OUA Cross Preview

Updated Slanders and Speculation


Race: OUA Cross Country Championships
Location: Mooney's Bay Park, Ottawa
Date: Saturday, October 29, 2011
Start Times:
Women 5k: 11am
Men 10k: 12:15pm

OUA Info

Last Years Results
Men & Women
Find results up to 2006 in Results Archive tab above.

All-Time List
Men
Women

Weather

Course Maps

Mens Course

Two starting loops, 4 big yellow loops and finish on the track. Something tells me track season is coming :D.

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Women's Course

Two big yellow loops and finish.

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Women

It looks like the girls might have to settle for second again this year at OUAs. Okay settle probably isn’t the right word for it. More like kick butt, and place just about as low as possible without winning a team title. Of course we do need to keep in mind that anything can happen on a cross course, and you can bet your bottom dollar that Coach Rory will have these girls peaking come CIS’s and they will be looking for a great pre-CIS tune-up Saturday.

Sarah Haliburton will try to keep her steady rise through the ranks as she feasts on mere mortal's flesh that didn’t spend their summer working in India. Victoria Coates will be flying around the course in her Nimbus 2000, with mud and mondo in her eye. Maybe we will see a huge kick on the track like CIS indoors last year. Jill Wyman will also be dangerous on the track finish. I wouldn’t want to be ahead of any of these girls come that final 300m (flashbacks of every Halloween movie chase scene). Rounding out the scoring will be Steph MacNeill and Sara Giovannetti, who both have had rock solid performances this season. Close on their heels will be Courtney Patterson and the top female rookie for Mac, Chelsea Mackinnnon.

Men

The men have not looked better than this in over 10 years. Could this be the year that they claim the programs second ever OUA team medal? Well let's set the scene a bit.

The Western Mustangs have been the favourite for the early part of the season for the Bronze at OUAs and CI’s, as Guelph and Windsor have solidified themselves as distant 1^st and 2^nd teams. But Mac beat Western handedly in Chicago at the Loyola Lakefront. Why on Earth is Western still ahead of Mac in some rankings? Well, the crux of their success is hindered on their consistency. Western’s top 5 has run very inconsistently over the past two years. With a lack of depth, and injury prone front runners, they have disappointed on many occasions. However, when all their guns are firing on the same day they are lethal (see the CIS Bronze they pulled off last year). If Western has an on day on Saturday, Mac will have some serious competition.

Queens is the other team with a legitimate case for a top 3 position at OUAs. Under new coach Steve Boyd’s, Queens is transitioning into an aerobic powerhouse. Boyd has impressive personal credentials, and has lead Queens to dominance in the past as an athlete, but his team has yet to really show results indicative of beating the Marauder men this year. Some close to the team claim they have been waiting until the championship races to show their cards. I think we’ll find out Saturday.

For the Maruaders, Andrew Yorke will keep carrying on his beet-infused stellar season as the top dog. He finished an impressive 9^th at OUAs last year, and this year seems to be on track for a top-7 performance. No pressure. Graham Bowes, Taylor Reid, and Jordan Bierema are going to be the Ghost Busters this Halloween weekend. Will this trio be able to win battles against the provinces’ best, and bust the myth that the men are just waterboys for the women’s team. Normally I just look at the last race to list off the team members, but I know Cory will come in here for at least the 5^th spot (sorry Bysice). Cory was built for 10k cross and is the team’s X-factor that can push the team onto the podium. Challenging for scoring positions will be Andrew Bysice and Ryan Tice. With this veteran top 7 the boys will be looking to trick and treat Saturday.

Speaking of Ryan Tice, he is one of the top reason’s you should make the trek to Ottawa Saturday. Not only to see him race, but to see the pure genius of the flag he has made for this year.

Treat yo self
Jeremy