated their strength and depth by winning the Senior Girl's race despite not racing their four scorers who won the Trinity Invitational the previous week. Sir Robert Borden established itself as a contender for the NC title with a solid performance in winning the Senior Boy's race led by individual Champion, Lucas Zanetti.
Bishop Smith (Pembroke) and Beatrice Desloges captured the boys and girls Elementary races. Ottawa Citizen photographer, Wayne Cuddington, was on hand to capture a few shots of the action. You can check out his photos here.
Full results are available on the Glebe XC page.
Friday, September 22, 2017
Ashbury Edges Louis at Inaugural XC Relays
Ashbury College edged out host Louis Riel at the Inaugural Louis Riel XC Relays on the trails of Green's Creek. The Open HS Sections saw three runners each complete a 2 kilometre loop. The Colts claimed 1st, 3rd and 6th in the Girls event, 2nd and 4th in the Boys event as well as a 2nd place finish in the Mixed Event to claim the title 45-42 over the host Rebelles.
Results are available on the Glebe XC page or the Louis Riel Athletics Page
Results are available on the Glebe XC page or the Louis Riel Athletics Page
Wednesday, September 20, 2017
Glebe defends Trinity Harrier Title
Glebe Collegiate defended it's Overall Title at the 2017 Trinity Harrier Invitational in Port Hope, capturing the "cutest trophy in all Sport" for the fourth consecutive year. Glebe won the Midget Boys, Junior Girls and Senior Girls Team titles, while placing 5th in the Senior Boys race.
The National Capital region was well represented on the podium with Glebe athletes Mei Mei Weston running to gold in the Senior Girls race, followed to the line by teammate Rosalyn Barrett. Fellow Glebites Adam Sanger (2nd Junior Boys), Ivy Bialowas (3rd Midget Girls) and Owen Pensom (3rd Midget Boys) also captured hardware for the Gryphons. Skye Pellerin (St. FX) and Joe Fast (Ridgemont) also captured bronze medals in the Junior Girls and Junior Boys races.
Full results are available on the Glebe XC page.
The National Capital region was well represented on the podium with Glebe athletes Mei Mei Weston running to gold in the Senior Girls race, followed to the line by teammate Rosalyn Barrett. Fellow Glebites Adam Sanger (2nd Junior Boys), Ivy Bialowas (3rd Midget Girls) and Owen Pensom (3rd Midget Boys) also captured hardware for the Gryphons. Skye Pellerin (St. FX) and Joe Fast (Ridgemont) also captured bronze medals in the Junior Girls and Junior Boys races.
Full results are available on the Glebe XC page.
Saturday, September 16, 2017
XCookie Run
The 2017 XC season got underway this past Friday with Louis Riel's XCookie Run on the trails of Green's Creek. The meet hosted combined age categories for the the HS school sections, as well as Intermediate sections. Junior Skye Pellerin (St. FX) and Senior Jonathan Rioux (Louis Riel) won their respective races. Full results are available on the Glebe XC, or Louis Riel XC site.
Wednesday, June 14, 2017
2017 Cross Country Season
Welcome back! The 2017 Cross Country season is just around the corner. Some things to look forward to already are:
Cookie Run Friday, Sept 15th Hornet's Nest
Gryphon Open Wednesday, Sept. 27th Mooney's Bay Maps Registration
Registration information, results and more will be located on the 2017 Glebe XC Page , or click on the links above!
Cookie Run Friday, Sept 15th Hornet's Nest
Trinity Invitational Wednesday, Sept. 20th Port Hope, ON
Louis Riel XC Relays Thursday, Sept. 21st Hornet's NestGryphon Open Wednesday, Sept. 27th Mooney's Bay Maps Registration
Pirates Invitational Friday, Sept. 29th Brockville, ON
pre-OFSAA Thursday, Oct. 5th Petawawa, ON
Louis Riel XC Invite Thursday, Oct. 5th Hornet's Nest
North Dundas Invite Friday, Oct 6th Winchester, ON
Turkey Trot Wednesday, Oct. 11th Kemptville, ON
Capital XC Challenge Friday, Oct. 13th Mooney's Bay
pre-OFSAA Thursday, Oct. 5th Petawawa, ON
Louis Riel XC Invite Thursday, Oct. 5th Hornet's Nest
North Dundas Invite Friday, Oct 6th Winchester, ON
Turkey Trot Wednesday, Oct. 11th Kemptville, ON
Capital XC Challenge Friday, Oct. 13th Mooney's Bay
West Conference Thursday, Oct. 18th Bell HS
East Conference Wednesday, Oct. 19th Hornet's Nest
East Conference Wednesday, Oct. 19th Hornet's Nest
NCSSAA XC Thursday, Oct. 26th Hornet's Nest
OFSAA XC Saturday, Nov. 4th Petawawa, ON
Registration information, results and more will be located on the 2017 Glebe XC Page , or click on the links above!
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