MacTrack 2013 Graduates Interviews

Another year has past and that means another round of sad goodbyes to our graduating athletes. We've got several video interviews for you this year, and will post them below as they are released, and also tweet/facebook them.

Keenan Viney

Marauders Performance Summary
Keenan did his in undergraduate in Economics at the University of Victoria, and after failing to make the cross country in his first year, he moved up to the marathon for the remainder of his undergrad, and ran 2:41 for the Calgary Marathon. He came to Mac this year for a one-year masters degree and performed well in his first ever cross country season, despite wearing spikes for the first time. For the track season, his first season racing indoors, he ran 8:52 at OUAs out-kicking his teammates in an exciting fashion.

Victoria Coates

Marauders Performance Summary

After a lackluster first year dealing with anemia, she came onto the scene in a big way in her second year with a 5th place at CIS Cross Country, and a silver medal in the CIS 3000m. In her third year she helped the cross country team to a CIS bronze medal, and followed that up in track with a bronze in the OUA 3000m, and a 4th place finish in the CIS 3000m. In her final year as a Marauder she finished 3rd at CIS Cross Country, and 3rd in the CIS 3000m, bringing her CIS medal total to 3 silvers and 4 bronzes over her career.

Jeremy Walsh

Marauders Performance Summary
Walsh joined the McMaster team in his first year in 2008. After worrying about not making the cross country time standard he was surprised to finish as the top rookie at time trial. Unfortunately, running time trial well and only time trial well was a curse he'd carry for every cross country season. Walsh made a large breakthrough in his first year indoor season, going from a 4:31 1500m PB to a 4:06. Continuing this string of strong track performances, his 2nd year was highlighted by his time as a member of the 4x800m team, which narrowly missed a birth to the CIS championships. Before his final year, he went on a 16-month co-op, on which he ran his current 1500m PB of 3:50. In his final year, he was granted captaincy for the second time, and ran indoor 1500m and 3000m PBs ending 4th all-time in the 1500m at McMaster.

Ryan Tice

Marauders Performance Summary
Ryan joined the team 2008 in his 3rd year after finally gaining the confidence to try out. Through his first three years on the team, he was best seen as the man carrying around the giant flags and banners at cross country meets that he spent hours making. Finally last year in his 4th year on the team Ryan made the CIS Cross Country team placing 57th. That track season he continued his breakthrough year as he went from 9:15 to 8:41 in the 3000m. This year he made the CIS cross country team after a great performance at the Vic Matthews meet, and set some 1000m PBs.

Lisa Giles

Marauders Performance Summary

Lisa made alternate for the CIS Cross Country bronze medal winning team in her first year, and followed that up with a bronze medal in the 4x800m relay at CIS Track 2010, running the lead off leg. In her second year she PBed in the 1000m, the 1500m, and finished 6th in the 4x800m at CIS Track. That summer she ran her 800m PB of 2:15.25. 

Summer Event Calendar

We're busy updating the tabs on this blog and have finished updating our Race Calendar tab for the summer. We've got most of the summer events Marauders will be competing in, with track meets (including the tentative dates of the McMaster meets), road races, and even triathlons. Should be a exciting summer!

Marauders Map Beta

Exciting news as we unveil the first version of our Marauders Map (link also available in the tab above). The goal of this project is to compile a list of all of the running trails and routes that McMaster athletes take, so future generations and visitors can experience the vast collection of trails around Hamilton simply by checking an interactive map.

The final version of this map complete with more trails and interactive components will hopefully be complete in the coming months, but in the meantime this version was "good enough" to put on display. So check out the tab and explore one of the 7 trails listed.

Team Awards 2013

The McMaster Cross Country and Track team awards took place today, and were a time to celebrate the year and it's many successes, as well as say goodbye to the graduating athletes. Several awards were given out to go along with the MVP awards given out at the McMaster Athletics Awards. 

McMaster Track Male Rookie of the Year Award

Connor Mabbott received this years award after showing some incredible speed in the 4x400m, most memorably at York Open.

McMaster Cross Country Male Rookie of the Year Award

Connor Darlington was a standout performer on the Cross Country course this year with outstanding runs in Guelph and at the CIS Championships where he finished 34th.

McMaster Cross Country Female Rookie of the Year Award

Maddy McDonald had a fantastic cross country season finishing 13th at CIS Cross Country and second rookie, and went on to run NACAC and World Cross Country.

Left to Right. Female Rookie of the Year Award, Male Rookie of the Year Award, J.D. Rodway Award

Graduating Track Athletes
Every graduating athlete that competed at OUA track receives a plaque with a piece of the old McMaster track that reads; In recognition of your outstanding contribution to McMaster Track - Always a Marauder.
Sean Bowen
Jessica Tat
Steph MacNeill
Lisa Giles
Jeremy Walsh
Keenan Viney
Victoria Coates

Graduating OUA Track Athlete Award

J.D. Rodway Award

Going to an athlete that displays a pure joy of the act of running like that of alumni J.D. Rodway. This year the award went to ultramarathoner wanna-be Jeremy Walsh.

J.D. Rodway personal award

Track Performance of the Year Award

This award goes to the race that had everyone on the team on their feet shouting at the track, or in this case the TV screen. Huddled around the CIS Track livestream at the Forbes' residence, the McMaster Track team shouted at the tv for Victoria Coates to run faster, and nearly broke the monitor when the footage briefly cut after the winner finished. A wave of joy swept over as we witnessed Victoria Coates crossing the finish line in 3rd place. Voted by her peers, the winner of the Track Performance of the Year was Victoria Coates for her bronze medal in the 3000m at the CIS Championships.

Track Performance of the Year Award

WTF "Wow That's Fast" Award

This award goes to an athlete that shocked the coaches with an unpredictable season progression. The award started after marathoner James Harrington unsuspectedly wound up on the CIS 4x400m relay team. This year the award went to Gabriel Ghiglione. Gabe was initially cut from the cross country team this year after missing time standard, but tried out for track a month later and after just barely missing the 1500m standard, the coaches went on a limb to accept him on the track team. Seemingly out of the nowhere Gabe went well under 9 minutes in the 3000m at McGill, finishing in 8:50 as a 16 second PB. Wow that's fast.

Gabriel Ghiglione receiving the WTF (Wow That's Fast) Award

Amongst the other festivities included, like any good team meeting, an over-abundance of food. Highlighting the dessert table was a masterpiece cake by Taylor Reid.

Taylor Reid's Amazing Cake

Also the team gave the coaches several gifts for all their hardwork this year, including a calendar with photos. Here are a few of our favourites. 

Thanks for an amazing year everyone. The positive emotions and team spirit are what makes this team the greatest. 

McMaster Athletic Awards Recap - Victoria Coates Female Athlete of the Year!

Victoria Coates with her parents accepting the Athlete of the Year Award

Congratulations to Victoria Coates in winning the Therese A. Quigley Award for Female Athlete of the Year. Her win keeps the award on the Cross Country team for an impressive 5th consecutive year, leaving a strong legacy on the award that Paula Schurr shared in it's inaugural year, and went on to win 4 years straight.


Victoria enjoyed a dominant year on both the grass and track this past season. The fourth-year runner reached the podium four times during the fall cross country season, claiming a silver medal at the OUA Championships and following with bronze at the CIS meet. She transitioned seamlessly to the indoor season, and captured bronze at the 3000m distance in both the OUA and CIS Championship meets. Her time at the national championships stood not only as a personal best, but as the second-fastest 3000m run by a McMaster woman.


Read about all the winners at Marauders.ca.

Also check out the Athletic Awards Program with write-ups all on nominated athletes and award winners. It includes an article on the continued success of the women's cross country program. Dr. Mary E. Keyes award winning Victoria Coates. A nice photo of Madeline McDonald while talking about the rookies this year. Our cross country MVPs Lionel Sanders and Victoria Coates with mentions of Victoria Coates' as CIS Bronze Medalist, CIS First Team All-Canadian, OUA First Team All-Star, two-time Athlete of the Week, Lindsay Carson as CIS First Team All-Canadian, Athlete of the Week, Madeline McDonald as CIS Second Team All-Canadian, OUA First Team All-Star, Courtney Patterson as OUA Second Team All-Star, and Stephanie MacNeill as OUA Second Team All-Star. On the Cross Country men's side, OUA first team All-Star Taylor Reid, OUA and CIS Second team All-Star Lionel Sanders. Track MVPs Scott Hutchinson and Jessica Tat, with mentions of Athletes of the Week Victoria Coates, Madeline McDonald, Scott Hutchinson, and Jeremy Walsh.

McMaster Athletics Major Award Reciepients

Congratulations to all the winners, nominees, athletes, coaches and trainers that made the 2012-2013 season fantastic.

More Around the Bay Photos

Friend of the team Rick Zazulak was out at Around the Bay and took some great photos of the Mac runners on the hill coming out of Valley Inn (ATB's Heart Break Hill). Thanks Rick!

Lionel Sanders	Ryan Tice
Blair Morgan	Jeremy Walsh
Sean Bowen	Greg Lariviere

Find more photos of our guys or anyone competing at the event by going to the sportstats results and clicking on the camera beside the person of interest.