KELOWNA, B.C. – First-year runner
Sophie Jensen earned a spot on the U SPORTS Women's All-Rookie Team to headline the Calgary Dinos performance at the 2024 U SPORTS Cross Country Championships, hosted by UBCO Saturday. at Mission Recreation Park.
The Queen's Gaels and the Western Mustangs are heading back to Ontario as champions after winning the men's and women's U SPORTS trophies and banners respectively.
Under overcast skies in the Okanagan Valley, the championships started off with the men's eight-kilometer race where Laval's Phillipe Morneau-Cartier shone on the fast and flat course. The reigning U SPORTS Champion repeated as the individual gold medalist, pulling away on the final lap to post a time of 23 minutes and 19 seconds.
UNB's Jared Howse, the 2024 AUS Champion, finished six seconds back of Morneau-Cartier in a well-run race, claiming silver in a time of 23:25 while Regina's Jonathan Podbielski ran a great final kilometer to take home bronze in a time of 23:32.
Jude Wheeler-Dee and Roman Mironov led the way for the team champion Gaels as they finished 13th and 14th overall to earn Second Team All-Canadian honours. Their performance helped Queen's finish with 94 points overall as they claimed the school's first team championship since 1984 and fifth overall.
The Sherbrooke Vert et Or would win the silver medal, recording 130 points while the Laval Rouge et Or won the bronze medal with 145 points.
For the Dinos,
Max Cook and
Ethan Meyer finished essentially side by side, with Cook crossing the line in 25:08 – two seconds ahead of Meyer as the top finishers for the Scarlet & Gold men on the day. As a team, Calgary closed things out with 513 points for 20th place.
The women would take to the course for the second eight-kilometer race where hometown hero Lauren McNeil one upped her performance in 2021 to win the individual gold medal. McNeil, the individual silver medalist in Quebec City, held off the 2024 Canada West individual champion, Constance Nankivell, and despite a fall on the final lap, posted a time of 26:31.
Nankivell, from the Trinity Western Spartans, took home the silver medal in 26:42 while the OUA Champion, Madelyn Eybergen from the Windsor Lancers, won the bronze medal in 27:02.
Ashley Maguire and Olivia Roussel paced the champion Mustangs as they both earned All-Canadian honours. Maguire finished seventh to earn her way onto the First Team while Roussel was 11th to claim a spot on the Second Team. In total, Western finished with 60 points to win their eighth team title and first since 1990.
The UBC Thunderbirds won the team silver medal with 85 points while the Victoria Vikes brought home the bronze medal with 94 points.
Calgary's Canada West All-Rookie selection
Sophie Jensen had another strong showing, closing out her first appearance at nationals with a time of 28:58 for 55th place out of the 126 runners. That earned a spot on the U SPORTS All-Rookie squad to continue the strong start to her university career.
Second year
Amaia Ervin-Arambarri also did well, crossing the line in 29:18 for 69th place.
Coach of the Year
Women's Team Coach of The Year - Guy Schultz, Western Mustangs
Men's Team Coach of The Year - Mark Bomba, Queen's Gaels
Female Rookie of The Year
Sophie Hamilton - UBCO Heat
Male Rookie of The Year
Yemane Mulugeta - Trinity Western Spartans
Female Outstanding Athlete of The Year
Lauren McNeil - UBCO Heat
Male Outstanding Athlete of The Year
Philippe Morneau-Cartier
Community Service Award Winners
Maïné Dupuis Azizah - UQTR Patriotes
Vincent Abraham - UQTR Patriotes
Men's Team Standings
|
Place
|
Team
|
Score
|
|
1
|
Queen's Gaels
|
94
|
|
2
|
Sherbrooke Vert-Et-Or
|
130
|
|
3
|
Laval Rouge-Et-Or
|
145
|
|
4
|
Guelph Gryphons
|
160
|
|
5
|
UNB Reds
|
161
|
|
6
|
UBC Thunderbirds
|
196
|
|
7
|
McMaster Marauders
|
201
|
|
8
|
Western Mustangs
|
254
|
|
9
|
Victoria Vikes
|
266
|
|
10
|
McGill Redbirds
|
273
|
|
11
|
Trinity Western Spartans
|
285
|
|
12
|
Alberta Golden Bears
|
294
|
|
13
|
Saskatchewan Huskies
|
318
|
|
14
|
Montreal Carabins
|
319
|
|
15
|
St.Fx X-Men
|
335
|
|
16
|
Regina Cougars
|
367
|
|
17
|
Lakehead Thunderwolves
|
437
|
|
18
|
Manitoba Bisons
|
455
|
|
19
|
Waterloo Warriors
|
490
|
|
20
|
Calgary Dinos
|
513
|
|
21
|
UBCO Heat
|
529
|
|
22
|
UPEI Panthers
|
670
|
Women's Team Standings
|
Place
|
Team
|
Score
|
|
1
|
Western Mustangs
|
60
|
|
2
|
UBC Thunderbirds
|
85
|
|
3
|
Victoria Vikes
|
94
|
|
4
|
St. Fx X-Women
|
120
|
|
5
|
Queen's Gaels
|
164
|
|
6
|
UBCO Heat
|
193
|
|
7
|
McMaster Marauders
|
220
|
|
8
|
Waterloo Warriors
|
255
|
|
9
|
Guelph Gryphons
|
257
|
|
10
|
Laval Rouge Et-Or
|
269
|
|
11
|
Sherbrooke Vert-Et-Or
|
283
|
|
12
|
Toronto Varsity Blues
|
301
|
|
13
|
Saskatchewan Huskies
|
305
|
|
14
|
Montreal Carabins
|
307
|
|
15
|
McGill Martlets
|
312
|
Women's First Team All-Canadians
|
Place
|
Name
|
School
|
Time
|
|
1
|
Lauren McNeil
|
UBCO Heat
|
26:31
|
|
2
|
Constance Nankivell
|
Trinity Western Spartans
|
26:42
|
|
3
|
Madelyn Eybergen
|
Windsor Lancers
|
27:02
|
|
4
|
Paige Breedon
|
Waterloo Warriors
|
27:15
|
|
5
|
Elise Coates
|
Victoria Vikes
|
27:24
|
|
6
|
Rachel Mortimer
|
UBC Thunderbirds
|
27:29
|
|
7
|
Ashley Maguire
|
Western Mustangs
|
27:31
|
Women's Second Team All-Canadians
|
Place
|
Name
|
School
|
Time
|
|
8
|
Holly Macgillivray
|
UBC Thunderbirds
|
27:31
|
|
9
|
Marisha Thompson
|
Victoria Vikes
|
27:36
|
|
10
|
Elisa Tripotin
|
UQAM Citadins
|
27:36
|
|
11
|
Olivia Roussel
|
Western Mustangs
|
27:37
|
|
12
|
Eileen Benoit
|
St. Fx X-Women
|
27:37
|
|
13
|
Alyshia Alkerton
|
Queen's Gaels
|
27:39
|
|
14
|
Ana Morariu
|
McMaster Marauders
|
27:41
|
Men's First Team All-Canadians
|
Place
|
Name
|
School
|
Time
|
|
1
|
Phillippe Morneau-Cartier
|
Laval Rouge et Or
|
23:19
|
|
2
|
Jared Howse
|
UNB Reds
|
23:25
|
|
3
|
Johnathan Podbielski
|
Regina Cougars
|
23:32
|
|
4
|
Yemane Mulugeta
|
Trinity Western Spartans
|
23:34
|
|
5
|
Jacob Benoit
|
Dalhousie Tigers
|
23:35
|
|
6
|
Jaiveer Tiwana
|
UBC Thunderbirds
|
23:36
|
|
7
|
Thomas Laviolette
|
Montreal Carabins
|
23:36
|
Men's Second Team All-Canadians
|
Place
|
Name
|
School
|
Time
|
|
8
|
Nolan Turgeon
|
Sherbrooke Vert et Or
|
23:38
|
|
9
|
Max Davies
|
Guelph Gryphons
|
23:39
|
|
10
|
Ron Maclean
|
Alberta Golden Bears
|
23:40
|
|
11
|
Jack Lehto
|
Guelph Gryphons
|
23:41
|
|
12
|
Felix Quiron
|
Sherbrooke Vert et Or
|
23:42
|
|
13
|
Jude Wheeler-Dee
|
Queen's Gaels
|
23:49
|
|
14
|
Roman Mironov
|
Queen's Gaels
|
23:49
|
Women's All-Rookie Team
|
Place
|
Name
|
Team
|
Time
|
|
1
|
Sophie Hamilton
|
UBCO Heat
|
28:47
|
|
2
|
Poppy Moon
|
St. Fx X-Women
|
28:48
|
|
3
|
Abene Glasgow
|
McGill Martlets
|
28:54
|
|
4
|
Noemie Beaulieu
|
Laval Rouge et Or
|
28:57
|
|
5
|
Sophie Jensen
|
Calgary Dinos
|
28:58
|
|
6
|
Lea Pelletier
|
Laval Rouge et Or
|
29:00
|
|
7
|
Mathilde Collard
|
Laval Rouge et Or
|
29:25
|
Men's All-Rookie Team
|
Place
|
Name
|
School
|
Time
|
|
1
|
Yemane Mulugeta
|
Trinity Western Spartans
|
23:34
|
|
2
|
Nolan Turgeon
|
Sherbrooke Vert et Or
|
23:38
|
|
3
|
Emile Toupin
|
Laval Rouge et Or
|
24:16
|
|
4
|
Pierre Pereira
|
Montreal Carabins
|
24:17
|
|
5
|
Ian Teichler
|
Regina Cougars
|
24:26
|
|
6
|
Silas Conlin-Morse
|
UNB Reds
|
24:27
|
|
7
|
Brodie Pennie
|
UNB Reds
|
24:50
|
-UC-
