Senior cross country teams bring home silver medals
Sunny skies, 30°C, hot, sticky and very little wind. The conditions Team Canada faced today in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, couldn’t have been any different than what they tackled in Kingston, Ont., to qualify for the 2019 NACAC Cross Country Championships.
Though some might think we prefer the cold weather and snow this time of year, the Canadian team was a force to be reckoned with at “the Savannah”, Port-of-Spain’s largest open space this afternoon.
The U20 women, led by newly crowned NACAC Champion Taryn O’Neil, swept the podium for the second consecutive year. O’Neil crossed the finish line in 22:08.00, with Charlotte Wood, Makenna Fitzgerald and Anne Forsyth right behind her. Maggie Smith finished in seventh, only 43 seconds behind the race winner. The team, who ran today’s race without Brogan MacDougall (out due to illness), produced 10 points and an average time of 22:17.00 to bring home a gold medal.
With three Canadians on the podium after just one race, the pressure was on the U20 men to pick-up where the women left off. They didn’t disappoint with the second 1-2-3 finish of the day. Evan Burke, the youngest member of the Canadian team, brought home the win in 27:20.00, with Nicholas Mota and Andrew Davies rounding out the top three. The men delivered Canada’s second team gold medal of the day with a score of 12 and an average time of 27:34.75.
It was a battle between Canada and the USA for the top spot on the podium in the senior women’s race, with Jessica O’Connell giving it her all right down to the wire. O’Connell would cross the finish line three seconds behind Breanna Sieracki of the USA, settling for silver, while Natasha Wodak would finish in fourth place with Canadian Champion Geneviève Lalonde rounded out the top five. The women’s senior team would finish today’s race in the silver-medal position with an average time of 36:53.50, only two points separating them and the USA.
Racing without Lucas Bruchet, who ran away with the Canadian title in November, the senior men were in for a tough race. Rory Linkletter raced to a top five finish, with Mike Tate coming in seventh and Evan Esselink ninth. Together, the team secured the silver medal with an average time of 32:32.50 and 31 points.
The same team, along with a mixed relay, will represent Canada at the 2019 IAAF World Cross Country Championships that will take place on March 30 in Aarhus, Denmark.
Canadian results
U20 women (6km) – team gold, average time 22:17.00
Taryn O’Neil – 1st
Charlotte Wood – 2nd
Makenna Fitzgerald – 3rd
Anne Forsyth – 4th
Maggie Smith – 7th
Brogan MacDougall – did not start due to illness
U20 men (8km) – team gold, average time 27:34.75
Evan Burke – 1st
Nicolas Mota – 2nd
Andrew Davies – 3rd
Ibrahim Kedir – 6th
Maximus Thiessen – 9th
Joshua Desouza – 17th
Senior women (10km) – team silver, average time 36:53.50
Jessica O’Connell – 2nd
Natasha Wodak – 4th
Geneviève Lalonde – 5th
Katelyn Ayers – 9th
Claire Sumner – 13th
Natalia Hawthorm – 16th
Senior men (10km) – team silver, average time 32:32.50
Rory Linkletter – 5th
Mike Tate – 7th
Evan Esselink – 9th
Benjamin Preisner – 10th
Ehab El-Sandali – 12th
