KINGSTON, Ont. – The University of Calgary Dinos finished with a strong team showing across their top five to claim their first U SPORTS national championship in cross country as athletes battled strong winds in Kingston, Ont., at Fort Henry Hill.

A balanced attack that included the individual bronze medal going to Russell Pennock saw the Dinos climb to the top of the podium for U SPORTS gold. Pennock also won Canada West Athlete of the Year in cross country for the second consecutive year for his efforts.

Calgary finished with three All-Canadians in the race as Pennock was followed close behind by Eric Lutz in ninth and Stefan Daniel in 10th. Ryan Grieco (21st) and Tyler Kiyonaga (32nd) rounded out the top five for Calgary as they finished with a team score of 75 which was 14 points ahead of second-place Guelph and 19 ahead of third place McMaster.

"Russell is a phenomenal athlete, and what makes him that way is his preparation and willingness to commit to that preparation," said Dinos head coach Doug Lamont, who was named the U SPORTS men's coach of the year. "He does what he has to do to be a better athlete every day, and evey day comes out to compete."

All three All-Canadians were also Canada West First Team All-Stars along with Grieco, while Kiyonaga was a second team conference all-star.

"It's quite amazing that the guys were able to do this. I'm really proud of them, they showed up, aimed towards a national championship and did everything they could," said Lamont. "In cross country, nothing's typical. Everybody has to deal with the conditions and our guys showed up today prepared to compete and did it all. It wasn't any one individual who made it all happen for us it was because all seven of us stepped up on the day."

The U SPORTS men's champion was Connor Black from the Guelph Gryphons who ran the 10km race in a time of 31:13, which included a tight sprint down the finish as he fended off silver medalist Jean-Simon Desgagnés of the Laval Rouge et Or by a fraction of a second.

"It was pretty amazing," said Lamont. "The men were intent on getting this championship from the get-go on the season, and today everyone - everyone - ran their hearts out and things just fell into place. They believed in each other – they came together as a group, decided on a goal, and challenged each other to achieve that goal. It was a team effort, working together."

Full Results

Team Standings

1.    Calgary, 75
2.    Guelph, 89
3.    McMaster, 94
4.    Laval, 131
5.    Queen's, 149
6.    Western, 173
7.    UBC, 235
8.    Trinity Western, 242
9.    Victoria, 243
10.    Toronto, 279
11.    Manitoba, 331
12.    StFX, 344
13.    Laurentian, 385
14.    Alberta, 405
15.    Sherbrooke, 427
16.    Regina, 540
17.    Laurier, 541
18.    UQAM, 650
19.    Montreal, 700

First Team All-Canadians
1. Connor Black, Guelph (31:13.0)
2. Jean-Simon Desgagnés, Laval (31:13.6)
3. Russell Pennock, Calgary (31:16.2)
4. John Gay, UBC (31:17.0)
5. Isaiah Frelink, Western (31:18.5)
6. Caleb De Jong, Trinity Western (31:25.3)
7. Nick Colyn, Trinity Western (31:28.3)

Second Team All-Canadians
8. Jack Sheffar, Western (31:33.1)
9. Eric Lutz, Calgary (31:34.1)
10. Stefan Daniel, Calgary (31:36.7)
11. Max Turek, McMaster (31:38.0)
12. Mitchell de Lange, Queen's (31:42.0)
13. Alexis Lepage, Laval (31:44.0)
14. Alex Drover, McMaster (31:45.1)

First Team Canada West All-Stars
NAME (U SPORTS PLACE) / SCHOOL / TIME
Russell Pennock (3rd) / Calgary Dinos / 31:16.2
John Gay (4th) / UBC Thunderbirds / 31:17.0
Caleb De Jong (6th) / Trinity Western Spartans / 31:25.3
Nick Colyn (7th) / Trinity Western Spartans / 31:28.3
Eric Lutz (9th) / Calgary Dinos / 31:34.1
Stefan Daniel (10th) / Calgary Dinos / 31:36.7
Ryan Grieco (21st) / Calgary Dinos / 32:01.2

First Team Canada West All-Stars
NAME (U SPORTS PLACE) / SCHOOL / TIME
Daniel Heschuk (28th) / Manitoba Bisons / 32:14.8
Josh Kozelj (29th) / Victoria Vikes / 32:16.4
Tyler Kiyonaga (32nd) / Calgary Dinos / 32:24.1
James Lam (36th) / Trinity Western Spartans / 32:30.7
Thomas Broatch (42nd) / UBC Thunderbirds / 32:37.9
Riley Stuermer (44th) / Alberta Golden Bears / 32:39.3
Simon Berube (45th) / Manitoba Bisons / 32:41.4

Award Winners

Athlete of the Year: Connor Black, Guelph
Rookie of the Year: Ruben Sansom, Queen's
Student-Athlete Community Service Award: Craig Klomp, Toronto
Coach of the Year: Doug Lamont, Calgary