Youth Boys pick up bronze at Canadian Cross Country Championships

It was classic cross country weather Saturday as 35 Lions went to battle atop the hills of Kingston’s historic Fort Henry at the Canadian Cross Country Championships.
Leading the contingent was the youth boys team of Jonathan Rioux, Adrian Fournier, Nico Pedersen, Wiliam Cox, Adam Sanger and Lucas Zanetti which finished an impressive third in the team standings with 110 points, 39 behind second place Windsor Legion.
The medal for the boys was the best team finish for the club at nationals since 2011 when the junior men’s team led by Yves Sikubwabo also captured bronze. The top finisher for the boys was Rioux, who completed the 6km course in 19 minutes 56.5 seconds.
Finishing a step behind the boys was the youth girls team of Skye Pellerin, Katie Newlove, Teagan Shapansky, Nina Whitford, Keegan Gaunt and Olivia MacAskill which finished just six points off the podium in 4th. Pellerin was the top Lion, finishing the 4km course in 15 minutes 9.1 seconds to finish 18th. Newlove also cracked the top 30, finishing 29th, 8 seconds behind her teammate.
Shona McCulloch was the top individual finisher for the Lions, capturing 10th the junior women’s 6km race. With her 10th place finish, McCulloch has made herself eligible to be selected to compete at the Pan American XC Championships next spring in El Salvador. The University of Washington freshman helped lead the Canadian team to gold two years ago.