CALGARY – The University of Calgary Dinos cross country teams are set to compete at the 2021 Canada West Cross Country Championships this Saturday, hosted by the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon.

The Dinos men will be looking to secure their fourth consecutive Canada West championship banner after winning at home two years ago.

Leading the charge for the men's team will be Tokyo 2020 Paralympic bronze medallist Stefan Daniel, who will aim to defend his title as the reigning Canada West champion. Daniel's stellar performance at the 2019 championships led the Dinos men to their third consecutive championship banner. 

"Everyone is healthy, fit and ready to go," Daniel said about the upcoming race weekend. "We're coming into this race in a very different position this year – as underdogs. Anything can happen and we're excited to try and shock the conference and be in the fight for the championship banner."

With Calgary's notable loss of 2019 Canada West silver medalist Russell Pennock, the team will lean on the experience of fourth- and fifth-years Eric Lutz and Tyler Kiyonaga to step up for the Dinos. Both Lutz and Kiyonaga are no strangers to the championships though, having been named Canada West and U SPORTS national champions several times apiece.

The Dinos women will put up a fight to try and reclaim their spot on the podium after their 2018 team bronze was snagged by the Saskatchewan Huskies at the 2019 championships.

First-year Schulich student Sihaam Khalid has already proven to be the woman to watch for the Dinos. Despite a pre-season injury trying to slow her down, Khalid has had stand-out performances highlight her first season in varsity competition.

"The coaches [have been] very flexible to my needs and I was able to ramp up my training to remain competitive," Khalid said about the rocky start to her inaugural season with the Dinos. "I am feeling really nervous for this weekend because I am competing for the team rather than just for myself. I'm very lucky to be training with such a focused and determined team."

The young women's team will need strong leadership and individual performances from Canada West second-team all-star Kelsey Serviss and fifth-year Sarah Forman if they want to attack for the team podium.

The 2021 conference championships will also mark the first for new head coach Jessica Zelinka, after being named to the position earlier this year.

Action in Saskatoon's Victoria Park gets underway on Saturday, with the women's championship race beginning at 12 p.m., followed by the men at 1 p.m.

-UC-