LONDON, Ont. - The province's top collegiate runners will compete on Saturday at the 2017 Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) Cross Country Championships presented by belairdirect.
Fanshawe College hosts the event at the Fanshawe Conservation Area.
In the women's six kilometre race, reigning OCAA champion Mary Strain (Fort Frances) of Cambrian is looking to become the first female runner to defend her title since Fanshawe's Liliane Sparkes in 2009 and 2010. In the tune up last month on the same course, Strain ran a top time of 23:05.1. Also on the line is a streak of Cambrian runners finishing atop the podium, with Emily Marcolini winning gold in 2015.
Humber's Kaitlin Shuvera (Prince George, B.C.) is aiming for a return to the podium after racing to a silver medal last year. Fanshawe's own Janelle Hanna (Peterborough) has a ton of momentum heading into provincials, having won the last three OCAA pre-meet competitions.
Humber is the three-time reigning women's team champions.
A new individual champion will be crowned in the men's eight kilometre race with the graduation of 2016 gold medalist Seth Marcaccio of Fanshawe. In fact, no one from the men's podium last year is racing on Saturday in London, giving an opportunity for a new crop of runners to put their names in the record books.
Andrew Brown (Carrying Place) looks to continue the storied tradition of runners from St. Lawrence-Kingston, having won two of the OCAA invitationals leading into Saturday. Four different student-athletes from the program have won gold, including Olympic gold medalist Simon Whitfield.
Fanshawe's Jordan Kadlecik (Grand Bend) looks to assume the mantle of Marcaccio, winning the Seneca meet while finishing second in the other three OCAA meets. St. Clair's Tyler Jones (LaSalle) already won at the Fanshawe Conservation Area this year, and hopes to use this to his advantage a second time.
Fanshawe is the reigning men's team champions, having won seven of the last eight provincial banners.
Runners will represent 22 Ontario post-secondary campuses, including Cambrian, Centennial, Conestoga, Confederation, host Fanshawe, Fleming, George Brown, Georgian, Humber, Laurier Brantford, Loyalist, Mohawk, Niagara, Redeemer, St. Clair, St. Lawrence (Brockville, Cornwall, Kingston), Sault, Seneca, Sheridan and Toronto Mississauga.
The women's race begins at 11 a.m., while the men will race at 12 p.m.
The top OCAA individuals and teams advance to the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association Cross Country National Championships in Sainte-Thérèse, Que., on Nov. 11.
Championship Website: www.ocaa.com/championships/xc/2017-18/index
- OCAA -
ABOUT ONTARIO COLLEGES ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
The Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) is the recognized leader in intercollegiate athletics in the province, dedicated to student-athlete and sport development. The OCAA has 29 members sponsoring 12 varsity sports.
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Josh Bell-Webster
Marketing and Communications
Ontario Colleges Athletic Association
Tel: 416-426-7041
Fax: 416-426-7308
E-mail: bell-webster@ocaa.com