After an impressive rookie season, Kamran Brar will go on to compete in the World Cross Country Championships in Serbia
After a standout first year, McMaster University Marauder cross country runner Kamran Brar will soon be competing in this year’s World Cross Country Championship in Belgrade, Serbia.
Throughout the Oshawa native's first season at McMaster, Brar has been an excellent runner for the cross country team. From the Marauders' first meet of the season in London, Ont., and the first race of his university career, Brar proved himself with the fastest Marauder finish.
He went on to finish in the twentifourth place spot of 107 runners at the Ontario University Athletics championship and he was the second Marauder to finish the race.
In order to qualify for Worlds, Brar needed to place in the top seven of male-identifying runners at his season’s last tournament. This tournament took place in Ottawa, Ont. on Nov. 25, after the OUA season. It was hosted by Athletics Ontario.
“World Cross Country [Championship] is completely based on one race, which is [the Athletics Ontario] nationals. So if you place in the top seven in the under twenties group and you’ve declared, then you go to Worlds,” explained Brar.
Brar's performance at the meet determined whether he would qualify for the Worlds and the weight of this opportunity in his first season put immense pressure on him.
“I think about the fact I’ve been training for so long and so many people have helped me get to where I am. I owe it to myself and everyone else to give it everything I have. It's not really motivation, but sort of a good sense of pressure,” said Brar.
I think about the fact I’ve been training for so long and so many people have helped me get to where I am. I owe it to myself and everyone else to give it everything I have. It's not really motivation, but sort of a good sense of pressure.
Kamran Brar, first-year runner, McMaster men's cross country team
This mindset has helped Brar to achieve exactly what he intended; he ultimately finished within the top seven male-identifying runners under 20 years old in Ottawa and will now be competing in Worlds.
For Brar, the championship presents an opportunity to not only run, but also to represent his community.
“I often find I’m the only brown person or South Asian person on a starting line. So going to Worlds and having that platform and having the opportunity for me to represent my community is great,” said Brar.
I often find I’m the only brown person or South Asian person on a starting line. So going to Worlds and having that platform and having the opportunity for me to represent my community is great.
Kamran Brar, first-year runner, McMaster men's cross country team
Brar has the opportunity to conclude his first year as a Marauder with a title many athletes yearn for during their careers. He will likely hope that his dedication, unique mindset and skill have put him on the right track in achieving this success.
A podium finish for the women’s team and fifth place for the men’s team rounds off the Marauders’ performance at the Ontario University Athletics competition
On Oct. 29 the McMaster University men’s and women’s cross country teams competed in the annual Ontario University Athletics championships. This year, the race was hosted by the University of Waterloo at the Columbia Ice Fields.
Both teams ran an eight kilometer race in Waterloo, facing off against 16 other universities within Ontario. The women’s team finished with a bronze medal while the men’s team was able to secure a fifth place spot in the competition.
Running for the women’s team, senior Rosalyn Barrett impressed as she won an individual silver medal in the eight kilometre race following a fantastic second place finish. The team was also aided by Hannah Goodjohn and Victoria Lamb, who helped the Marauders to their bronze medal by finishing in tenth and eleventh place respectively.
For the men’s team, this year marked the first OUA competition for many athletes on the roster, which has experienced high turnover from the previous season. This includes runners such as fourth-year Connor Lashley, who recorded a twelfth place finish, and rookie Kamran Brar who landed the next closest finish for the Marauders at twenty-fourth overall.
The Marauders’ third place finish sees a slight decline from last year’s OUA result of a silver medal.
Next, both teams will head to London, Ont. and Western University, where the U Sports national competition is taking place on Nov. 12.
The Silhouette sits down with team members from the women's cross country and soccer team to hear how they are celebrating Halloween this year
Many of the Marauder teams have plans to celebrate Halloween together, including women's cross country and women's soccer teams.
The Silhouette sat down with Olivia MacAskill from the cross country team and Ravina Braich and Nikki Pourgoutzidis from the soccer team to hear more about their plans.
The Silhouette: Do you like Halloween?
MacAskill: I do really enjoy Halloween. I think it’s really fun to show some Halloween spirit around the team and at practice. I think this day also serves as a nice reminder that it doesn’t have to be so serious all the time and we can keep working on getting stronger as a team and put some good work in at practice, all while having some fun with costumes. I am also a strength and conditioning student coach at [McMaster University], and this year I’ve heard word that there will be a costume contest between the coaches and student coaches. I am definitely looking forward to that and I hope my peanut butter toast costume is received well by the judging panel.
I think it’s really fun to show some Halloween spirit around the team and at practice. I think this day also serves as a nice reminder that it doesn’t have to be so serious all the time and we can keep working on getting stronger as a team and put some good work in at practice, all while having some fun with costumes.
Olivia MacAskill, team member, Marauders cross country
Braich and Pourgoutzidis: We do, we really like to dress up and get candy.
The Silhouette: What is your Halloween costume this year?
MacAskill: At practice this year I think I will wear my peanut butter toast costume. There is a matching jam suit to go with it. [They are] a couples costume from Spirit Halloween that I usually convince a teammate to wear with me every year for practice, so hopefully someone steps up with some good Halloween spirit.
Braich and Pourgoutzidis: We are going to be Barbie and the three musketeers, from a Barbie movie, where it's Barbie and her three friends [as the musketeers].
The Silhouette: What is your favourite Halloween memory at Mac?
MacAskill: I remember in first year we had a practice on Halloween, I didn’t wear a costume and I wasn’t expecting my teammates to wear any either. When I arrived to practice, I remember seeing some of the upper year boys dressed in some fun outfits, including a cow costume! Paula, our coach, has also dressed her dog Lily up in some cute costumes over the years and even owns one of those big inflatable costumes as well, which has made an appearance before. After first year, my friends and I always made an effort to wear costumes to the practices that fell around Halloween. In my second year I took the Hawaiian theme approach. . .It seemed simple and an outfit I could easily run in. In the third and fourth year the toast costumes came out. I can’t say this costume is the easiest to run in, but it is definitely the most fun! I think that will be the plan again for this year as well.
In the third and fourth year the toast costumes came out. I can’t say this costume is the easiest to run in, but it is definitely the most fun! I think that will be the plan again for this year as well.
Olivia MacAskill, team member, Marauders cross country
What are you most excited about for your first Halloween at Mac?
Braich: I’m excited to see what everyone dresses up as and to meet new people this Halloween.
Pourgoutzidis: I’m excited for a floor trick or treating event. Our floor is going to walk around and trick or treat at people’s dorm rooms.
A new season has begun for the Marauders cross country team, with new faces looking to fill big shoes from previous seasons
The McMaster University cross country season kicked off on Sept. 23 when the Marauders competed in the Vigars and Salter Western Invitational. It was a respectable weekend, with the women’s team earning a fourth place finish and the men’s team landing in eighth.
On Sept. 30, in the second competition of the season, the Marauders earned themselves a first-place finish for both the men and women’s teams at the Don Mills Open in Waterloo.
The competition highlighted the strengths of team. On the women’s team, Kaitlyn Treleaven got herself onto the podium with a third-place finish. Her teammates, Emma Elliott and Ella Madsen, finished within the top six of all runners in the University of Waterloo competition to help the team to win first overall.
For the Marauders men's team, fourth-year Connor Lashley also put himself on the podium with a third-place finish. His teammates Ryan Davies and Giancarlo Farruggia finished just behind Lashley, in our fourth and fifth place respectively, to round out a solid day.
This season the men’s roster has reshaped itself after the graduation of key athletes such as Max Turek, Andrew Davies and Alex Drover. Their previous season saw all three compete at the national level and win a historic U Sports championship for McMaster.
The recent departure of these athletes though has opened opportunities for others on the Marauders team, including runner Lashley. While previous injuries have kept Lashley from being a major part of the cross country team in previous years, he hopes to make a bigger impact this season.
“This year I’ve found a lot more focus. In previous years, I’ve had battles with injury and sickness… I’m happy with how I’ve been running the past few months and I’m excited to see what [Ontario University Athletics] and U Sports has in store,” said Lashley.
This year I’ve found a lot more focus. In previous years, I’ve had battles with injury and sickness. . .I’m happy with how I’ve been running the past few months and I’m excited to see what [Ontario University Athletics] and U Sports has in store
Conner Lashley, cross country runner
He has already started the season in strong fashion, winning the bronze medal at the Don Mills Open along with a thirty eighth-placed finish in the Vigars and Salter Western Invitational. Compared to last season, Lashley finished in fifty eighth place in the opening weekend at Western, indicating steady improvement for the veteran athlete.
Lashley credits such the strong start to the season to a solid preseason and a lack of stress coming from the confidence he has in himself. He will hope to bring this mindset into the rest of the season, where the team looks to qualify for the Ontario University Athletics championship.
“I find being too stressed before the season starts can be negative. Reducing stress can be difficult if you don’t feel confident with a good preseason, so getting a really good base is everything. Linking months of training together is the only way to run consistently well and confidently,” said Lashley.
Along with Lashley, other runners will look to spur the team on going forward to continue last year’s dominant reign. This includes both A. Davies and Farruggia, two runners who helped the team capture first place at the Don Mills Open.
“A lot of us want to step up this year. We have a very young and fresh roster. A lot of us haven’t even had the opportunity to race at OUAs. . .But McMaster has a really deep cross country team,” said Lashley.
A lot of us want to step up this year. We have a very young and fresh roster. A lot of us haven’t even had the opportunity to race at OUAs. . .But McMaster has a really deep cross country team
Conner Lashley, cross country runner
The Marauders will look to have strong showings in upcoming races, including the Bayfront Open which they will host. For Lashley and other runners on the team, there are some big shoes to fill.
Men's soccer and both men and women's cross country land in top ten of recent U Sports power rankings
On Sept. 26, U Sports released their weekly power rankings for Canadian university teams across several sports. The men and women’s cross country team ranked fifth and ninth in their respective standings, while men’s soccer slid into eighth in the national circuit.
Just before the release of the rankings, both cross country teams put on a solid performance at the Vigars and Salter Western Invitational on Sept. 23.
On the women’s team, veterans Hannah Goodjohn and Rosalyn Barrett both placed in the top 10 at the meet, finishing with times of 30:14 and 30:25. Their efforts helped push the team to fourth place overall, just missing the podium by one point. The St. Francis Xavier University X-Women finished with 116 points.
Their efforts helped push the team to fourth place overall, just missing the podium by one point. The St. Francis Xavier University X-Women finished with 116 points.
For the men’s team, rookie Kamran Brar completed the race as the top runner , nabbing the thirty-fourth place out of 147 qualifying runners with the Marauder’s best time of 26:38. Brar led the team to an eighth place finish, along with top-50 finishes from Connor Lashley, Lukas Vadeika, Noah Mulkewich and William Weist.
Prior to the release of the U Sports rankings, the men’s soccer team snagged a tough 1-0 victory over the Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks on Sept. 22. Sachin Sargeant, a returning member from last year’s Ontario University Athletics championship team, scored a late-game goal in the second half of the match that propelled the team to their fourth win of the regular season.
Following the game, the Marauders played their second match against the Golden Hawks on Sept. 24, winning another tightly contested game 1-0 with a penalty shot by sophomore Damiano Refosco. The win pushed the team to a four-game win streak and an overall record of five wins and two losses for the season.
The win pushed the team to a four-game win streak and an overall record of five wins and two losses for the season.
With these early successesacross both sports, the Marauders have put themselves in a good position for the rest of the season.
As we begin the new school year, women's volleyball, men's soccer, wrestling, cross country and men's volleyball are the teams to keep a close eye on
The 2022-2023 year of sports at McMaster University was one to remember. With championship wins, great individual performances and numerous events packed with fans, there is plenty to be proud of. As we look ahead to the upcoming year, here are teams you should be sure to keep your eye on.
Women’s Volleyball
The 2022-2023 season for McMaster’s women volleyball team ended prematurely with close loss to York University in the Ontario University Athletics quarterfinals.
Next season, the team will look to turn things around. A number of returning OUA all-star veterans will look to lead the team to greater heights. Notable players include Sullie Sundara, who hopes to continue a run of great form after a second commanding season, and Hayley Brooks, the team’s defensive minded libero.
With newly appointed head coach Nathan Janzen leading the squad, this Marauders team will be one to look out for. Janzen leads the Canadian youth national volleyball team and has previously served as an assistant for the Marauders women’s volleyball team. He will likely have his sights set on capturing a national title, especially with the Marauders hosting this year's U Sports national tournament.
Men’s Soccer
Last season saw the men’s soccer team capture a historic OUA title. After this previous success for the team, they will be looking to continue their impressive form this coming year.
Next year’s roster will miss Miles Green, who led the team in total goals scored, and Ahmad Mansour, the team’s dominant centre-back. However, quality remains in the squad, with key returning players such as Gianluca Spadafora, the team’s captain and OUA second-team all-star, and Ethan Cagalj, an OUA second-team all-star goalkeeper.
Another change to the team’s head coach will be another challenge for the Marauders this season though. Interim head coach Tristan Joyce will be looking to prove himself in the coming season. Joyce is a former Marauder men’s soccer player who graduated from the program in 2021.
Wrestling
Both the men and women’s wrestling teams continually impress and the Marauders consistently found themselves on top of the podium in the 2022-2023 season.
Serena Di Benedetto on the women’s team had a phenomenal first season where she went undefeated, medaled gold in the OUA finals and finished in second at U Sports Nationals. As she goes into her second year, she will be one to watch closely.
On the men’s side, first-year Karanveer Mahil also showed well in his rookie season. Mahil topped the podium numerous times throughout the year and medalled silver in the OUA finals. At U Sports Nationals, Mahil earned himself gold to cap off an impressive first season.
After an impressive regular season for the team, four Marauder wrestlers and head coach Ahmed Shamiya went on to represent Canada at the Pan Am Games. At the event, Mahil and Di Benedetto both earned medals and they will certainly be looking to continue to their successes this coming winter.
Cross Country
This team had plenty to be proud of in the 2022-2023 season. On the men’s side, Max Turek, Andrew Davies and Alex Drover helped in creating a historic year for their team. Turek won gold at both the OUA finals and the U Sports Nationals, with Davies and Drover finishing just behind him in both competitions.
The women’s team came up with impressive results throughout the year as well. Second-year Rosalyn Barrett placed third in OUA Championships and thirtieth at U Sports nationals. Hannah Goodjohn, a fourth-year, placed eleventh in the OUAs after a consistent season for the Marauders.
Head coach Paula Schnurr also earned her own accolade throughout the season by winning OUA coach of the year. As she heads into the new season, she will look to fill the holes left by her graduated runners, including Turek and Davies.
Men's Volleyball
After a dominant past season which saw the team capture the provincial banner, the men’s volleyball team is consistently one of McMaster’s top teams.
Sam Cooper dominated with 47 kills over the last season. His departure to the Polish professional league will leave a hole in the team, one hopefully that a younger player may fill.
Maxime Gratton also dominated the year with 109 kills. He will be looking to improve upon his past season and combine with veteran Peter Rugosi after two years of experience.
Last year’s heartbreaking loss in the U Sports semifinals will have the team hungry for more, with new head coach Brad Douwes looking to fill the gaps and step into the massive shoes left by former head coach Dave Preston.
Cross country head coach received national honours after first victory at U Sports championship since 1963
McMaster cross country head coach Paula Schnurr was named the U Sports men’s Fox 40 Coach of the Year following this year’s national championships on Nov. 12. Winning their first title since 1963, the men placed first in the country while the women finished seventh overall.
Before leading the cross country staff, Schnurr was a decorated athlete for the Marauders, earning 28 provincial medals in the Ontario Women’s Interuniversity Athletic Association.
In 1988, Schnurr set the national record for the women’s 1,500 metre race with her time of 4:16:41. That same year, Schnurr was named the top performer at the Canadian Inter-university Athletic Union championships, she was given her fourth Thérèse Quigley award for McMaster’s best female athlete of the year and was inducted into the McMaster athletics hall of fame.
Schnurr’s talents brought her to the international stage, making two appearances for Canada’s Summer Olympics team in 1992 and 1996. At the 1994 Commonwealth Games, Schnurr collected a silver medal in the 1,500 metre event.
In 2010, Schnurr assumed the role of head coach for McMaster’s cross country program. Over the last few years, Schnurr and the men’s cross-country team have developed into household names atop the national leaderboards.
The men recorded their first Ontario University Athletics gold under Schnurr’s tenure in 2018, led by a gold medal outing from then-sophomore runner Max Turek. Following their performance, Schnurr received the OUA award for the men’s cross country coach of the year, making history as the award’s first-ever female recipient.
That season, the men earned bronze at the national U Sports championships, missing second place by a five point margin to the Guelph Gryphons. Most recently, the men captured provincial silver and national bronze in 2021 to continue an illustrious stretch of seasons for the team.
Prior to this year’s championships, Schnurr brought the men and women’s teams to OUA excellence, winning gold and silver respectively before heading into nationals. Coming in as the top team in the national power rankings, the men closed out a phenomenal season by securing the U Sports title.
On route to his third U Sports athlete of the week award, Turek completed an exceptional year after finishing the race in first with a time of 24:21. His run marks a perfect season for the Marauders, who also received gold medals in the Western Invitational, the Marauder Bayfront Open and the OUA championships.
Andrew Davies and Alex Drover placed third and fifth respectively to give the Marauders three runners in the top five. Dylan Alick finished the race in thirteenth place with a time of 25:10, while Sam Nusselder’s showing of 25:14 was good for fifteenth overall. Self-titled “The Flying V”, the five’s total of 37 was good for 78 points above the second-placed Laval Rouge et Or.
“It’s been a four, five year process for this group because they’ve come through the team together. Each year they were improving and getting so close . . . so [winning nationals] was really the focus all season,” said Schnurr.
It’s been a four, five year process for this group because they’ve come through the team together. Each year they were improving and getting so close. . . so [winning nationals] was really the focus all season.
Paula Schnurr, Head Coach
On the women’s side, OUA bronze medalist Rosalyn Barrett was the top runner for McMaster, coming in thirtieth with a time of 30:20. Hannah Goodjohn and Sarah Nolan recorded thirty-sixth and fifty-first finishes on the way to a seventh place team performance with 222 points. The Rouge et Or scored 49 points to win the women’s title.
After the races, Turek, Davies and Drover were named First Team All-Canadians, while Alick was awarded Second Team honours. Schnurr was given the Fox 40 Coach of the Year award for helping the Marauders to their first national title in 59 years.
“The goal is to help my athletes get better and the team get better. If I get recognized for the little part I play because they were the ones out running, then it’s a nice honour . . . When you have talented athletes, they make any coach look good,” said Schnurr.
The goal is to help my athletes get better and the team get better. If I get recognized for the little part I play because they were the ones out running, then it’s a nice honour. . . When you have talented athletes, they make any coach look good.
Paula Schnurr, Head Coach
With their top five runners graduating this year, the men’s team successfully capitalized on their immense wealth of talent with a championship banner. Going forward, the program looks to continue its dominance and develop its youth under Schnurr’s expertise and mentorship.
C/O McMaster Sports, Muad Shoots
Gold and bronze performances at Bayfront Open have McMaster’s cross-country teams ready to take on playoffs
McMaster’s cross country teams completed their regular season on Oct. 14 at the Marauder Bayfront Open in Hamilton. Competing on home territory, both the men and women’s teams had exceptional outings at their eight kilometre races, coming in first and third place respectively.
Heading into the meet the Marauders boasted high positions atop the U SPORTS top ten cross country power rankings for Oct. 11. Fueled by first place efforts at the Western Invitational and Don Mills Open, the men’s team took their competition by storm, totaling 89 voting points to put McMaster ahead of the pack. Coming in third and fourth at the London and Waterloo meets respectively, the women’s team pulled into fifth with 49 points for their performance.
Backed by the Sep. 28 U SPORTS player of the week, Max Turek’s first place run and time of 23:47.2 led the men’s team to complete control of the race. Closing out the spots behind Turek, McMaster swept the podium following strong efforts from Andrew Davies and Dylan Alick. Just nine seconds off Alick’s time of 24:06.5, Alex Drover’s fourth place showing gave the Marauders the top four overall runners for the men’s event.
Coming in eighth place for his run, Sam Nusselder rounded out the team’s qualified scorers for the race. With multiple graduating players on the roster, including the top five at the Bayfront Open, Nusselder highlighted the men’s desire to make the most of the year while the current core stayed intact.
“This is kind of like the last dance in a way for us before we all graduate and move onto other things. [The team’s] just trying to finish off the season how we’d hoped for and leave behind something we can remember,” said Nusselder.
Good for 38 points ahead of the second place Queen’s Gaels, the men’s total score of 18 was yet another display of their continued season dominance.
For the women’s team, their top scorer, Rosalyn Barrett, finished the race in seventh after completing the run in 29:22.9. Three other Marauders, Hannah Goodjohn (13th), Sarah Nolan (18th) and Kaitlyn Treleaven (19th), pulled into the top twenty with impressive runs for the team. Together, their combined score of 81 helped McMaster to a third place finish.
Lead runner Sadie-Jane Hickson and her time of 28:44.3 allowed the Guelph Gryphons to secure first place in the race with an impressive 31 point total. Coming in behind Hickson, Western athletes Sophie Coutts and Anna Carruthers closed out the podium for the women’s event. Their efforts helped to lift the Mustangs into second place with 36 points.
Per Goodjohn, the women’s team will experience a roster change similar to the men next year, including the loss of Emma Waddington, Olivia Macaskill, and Nolan, the team captain. Despite the turnover, Goodjohn showed confidence in the younger members of the team to continue their development and fulfill larger roles next year.
“From the younger runners, I’ve seen a lot of them come into it and succeed within the program. There’s always that period of adjustment. . . Even through that struggle period, they still manage to succeed and excel,”
Hannah Goodjohn, McMaster Cross Country Athlete
“From the younger runners, I’ve seen a lot of them come into it and succeed within the program. There’s always that period of adjustment. . . Even through that struggle period, they still manage to succeed and excel,” explained Goodjohn.
Both teams will look to capture gold as they take on the Ontario University Athletics championships on Oct. 29 at Western’s Thames Valley Golf Course. Following the contest, they will head off to the Brunello Golf Course in Halifax to compete at the U SPORTS championships for their final event of the year.
While only seven runners will be selected for the playoff races, Nusselder applauded all of his teammates for their display of commitment and dedication throughout the season.
“It’s always just amazing to see how many people are still really involved with everything. We might only race seven, but a lot more than seven go into training with the group that races,” said Nusselder.
With three meets now in the books, both cross country teams are primed for big performances as they venture into the championships.
C/O Steve Moran
Excellent performances by the Marauders lead to podium finishes at the Western Invitational
McMaster’s cross country teams kicked off their season with a dominant outing at the Vigars & Salter Western Invitational. At their first race of the year, the men and women’s teams showed out, finishing first and third respectively at their eight kilometre run events.
Similar to golf, the team with the lowest score in a cross country meet wins. Teams require a minimum of at least five runners in order to be officially scored and corresponding point values are assigned based on their standings. The top seven runners on a team are able to affect a team’s results, with the first five contributing to the total score and the latter two acting as displacers to push back opposing runners’ ranks.
After coming in third at the event in 2021, the men’s team battled their way to claim the top spot in this year’s London showdown.
Max Turek — winner of the OUA bronze medal at last year’s championship eight kilometre race — finished third overall with a time of 24:34. Ending 18 seconds after Turek, Alex Drover placed fifth for the team, allowing both individuals to claim the leading two scores among qualified varsity runners.
Other standouts for the men include Sam Nusselder and Dylan Alick, who grabbed the fifth and eighth best times respectively in the university grouping.
The men’s team completed the meet with a score of 47, beating out the Western Mustangs who managed a total of 69 on their home grounds. Praising their overall performance, Drover viewed the event as a good indication of what the team has in-store for the rest of the season.
“I think we showed that we have a strong, deep team. We had a lot of runners out and everyone was performing well. It is early in the season but I think it was a race that set a good foundation for us to move forward from,” said Drover.
I think we showed that we have a strong, deep team. We had a lot of runners out and everyone was performing well. It is early in the season but I think it was a race that set a good foundation for us to move forward from.
Alex Drover, McMaster Varsity Cross Country Runner
As for the women’s team, they placed third in their run, collecting 69 points at the competition. Leading McMaster with her time of 30:03, Hannah Goodjohn came third among university runners and seventh in the race overall. Sliding into sixth for the varsity group, Rosalyn Barrett completed the race in 30:20 to give the team two top-ten finishers altogether.
“I think going into it we had some really big competition, just some strong teams there. Guelph is a very, very strong team, same with Laval. . . it was a really exciting race,” said Barrett.
I think going into it we had some really big competition, just some strong teams there. Guelph is a very, very strong team, same with Laval. . . it was a really exciting race.
Rosalyn Barrett, McMaster Varsity Cross Country Runner
True to her word, both schools took commanding presences on the leaderboard. Aided by gold and silver finishes from athletes Jade Bérubé and Florence Caron, Laval’s Rouge et Or ended the meet in second with 54 points. Despite their efforts, the Guelph Gryphons managed to pull ahead of the pack, backed by five, top-12 placing runners and a leading score of 44.
The Marauders took on their second meet of the year on Oct. 1 at the Don Mills Open in Waterloo. Primarily featuring runners who have yet to compete this year, both the men and women’s teams rested the majority of athletes who participated at the Western Invitational.
Approximately two weeks later the team will make their Hamilton homecoming on Oct. 14 for the Marauder Bayfront Open, in preparation for the OUA and U Sports championships. Given their success early in the season, they look to be tough competitors up until the season’s end.
C/O McMaster Sports
As the Cross Country season ends, there is a lot to be proud of and a lot to look forward to
Over the past couple of months, the cross country and track teams have been finding significant success through several points in their season. Previously, Alex Drover, a fourth-year cross country veteran, won the first Athlete of the Week award of the season in recognition of his exceptional performance at an Ontario University Athletics competition, where he placed first overall.
On Nov. 20, the cross country team took part in the nationwide U Sports Cross Country/Track Nationals. This year, the event took place in Quebec City, at the historic Plains of Abraham. The competition featured numerous turns and hills, which made the race very challenging for the schools involved.
Throughout the Cross Country Nationals, the best performer for the McMaster Marauders was Andrew Davies. Davies finished just short of fourth place in the men's eight kilometre race, with an impressive time of 24:38, which had him 10.5 seconds off the winner of the race, Mitchell Ubene, of the Guelph Gryphons.
Although Davies did miss out on the podium for the 8k race, he did not miss the chance to end up at the podium with the rest of the team, as the Marauders ended up third on the podium, earning themselves a bronze medal with a collective score of 79 points. The only schools to place above the Marauders were the hosts, Université Laval Rouge et Or and Guelph Gryphons, finishing first and second respectively.
Davies, the best runner among the Marauders at the nationals, and his teammate, Max Turek, were both awarded an All-Canadian Bid for their amazing performances in Quebec.
Although the overall results of the Marauders were impressive, Davies did express some level of disappointment with the final results.
“Although we did make the podium, I can’t say that I was particularly happy with our performance as a whole. I personally think that we could have won the whole nationals. We definitely have the potential to do so, but it just wasn't our day,” said Davies.
When asked about his achievement of earning an All-Canadian bid, Davies suggested that he expected to win it based on his strong performance in the race.
“I sort of knew that I was going to get it because I was near the top in the first team. My personal performance was good that day so I saw it coming. Obviously, I am honored to get something like this and it does mean a lot to me,” said Davies.
The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the runner and his ability to train were mixed. The lockdowns had both physical and mental impacts and changed the way he trained and performed later on.
“To be honest, COVID-19 did not have a massive training effect on me. I was still able to train alone, since we are runners and we don't need partners to do so. If anything, it did sort of help me physically stay in shape because there was no pressure of any race coming up, so I had more time to prepare for whatever was coming next,” explained Davies.
However, Davies did state that the pandemic did have a toll on his mental wellbeing and created a lot of difficulty for his training and mental preparation.
“It was a very rough period for all of us because there was consistent cancellation of events every now and then and it was tough for us to keep up. I personally did not know when to expect any competitions to come back and it was all on one big loop for a year and a half. Especially in the winter, there was literally nothing going on and it had a huge toll on me,”
Andrew Davies
When asked about the future, Davies explained he is certain that there is much more potential within the team and that they could return even stronger next year.
“I think that we can do even better next season. Although some of our runners won't be eligible, many of our best athletes will be staying for another year. There are also some younger runners who have a lot of potential. So, I see us excelling over the next couple of years for sure,” said Davies.
Although the nationals are over for this year, there will be plenty of opportunities for the track and cross country athletes to show their worth next year, when the new season will bring plenty of excitement for all involved.
