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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 8^th 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 14^th 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 28^th.  She was closely followed by teammate Isabelle Kanz, who finished in 35^th. As a team, the women finished in 9^th 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 53^rd place with a time of 35:48.06. Overall, the men dropped two places from last year’s OUA’s, to finish 12^th 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.

The running paths around the Terry Fox Athletic Facility at Mooney’s Bay were filled with moving bodies yesterday as school children from across the region raced to capture top spot in the third annual Eastern Ontario Elementary Schools XC Championship presented by TD Bank. Nearly 500 boys and girls competed, across three age categories, as Lycée Claudel won the distinction of “Top School” after capturing the 12-13 year old girls division, as well as the 10-11 and 12-13 year old categories on the boys side. For their efforts, Lycée Claudel was awarded $700 in support of their school’s sports programs. Other team winners included First Avenue Public School, who took home the titles for both the boys and girls 8-9 year old divisions while École élémentaire catholique Jean-Robert-Gauthier captured the girls 10-11 year old category.  For their efforts, the two schools received $200 and $100 respectively to help benefit their sport programs.
Below is a list of  the top three finishers in each category:

The Lions opened up their cross country season yesterday at the Ronald Hoffman Invitational on the campus of St. Lawerence University. The men’s team finished in third, with 90pts, behind both Cortland State and St. Lawerence. The women also scored 90 pts, as St. Lawerence, currently ranked 7^th in the NCAA Div III polls, took the win with 28pts.
Leading the Lions in the nine team men’s field was Alex Wilkie, who covered the 8km course in a time of 26:38.38 – good enough for seventh place. Other scorers for the Lions included Alex Behre, Kieran Day, Nicholas Favero and Jay Sneddon.
On the women’s side, Olivia Robertson finished the 6km run through the forest in a time of 22:58.80 to finish in fourth. Teammate Lindsay Kary also managed to finish among the top 10, with her ninth place run of 23:47.50. Rounding out the top five placers were Maggie Scheunert, Katie Britton, and Danika, Cziranka-Crooks.
The next meet on the cross country schedule is November 11^th in Kingston for the Athletics Ontario Championships.
 

Please note both the Junior Development and Junior Competitive programs have moved their training indoors to the Dome @ Louis Riel. However, Junior Competitive distance runners will continue training outdoors at Terry Fox Athletic Facility.
For all new potential members, you are also asked to visit the Dome to register for any of our many programs.
If you are unsure of your training location, please consult your coach for details.

In Toronto at last weekend’s Athletics Ontario’s annual awards banquet two Lions athletes were recognized for their successful 2012 seasons. Sultana Frizell was named the top senior female thrower in the province, while  Emma Galbraith was named the top female junior distance runner in Ontario.
For Frizell, this marks the fifth straight year she has received the distinction of top thrower in Ontario. The two time Olympian kicked her season off in fine fashion, extending her personal best to 75.04m – good enough for a new Canadian and North American record.  She would also capture a silver medal at the national championships in June before finishing 14th in her qualifying group at the Olympic Games in London. “It’s always an honour to be recognized as the best in the province with some many other very talented competitors,” said Frizell of her award. “I just finished my competition season a couple weeks ago, so this is certainly a nice way to kick start my off-season. I look forward to a great season in 2013, including the World Championships in Moscow, and hopefully another one of these awards.”
For Emma Galbraith, a three time nominee for an Athletics Ontario award, this marked her victory as  top distance runner. The graduate of Franco-Ouest had a fantastic season highlighted by her first national championship as well as completing the OFSAA double at 800m and 1500m. In addition to the gold medals, Galbraith drastically lowered her personal bests in each of the 8 and 15, dropping more than four and a half seconds from the 800m, down to 2:06.42. She also cut more than twelve seconds from her best 1500m time, running 4:25.23.
Other nominees from the club included Olympian Melissa Bishop in the senior women’s distance category, who became only the third woman in Canadian history to run a sub two minute 800m, clocking 1:59.82 in June. Midget jumper  Hannah Kelsey-Smith was nominated for her efforts in the horizontal jumps after claiming gold in the long and triple jump at both the Athletics Ontario Youth Championships and OFSAA high school championships. In the combined events category, Patrick Arbour and Emery Terrell were nominated for their successes in the decathlon and heptathlon respectively. Arbour was a bronze medalist at this year’s Olympic Trials, while Terrell was the second ranked junior heptathlete in Ontario this past season.

The Ottawa Lions are proud to announce the launching of their updated website, ottawalions.com. The hope is that this new page will allow its members to more easily interact with the club as well as provide a more user friendly environment for both desktop and mobile viewers. Over time, it is our hope that we will be able to enhance the content available to our users while maintaining the level of quality expected of our club.
Best of luck to all in the upcoming season!