LONDON, Ont. - Fanshawe College successfully defended its Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) cross country men’s and women’s team titles on Saturday, using its home course to its advantage at the Fanshawe Conservation Area in London, Ont.

For the Fanshawe women, it is a third-straight OCAA championship. Four of its runners placed in the top five overall in the 5 km race, with Liliane Sparkes winning the women’s individual title for the second straight year in a time of 18:53. Teammate Erika Houde-Pearce won individual bronze in a time of 19:04. Also racing to a Top 5 finish were Melissa Linker (19:16) and Deb Buhlers (19:28).

Richelle Moore of St. Lawrence College (Kingston) earned individual silver with a time of 18:58.

Humber College earned women’s team silver, and was led by Lindsay Webster’s sixth-best overall time of 19:54. Vicky Siemon (11th, 20:45), Stephanie Coughlin (12th, 21:13) and Cynthia Black (15th, 21:37) also contributed to Humber’s second-place result.

Earning team bronze was the Fleming College (Peterborough) foursome of Natalie Hutchinson (7th, 19:59), Lisa Cybulskie (10th, 20:21), Rosanna Los (22nd, 22:23) and Erin Fletcher (25th, 22:36).

On the men’s side, Fanshawe won its second straight OCAA team crown. The Falcons placed four runners in the Top 10, including individual OCAA silver medalist Clint Smith in an 8 km time of 26:14. Teammates Biemnet Yemane (7th, 27:21), Daniel Bright (8th, 27:26) and Sean Coleshill (10th, 28:16) helped Fanshawe secure gold.

Conestoga College student-athlete Jason Smith won his second consecutive men’s individual medal in a time of 26:01. It is a fourth-straight year that a Conestoga runner has won the OCAA men’s individual championship (David Sharratt won back-to-back titles in 2007 and 2008).

George Brown College’s Sean Sweeney and Amos Nganga finished in a dead heat, with Sweeney edging Nganga for OCAA individual bronze in a time of 26:19. Together, they celebrated a second-straight men’s team silver medal, along with Matthew Paladino (21st, 29:34) and Carey Arnott (39th, 31:46).

Fleming made it two team bronze medals, courtesy of Jamie Switzer (6th, 27:12), Thomas Totu (13th, 28:34), Terry Crain (22nd, 29:44) and John Girrard (27th, 30:14).

For complete race results, visit http://chiptimeresults.com/results/

- OCAA -

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