Men's Cross Country

Team Information

Head Coach

Shane Lakins - BSc (Kinesiology); Head Cross Country Coach and Distance

Shane is entering his 12th season as the Head Cross Country Coach and distance coach. He is a fully certified NCCP Level 3 distance coach. During his ten years at Queen's 36 athletes have earned ALL-CONFERENCE and 9 ALL-CANADIAN honours. He has coached the women to 6 consecutive (1998-2003) OUA podium finishes including an OUA Championship Banner in 2003. He has coached the men to 4 CIS top 10 finishes (best 2nd in 1996). He has an extensive National Team coaching history having been the Head Coach of the Canadian Team at the 2003 World University Track and Field Championships in Daegu, Korea; the Head Coach of the Canadian 2002 FISU Cross Country Championship Team in Santiago, Spain; the distance coach at the 2001 FISU Track & Field Championships in Beijing, China; the Head Coach for the 2000 FISU Cross Country Championship Team in Jena, Germany; the distance coach with the 2000 National Junior Team in Montreal, an observer coach at the 1999 World Cross Country Championships in Ireland, and a staff coach with the Canadian Chiba Eiden Team in Japan. He is the past-President of the CIS Cross Country Association. A University of Western Ontario graduate, Shane is a kinesiologist, he works as a personal trainer, exercise therapist and ergonomic consultant and owns his own personal training business (Kingston Body Management – www.kingstonbody.com).

Assistant Coach:

Curt Bolton - BSc. (Kinesiology)/BEd.; Cross Country and Distance (7th year)

Curt coached the Queen's Women's XC team from 1977 to 1989, leading them to 2 OUA Championship Banners.
While primarily responsible for the "development" group, Curt assists with all aspects of distance program.
Curt is retired from Corrections Canada where he worked as a counsellor.
Phone 549-4075; E-mail: tierthree@hotmail.com

Student Trainer:
tba

Contact Information:
Shane Lakins
Head Coach, Men's Cross Country
c/o Department of Athletics and Recreation
Queen's University
Kingston, Ontario
Canada, K7L 3N6
Cell: 613-561-1890
coach@sportingcanada.com

OUA/CIS: CIS

For More Information Visit:
http://www.queenstrack.com

Schedule/Results: Click here

Queen's Cross Country Open, Oct. 13, 2007: Click here

Eligibility Certificate: Excel file

Cross Country Team News

Queen's University to Host 2009 CIS Cross Country Championships
Ottawa (January 11, 2008) - Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) announced Friday that Queen's University has been selected to host the 2009 CIS cross country championships.

The CIS cross country championships were last held in the Kingston area in 1999 jointly hosted by Queen's and the Royal Military College of Canada. Queen's has also hosted on two other occasions including 1977 and 1973.

Last year, Queen's University was announced as the host venue of the 2010 FISU world university cross country championships and are slated to be the host of the 2008 OUA Cross Country Championships this coming season. The goal is to build on each event and culminate with the 2010 event which will host the top athletes from around the world.

"We are delighted to be hosting the 2009 CIS cross country championships," said Leslie Dal Cin, Director of Athletics & Recreation for Queen's. "The Kingston area has had great success with other cross country championships and we believe that the Old Fort Henry course will challenge Canada's top university athletes. Queen's and the City of Kingston, with the support of our colleagues at RMC are very honoured to be hosting the championships; together we will ensure that 2009 will be an exciting and memorable event for all involved."

"We are very pleased that Queen's will host the CIS championships in 2009," commented CIS Chief Executive Officer, Marg McGregor. "Not only will CIS student athletes enjoy a challenging course in 2009 but the competition in Kingston will serve as a dry run test event for the FISU championships in 2010."

The Kingston area has a long history in cross country with Queen's hosting the first varsity level competition in 1919. The area has also successfully run championships at multiple levels including the high-school, provincial and national level.

This year the 2007 CIS championships were contested in Victoria, B.C. with the Guelph Gryphons sweeping both national banners for the second consecutive season.

Men's Cross Country Finishes Third At OUA Finals

London, Ont. (October 27, 2007) - The Queen's Golden Gaels gained a berth at the CIS Championships November 10th in Victoria, B.C. after finishing third at the OUA Finals Saturday afternoon in London, Ont. The Gaels ended the day with 75 points ten ahead of the host Western Ontario Mustangs for the final berth at the national finals and 46 points behind the champion Guelph Gryphons. Queen's runner Braden Novakowski of Kingston received an OUA All Star after winning the silver medal in the 10 kilometre race just six seconds behind gold medalist Kyle Boorsma (Aylmer, Ont.) of the Guelph Gryphons. Novakowski and Boorsma broke away from the rest of the competitors early in the race and Boorsma was able to hold off the Gaels runner in the final stretch. Gaels Robert Kitz of Halifax, N.S. was the other Tricolour all star as he finished eighth with Matt Hulse of Kingston finishing 17th, Chris Brens of Markham, Ont. in 23rd and Jeff Barr of Burlington, Ont. finishing 25th.

Queen's Cross Country Runner Named Desjardins Top 8 Academic All Canadian

Kingston, Ont. (October 23, 2007) - Queen's Men's Cross Country and Track and Field athlete Justin Hall (London, Ont.) has been named one of the Desjardins Top-8 Academic All-Canadians for 2006-07 as announced by the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) on Tuesday.

Every year the CIS recognizes student athletes that have maintained a grade point average (GPA) of 80 percent or better over the academic year while competing for one of their university’s varsity teams. Over 2,000 student-athletes reached this status including 119 Golden Gaels. Queen's was one of only four CIS institutions and the only OUA university to have over 100 Academic All-Canadians in 2006-07.

Hall, who is majoring in biochemistry, was a key member of the Queen's 4 x 800-meter relay in 2006-07 leading the team to a silver medal at the OUA track and field championship and a fourth place finish at the CIS meet. A winner of six track and field individual and team medals, including three gold, over the course of the last university season, he also represented the Golden Gaels at the last CIS cross country championship at Laval, where he received the CIS Student-Athlete Community Service Award.

A CIS Academic All-Canadian each of the past five years, Hall received almost every possible academic award at Queen's including the University Medal in Physical and Health Education, the Bob Secord University Award (Parks and Recreation Ontario), the Fred Lamble Bartlett Memorial Award, the Curtis Bartlett Studen Initiative Scholarship, and the Institute for Humane Studies and Stanford University Scholarship.

Other recipients of this year's Desjardins Top-8 Academic All Canadian include Dalhousie University soccer player and biology student Katie Hollinshead of Calgary; UNB hockey player and Master’s of business student Colin Sinclair of Brooks, Alta.; Montreal swimmer and communications and politics student Audrey Lacroix of Pont-Rouge, Que.; Sherbrooke pole vaulter and mechanical engineering student David Foley of Sherbrooke, Que.; Windsor cross country and track and field athlete and mathematics and statistics student Jacqueline Malette of Windsor, Ont.; Manitoba volleyball player and pre-dentistry student Katie Davidson of Winnipeg; and Lethbridge hockey player and kinesiology student Jay Langager of Loreburn, Sask.

Queen's Lakins Appointed Canadian Head Coach for 2008 World University Cross Country Championships
OTTAWA (CIS) September 27, 2007 - Canadian Interuniversity Sport announced Thursday the appointment of Shane Lakins from Queen's University as Canada's head coach for the 16th World University Cross Country Championships set to take place April 5-6, 2008 in Mauquenchy, France.

Lakins has been Canada's head coach at the event on two previous occasions, in Germany in 2000 and Spain in 2002.

Lakins, who is entering his 13th season as head coach at Queen's, was the driving force behind the University's successful bid to host the 2010 World Championships in Kingston, Ont.

"Having been part of two previous championships and having a chance to lead Canada again in 2008 before we host in 2010 is really a dream come true," Lakins said.

The world university cross country championships are contested every two years and bring together the top university athletes from around the world. 168 runners from 15 countries participated in 2006 in Algiers, Morocco, when Canada finished seventh on the men's side and 10th in the women's race.

About Canadian Interuniversity Sport
Canadian Interuniversity Sport is the national governing body of university sport in Canada. Fifty-one universities, 10,000 student-athletes and 550 coaches vie for 19 national championships in 11 different sports. CIS also provides high performance international opportunities for Canadian student-athletes at Winter and Summer Universiades, and numerous world university championships. For all the CIS news and info, visit: www.universitysport.ca.

Cross Country Has Strong Performance At Western
London, Ont. (September 24, 2007) - The Queen's Golden Gaels men's and women's cross country teams showed themselves well at the Western Invitational in London on the weekend. The men finished third in the event out of 17 teams and were the top Canadian team. The Gaels were led by fourth year runner Braden Novakowski who finished third in a time of 32:11 over the 10 kilometre course. The women who finished fourth in the Western meet were led by third year runner Leslie Sexton who finished second overall in a time of 18:15 on the 5 kilometre track. Sexton's time is the second fastest in team history set by three time CIS champion Beth Wightman. Queen's rookie Natalie Tatlow finished ninth and Liz Miller was 28th. The Gaels compete again in Hamilton, New York on Thanksgiving weekend.

Queen's Hosts Cross Country Open
The Golden Gaels will host the Queen's University Cross Country Open on Saturday, October 13 at Fort Henry Heights in Kingston, Ont.

The event will feature a Women's 5km cross country run beginning at 11:00am followed by a Men's 10km run at 11:40am. Both events are an University/College/Open format.

The event will be held on a championships calibre course which is the proposed venue for the 2010 World University Cross Country Championships. The course itself is a 2.5 km loop which is all grass and consists of rolling hills with some flat areas. The course is very spectator-friendly with a large portion visible from a central viewing area.

For more information visit www.queenstrack.com or contact the meet director Shane Lakins at coach@sportingcanada.com.

Download a copy of the Race Notice - click here (PDF File).

Queen's Track and Field/Cross Country Teams Announce 3 Recruits
Kingston, ON (April 30, 2007) - Queen's Track and Field and Cross Country Teams are pleased to announce the commitment of 3 athletes from Western Canada. All three athletes plan to start with the Cross Country Team in the Fall and then to continue with The Track and Field Team through their Indoor season.

Kelsey Hawryluk (Headingley, Manitoba) - attended the University of Winnipeg Collegiate. A 400-800M runner who has twice (2004, 2005) represented Manitoba at the National Legion Track and Field Championships. Kelsey will be entering a BSc Program and says that her choice of Queen's "was influenced by the outstanding course selection and the warm welcome she received from everyone."

Nadia Tatlow (Calgary, Alberta) - was a member of the Western Canada High School Team that won the Alberta High School Cross Country Championships in 2006 and has followed that with a personal best result of 10:22.84 in the 3000M during her Indoor season. Nadia says that she is "excited to become a Golden Gael because Queen's is an amazing school with great academics and athletics."

Michael Nishiyama (Edmonton, Alberta) - from Louis St. Laurent SS, Michael will join join his brother Kurtis (High Jumper) on the Queen's Track and Field Team. Michael has won a silver and 2 Bronze medals as a member of the Alberta Team (2005, 2006) at the National Legion Championships, and opened his 2007 Outdoor season with a 1:56.06 800M race.

Head Coach Melody Torcolacci says the three rookies based on their current performances "will be key OUA (and potentially CIS) competitors who if they continue to improve have the potential to be consistent CIS qualifiers during their tenure at Queen's".

Queen's Track & Field/Cross Country Athlete Attempts World Record
Kingston, ON (April 25, 2007) - Below is an article written by Kingston This Week sports editor Stephen Petrick regarding Queen's track and field and cross country team member Travis Saunders. Good luck Sunday Travis.

You could say it takes dedication for any university athlete to juggle both sports and school, but Travis Saunders takes multi-tasking to a new extreme.

The 23-year-old Queen’s student is pursuing a Masters in exercise health and physiology and is a member of the school’s track and field and cross country teams.

He’s also an expert juggler who’s got a gig booked this summer at the Kingston Buskers Rendezvous, July 12-15.

This Sunday he’ll be competing in a sport that combines his two passions.

It’s called joggling.

It involves, yes, running and juggling at least three balls at the same time.

“I like doing both and someone thought to combine the two and came up with joggling,” said the fast-talking Fredericton, N.B. native who hopes to break a world record for the fastest 5-km joggle during one of three races as part of Limestone City Race Weekend.

At 9:30 a.m. Sunday morning, Saunders will take off from Confederation Park with dozens of other runners in the 5-km race.

If he can complete the course, which interweaves through the Royal Military College campus and winds up back at Confederation Park, in less than 16 minutes, 55 seconds he’ll have a new world record.

The time shouldn’t be out of his grasp. Saunders’ best time thus far in a 5-km race is 16:10.

However, that was doing it the lazy, hands-free way.

Still, running and tossing three balls isn’t as taxing on the body as you might think, he says.

“When you’re running, your arms are pumping up in a throwing motion. It sounds weird, but when you see it, it’s pretty smooth and natural looking.”

And Saunders has been doing it for years.

He’s been juggling ever since he received a how-to-juggle book for his ninth birthday.

The gift led to an obsession with the activity and before long he was attending summer camps on how to master the craft.

That’s where he was introduced to joggling.

At age 12 he attended his first world championship and by 16 he earned his first world record, when he completed a 200-metre run in 27.4 seconds.

He has since lost the record to an American runner.

As comical as it sounds, there is a serious element to the sport, Saunders says.

“Some take it more seriously than others,” he says. “It’s hard to do and we don’t want to embarrass ourselves.”

If he drops a ball, the world record bid won’t be ruined, but he will have to stop and pick it up.

The other challenge, he says, will be running with his head up.

Most runners can tuck their heads down to protect themselves from the mean winds around RMC.

But jogglers have to keep their chins up and their eyes on the balls.

Despite this, Saunders hopes to put on a good show on Sunday and he says he’s doing it to help draw attention to Kingston’s great running community.

If he breaks the world record, he may not become a world-famous athlete, but it would be a nice accomplishment nonetheless.

“The sport is growing,” Saunders says. “But it’s not quite like hockey or soccer.”

Queen's University to Host 2010 World University Cross Country Championships
Kingston, ON (January 16, 2006) - Queen's University will be hosting the World in 2010 as athletes from around the globe will be competing in the World University Cross Country Championships. Coordinator of the Kingston bid committee Shane Lakins, Head Coach of Cross Country at Queen's University, goes on record as saying "it was an incredible feeling and relief to get the phone call from Italy today telling us we had be selected". The bid has been a team effort between Queen's University, KEDCO, and the City of Kingston. The championships will take place on the grounds across from "Old Fort Henry on the course that Coach Lakins helped create in 1995. We wanted to have a running venue that was great for the athletes, but equally great for the spectators and I think we have done that. Lakins knows a thing or two about the World University Cross Country Championships, as he has been Canada's Head Coach on two previous occasions (Germany 2000, Spain 2002). Garry Kelly, KEDCO's Sport Tourism and Event Manager, said "it has been great to be part of the bid process and now we look forward to hosting a first class championship event that the athletes attending and the City of Kingston can be proud of".

Historic Details:
The date of the competition will be early April 2010.
The course was designed by Patrick Gagnon and Shane Lakins in 1995.
The course has hosted the 1996, 2005, 2006 Ontario University Championships; 1999 Canadian University Championships.

This marks the third time a FISU championship will be held in Canada. The 1996 judo world university championships and 2003 wrestling world university championships were on Canadian soil. The 1983 Summer Universiade was held in Edmonton, Alta., while the 1993 Universiade women's soccer and rowing competitions were held in Ontario as part of the United States hosting the Summer Games in Buffalo, NY.

Shane Lakins can be contacted at:
613-561-1890
shane@kingstonbody.com

Gary Kelly can be contacted at:
613-544-2725 x242
kelly@kingstoncanada.com

Men's & Women's Cross Country
Laval, PQ (November 11, 2006) - At the CIS National Cross Country Championships hosted by Laval University, Quebec City, the women's team placed 13th out of 16th teams in the 5 km race. The men's team placed 10th overall out of 16 teams in the 10 km distance. The strongest individual showing was by Robert Kitz who placed 25th overall out of a field of 122 competitors. For his outstanding community service Justin Hall, a 5th year PHE/Biochemistry major from London Ontario, was awarded the CIS Community Service Award at the championship banquet.

OUA Pioneer Petroleum Athlete of the Week
Kingston, Ont (October 31, 2006) - Queen's Athletics congratulates Braden Novakowski who was recognized as this week's OUA Pioneer Petroleum Athlete of the Week.

Queen's Runner Win's Men's OUA Cross Country Championship
Kingston, Ont (October 28, 2006) - The Guelph Gryphons repeated as OUA Champions scoring an impressive 21 points. The race run at Fort Henry Hill in Kingston was won by Queen's Golden Gael and Kingston native Braden Novakowski in a time of 33:50.1. Novakowski and teammate Rob Kitz led the 10 km race through the first 7.5 km with Kitz then falling back and Novakowski comfortably in control. Gryphons' Steve Koziarski, Greg Hutchinson, Brendan Hunt and Matt Brunsting finished second through fifth as the Gryphons easily beat second place Toronto in the team standings. Kitz who finished eighth and Novakowski helped Queen's take third place with Windsor in fourth.

All Stars
Braden Novakowski - Queen's University
Steve Koziarski - University of Guelph
Greg Hutchinson - University of Guelph
Brendan Hunt - University of Guelph
Matt Brunsting - University of Guelph
James Gosselin - University of Western Ontario
Kyle Boorsma - University of Guelph
Rob Kitz - Queen's University
Joe Campanelli - University of Toronto
Spencer Morrison - University of Toronto

Rookie of the Year
Kyle Boorsma - University of Guelph

Gold Medal - Braden Novakowski
Silver Medal - Steve Koziarski
Bronze Medal - Greg Hutchinson

Photos by Changuk Sohn...
Photos by Don Empey...

Queen's Men and Women Finish Second at Cross Country Open
Kingston, Ont (October 14, 2006) - The 2006 Queen's Cross Country Invitational on Fort Henry Hill Saturday saw over 250 competitors test themselves on the uneven terrain. Although the weather did not cooperate early on, with rain falling and cold and extremely windy conditions forcing the racers to wear gloves and long sleeves, the race was a huge success. In the 5K women's race Erin McClure of the University of Toronto Track Club led from start to finish, winning in a time of 18 minutes and 37 seconds, only one of three times under the 19 minute mark for the women. Jutta Merlainen of Trent University and Shannon Gibbons of Saugeen TFC were the other two under 19 minutes finishing second, third respectively. Amy Schneeberg was the top Gael finishing seventh in a time of 19:27.8, with teammates Victoria Swan 11th and Leslie Sexton 13th. In the 10K men's race Queen's runners Braden Novakowski and Rob Kitz were in a group of five that separated themselves from the start along with Kingston native Bret Burns. On the third lap of the 2.5K course Kitz and Mike Thorson of the Saugeen TFC pulled away with Kitz holding off Thorson to post the ten second victory with a final time of 32:59. Novakowski finished third with a time of 33:48 and Chris Hartman also finished in the top ten for the Gaels with a seventh place finish. Overall the University of Toronto edged out Queen's for both the men's and women's team titles. The Blues won the men's title by nine points and the women's championship by fifteen. This year's meet was a definite success in preparation for the OUA championships that Queen's will host in two weeks on October 28th also on Fort Henry Hill. (with credit to Mark Adams)

Complete men's results (pdf)...
Complete women's results (pdf)...

Men's photos by Don Empey...
Women's photos by Don Empey...

Preview of OUA Championships This Saturday at Queen's Cross Country Open
Kingston, Ont. (October 11, 2006) - The Queen's Cross Country Open and Don Mills Memorial Alumni Meet will be held this Saturday in Kingston at Fort Henry Heights. The annual invitational will be run on the 2.5 km loop course that will be used in two weeks for the OUA Cross Country Championships October 28th. The 5 km women's race will start at 1pm Saturday with the men beginning their 10km run at 1:45. Also added this year is the Don Mills Alumni Meet to promote the sport and foster the relationship between alumni and the participating schools, alumni may choose to compete in the women's 5 km or men's 10 km individually, or as part of the 4 x 2.5 km Ekiden Relay. The course is very spectator-friendly with a large portion visible from a central area, and again the meet will include schools that will be returning in two weeks for the Ontario Championships and will be highlighted by the Guelph Gryphons who will are ranked number 1 nationally in both women and men. Leading the way for the Gaels is Rob Kitz who won the University of Western Ontario Invitational September 23rd in London.

Men's and Women's Cross Country
Clinton, NY (October 7, 2006) - At the Hamilton College Cross Country Invitational meet held in Clinton, New York, our men's team placed fourth out of 12 teams, while our women's team tied for 10th spot. On the men's side Darryl Blackport posted a bronze performance followed closely by teammate Josh Smith, who placed fourth overall out of a field of 103 competitors. On the women's side, Liz Miller and Daun Lynd placed sixth and seventh respectively.

Gaels Cross Country Steps Up Down South
Pennsylvania, PA (Sept 30, 2006) - The Queens cross-country teams were down in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania for the 33rd annual Paul Short Run at Lehigh University this past weekend. This race was one of a select few major invitationals taking place in the United States and the men and women of Queens held their own against the elite NCAA division 1 fields. Fresh off a strong victory at the Western International Robert Kitz led the men to a 16th place team effort out of over 40 teams. The Queens men beat elite teams such as Yale, Lasalle, and Buffalo showing that this team is definitely headed in the right direction as their season progresses. Kitz ran strongly with the lead group throughout the 5 mile race going shoulder to shoulder with All-American calibre athletes eventually finishing in 17th place in a time of 24:49. This truly is a remarkable run for Kitz and he has now placed himself among a strong group of candidates looking to win the individual national title in November. Not far behind was third year standout Braden Novakowski who was making his season debut. Novakowski made a statement with a 25:15 clocking for 50th place in a field that was 300 athletes deep. Queens had a nice pack working together throughout the race which was led by graduate student Travis Saunders who placed 112th in 25:55. Running across the line together were friends and study buddies Josh Smith (124th 26:03) and Justin Hall (130th 26:05). Chris Hartman and Jeff Barr also made the trip for Queens and while running gamely were not up to their usual form and had somewhat disappointing races.

The Golden Gael women also had a very strong outing with a 24 place team finish in another very strong division 1 field. The women took down some very solid American schools in Pittsburgh and Lafayette while being led by Captain Amy Schneeberg for the third week in a row who placed a solid 82nd in 22:37 for the 6km course. Not far back of Amy was Victoria Swan who placed 104th in 22:56. Next came a tight Queens pack of Leslie Sexton (129th 23:24), Charlotte Aust (132nd 23:25), Natalie Desimini (138th 23:29), and Ali Aasen (154th 23:37). Swan, Sexton, and Aust ran very aggressively early in the race up with their captain in order to see if they could handle a faster pace than what they were used to. Their efforts resulted in lifetime personal bests which are great confidence builders heading into October. Rookie Michelle Nicholson persevered after a rough outing last week to run 25:03 which is an outstanding time for anyone, especially a rookie who has been battling illness for the last few weeks. This team is much improved from last year when they ended up fifth in the OUA and 13th in the country. The spread (distance between 1st and 5th runners on the team) of the Queens women was one of the strongest in the field this past weekend which will be a huge asset at the OUA and CIS championships. Team depth is vital in cross-country races where a few seconds can mean more than a few team points at the finish.

With both teams ranked in the top 9 nationally Queens has reason to be excited about their upcoming races. Some members of the team are off to Hamilton College next weekend to defend their title at the Hamilton College Invitational while other members have the week off in order to get ready for their home invitational on Oct. 14th and the OUA conference championships on Oct. 28th. Both meets will take place on RMC Fort Henry Hill. With their ability to perform under pressure at such a large American collegiate race it is no wonder that the Gaels are so optimistic about their chances during the championship phase of the season.

Taken from the files of
Shane Lakins - Head Coach

Men's and Women's Cross Country - 32nd Annual Western International, 2006
London, Ont (Sept 24, 2006) - Gold was on the minds of the Queens Cross Country team this weekend at the 32nd Annual Western Invitational in London, ON. The men and women competed on a wet and hilly a 10k and 5km course, respectively. The men finished 4th overall out of 15 teams, and women emerged 6th out of 13 teams. The women's field was 129 deep and men's consisted of 142 people.

The Queen's ladies proved they will be a force to be reckoned with this OUA season as they placed 5th in OUA Standings and 6th out of 13 teams overall. Amy Schneeberg again led the girls out with a solid top 20 finish in a time of 19:40. Victoria Swan continues to improve with a 28th place finish, followed by Leslie Sexton (37th) and an energetic Charlotte Aust (43rd). Says Aust, "It was great to have the girls running together for most of the race. It was so motivating and was critical to overall placement." Liz Miller had a great time in her first 5km cross-country meet of her University career, and proved that track isn't the only event she excels at, rounding out the top 5 Queen's athletes. Ali Aasen was pleased with her race, finishing 49th and Daun Lynch was close behind placing 55th overall. Natalie Desimini excelled on the hilly course, finishing 60th overall. Cross-country skiing definitely paid off for Rookie Julie McVicar (67th) who had another strong finish this week. Rookie Heather Bijman (84th) and veteran Caitlin Pietras (98th) encouraged each other on during the race, and Michelle Nicholson finished 116th with a challenging race for her in front of a hometown crowd. Coach Lakins was pleased with how the women ran, noting there was only 1min11s difference between the 1st and 7th place displacer. "A great sign for the beginning of the season, especially with so many new rookies on the team," he notes, "I'm looking forward to seeing how the girls will rise to the challenge on their home course in a few weeks."

In the men's race Chris Hartman led out of the starting box only to have another competitor step on his shoe and displace it, forcing Hartman to stop and remove it. "It was a less than ideal situation," he recollected, "I basically had to start the race over again from the back of the pack and work my way up with only one shoe on." Proving that two shoes aren't always better than one, he overcame this obstacle to finish 24th overall and be the 3rd Queens competitor across the finish line. Rob Kitz made a smashing season debut today with a win, which is the best a Queen's athlete has EVER placed at this meet. Rob broke the pack at the halfway mark and was able to lead for the rest of the race with a time of 32:55. Finishing 2nd for the Golden Gaels and 20th overall was Travis Saunders. Justin Hall ran a strong race and struggled to maintain a consistent pace in the second lap of the race, finishing 4th for Queens and 33rd overall. Jeff Barr rounded out Queens top 5 (36th overall) with a significant improvement from last year, followed by Josh Smith (38th overall). Rookie Trevor Walmsley (53rd), Aaron Campigotto (58th), Rookie Aaron Libbey (61st), and Darryl Blackport (68) worked together in the race for some solid results. Rookie Anders Klaus made his season debut and finished 79th.

Next week some of the Gaels will be traveling to the Paul Short Invitational in Lehigh, Pennsylvania, USA, while other member of the team will have the weekend off to prepare for a meet at Hamilton University Open in Clinton, NY, USA the following weekend.

Submitted by Shane Lakins, Head Coach


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