It was a rainy morning on the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) championship course in King City today as members of the Ottawa Lions toed the line, representing the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees, Queen’s University and the University of Guelph.
For Yves Sikubwabo, he continued to demonstrate why he is widely considered one of the best young running talents in Canada as he claimed second place in the tough 10 kilometre race, finishing in a time of 32:22.74, and helping his Guelph teammates claim their 8th consecutive OUA title. For the reigining Canadian junior 800m champion, a silver medal was not the only piece of hardware he would be taking home with him today. As the top rookie finisher in the field of 95 runners, Sikubwabo was also named the OUA Men’s XC Rookie of the Year.
Also being recognized for his efforts at the championships was Tyson Loney, as he finished in 14th place to capture Second Team OUA All-Star recognition. Loney was the second team finisher for Queen’s University as they finished third in the men’s team standings.
The Gee-Gee women were led by Julia Nikonorova, as she crossed the line in a time of 19:37.50 to finish 28th. She was closely followed by teammate Isabelle Kanz, who finished in 35th. As a team, the women finished in 9th with 238 pts, two places better than last year’s OUA performance at Mooney’s Bay.
Remy Binns was the top finisher on the men’s side, crossing the line in 53rd place with a time of 35:48.06. Overall, the men dropped two places from last year’s OUA’s, to finish 12th with 351 points.
The university cross-country season wraps up in two weeks time as Western University hosts the CIS championships on the famed Thames Valley Golf Course where Yves Sikubwabo, Tyson Loney and Julia Nikonorova have all qualified to compete.
