While many of us were “studying” (it’s fine if you didn’t study, no judgement here) this past reading week, many McMaster athletes were busy competing in their last few regular season games. Here are four key things you may have missed during the reading week.
1. The Mac women’s rugby team started their reading week off on fire, defeating the Wilfred Laurier University Golden Hawks 109-0 in their Ontario University Athletics quarter-final playoff game on Oct. 5. Unfortunately for them, their championship dreams came to an end less than a week later, when they played the Queen’s University Gaels. Scoring their first try in the seventh minute, the Gaels pulled away with a 29-24 victory. But the season is not over yet for Mac. They will host the Brock University Badgers for one last game to determine who will win the OUA bronze medal, this Friday night at Ron Joyce Stadium. [spacer height="20px"]
2. The Marauders football team started off their reading week on a good note, finding themselves back in the U Sports top 10 rankings at No. 9, following a three-game winning streak. With the return of running back Justice Allin, the Marauders just managed to pull away with a win against the Gaels on Oct. 5. Their hopes of extending their streak to four weeks came to an end after the University of Waterloo Warriors outlasted them in a 34-16 loss. Up next, their last game of the season will be against the University of Windsor Lancers this Saturday at 1:00 pm.
#OUA FBALL
2nd and long? No problem for @McMasterSports, as Andreas Dueck connects with Tommy Nield for the first down and more to put the visitors up 11-9 over the @WlooWarriors!#WeAreONE | #MACvsWAT pic.twitter.com/uKnzlItpSf
— OUA (@OUAsport) 13 October 2018
3. The McMaster men’s cross-country team entered the national rankings at number two during the break, while the women secured the ninth-place spot. The Marauders hosted the Bayfront Open for the second time during the weekend, and saw success once again. Leading the pack, the men’s team won the team title by a 29-point margin, while the women took home bronze.[spacer height="20px"]
4. Both the men and women’s soccer teams remained dominant during the break. The men beat the Badgers 1-0 on Oct. 6, while the women beat them 2-1. By the end of the game, women’s forward Stephanie Roberts became the province’s fourth-leading scorer, with a total of nine goals, just two behind the OUA-leader, Gaels’ Jenny Wolever. The following weekend, the women were able to tie their match against the Waterloo Warriors 1-1, while the men dominated the Warriors in a 3-1 victory.
Men's Soccer -- The Marauders put three past the Warriors on Alumni Day Saturday, keeping hold of third in the @OUAsport West. #GoMacGo https://t.co/BlAirhYopI
— McMaster Athletics (@McMasterSports) 14 October 2018
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By Graham West
At their most recent cross-country meet, the Western Invitational, Josh McGillivray led the team to a second-overall finish, placing third individually. McGillivray, who led the field for McMaster for the first time in his career, said he treated this race differently than his past competitions, going in with a mindset to start at the front of the pack and staying there.
Top 10 Tuesday -- The Marauders men's cross country team strengthened its hold on the no. 2 spot, while @MacRugby fell to 10 in the @USPORTSca rankings. #GoMacGohttps://t.co/qwikz6mgIy
— McMaster Marauders (@McMasterSports) October 2, 2018
Clearly it worked as he had a career day, enough to get him named Pita Pit Athlete of the Week. He finished the 8 km course in an astonishing 24:20, and McGillivray thinks he will keep this week’s new strategy going forward to see if it will continue to work, but he will not change everything in his race-day preparations.
Cross-country is more of a mental sport than most people would realize, far more than most would consider it to be at first glance. There are so many people you are directly competing with that it can certainly take a toll mentally on a runner, constantly checking what place you are in, al the while to continuing to push yourself.
McGillivray highlighted the fact that with lengthy races, you are constantly pushing yourself to keep running as hard as you can, and this is where a lot of strength and grit comes in. The third-year runner also noted that preparation for cross-country meets is always very thorough. He said that making sure to get a good sleep, not only the night before but two nights before, can be instrumental to his success in addition to eating properly.
Even though you run individually, McGillivray emphasized that cross-country really is a team sport. Although you run by yourself during the races the sense of community really prevails, and that traditional sense of team chemistry is still very present.
For example, several Mac runners who were not even participating in the track meet because they had already run in a previous race came to cheer on their teammates who were competing. McGillivray said this is one of the tightest groups of guys he can remember, which allows them to be their best selves athletically as they continue to push each other.
“I’m surrounded by an incredible group of guys every single day and we kind of suffer through together,” said McGillivray. “We work hard, we all do the workouts. I think it was me on that given day that was leading the team, but I think our team is strong enough and deep enough that on any given day, anyone of us could be at the head of the group”
McGillivray highlighted the importance of staying cool and not overworking oneself, something he credits his coach, Paula Schnurr, for being very good at. He also stressed the importance that even though it can be really easy to go too hard, cross-country nationals is still a month and a half a way so it’s important for the athletes to pace themselves throughout the season.
“I think that the depth of this team, although we have had really deep teams the past few years, we’ve come fourth consecutively in the past five years now at nationals, but this year and the depth of this team is pretty insane,” McGillivray explained.
McGillivray believes that this could be the year the team breaks recent tradition and places on the podium at nationals.
“On any given day, because you have your top five scorers and then your top seven are considered your team because you have two alternates, I don’t think we'll have the same top seven in a consecutive race all season,” McGillivray said.
While there is still a long time before the team transitions to the indoor track season, the start to this year looks promising. With a roster that looks better than ever, a very clear drive and determination to succeed, the men’s cross-country team has nationals in sight and look poised to buck the trend of placing fourth for the past five years.
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On June 13, Sergio Raez Villanueva was one of several Marauders who took to the racetrack at Guelph University for the Speed River Inferno meet. Joining Villanueva was veteran Jeff Tweedle, who won a competitive 1500 metre race, and male rookie of the year Max Turek, who finished as the top junior in the 10,000 metre event.
Turek’s time was good enough to qualify for the International Association of Athletics Federations World U20 Championships in mid-July. However, Turek was not the only Marauder to earn a coveted spot in an upcoming event.
In a day ruled by blustering winds, Mac’s Male Athlete of the Year did not let nature slow him down. Villanueva was the first to cross the finish line in the 10,000 metre race, edging out the 2017 champion Evan Esselink with a time of 30:19.19 to become a Canadian Champion.
“I had it in mind as the goal, with my coach Paula, that we’re going to do [the race] and see how it goes,” Villanueva said. “I went into race and I knew it was going to be a really tactical race just because it was like a hurricane out there. It was really windy on the back stretch, no one really wanted to take [the wind] and risk the fact that you could burn out, getting all that wind for yourself while everybody else behind you can take shelter from that.”
This abrasive weather caused the race to take on a more tactical edge to it than a typical race, so it started off slowly as the runners got a feel for the conditions. Slow starts are not something that Villanueva particularly likes, tending to put him on edge since the race deviates from a more traditional and honest race. But this did not throw the Biology major.
“In those kind of circumstances, it’s like a chess game,” Villanueva explained. “I knew that my biggest opponent I was facing there was Evan Esselink, and I knew that he was planning on making a move of some sort halfway through the race. So it happened at the about the 6K mark, Evan just bolted to the front and put this really massive surge that caught me off guard a bit, and I just decided I got to go with this guy because if I let him go, he is gone.
Villanueva was able to maintain his lead through the finish line, resulting in an exciting finish for the racers and the fans in attendance. Although his goal was just to finish among the top group, Villanueva managed to find his place at the top of the podium.
“A lot of things go through your mind but you just got to trust in yourself,” Villanueva said. “I took the lead and stayed on the lead, and I was concerned [Esselink] was just taking advantage, sheltering from the wind to try to overtake me near the end of the race. I guess this is where the grit and the will comes into play because at that point in the race, it became ‘I can actually try and win this thing’.”
Most runners like to take the opportunity during the spring and summer seasons to take some time off, usually opting for cardiovascular exercises that are not as hard on the body as running. Villanueva, however, will have to delay his down week until after August, with this win earning himself a spot at the North American, Central American and Caribbean Championships.
“It was like the cherry on top because I thought that was going to be my season,” Villanueva said. “I was honoured to run there and was really excited, and even more excited afterwards when they told me this qualifies me for NACACs, to run the 10,000 metre track event there representing Canada. I’m very honoured and very proud to represent. I will give it my best shot.”
A three-day event that features participants from 31 countries compete in 40 events, the NACAC Championships will occur on Aug. 10-12 at Varsity Stadium in Toronto. Villanueva has deservedly earned himself a spot on Team Canada alongside notable Olympians such as Andre de Grasse.
“I’m really really excited, this one holds a special place” Villanueva explained. “This would be my first senior team representing Canada. I’m really thrilled. I am going to be on the same team as Olympic sprinter Andre de Grasse for example, so I am going to fan-girling on the sideline a little bit. I’m really eager and excited to just learn from them as well.”
In keeping with his genuine and optimistic nature, Villanueva did not even realize he had qualified for this amazing opportunity until someone informed him after his big win.
“This is the funny part of it - I was surprised,” Villanueva said. “I didn’t know you could qualify for it if you won the Canadian Championship. I was so focused on just the Canadian Championship itself I didn’t really think too much ahead of it. So when they told me this right after I won the race, [it was] amazing. This is an awesome opportunity, you know for me, is a very big step forward in my running career. I’ll be super excited to represent Mac in the fall of course. Don’t worry, cross-country is also in my goals as well.”
Taking place at the University of Toronto, the NACACs will not necessarily be run on his home turf, but Villanueva will surely make both Marauders and Canadians proud as he takes yet another major step forward in his burgeoning but already-decorated running career.
For the fans who frequent the Marauders website, one name has continued to appear on the front page throughout the school year. No, it is not a point guard, an outside hitter or a quarterback. It is Sergio Raez Villanueva.
Villanueva is a rising star on the cross-country and track team at McMaster, and since arriving at McMaster from McGill following an illness, his name has been hard to miss.
The second-year biology major earned his third Pita Pit Athlete of the Week honours on Jan. 15 following a gold medal at Windsor’s Can-Am meet. There, Villanueva posted a converted time of 3:50.51 in the 1500m event, which is currently Canada’s third fastest time at that event and the fourth-fastest in McMaster history. Villanueva also ranks seventh in Canada in the men’s 3000m track events, the only Marauder to rank nationally in the top 12 in any category.
“I tend to not think much when I’m running,” Villanueva said. “I think it is partly because I do not want to get super nervous. I find my best races have been when I just went and I was like, ‘hey it’s going to be a fun race, I have no expectations, I’m going to give it my best shot’. I’m thinking right now of a 10km race that I did in 30 [minutes] flat, still my best time to this day. That race I was like I got nothing to lose, I’m just going to run and have fun. Turns out it was still one of the best races I have ever run in my life.”
His excellence in the indoor season is really no surprise to anyone as that is Villanueva’s specialty. The bigger change for Villanueva this year was adapting the uneven terrain of outdoor running.
“Sergio is a team leader, very accepting of everyone on the team. A very kind and thoughtful individual — there is no one like him.”
Paula Schnurr
Head coach
McMaster track team
“I’m more of a track guy since it’s just a flat surface, even ground,” Villanueva said. “I’m more of a top speed person that if it’s even ground, I can grind it out. However, when we started cross-country [coach Paula Shnurr] and I talked, and she said [I] should try focusing [my] off-day runs more on the grass. So that’s the one thing that I really changed this year. Every day I was just going to a park and [running] loops on the grass. And it seems to have done something because that was the best cross-country season I’ve had.”
The statistics back the deception up as Villanueva earned himself a Second Team All-Canadian distinction after running the 10km event in 31:43.42 at the U Sports Championships, good enough to place him eighth overall in the country. The drive to win starts at practice and is not lost on the team’s coaching staff.
“Sergio is very driven and focused but more importantly he just loves to run and race,” said Schnurr. “He is very talented and works hard in practice — at times I have to encourage him to slow down. Sergio is not afraid to lead races and make the pace tough for his competitors. He is fearless. His goal is to run faster than the last race and he is always looking to make each race his best.”
Villanueva has always said he prefers the longer distances, like 8km and 10km, with the 1500m being the shortest he likes to run. So it only makes sense he took a long road to get here. Despite his winding path to Hamilton, McMaster always managed to stay on Villanueva’s mind.
“Even before I went to McGill I was always between McMaster and McGill,” Villanueva said. “It’s funny because the summer before I went to McGill I had this placement at McMaster and I contacted Paula like, ‘Hey, I’m around so maybe I could join some practices’. To me this resonated from the very beginning — Paula was just so welcoming from the very beginning and the team was a so accepting, even though they knew that I was going to McGill at that point, they were just so accepting to have me that summer and train with them. I went to McGill and then that whole nonsense happened I recovered and contacted Paula, got back into training because I had a whole year before I started school. That year Paula got me in shape and I managed to do a track race on 10km, and I went to Poland for the World Juniors. So what I’d like to say is that it’s thanks to Paula and the team really — they were so welcoming. It was great being around those guys and we all work together and prosper together and get better together. Who I am now as a runner is thanks to them.”
The change in venue for Villanueva was never a rocky experience for the young runner.
“The only disappointment for Sergio was that he had to sit out a year before he could compete for Mac,” added Schnurr.
The fact that he could ease into the community coming from another program is a testament to the track team, and the university community at large.
“The McMaster community is great,” Villanueva said. “Not only the team but just the community in general honestly. The bumpy stuff was just like you know the paperwork for transferring. Once I got in and it was kind of smooth sailing. I don’t know what else to say to be honest. McMaster is a very welcoming community. I had no problems adapting or starting again at McMaster. So I’m very grateful.”
Villanueva grew up in Peru where he spent most of his time playing tennis. It was only in Grade 8 when his family moved to Canada that he discovered cross-country running. He began to seriously train after joining a club in high school and the rest is history. He even represented Ontario in the Canada Summer Games where he got to meet athletes from all sports.
While Villanueva has his sights set on making the U Sports Championships, he is focusing on improving in the 3000m race right now in addition to the 1500m. While he will focus on statistical improvements during practice, Villanueva also brings the intangibles to every training session.
“Sergio is a real pleasure to coach,” Schnurr said. “When he is absent from practice it is noticeable. He always has a smile on his face and is happy to be at practice. He is extremely supportive of his teammates and in general makes people feel at ease when he is around them.”
The team has only two more competitions to get their reps in before the provincial and national championship meets. When they hit the road towards Boston and then Toronto, the team will only continue to improve.
“The future’s pretty bright,” said Villanueva. “We’re really eager for the next coming years as the team’s progressing very, very well. We came fourth at U Sports as a team in cross-country recently, and we are really excited to try to get to the podium soon.”
Yet regardless of the results, the track team has proven with star athletes like Villanueva that they have a program that is welcoming to all new athletes, and they are successful because of it. In the seasons ahead, Villanueva will continue to be a mainstay on the Marauders home page.
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By any measure, the McMaster cross-country team had a good outdoor season, consistently placing in the top 10 of the tournaments they attended. They ultimately capped off their season with a fourth-place finish for the men and a seventh-place finish for the women at the U Sports national championship in Victoria, British Columbia. The team now looks to build on that earlier success this coming winter term.
Cross-country is a unique sport in many ways as it toes the line between a team sport and individual competition. In addition to this, there is essentially no offseason. When other sports pack it in and head indoors ahead of worse weather, cross-country athletes head indoors to continue to compete.
This indoor track season began in December with the Bob Vigars Season Opener hosted by Western University, where Mac sent a group of their athletes who all contributed to the Marauders’ trophy case. While the men swept the podium in the 3000m race, the women’s side of the track was led by fourth-year Nursing student Erin Mawhinney who captured gold in the women’s 3000m race.
“It was cool,” said Mawhinney. “I haven’t won a university race before so that was different. A couple of us do that race coming just out of cross-country season just to see what kind of track fitness we have coming from cross-country, a sort of base for the rest of the season.”
In the new year, the Marauders headed to Windsor for the Can Am Classic on Jan. 13, where Mawhinney placed fourth in the women’s 1500m race. Sergio Raez Villanueva’s placed first in the men’s 1500m race as the top-performing Marauder over the weekend.
Mawhinney notes that in terms of training not much changes between seasons, although the team does a lot more speed-oriented workouts. One big difference is in the social aspects of the sport during meets.
“We have a lot more time together with the team at meets,” Mawhinney said. “Instead of in cross-country where there is just one girls event and one boys event, track meets sometime span over two days and so you get to spend those two days with the team. It is a lot more team time, which is fun.”
Consistency breeds success and every athlete has their own set of pre-game rituals and habits that help them attack their day at the best of their ability. Mawhinney, who has been running track since she was 10 years old, recognizes that the actions leading up to a race are just as important as the race itself.
After packing her bag the night before a meet, Mawhinney will spend time with friends or teammates to her take her mind off of the impending competition and stave off nerves before a race, which have lessened over her tenure.
“I think being in fourth year, I don’t get as anxious or worked up before races anymore,” said Mawhinney. “It was a bigger problem for me in first and second year, but you learn how to just stay calm before the race and have more fun with it. I try not to think too much about the race until I’m warming up.”
When it comes to game day, music plays a key part for Mawhinney as for many other athletes.
“I listen to music on my warm-up jog,” explained Mawhinney. “I usually listen to the Tragically Hip on my warm up, and there’s a sprinkle of One Direction in there as well. Usually One Direction closer to the race; they’re a pretty happy bunch.”
After the headphones come off, Mawhinney tries to keep things light on the track and visualize the race that lays ahead of her. In order to stave off any pre-race nerves, Mawhinney likes to keep it loose, cracking jokes with her teammates and even her competition.
“I picture the race ahead of time and keep it light and humorous around the track level when we’re warming up because it just makes it way more fun,” Mawhinney added. “I find I race the best when I’m not nervous and some of my worst races have been when I’m just too nervous before. Racing when you’re really nervous before makes you get lactic faster and it is not pleasant. My best races for sure have been when I’m laid back.”
“I try to keep it pretty causal with the other girls that are racing, keep it pretty humorous and funny. Because it is a kind of funny thing to all congregate and put yourself through so much pain.”
Erin Mawhinney, Cross-country
As she looks ahead to her final year as a Marauder, Mawhinney has mixed feelings.
“It’s really good incentive to give training my all,” said Mawhinney. “I’m so much more used to the training program here now. I go to our strength and conditioning much more frequently than I did in first and second year. So having it be my last year is like an incentive to train really hard since this is sort of it, but it’s also sad because the team is so fun and it will be hard to find another environment that is as fun as them when I’m not here.”
Although it will not be the same, Mawhinney hopes to pursue running following her time as a student-athlete. A lot of Mac alumni tend to stick around the area and will sometimes still practice alongside current members of the team, so she hopes that she will be able to do that as well.
Dedicated and talented runners make up the McMaster cross-country program and are a significant reason why they can maintain their winning groove into the new year. While we maybe stuck in the midst of a brutally cold winter, the track season is only heating up.
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Men's
Blair Morgan
Coming off a strong summer season setting four personal bests on the track, Morgan is in the best position he has been in his McMaster career. The engineer is also in his third season as the Men’s team captain and hopes to lead the team to a CIS medal.
Connor Darlington
Though he is a 1500m specialist on the track, Darlington’s strength over the longer distances is clear. This year’s OUA Championships saw him as an All-Star for the third time, and will be an integral part of the Men’s team in their hopes for a CIS podium finish.
Taylor Forbes
Taylor Forbes spent a busy summer training and competing in triathlon, including racing in the European professional circuit. He finished third at the Canadian National Triathlon Championships and 17th at the ITU World Triathlon Championships in Chicago.
Austen Forbes
The other half of the Forbes’ twins, Austen Forbes also spent the summer competing in triathlon. Some of his summer highlights include a top ten finish in the ETU Triathlon European Cup in Holten, Netherlands, and a silver medal at the Triathlon Ontario Provincial Championships.
Gabriel Ghiglione
Ghiglione took a different approach to summer training, which included running around Toronto pulling a rickshaw and an 83-kilometer trail run through Killarney National Park. He is in his fourth year of a degree in Anthropology, a team representative with McMaster Athletes Care and the President of the McMaster ALS Society.
Derek Van Schepen
Van Schepen’s hard work and high mileage has been key in helping him crack the top seven this year. This is especially impressive given the fourth-year Geography & Environmental Studies student spent most of the summer training with an injured foot.
Luke Charbonneau
Charbonneau had a fantastic run at last year’s CIS Championships in challenging conditions in Newfoundland to finish as the top Marauder. He is managing to balance his Cross Country training around working at an internship as a Financial Analyst in Oakville.
Women's
Maddy McDonald
Acting as this year’s Women’s captain, McDonald has shown her strength as this year’s low-stick. An avid volunteer at McMaster and in the community, she is in her final year of Kinesiology.
Chelsea Mackinnon
This is Mackinnon’s fifth time racing at the Cross Country CIS Championships and plans to make it her best. She is currently working on a thesis project in Anatomy while managing the DBAC Pool and working as a Lifeguard.
Gabrielle Foran
Foran is a PhD candidate in Chemistry, and had an impressive summer achieving four World Records in Joggling (juggling and running) ranging from the 400m to the 5-kilometer events. She also won four Gold Medals at the National Joggling Championships.
Emily Nowak
After spending last year’s Cross Country season in a boot cast, Nowak has reclaimed her place in the top seven. She is enjoying her transition into the new Biomedical Discovery and Commercialization program while volunteering with McMaster Athletes Care and the Right to Play Club.
Maddie Benjamin
Benjamin had a successful outdoor track season seeing her set a personal best in the 1500m and is carrying this momentum onto the trails. She is in her final year of completing a double-major degree in Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour and Economics, while finding the time to act as a mentor for fellow Varsity Athletes.
Soren Meeuwisse
Meeuwisse is coming to Cross Country from a background in Mountain Biking, competing this past summer in Europe at the 2015 UCI Mountain Biking World Championships. She is completing her first year in Kinesiology and making her impressive CIS debut early in her Marauder career.
Lauren Locco
This second-year local triathlete had a breakthrough season this year to earn her spot in the top seven. Her multisport strength played a part with her successes, despite a hectic schedule as a Nursing student.
Photo Credit: Maxine Gravina
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For the first time in McMaster cross country history, both the men’s and women’s teams found a place on the podium together. With the team points and finish times noted, both teams ranked third overall and received bronze medals at the OUA Championships in Waterloo.
The men’s team repeated as OUA bronze medalists while the women’s position on the podium was more of an upset.
Team captain Maddy McDonald led the way by finishing 16th overall and crossing the line first for the team. Emily Nowak finished two places behind McDonald. The third place runner for McMaster was Gabrielle Foran, with the fourth and fifth places going to Chelsea Mackinnon and Maddie Benjamin. The last two runners were Lauren Locco and Soren Meeuwisse, finishing 32nd and 43rd respectively. McMaster’s team total was 103 points.
The Women’s Cross Country program, currently ranked fourth in the nation continues to make great strides in solidifying their spot amongst cross country powerhouses. Team captain Maddy McDonald feels that the bronze place was one that showed great improvement for the team.
“Earlier in the season, we did not make the Top Ten ranking. We felt that we had more to prove. Our training and our fitness was going well. Everything worked well in the day and it was really exciting for us,” said McDonald.
With a sport like cross country, individual finish times are just as important as the team’s. Team points are concluded from the addition of individual times so it is clear that every second counts.
For the team to improve on individual and team bests, training is crucial for the success of the team. The team trains outside five to six times a week and workouts take place three times a week.
“Going into the CIS Championships, our ranking this week is a huge motivation for us and it is attainable,” said McDonald.
Both teams have a week away from competition to train and direct their efforts to the CIS Championships, hosted by the Guelph Gryphons on Nov. 14.
“Before going into a race, we remind ourselves of the work that has been put in and all of the hours of running and strength has been done. It is about being proud of our effort no matter the outcome,” said McDonald.
The men’s and women’s teams will look to bring it all together and bring some more hardware back to McMaster.
Photo Credit: Maxine Gravina
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It was a disappointing turnout for the Marauders cross country team in St. John’s, Nfld. on Nov. 8.
After a successful season of hopeful results and top performances from the men’s team that got them to be ranked second overall in the CIS, they finished fourth overall, which was the same result they finished with last year.
While last year’s result was disappointing because they lost by a close margin of 23 points and were so close to being on the podium, this year’s result was especially heartbreaking. The team was initially told that they finished third overall, until the final results were posted, and it was announced that they actually finished fourth.
“One of the Laval guys was missed in the results, so I guess his chip didn’t register from the chip timer,” said head coach Rory Sneyd.
Along with that crucial mistake in timing, the officials also managed to not count the sixth or seventh runners from each team that acted as displacers, and they didn’t count the entire University of Regina team.
The changes that needed to be made from the initial results were the deciding factor to the Marauder’s podium-finishing hopes, and after the changes were made, the announcers had to deliver the news that Laval beat Mac to finish in the third spot.
“Ultimately the rug was pulled from under their feet. And I think honestly, that makes it sting a bit more,” said Sneyd.
“To think that they kind of escaped and just managed to achieve the goal, and only to find out that they did not…it just made it a little more painful for sure.”
The news for the Marauders was more painful than the race itself, where the athletes faced gusts of winds that reached an incredible 110 km per hour.
This made the race extremely difficult and strategic, as running in the wind is tough, and nobody wants to be the leader of the pack.
“With a couple of the guys being triathletes, they talked about it being like a bike race, where they had to get into the peloton and get in the group and get dragged along, and you don’t want to necessarily be leading the group, and if you’re going to be catching up to a group, you want to bring some company,” said Sneyd.
“Things were looking great in the first five km. It was looking like exactly what we wanted, where the guys weren’t leading the group, and were tucked in nicely, but when the separation occurred, they were definitely on the wrong end of how things shaped up.”
In the last part of the race, the first group of about 15-20 guys began to break away from the chase pack, and they began to run much faster than the majority of the runners.
Once the lead pack broke away, even the strongest runners that were at the front of the chase pack couldn’t make up ground to catch up to them, because they were going against such a fierce wind.
“We were all just trying to stay with the pack, and some of us did it better than others,” said men’s captain Blair Morgan.
“I saw at least two people fall every lap. I went down on the last lap with a guy from Queen’s, Gabe fell…a lot of people went down.”
The men’s team faced a weird predicament, where their fourth, fifth and sixth runner on the team actually finished ahead of the first, second and third runners.
Luke Charbonneau, who is usually the sixth runner to cross the finish line for the Marauders, finished in 21st overall, while the usual fourth and fifth runners on the team, Gabe Ghiglione and Austen Forbes, finished 25th and 26th respectively.
“I don’t think we could’ve expected much more from those guys,” said Sneyd.
The Marauders’ three low sticks of Taylor Forbes, Connor Darlington and Blair Morgan, however, finished fifth, sixth, and fourth, a reversed order that came at the wrong time.
Forbes, the usual leader of the Marauders pack who finished the season being an OUA All star, ended up finishing 42nd overall.
Darlington, also finishing the season as an OUA all-star ended up finishing 50th overall, and Morgan, an OUA All-star and CIS all Canadian last year, ended up finishing 32nd overall.
“We couldn’t find any particular reasons why that happened,” said Morgan.
“We were there for more than half the race, and then we were still in the chase pack, and all of our guys were in it. And in the third lap, it hit Taylor more than it hit me. I don’t know what that happened … we just kind of lost it.”
If Forbes, Darlington and Morgan raced to their potential, and if Charbonneau, Ghiglione and Forbes raced as well as they did, the men’s team would have came home with a silver medal.
“If one of us placed in the top 20, that would’ve put us 13-15 points up, and we would’ve got Laval. So we just needed that one performance from one of us, and we couldn’t put it together, so it was disappointing to end up fourth again,” said Morgan.
Although the Marauders men’s team left Newfoundland in disappointment, Morgan is still managing to shed a light of optimism on his team and getting them to look on the bright side.
Another positive for the men’s team is the fact that not a single runner on the team is leaving next year.
The top seven will be back in action for another year, with some possibilities of spots on the current top seven being challenged by some notable recruits, and other runners on the team that just missed out on their opportunity this year.
While the men are looking to build on their current talent, the women’s team will be faced with a significant recruiting year.
The women’s team was also faced with disappointment in Newfoundland, finishing 12th overall, and missing their overall goal of finishing in the top ten.
“I think we have the talent to be more competitive. Its just a number of athletes on our team struggled in those conditions. We can’t ever mirror those conditions in practice, but I know that a number of people left Newfoundland disappointed,” said Sneyd.
“Those were conditions that I have never, ever, seen before -- either as an athlete, or a coach. And it was probably conditions I hope to never see again actually.”
The Marauders will take the awful conditions in Newfoundland as a learning experience. They will have to be resilient in the 2015 cross country season to reach the podium for the men’s team, or finish within the top 10 for the women’s team.
And after a disappointing weekend, where they felt that they missed out on their opportunity to get a CIS medal or top ten finish, it just adds more fuel to the fire for next year.
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The Marauders cross country team traveled to Kingston, Ont., to compete at the OUA Cross Country Championships on Oct. 25, where they conquered the same course they completed two weeks ago.
There was a lot of pressure to perform on the day, as the top seven athletes from each team across Ontario were on the line and ready to go, and this time, the numbers mattered.
The men’s team finished third overall, tying the Windsor Lancers’ score of 71 points overall.
This scoring resulted in a tiebreaker, where according to OUA regulations, the prevailing team depended on the sixth runner that crossed the finish line.
“Had it been the CIS Championships, it would have been a comparison between the fifth runners, which would have given us the edge,” said Marauders runner Taylor Forbes.
The Marauders fifth runner to cross the finish line was Blair Morgan, who finished ahead of the Lancers fourth and fifth scorers.
Despite the disappointment of finishing third, however, this OUA medal performance says a lot about the Marauders men’s program which has improved immensely within the last couple of years.
The team was a dark horse in last year’s OUA Championships, where they shocked the conference when they managed to finish second overall.
Although the team has won a medal of a different shade, it still speaks volumes about what they are capable of as a team and what they will be able to accomplish in years to come.
Taylor Forbes led the pack for the men’s team, finishing seventh overall, which had him named not only an OUA All-star, which includes the top 15 runners on the day, but a first team OUA All-star as well.
“I feel great about my race. It was definitely a goal of mine to be an OUA All-star, let alone a first team OUA All-star, so I’m feeling confident about my result and ready for Newfoundland, where I can hopefully get All-Canadian status,” said Forbes.
The rest of the Marauders worked together in a pack run for the majority of the race, which was a strategy of theirs right when the gun went off.
Connor Darlington finally laced up the spikes to run with the top seven, and finished 14th overall in only his second showing of the season.
Gabriel Ghiglione reached his goal of being an OUA All-star, finishing 15th overall, just five seconds behind Darlington.
Austen Forbes finished 17th overall, and Captain Blair Morgan who was recovering from an illness finished 18th overall, just three seconds behind Forbes.
Luke Charbonneau was the sixth runner to cross the line, finishing 22nd overall, and Paul Rochus was the last of the Maroon and Grey to finish the race, crossing the line just three seconds after Charbonneau in 24th place.
The Marauders are currently ranked second overall in the CIS top ten rankings, and will have to fight off the Windsor Lancers, Laval Rouge-et-Or, and the Victoria Vikings to maintain that spot.
“The boys love a good rally, so silver at [nationals] will still be the goal as it has been all season. As a team, we didn’t race as well as we had hoped for OUA’s, but that just adds more fuel to the fire,” said Forbes.
“We love a good challenge and we can’t wait to fire it up in St. John’s.”
As for the women’s team, they managed to finish eighth overall, which was disappointing for them, as their goal was to finish sixth overall on the day.
“I think our women’s team is better than what we showed at OUA’s. On an individual level, some people had better races, some had worse; but as a team, we should have been in the top six. I think the coaches echo these thoughts,” said the junior Pan Am Games 3000m silver medalist, Maddy McDonald.
Right when the gun went off in the race, a few Marauders got caught behind the pack right at the beginning, which made it tough for the girls to make their way up to the front pack.
“This is something we will be working on at [nationals], getting into a good position off the start so we aren’t already at a disadvantage from the beginning,” said McDonald.
McDonald managed to finish 17th overall, a result that she wasn’t pleased with, especially based on her performance on the course two weeks prior, where she ran a faster time.
“Top 14 was definitely a realistic goal, but I didn’t manage to perform like that on Saturday,” said McDonald.
McDonald will get another chance to show her full potential at the CIS Championships, where she will hope to finish up with the lead pack where she belongs.
Finishing behind McDonald was Gabrielle Foran in 37th, Kierstin Myers in 39th, Chelsea Mackinnon in 45th, Madeleine Benjamin in 47th, Maxine Gravina in 53rd and rookie Erin Mawhinney in 56th.
The team will be trying to stay well rested, and as confident as they can before travelling to Newfoundland to compete.
“Our coaches were hesitant as to whether to send us to the CIS Championships or not, so our goal is to prove to them and to ourselves that we do deserve to be there,” said McDonald.
“I do believe that we are capable of competing among some of the best teams in Canada.”
The Marauders will get one final shot at glory at the CIS Championships in St. John’s, Newfoundland on Nov. 8.
The Marauders cross country team took to the trails at the Queen’s Invitational meet on Oct. 11 in Kingston, Ont.
At this meet, the men’s team finished first overall with Taylor Forbes leading the pack at third overall. The women’s team finished second overall with Maddy McDonald being the first Marauder to cross the finish line in third place overall.
The men’s team managed to win for their third time in a row despite the absence of Captain Blair Morgan due to illness, and top runner Connor Darlington due to injury.
Morgan is a competitor that managed to work and train hard even throughout his sickness, and it took a lot of convincing from teammates and coaches alike for him to come to terms with the fact that he was too sick to race.
“It took him two weeks and a string of bad workouts before he finally admitted he was actually sick. And even then it still took some convincing before he finally agreed to just rest up for the OUA championships,” said teammate, Taylor Forbes.
Forbes debuted in this race, after taking a month-long recovery after triathlon season. He was looking forward to racing his teammate and best friend, but will get the chance to do so at the OUA and CIS championships, where Morgan will be in his best shape.
As for Darlington, he was experiencing some tightness in his calf after an earlier work out, and the coaches decided it would be best for him to sit this race out, and run at provincials and nationals when he is feeling his best.
“He’s as much a part of the top seven as anyone else and he will be ready to go come nationals” said Forbes.
Forbes’ first race of the season was extremely impressive, especially after a very long and competitive triathlon season, which saw him compete at the World Championships.
Standing on the start-line for the Queen’s Invitational, he had more than just the regular jitters before the gun went off.
“I was very nervous coming into this race. Not just general race nervousness but nervousness out of fear I may be burnt out from a long triathlon season,” said Forbes.
“It’s tough for us triathletes to perform our best with back-to-back seasons,” he added.
Forbes was able to prove that he was in great shape, however, finishing a team-best third overall and sticking with the race strategy Coach Sneyd had for him as best as he could.
Even with a podium finish, however, Forbes still believes that he has more in the tank.
“I thought I had it in me to run away with the race, but I underestimated by competitors and paid for it pretty hard in the last lap of the course,” said Forbes.
But Forbes first race speaks volumes for the kind of shape he is in right now. This race has gotten him one step closer to his final goal, which is to be an All-Canadian at the CIS Championships in Newfoundland.
Not too far behind Forbes in the race was Gabe Ghiglione in 6th, Austen Forbes in 7th, Luke Charbonneau in 9th and Derek Van Schepen in 13th.
The men’s team consecutive first place finishes has moved them up in the CIS rankings to second overall.
On the women’s side, the team finished second overall, a feat that has moved them up in the CIS rankings to 8th overall.
Maddy McDonald led the team, finishing third overall, right behind former teammate turned-Queen’s University grad student, Victoria Coates.
Next to cross the finish line in Maroon and Grey was Gabrielle Foran, who finished 10th overall, Maddie Benjamin in 15th, Kierstin Myers in 17th, and Erin Mawhinney in 25th.
The Marauders will get to tackle the same course again in Kingston in two weeks at the OUA Championships.
The team will take the next two weeks for a critical period of high-intensity training, followed up by some rest and recovery before the provincial championship meet.
