The Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) Cross Country Championship is set to take place this weekend as St. Lawrence College hosts the event at Fort Henry National Historic Site in Kingston, ON. The course at Fort Henry is highly regarded by competitive cross country runners as it will be the site for the 2010 International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Cross Country Championship.

"We are thrilled to be hosting the OCAA Cross Country Championship at the Fort Henry National Historic Site,” commented St. Lawrence Athletic Director Grant Bradley. “The course is in great condition and is both challenging and safe. It is also very spectator-friendly, allowing observers to stand in the middle of the course and see runners crossing junction points several times throughout the race as well as enjoying a panoramic view of historic downtown Kingston. We have 224 individual runners from 18 Colleges around the Province and all is set for an exciting event."

The one-day provincial championship will feature some of Ontario’s best team and individual performers. The event will commence with the women’s 5 km race starting at 10:30 am with the men’s 8 km race following at 11:45 am. Up-to-minute race times will be linked from www.ocaa.com.

On the men’s side, the 8K individual race will be exciting as the defending champion, Martin Labute of the St. Clair Saints is returning to defend his title. Labute has been dominant in 2007 winning three Invitational titles including the St. Lawrence Invitational which took place on the same track that will be used for the Championship. Last season, Labute won St. Clair’s first OCAA cross country individual title, while finishing second at nationals.

Mike Scipio of the Humber Hawks finished just three seconds behind Labute in last year’s championship enroute to the silver medal. Scipio finished on the medal podium three times in meets this season, including a first place performance in Peterborough. Scipio is hoping to have a strong race and win a second consecutive OCAA Championship medal.

Conestoga runner Dave Sharrett had a strong finish to the 2007 invitational season, winning the Fanshawe Invitational while finishing second at St. Clair. Sharrett is hoping to become the first runner out of Conestoga to win an OCAA individual cross country title. Other dangerous competitors to watch out for include Josh Bjold of Cambrian College and John Mason of Fanshawe College who both recorded a trio of top three finishes this season.

The Humber Hawks are on track to win their second consecutive men’s team title. After winning their first OCAA men’s team title last season, the Hawks are favoured by many to win once again as they have been the top OCAA men’s team at two meets this season. The Conestoga Condors are looking to soar past the Hawks in the team competition, having won the last two invitational team titles. Conestoga has never won a team title in OCAA Cross Country Running.

In the women’s competition, defending champion Lisa Lee of the Humber Hawks will make her return to the championship. Lee has struggled this season, failing to get to the top of the medal podium in OCAA meets, earning third and fourth place finishes. She is hoping her past experience will lead her to back-to-back individual titles. After finishing just one second behind Lee in 2006, Hollie Gordon of the Fleming Knights hopes that busy off-season of training will propel her to the top of the leaderboard on Saturday. Gordon has three podium finishes in 2007, including winning the Fleming Invitational in late September.

Winning the first two invitational titles of the 2007 season was George Brown runner Glenna Fraumeni. She managed to win the St. Lawrence Invitational by 11-seconds on the same track runners will take to on Saturday. Fraumeni also showed her endurance climbing the infamous final hill at the Mohawk/Redeemer Invitational with ease. Also having an impressive 2007 season is last year’s fourth place finisher Ingrid Golemiec-Stover of the host St. Lawrence Vikings. Running in Kingston, Golemiec-Stover is hoping the hometown crowd will give her an extra push, looking to finish on the medal podium. She has recorded three podium finishes in 2007, including a first place performance in the final invitational of the year at St. Clair College. Also watch out for Mohawk’s Charlene Gibbins who has two podium finishes in the final two meets of the year.

The Humber Hawks women’s team enjoyed a great deal of success this year and head into the Championships as the defending champions. Humber has turned in three first place finishes in meets this season and if they win gold it will be the first time Humber has won back-to-back titles. The only other team to win an invitational title this season is the St. Lawrence Vikings who won the Fanshawe Invitational meet.

CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE:

Friday, October 26, 2007
Course Walk – 4:00 pm

Saturday, October 27, 2007
Coaches Meeting – 8:30 am
Course Walk – 8:30 am
Women’s 5K Race - 10:30 am
Men’s 8K Race – 11:45 am
Championship Banquet – 4:00 pm

The following teams will be competing at the 2007 OCAA Cross Country Championship:

Cambrian College (Fanshawe)
Conestoga College (Kitchener)
Confederation College (Thunder Bay)
Fanshawe College (London)
Fleming College (Lindsay)
Fleming College (Peterborough)
George Brown College (Toronto)
Georgian College (Barrie)
Humber College (Etobicoke)
Lambton College (Sarnia)
Loyalist College (Belleville)
Mohawk College (Hamilton)
Redeemer University College (Ancaster)
St. Clair College (Windsor)
St. Lawrence College (Brockville)
St. Lawrence College (Cornwall)
St. Lawrence College (Kingston)
Seneca College (North York)

For more information on the OCAA Cross Country Championship, please contact convenor Joe Cannon at Lambton College (519) 542-7751 or the St. Lawrence College Athletic Department (613) 544-5532 X: 1445.

The OCAA governs intercollegiate sports and promotes physical activity in its member institutions through quality athletic and campus recreation programs. It offers 15 varsity sports to 30 member institutions throughout Ontario. For more information on the OCAA visit www.ocaa.com.