By Susan Sobey, Staff Contributor
Last weekend at the AUS Cross Country Championships at St. FX, the Tiger teams claimed their first double victory since 2004.
On the women’s side, Dalhousie continued their undefeated season by besting defending champions St. FX 25 to 33.
The 5 km race was led by fifth-year veteran and 2009 CIS second team all-Canadian Caroline Schlosser. The Tiger captain, who was second at last year’s Championship, claimed her first individual AUS title with a time of 18:03. The win earned her the AUS Female MVP award.
Following closely behind Schlosser, and joining her on the AUS first-team all-star list are Jessica Belliveau (third), Cara Groves (fourth) and Gina Stewart (sixth). Stephanie Bennett (11th) rounded out the Dalhousie point scorers.
The Dalhousie men won their AUS banner in a closely contested race with St. FX, winning by only 5 points.
Captain Dan Gorman led the pack, earning his first individual AUS title and also the AUS male MVP award with a 10 km time of 33:37. It was Gorman’s finishing kick in the last 400 metres that sealed the win, battling St. FX’s Connor MacGuire, who narrowly defeated Gorman in a race earlier this season.
“I could hear the screams from the X crowd cheering Connor on and telling him this was his race, his championship, his medal, and his banner, and I just couldn’t let him have that satisfaction,” said Gorman, who earned his first AUS cross-country first-team all-star nod. “I kicked it up another gear and took back my lead to take first place. Crossing the line in first was a very satisfying experience.”
Also on the AUS first-team all-star list for the first time are Bruce Russell (sixth) and Josh Coyle (seventh), who have made huge improvements in the past year. Other point scorers included Adam McGregor, whose ninth place finish earned him AUS male rookie of the year, and fellow rookie Jacob Moore, who finished closely behind his teammate in 10th.
Head coach Heather Hennigar was named AUS coach of the year.
“I am very proud of how the teams handled themselves in a Championship environment,” Hennigar said. “They went into this weekend confident and excited to compete as a team, and it showed on the day. They fought hard for every point out there.”
Next up for the Tigers will be the CIS championships in Sherbrooke, Quebec on Nov. 13. The women’s team, who are currently ranked ninth in the country, will be looking to compete with the best in Canada, says Hennigar.
“The women’s team is a seasoned and experienced team and they are headed into the CIS champs with the intention of contending for a top spot.
“These girls have a wide range of backgrounds and each come from their own individual histories of success as runners,” said Hennigar. “What impresses me most about this particular group is how well they have embraced the team concept and how much they care about each other’s success.”
The men’s team, who only briefly cracked the CIS top 10 earlier this season, will mostly be looking to get experience at the national level.
“Competing at CIS will be a good step in the development of this very young men’s team,” said Hennigar. “We had two rookies in the top 10 at (AUS championships) and four of our top five guys are in their first or second year, so they need the experience of competing with the best in the country to know what’s out there.”
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