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Volunteer with the Ottawa Lions’ Board of Directors!

by adminlinkinbio

The Ottawa Lions’ Board of Directors is seeking applicants with an interest in contributing to the world of amateur and competitive sport! Our Board of Directors is composed of a committed group of volunteers that come from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. We’re made up of former and current athletes, coaches, and interested members of the community. 

While applicants are encouraged from a wide range of backgrounds, we’re looking to add a parent or guardian of a child or youth member of our Club to ensure the continued representation of this group on the Board. We’re also seeking to expand our expertise in financial planning and accounting.

What can I expect as a Board member?

The Board holds one 2-2.5 hour virtual meeting per month. In addition, Board members are expected to champion or co-champion a key portfolio or committee, to be decided upon annually at the March meeting of the Board of Directors.

Board members are also expected to volunteer during at least one (1) summer Twilight meet and one major event held during the year (i.e. ACXC championships, Capital XC, Candy Cane relays). Board members are strongly encouraged to attend the fall Annual Awards Banquet.

What do some of our current Board members say about volunteering?

“Volunteering with the Board of Directors of the Ottawa Lions has been very rewarding! It’s been an opportunity to strengthen my existing skills, learn more about the world of athletics, and give back to a sport that I love.”

– Jennifer Dumoulin, President and Chair (Board member, 2019 to present)

Ready to apply?

Complete the application form and submit it by email to president@ottawalions.com by 6 January 2022.

Once you’ve applied:

  • Between October and December, the Nominations working group will assess applications to join the Board of Directors.
  • Selected candidates will be contacted for an interview.
  • The Nominations working group will present a slate of Board candidates for election at the Annual Members’ Meeting.

Would you like more information?

You can also read more about our current Board of Directors by clicking here.

For questions, please contact Jennifer Dumoulin, President and Chair of the Board of Directors, by email at president@ottawalions.com.   

(Langley, British Columbia ---23 June 2022) Audrey Goddard competing on day two of the Canadian Track and Field Championships at McLeod Athletic Park. Photograph 2022 Copyright Miles Ryan Rowat / Mundo Sport Images ******* EDITORIAL USE ONLY ******* ******* EDITORIAL USE ONLY ******* ******* EDITORIAL USE ONLY *******

Goddard and Adeleye open season with a bang

by linkinbioUniversity

What better way to kick off your university career than with a personal best and the fifth best performance in Club history. That’s exactly how first year Western University student Audrey Goddard started things off Friday at the Saginaw Valley State Holiday Open as she led the Mustangs to a sweep of the podium in the pentathlon with an impressive 3526 points total. 

Goddard’s new Club U20 record was fuelled by a pair of victories in both the 60 metres hurdles (8.77) and long jump (5.34m). In fact, the Merivale High School graduate never finished lower than third in the other three events – high jump, shot put, 800 metres – producing four individual bests in total.

However, Goddard was not the only Lion storming out the gate on the opening weekend of the indoor season. David Adeleye, who took home Canada Games silver in the 110 metre hurdles last we saw, broke through the 8 second barrier in the 60 metre hurdles at the Greg Page Relays in Ithaca, New York. A third year kinesiology student at the University of Toronto, Adeleye set a new best of 8.05 seconds before finding another gear in the final and crossing the line in 7.98 seconds. Adeleye was second behind Syracuse’s Anthony Vazquez in 7.95.

The Ashbury College graduate is currently ranked first among USports 60 metre hurdlers, and moves to third in Club history. The only two men in the Club to run faster are 2004 Olympic finalist Charles Allen and 2016 Olympian Sekou Kaba. 

Other notable performances from the weekend included Joe Fast opening his season with a victory at 1000 metres in New York City. The third year Princeton student posted a 2:32.06 opener to take The College of New Jersey Winter Open by 10 seconds. At the Clemson Opener in South Carolina, Keira Christie-Galloway started her season with a 8.39 second clocking to take top spot in the 60 metre hurdles. Christie-Galloway is competing for Grand Canyon University where she is pursuing a Master in Business Administration degree after graduating from Arizona State earlier this year. 

For updated Club rankings and stats following the first week of indoor competition, please visit ottawalions.com/awards-and-records.

(Canton, United States---03 December 2022) David Moulongou competing in the 2022 St Lawrence University Saints Holiday Relays. Photograph Copyright 2022 Miles Ryan / Mundo Sport Images. If posting to social media please tag @mundosportimages

Lions athletes break records at season opener in New York

by ClublinkinbioUniversity

Arriving on the campus of St. Lawrence University Saturday morning the unseasonably warm weather may have had a few people wondering if they were competing outdoors, but the Lions and both varsity programs were in town to kick off the 2022-23 indoor campaign. This was the first time making the familiar drive down the 416 and across the border to our Northern New York neighbours since 2019 and the athletes were eager to make up for lost time as they set six meet records, including two facility records. 

University of Ottawa sophomore David Moulongou was the first to etch their name into the record books as he ran away from teammate Lucas Zanetti in the final lap of the 600 metres to win in 1 minute and 25.26 seconds. Zanetti held a near 10 metre lead as the pair heard the bell for the final lap before Moulongou shifted into another gear and ran his way to victory over the final 200 metres. The previous meet and facility record of 1:25.42 belonged to Lion Zachary Meredith and were set in 2019. 

Fellow second year uOttawa student Bianca Borgella was next to rewrite the record books with her 60 metre winning time of 7.78 seconds equalling the mark of Gee-Gee alum Sarah de Carufel from 2014. Borgella dominated the field, opening an eight metre gap by the halfway point and winning by a half second over teammate Kennedy Banton-Lindsay. Borgella’s mark time moves her to 12th on Club’s U20 list and she is 9th in the early season USports rankings. 

Training partners Sydney Smith and Stephen Evans each produced dominating results in their respective 1000 metre events. Evans went first, trimming more than a second off his own meet record with his winning time of 2:28.20. While Evan’s margin of victory was sizable (15.78 seconds), Smith’s complete domination of the women’s field took it to another level as she lapped all but one runner to win in a new facility record of 2:49.80. The reigning Ontario 800 metre champion bested the 18 year old facility record by more than two and a half seconds and moved to number 16 on the Club’s all-time list. 

The 300 metres also produced a pair of meet records for Club athletes. The University of Ottawa’s Doyin Ogunremi took down her old standard by nearly half a second with her winning time of 41.70 seconds. Jay Yetman shaved 14 hundredths off the three year old meet record with his winning time of 36.01 seconds. The performance was also a new personal best for the grade 12 student at Glebe Collegiate.

For a full list of results from Holiday Relays as well as photos from the event, please visit our results page.

(Ottawa, Canada---26 November 2022) Ottawa Lions U18 Girls competing in the 2022 Athletics Canada Cross Country Championships. Photograph Copyright 2022 Miles Ryan / Mundo Sport Images. If posting to social media please tag @mundosportimages

U18 Girls Win Back-to-Back Championship; Maguire Takes Masters Gold

by linkinbioNational

With Ottawa playing host to the Canadian Cross Country Championships for the second year in a row, many things were a little bit different in the sequel. Along with the move from Wesley Clover Park to Mooney’s Bay, the most welcome change yesterday had to have been the balmy temperatures which peaked around seven degrees centigrade in the afternoon – nearly 20 degrees warmer than in 2021. However, one important consistency remained – the Lions U18 girls team were crowned national champions for the second year in a row.

After a narrow one point victory of the University of Toronto Track Club a year ago, the U18 girls enjoyed a 30 point cushion over second place South Simcoe Dufferin on Saturday. For the second year in a row Amelia Van Brabant led the charge for the Lions, finishing 18th overall in a time of 16 minutes and 1 second on the four kilometre course. Jocelyn Giannotti was the second scorer, finishing four spots behind Van Brabant in 22nd –  50 places up from her 2021 finish. The top four scorers were rounded out by Louise Stonham and Quinn Coughlin, who placed 46th and 50th respectively. 

The team victory is the 12th national team title in the Club’s history and the U18 girls become only the second team to ever repeat as national champions. The U20 men’s team won back-to-back titles 30 years ago. 

Both U20 teams posted top-5 results – a marked improvement over 2021 where the women did not field a team and the men placed eighth. 

Led by USports Rookie of the Year Elizabeth Vroom, the U20 women were fifth with 187 points. Vroom, a first year student at Queen’s University, placed 20th – covering the six kilometre course in 24 minutes and six seconds. Gillian Porter crossed the line in 25:24 to finish 38th overall, while Grace Munro and Aria MacDonald rounded out the scorers for the Lions in 61st and 68th respectively. 

Zachary Sikka was the top finisher for the U20 men, placing 33rd overall in a time of 28:02 over the eight kilometre course. Max Benda (44th), Frédéric Parent (49th), and Kyle Porter (53rd) rounded out the scorers for the Lions as the team amassed 179 points – 66 points better than in 2021. 

Just missing the top-five was the U18 boys team as they amassed 251 points to finish sixth overall. Kiefer Melinz Dupuis was the top scorer as he placed 30th overall in the six kilometre race. With no U16 race at the national level, Saul Taler and Daniel Cova each raced up a category as they were the second and third scorers for the team in 46th and 71st respectively. Nicolas Belan rounded out the team’s scoring in 104th place. 

In one of the tightest spreads of the whole day, the Open Men’s team placed seventh overall for the second year in a row. Scorers Adrian Fournier, André Alie-Lamarche, Robert Mitchell, and Nic Roberts all finished within five spots of each other. Fournier topped the group, crossing the line 49th in a time of 33:11. 

In the masters competition, Liz Maguire took top spot in the women’s 55-59 category. The 56-year old finished the eight kilometre course in a time of 34 minutes and 54 seconds – more than a minute and a half ahead of second place. Fritzlor Auguste picked up a silver medal in the men’s 30-34 category, finishing in 32 minutes and 11 seconds. 

For complete results from the championship as well as photos from the event, please visit our results page.

(Kingston, Canada---13 November 2022) Charlie Mortimer (759 U16B), Noah Smith (774 U16B), Barrett Goold (737 U16B), Saul Taler (781 U16B), Matteo Padoin-Castillo (767 U16B), Dean Kontogiannis (745 U16B), Owen Siderius (773 U16B) racing at the 2022 Athletics Ontario Cross Country Championships held on Fort Henry Hill in Kingston, Ontario. Photograph copyright 2022 Miles Ryan Rowat/ Mundo Sport Images.

Lions win two team titles at Ontario Cross Country Championships

by ClubProvincial

The weather was perfect for the Ontario Cross Country Championships yesterday atop Kingston’s Fort Henry hill as the Lions captured two team titles and an impressive seven individual medals – largest medal haul since 1996 when three team titles and six individual medals were won. 

Winning the only gold medal on the day was one of the youngest competitors – Ronan Lebel. Just eight years old, Lebel ran clear of the U10 field by nearly 10 seconds as he finished the one kilometre loop in 3 minutes and 38.9 seconds. Ronan wasn’t the only Lebel to find himself on the podium as his older brother Kai took home the silver in the U12 category.

A pair of OFSAA medalists added provincial medals to their collection as Saul Taler and Owen Siderius finished second and third respectively in the U16 boys event. Taler led a flurried finish for the second through four spots, completing the four kilometre course in 13 minutes and 7.7 seconds. Four tenths of a second back was Siderius, who narrowly edged Quinte Frontenac’s Jack Gregory by a tenth of a second. 

Combined with Charlie Mortimer (13th) and Noah Smith (19th), the U16 boys team managed a seven point victory over the University of Toronto Track Club. 

Led by Quin Coughlin, the U16 girls also took home a team title from Kingston. Coughlin battled with the lead pack throughout Sunday’s race, but was not able to match the late race surge, finishing 15 seconds off the podium in fourth place. However, a top-ten finish from Evelyn Davies along with a top-15 finish from Julia Van Wesenbeeck helped secure a 14 point victory over the Newmarket Huskies. Ciara Villeneuve was the team’s fourth scorer in 28th. 

Even with three racers among the top-15, the U18 girls were unable to defend their title from 2021 as they finished 11 points back of the University of Toronto Track Club to take the silver. Olivia Baggley was the top-finisher for the team, placing eighth overall on the six kilometre course in 22 minutes and 15.4 seconds. Defending champion Amelia Van Brabant did not compete Sunday as she was resting following an injury at last weekend’s OFSAA Championships.

Also making their way on the podium Sunday was Aria MacDonald in the U20 women’s race. The second year Carleton University student completed the 10 kilometre course in 32:10.9 to win bronze. As well, Fritzlor Auguste and Michael Conway each took second place in the masters M30 and M35 races respectively. 

(York, Canada — 2 June 2022) Saul Taler of Glebe - Ottawa competing in the novice boys 1500m heats at the 2022 OFSAA Ontario High School Track and Field Championships held at the Toronto Track and Field Centre at York University. 2022 Copyright Sean Burges / Mundo Sport Images.

Lions bring home hardware from OFSAA XC return

by High SchoolProvincial

Saturday marked the return of the OFSAA Cross Country Championships for Ottawa athletes after a two year hiatus and the performances turned out, did not disappoint. Following the event’s cancellation in 2020 and self-imposed travel restrictions for National Capital Secondary School Athletic Association schools in 2021, Lions athletes returned to the provincial high school championships to take home two individual and two team titles.

A combination of a hilly course at the Dagmar Ski Resort in Uxbridge and unseasonably warm temperatures that climbed toward 20 degrees celsius by mid day pushed the field of  runners to their limits Saturday. However, Glebe’s Sauler Taler was able to rise above it all as he claimed gold in the junior boy’s five kilometre race. 

Holding steady in the lead pack of 5-6 runners through the bulk of the course, Taler found himself clear of the field with about 400 metres to go and didn’t look back. “It was exhilarating,” he recalled to Ottawa Sport Page. “I said to myself: ‘Don’t let someone pass you. I really want to win.’ So, I kept pushing. ‘You’re going to win OFSAA, keep pushing, keep pushing,’ I said.” 

With the victory, Taler became just the 14th Lions runner to claim individual OFSAA Cross Country gold. 

For Peak Academy’s Grace Streek, her pathway to Dragmar was a little more involved than her competitors, which made her bronze medal in the junior girls race all the more sweet. Before Streek could even take to the starting line in the NCSSAA East Conference Championship, she had to win an appeal of the OFSAA transfer policy before she was allowed to compete.

In Uxbridge, Grace was the leader for the bulk of the five kilometre race, before suffering from a stitch in the final stages and settling for third.

On the team side, Matteo Padoin-Castillo took home team gold with his Immaculata teammates in the junior boys event. Lauren Alexander led Glebe to a silver medal in the senior girls race with her seventh place finish.

(Ottawa, Canada---10 August 2022) Adriano Padoin-Castillo competing in the 10,000m at Ottawa Summer Twilight Series meet #12. 2022 Copyright Photograph Sean Burges / Mundo Sport Images.

Padoin-Castillo tops podium at Great Big Cookie Run

by linkinbioLocal

While the focus for many Lions runners may have been on cross country championships over the past week, a little five kilometre road race along the Rideau Canal enticed a few runners to lace up their shoes Saturday. The free cookies at the finish line of Run Ottawa’s Great Big Cookie run may have also helped.

The top of the podium had some very familiar names with Adriano Padoin-Castillo taking top spot in the men’s race with a personal best time of 16 minutes and 16.0 seconds. Clearly the Immaculata student still had some juice in the legs following Thursday’s run at the NCSSAA Cross Country Championships.

Also cracking the top-10 were Jay Sneddon and Gavin Westbrook who placed sixth and seventh respectively. Sneddon edged out Westbrook by just two seconds, finishing in 16 minutes and 47.0 seconds. Another notable finish goes to Jason Dunkerley and guide runner Alex Berhe who finished 14th and 15th with equal times of 17:25.

On the women’s side, it was former Lion and current CTV Ottawa journalist Leah Larocque taking top spot in 18 minutes and 7.0 seconds. She was followed by 15-year old Lion Grace Streek in second with a time of 18:21.0. It was the second race in three days for Streek as the grade 10 student had finished third in the junior girls cross country race at the City Championship to earn a spot at this week’s OFSAA Championship.

Full results from the Great Big Cookie Run can be found on Sport Stats. 

(Ottawa, Canada---02 October 2021) Pippa Norman (Carleton Ravens) competing in the University/Open Women's race at the 2021 Capital Cross Country Challenge held at Mooney’s Bay Park in Ottawa. Photograph 2021 Copyright Miles Ryan Rowat / Mundo Sport Images

Norman and MacDonald lead Ravens at RSEQ XC Championship

by linkinbioProvincialUniversity

It was a challenging setting for Saturday’s Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) Cross Country Championships at the Centre de plein air Kinadapt. Located about 75 minutes north of Montreal in the small town of Rawdon, the course which is more routinely used for dog sledding, brought a unique set of challenges to the Carleton Ravens runners.

Undeterred by the challenging course, veterans Pippa Norman and Aria MacDonald both improved upon their placing from last year’s championship as they crossed the line back-to-back in 43rd and 44th place. Norman completed the eight kilometre course in a time of 33 minutes and 43.7 seconds with MacDonald finishing just 6.8 seconds later. 

Following shortly behind was Saorise Kealy, who finished in 33:57.7 to place 48th overall. Bryn Reynolds rounded out the Ravens quartet in 72nd. 

The Raven men were represented by the duo of David Birinberg and Nic Hawrysh. Finishing in a time of 29:12.4, Birinberg was the top Raven as he placed 88th overall. Hawrysh finished in 130th.
For full results from the RSEQ Championships, please visit our results page.

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Gee-Gee Men finish 7th; Women place 8th at OUA XC Championships

by linkinbioProvincialUniversity

For the second year in a row, it was a beautiful day in London for the Ontario University Athletics Cross Country Championship with the sun shining and temperatures reaching 16 degrees. Running on the Thames Valley Golf Course the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees improved their finishing positions for both the men and women from a year ago as they placed seventh and eighth respectively. 

The Gee-Gee women’s finish, their highest since 2015 (7th), was led by rookie Noemie Beauregard. The fourth year Nutrition Sciences student finished the eight kilometre course in 30 minutes and 40 seconds to place 14th overall. Beauregard’s placing earned her Second Team OUA All-Star status – the first by a Gee-Gee since Ruth Burrowes in 2015. 

Nina Gunther was the next Gee-Gee across the finish line as she placed 27th overall in a time of 32:01. The remaining scorers for the Garnet & Grey were Kyler Fowler (60), Elana Tyman (71) and Taylor Brown (72). 

Also on the women’s side, Lions Elizabeth Vroom and Gigi Porter had strong debuts at the OUA Championships for the Queen’s Gaels. The pair of first year students both factored in to the scoring for Queen’s as they placed 25th and 36th respectively as they helped the Gaels to a fourth place finish

On the men’s side, the Gee-Gee’s 183 points put them in seventh place, just one point behind the University of Windsor in sixth. Veteran André Alie-Lamarche was the top finisher, placing 20th overall in a time of 26:01. Crossing the line 32 seconds later was fellow fourth year runner Adrian Fournier as he cracked the top-20 in 28th place. Rounding out the scoring for the Gee-Gees was Nic Roberts (34), Nicolas Abanto Enns (42), and rookie Zach Sikka (59).

For full results for the OUA XC Championships, please visit our results page.

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Pedersen and Beauregard top finishers at Bayfront Open

by linkinbioProvincialUniversity

Friday marked a return to action for the Club’s harriers. Varsity runners from both the University of Ottawa and Carleton University and the Lions took to the starting line of the McMaster Bayfront Open along the shore of Burlington Bay in Hamilton. 

Running as the sole Lion in the Open 8km race, Nico Pedersen posted a top three finish in his final prep race before next month’s Ontario Championship. The 22-year-old averaged 3:17 kilometres as he crossed the line in a time of 26 minutes and 17.7 seconds – 23 seconds behind winner Brent Smalley.

It was as close to a championship field as you could get ahead of the OUA Championships with just the Windsor Lancers missing from the starting line. For the Gee-Gees, first year athlete and fourth year student, Noemie Beauregard continued to lead the team as she placed 12th in 8km race in a time of 29 minutes and 34.8 seconds. 

Teammate Nina Gunther also found a place in the top-30 with her 28th place finish in 31:08.2. The top woman for the Ravens was fourth year journalism student Pippa Norman who crossed the line in 63rd place. 

Elizabeth Vroom and Gillian Porter, both first year students at Queen’s University, placed 21st and 32nd respectively. 

On the men’s side, André Alie-Lamarche was the top Gee-Gee in 28th. Teammate Jackson Roy was 2.4 seconds back in 26:00.6 to place 31st. With three more Gee-Gees placing within the top 50, the team finished 7th with 180 points. 

Ravens rookie David Birinberg was the top finisher for Carleton, crossing the line in 29 minutes and 23.4 seconds for 106th. 

Varsity runners will return to action on the final weekend of the month with the OUA Championships set for the 29th in London and the RSEQ Championships going the day after in Rawdon, Quebec.