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. 

To begin the 2012 Cross Country campaign, the McMaster Marauders headed to the Western Invitational meet in London, Ont.

Both the men’s and women’s teams produced strong showings at the first race: the men placed fifth overall and the women finished first to get their first win of the OUA season.

The ladies’ win was a team effort led by Lindsay Carson, who captured a silver medal in her 5K race.
Carson, former CIS champion in the 3000m, suffered an injury during last year’s cross country season, and the second-place finish early on in the season is a positive sign for a staple member of the women’s squad.

Being narrowly ousted out of a medal spot, Victoria Coates finished fourth overall, but her effort did not go unnoticed.
“The coaching staff was very impressed with Victoria. She surpassed our expectations of her at the Western run,” said Coach Rory Sneyd after the race.

Courtney Patterson also finished in the top ten, finishing ninth to aid the Marauders in their victory.
Patterson suffered an injury over the summer that sidelined her for a month, but the Western result erased any doubt in her abilities for this season.

The men’s team fifth-place finish was a positive for the team, as the team was missing key members from the event.

The top finisher from the men was Lionel Sanders who finished fifth in his 8K race.

This weekend, McMaster will be travelling to Chicago to run at the Loyola Lakefront Invitational.
The road trip will be a showcase for young Mac cross country athletes as rookies Connor Darlington and Madeleine McDonald will make their Maroon debuts.

Both teams are nationally ranked squads in the CIS, with the women ranked second in the nation and the men ranked seventh overall.

The team will be withholding some of their best runners from the Chicago race in order to ensure they field the best squad possible for the OUA Championships at the end of October.