2015 Canadian 5km Championships
Captain Blair Morgan started his fall season on the roads at the B&O Yorkville Run in Toronto which acted as the 2015 Canadian 5km Championships. Despite the chilly and rainy conditions, Morgan toed the line with a stacked field and finished 12th in a new personal best 14:57.1.
Full 2015 Canadian 5km Championships Results Here
World Class Mountain biker joins McMaster Cross Country
We'd like to welcome Soren Meeuwisse, the newest member to the McMaster Women's Cross Country Team. Soren is an all-around athlete, excelling in nordic skiing and cross country running (29th place at 2014 OFSAA Cross Country) however her primary sport is mountain biking. She recently returned from Vallnord, Andorra where she was competing at the 2015 UCI Mountain Biking World Championships. A nasty stomach flu upset her plans, but she has huge things in her future. Soren is part of the Canadian Olympic Committee's Next Generation athletes preparing for the 2020 Olympic Games!
In March she was part of the COC's #NowOrNever Campaign, including an interview on CBC, and a starring in a mini-documentary. Check it out below:
Watch Soren's CBC Interview here: CBC Interview with Soren Meeuwisse
Soren also has a blog where you can read about her competitions and follow her progress. Soren's Blog
We are excited to see what Soren can do on the trails this season!
Cross Country 2015 Photoshoot Album
Our talented in-house photographer Maxine Gravina has been busy photographing each athlete that will compete for our men's and women's teams. She shot each athlete in front of a scenic location on the McMaster campus, and recorded their thoughts on a specific running question. We have been sharing the splendid results through our MacTrack Facebook and Twitter accounts, and you can check out the album here: McMaster Photoshoot Album
A 2015 University of Buffalo Stampede Invitational Recap
Written by Alex Green
After a summer of grueling heat waves and
hard work, the 2015 McMaster Cross-Country team was ready to test their
preparations at their first meet of the season on September 12th. For
an early trial of their fitness, a group of Marauders journeyed east to compete
at the University of Buffalo Stampede Invitational in Buffalo, N.Y. The day
lived up to all the expectations of a cross-country race with low temperatures,
wind gusts, and rain. True to the demands and desires of cross-country fans
everywhere, the conditions tested the grit and determination of all the
competitors in the field.
The Lady Marauders began the day in the 5
km women’s race against a field that included the University of Pittsburg and
University of Buffalo. For many of the women this was their first taste of NCAA
competition. Runners from the University of Pittsburg team went to the lead
early and set a pace that tested every runner’s fitness.
Veteran Chelsea Mackinnon of Hamilton,
Ontario, led the Marauders to a 4th place team finish. Mackinnon, a
1000m specialist indoors (personal best of 2:50.20), displayed great poise on
the uncertain and muddy footing to place 18th overall in a time of
18:23.1. Veterans Gabrielle Foran (Woodstock, ON) and Emily Nowak (Mississauga,
ON) battled the field fiercely through the harsh weather and crossed the line
in 22nd (18:44.2) and 23rd (18:46.9), respectively,
proving that their summer training of joggling (http://mactrackvids.blogspot.ca/2015/07/actf-2015-and-new-joggling-world-record.html)
and competitions (http://mactrackvids.blogspot.ca/2015/08/august-results-and-grad-interviews.html)
had prepared them for the trying conditions of the long cross-country season. Following
a summer of strong triathlon training and performances, Lauren Locco (Hamilton,
ON) crossed the line as the 4th
The women’s team performed to Coach
Schnurr’s expectations and will be looking to build on these early season
results as the season progresses towards championship season in late October
and November.
Following the race by the women’s team,
the Men of McMaster took on the competitive NCAA field to in the 8 km race.
From the start, the Marauders were determined to show that they were there to
compete. 2014 OUA and CIS team veterans Connor Darlington (Whitby, ON) and Luke
Charbonneau (Everett, ON) led the field of competitors in the early stages of
the race.
The 1500m expert Darlington would go on to
finish 7th overall leading the team to a 3rd place finish
and showing that he has improved upon the form that earned him 34th
overall at the 2012 CIS championships in his first year. Sophomore Evan Ubene,
of Windsor, ON, used steady pacing and determination to run a personal best of
25:58.4 and place 16th overall. Marauders fans should be eager to
see what will come next from this underrated second year. Following closely
behind Ubene was Nick Kondrat (Thunder Bay, ON). Kondrat placed 19th
overall in a time of 26:00.9 and demonstrated that training on the challenging
terrain of Northern Ontario has him wrought with
The McMaster Marauders next test will be
at the Western International hosted by the University of Western Ontario on
Saturday September 26th at the Thames Valley Golf Course in
London, Ontario. Come support the team
and watch as many more Marauders will open their season at this staple of
Canadian cross-country running. The women’s race begins at 10:00 AM and the
Men’s at 10:50 AM. More information is available here (http://www.westernmustangs.ca/documents/2015/6/15//2015_Western_International_Meet_Info.pdf?id=1853)
McMaster Women’s Results
4th Team
18 – Chelsea Mackinnon – 18:23.1
22 – Gabrielle Foran – 18:44.2
23 – Emily Nowak – 18:46.9
33 – Lauren Locco – 19:15.1
37 – Erin Mawhinney – 19:22.5
41 – Alison Head – 19:28.7
McMaster Men’s Results
3rd Team
7 – Connor Darlington – 25:35.2
16 – Evan Ubene – 25:58.4
19 – Nick Kondrat – 26:00.9
21 – Frank Sorbara – 26:09.3
25 – Luke Charbonneau – 26:20.4
27 – Jeff Tweedle – 26:23.1
32 – Christian MacGillivray – 26:34.9
39 – Jonathan Favero – 26:45.2
43 – Alex Green – 26:50.5
44 – Ivan Meiszinger – 26:51.4
Full Results:
McMaster Athletics Article:
MacTrack Photos – By Maxine Gravina:
University of Buffalo Photos:
