The Queen’s Gaels and the Western Mustangs are champions after winning the men’s and women’s 2024 U SPORTS Cross Country Championship on Saturday afternoon in Kelowna’s Mission Recreation Park.
The men’s race
The championships started with the men’s eight-kilometre race. Laval’s Phillipe Morneau-Cartier took to the front on the flat course. The defending U SPORTS Champion again won gold. He pulled away on the final lap to post a time of 23:19.
UNB’s Jared Howse finished six seconds back of Morneau-Cartier, taking silver in the time of 23:25, while Regina’s Jonathan Podbielski ran a fast final km to take home bronze clocking 23:32.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONS! 🏆🇨🇦
— Queen's Gaels (@queensgaels) November 9, 2024
HISTORY MADE! The Queen's Men's Cross Country team has been crowned the 2024 Men's Overall Champions!#ForGold | #ChaGheill pic.twitter.com/170aJSNYBy
Jude Wheeler-Dee and Roman Mironov led the way for the team champion Gaels. They finished in 13th and 14th position to earn Second Team All-Canadian honours. Their performances helped the Gaels finish with a low score of 94 points. The Queen’s Gaels took the school’s first team championship since 1984 and fifth overall.
The Sherbrooke Vert et Or won silver with 130 points while the Laval Rouge et Or took bronze earning 145 points.
The Huskie men earned a 13th-place finish in the team standings.
The women’s race
The women would take to the course for their 8km race. Hometown favourite Lauren McNeil improved upon her 2021 outting to win the individual gold medal. McNeil, the individual silver medallist in Quebec City, held off the 2024 Canada West individual champion, Constance Nankivell. She fell during the final lap, but got up and rallied in for a clocking of 26:31.
🏃♀️The @WesternMustangs are your 2024 U SPORTS Women's Cross Country Champions🥇!
— U SPORTS Cross Country (@USPORTS_XC) November 10, 2024
🏃♀️Les @WesternMustangs sont vos champions de cross-country féminin de U SPORTS 2024🥇 !#ChaseTheGlory | #ViserHaut pic.twitter.com/KhG7RXJFYA
Nankivell, from the Trinity Western Spartans, took home silver in 26:42 while the OUA Champion, Madelyn Eybergen from the Windsor Lancers, won the bronze medal in the time of 27:02.
Ashley Maguire and Olivia Roussel led the champion Mustangs as they picked up All-Canadian honours. Maguire finished seventh while Roussel crossed the finish line in 11th to claim a spot on the Second Team. Western finished with 60 points to win their eighth team title and first since 1990.
The UBC Thunderbirds won the team silver medal with 85 points while the University of Victoria Vikes took bronze with 94 points.
