Kodiaks runners headed to Nationals

By Lethbridge Herald on November 3, 2021.

After hitting the trails at the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference provincials, the Lethbridge College Kodiaks cross country running teams aren’t done yet.

The Kodiaks men’s team won bronze at the ACAC championship Saturday in Camrose, hosted by the University of Alberta-Augustana Vikings, while the women’s team took fifth place.

That’s enough to keep both team’s seasons going as the Kodiaks now get ready for the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association championship Nov. 13 in Calgary.

On the mens’ side, the Kodiaks legged their way to their first ACAC medal since 2018, when they also won bronze.

First-year Kodiak Reggie Williams paced the team with a sixth place finish, posting a time of 29:00 in the 8km race.

Carter Van Roon wasn’t far behind, finishing 11th overall with a time of 29:53, while Logan Danyluk and Cole Herbert rounded out the Kodiaks top-four scorers, finishing with times of 31:04 and 31:39 to finish 14th and 16th, respectively.

Jack Bentley (32:32, 20th), Justin Fisher (33:18, 22nd) and Cristobal Catalan (36:58, 38th) provided support for the Kodiaks trek to the podium.

Concordia’s Leonard Chesoo claimed his second consecutive ACAC individual title at 26:18, 80 seconds ahead of the second place finisher.

The SAIT Trojans claimed the ACAC banner, which is awarded after tabulating the results of each team’s top four runners. Red Deer Polytechnic claimed silver, a single point ahead of Lethbridge College.

On the women’s side, a Kodiak roster consisting of four athletes still managed a fifth place finish and a spot in the CCAA championship.

Second-year Sydney Crowe had one of her best runs of the season with a 14th place finish, completing the 6km course in 27:51.

Maria Boix Frias finished 15th with a time of 28:11, while Rosie Bouchard claimed 21st with a time of 29:13.

Kayla Munro was 27th overall with a time of 31:30.

SAIT’s Makenna Fitzgerald ran away with the individual title, finishing the course in 22:20 – exactly two minutes ahead of the second place finisher.

Concordia took home the ACAC team title, with host Augustana taking silver and Red Deer Polytechnic claiming bronze.

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