Under clear skies and cool autumn conditions, Ottawa’s best high school runners converged on the Hornet’s Nest in Blackburn Hamlet Thursday for the NCSSAA Cross Country Championships — the final stop before next weekend’s OFSAA Championships in Brampton. The Ottawa Lions Track and Field Club turned in another outstanding collective effort, with 29 athletes punching their ticket to provincials.
Leading the charge were Charlie Mortimer and Kyra Lauter, a pair of Grade 12 standouts who swept the senior boys and girls titles.
Lauter headlined a dominant showing in the senior girls 6km race, leading a full Lions sweep of the podium. The Franco-Ouest student cruised to victory in 21:41.3, more than 70 seconds ahead of last week’s East Conference champion Laila Lebel of Colonel By (22:54.1). Edie Petrescu-Comnene of Nepean secured bronze in 23:24.6, while Emily Munro of Hillcrest (5th – 23:41.5) and Riley Daniels of The Element (6th – 23:53.2) also booked their spots at OFSAA.
Behind the individual success, Nepean captured the senior girls team title, edging Colonel By 75–85 in the final standings thanks in large part to Petrescu-Comnene’s podium finish. Among those advancing as part of Colonel By’s runner-up squad was Lions athlete Sophie Edwards.
On the senior boys’ side, Mortimer earned redemption after last week’s narrow defeat to Colonel By’s Owen Siderius. The Hillcrest standout ran away with the victory over the 6km course, winning in 19:08.5, nearly 18 seconds clear of Siderius. Fellow Lions Aidan Snow (Paul-Desmarais) and Jackson McKercher added strong runs, placing fourth (19:58.5) and sixth (20:03.3), respectively to book their tickets to OFSAA.
In the team standings, Louis-Riel claimed the senior boys city crown, powered by consistent efforts from Lions teammates Mikely Fortier (8th), Olivier Young (10th), and Matisse Joly (60th), edging Glebe 65–72 for the win.
The top of the results sheet for the junior girls race was littered with Lions athletes, as they claimed six of the top nine positions, including two podium finishes. Reve McInnes of Glebe came within two seconds of the title, clocking 18:56.9 for silver, while Alexandra Harris of John McCrae took bronze in 19:00.6. Additional qualifiers included Charlie Fee (Nepean – 4th), Charlotte Eccles (Nepean – 7th), Helena Winkel (Nepean – 30th), Leonie Ravard(Glebe – 10th), and Kira Coldrey, who advanced via her 6th-place finish (20:01.6).
In the junior boys 5km, Brody Charbot was the lone Lions qualifier, placing third overall in 17:30.6, just 11 seconds shy of silver.
For the second week in a row, Glebe freshman Roan Gerth stood atop the podium, cruising to victory in the novice girls 4km. Gerth’s winning time of 14:09.2 put her more than 23 seconds clear of the field. Keira Ganton (Maplewood – 3rd, 14:35.9) joined her on the podium, while Saoirse Hoogenraad (Longfields-Davidson – 6th, 14:50.7) secured the final individual qualifying position. Nepean’s Priya Bilcock (11th) and Anne Henniger (25th) helped their team to a second-place finish, ensuring a trip to OFSAA.
In the novice boys division, Kai Lebel continued his strong season with a third-place finish (12:48.9), leading Colonel By to a second-place team result. Just behind him, Jaiden Taft (AY Jackson) finished fourth (13:08.9), while Patrick Badgley (Sir Wilfrid Laurier) claimed the final individual qualifying spot in 8th (13:42.3).
Rounding out the Lions contingent, Jacob Gauthier earned his spot at OFSAA in the Para category, placing fourth overall (21:38.8).
With 29 Lions advancing, the club will be well represented when the OFSAA Cross Country Championships get underway next weekend in Brampton, where athletes will look to close out the high school season on a high note.