(Canton, United States---21 September 2024) Melani Hamel of Ottawa University [SO] competing at the Ronald C Hoffman XC Invitational on the campus of St Lawrence University 2024 Miles Ryan / Mundo Sport Images. If posting to social media please tag @mundosportimages

Hamel Leads Gee-Gees in Sherbrooke; Cassidy Races in Chicago

by linkinbioUniversity

In a final tune-up before their respective conference championships later this month, the University of Ottawa and Carleton University cross country teams descended on the University of Sherbrooke for the Vert et Or Invitational. Several athletes from the Ottawa Lions Track and Field Club turned in impressive performances, showcasing their endurance and competitive spirit in the gruelling races.

As she has done all season, Melina Hamel was once again the top finisher for the Gee-Gees women, completing the 8-kilometre race in 32:01 to place 11th overall. Hamel’s strong performance sets the stage as she leads the Gee-Gees into the OUA Championships in less than two weeks.

For the Carleton Ravens, Sara Gross was first across the line, placing 34th in the field of 67 with a time of 34:17. Kylee Fowler, running second for uOttawa, wasn’t far behind, securing 40th place in 34:50.

Zoe Gardiner of McGill finished 18th for the Martlets. In her first season running cross-country with the Montreal university, Gardiner appears poised to make an impact at the upcoming RSEQ Championships.

In the men’s 8km race, the Gee-Gees were led by Zachary Sikka, who secured one of his best performances of the season, placing 31st in a competitive field of 97 runners with a time of 27:31. Teammate Nicolas Abanto Ennsfollowed closely, finishing 42nd in 27:47.

Meanwhile, on Friday, two Lions athletes participated in the Marauder 8k in Hamilton as part of their OUA preparations. Elizabeth Vroom of Queen’s University placed 35th overall in 31:09, finishing as the seventh scorer for the Gaels. Jocelyn Giannotti, in her rookie campaign for the Guelph Gryphons, placed 39th in 31:21.2, also as the seventh scorer for her team.

On the world stage, Lions’ wheelchair racer Josh Cassidy took part in the prestigious Chicago Marathon, finishing 10th in a highly competitive field with a time of 1:33:17.

After a great start that saw him in the lead pack through five kilometres, Cassidy eventually fell off the pace. At the 27km mark, Cassidy joined a pack of 11 racers fighting for position as they reeled in the athlete in 6th place.

“I made my move with 1km to go,” Cassidy posted to Instagram following the race. “In 6th at 41 kms until the final turn and climb. I was moving with confidence but I went too early.” 

It’s been a busy fall for Cassidy, who finished 9th at the Berlin Marathon just three weeks ago and claimed victory at the Sydney Marathon earlier in September.

Copyright Brian Rouble/Shuttered Moments

Cassidy Conquers Sydney, Seaby Shines in Alabama, and Gardiner Helps McGill to Victory

by InternationallinkinbioUniversity

It was a busy weekend for Ottawa Lions athletes, with standout performances coming from Sydney, Alabama, and Montreal.

Joshua Cassidy continues to show why he’s one of Canada’s premier wheelchair athletes, taking the victory in the Sydney Marathon on Sunday. Cassidy crossed the finish line in 1:38:35, overcoming the race’s technical challenges, including a grueling 317 meters of elevation gain. Japan’s Sho Watanabe and Kota Hokonuie followed in second and third, finishing in 1:42:21 and 1:42:23, respectively.

Following the race, Cassidy shared his thoughts on Instagram, saying:
“Felt really good out there today. One of the toughest courses, technical with 317m elevation gain. Wasn’t sure how it would go with the changes and some strong Japanese athletes this year. It’s a challenging course. Really happy with this.”

In Huntsville, Alabama, Maddie Seaby kicked off her sophomore season with an impressive showing at the Southern Showcase. Running for the University of Louisville, Seaby placed 18th overall with a time of 17:13.31, a significant improvement of nearly 50 seconds over her season opener last year. Her performance helped Louisville to a second-place team finish.

Meanwhile, back in Canada, Zoe Gardiner helped McGill University to victory at the McGill Invitational in Montreal. Gardiner finished 12th overall on the 6km course with a time of 23:48, contributing to McGill’s team title. A neuroscience student, Gardiner has a unique athletic background, having previously played for the Martlets soccer team in her first three years at McGill. Morgane McKay, another Ottawa Lions athlete and first-year student at McGill, placed 43rd in 26:16 but did not score for the team.

(Ottawa, Canada---30 September 2023) Nina Gunther (546) of the Ottawa Lions, Kylee Fowler (496) of the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees, Melina Hamel (498) of the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees, Saoirse Kealy (86) of the Carleton University Ravens races at the 2023 Capital XC Challenge at Mooney’s Bay Park in Ottawa. Photograph Copyright 2023 Sean Burges / Mundo Sport Images. If posting to social media please tag @mundosportimages

Cassidy wins Toronto Marathon; Günther and Alie-Lamarche make podium in Sherbrooke

by linkinbioUniversity

A week after a fifth place finish in the Chicago Marathon, Joshua Cassidy found himself atop the podium in Toronto. Competing at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon, the two-time Paralympian broke his own course record by more than two minutes with his 1:37:36 clocking to win the event for the second straight year. 

Cassidy was a big proponent of bringing a wheelchair division to the Toronto Waterfront Marathon and helping organizers with feedback on the course, logistics and the link. “This year we brought out a couple more racers to test out the course, and looking forward to bringing more international athletes to Toronto in the future,” he said on his Instagram account following the race. 

In Quebec, a strong group of harriers took to the campus of the University of Sherbrooke for their Cross Country Invitational run. Leading the way for the second competition in a row was the pair of Nina Günther and André Alie-Lamarche. 

Coming off a victory in Ottawa, Günther was third across the line in the longer eight kilometre race in Sherbrooke. The former University of Ottawa student finished in a time of 31 minutes and 12 seconds to equal l’Université de Montréal’s Elodie De Coene, who was awarded the silver. 

Leading the way for the Carleton Ravens was Aria MacDonald, who placed 11th in the university women’s section. Last year’s Ontario U20 bronze medalist crossed the line in a time of 32 minutes and 41 seconds. Melina Hamel was again the top finisher for the Gee-Gee women, as she finished 14th in 33:01.

Alie-Lamarche continued his strong season on Saturday with his third podium performance. The fourth year student at the University of Ottawa took home the silver medal on the eight kilometre course, crossing the line with a time of 25 minutes and 15 seconds – just six seconds back of winner Thomas Laviolette of l’Université de Montréal.

Joining Alie-Lamarche in the top-25 was teammate William McLeish at 23rd. 

The top runner for the Carleton Ravens was again David Birinberg who placed 43rd in a time of 28 minutes and 50 seconds. 

Full results from the Sherbrooke event are available on the SportChrono website. 

Copyright Brian Rouble/Shuttered Moments

Cassidy finishes 5th in Chicago Marathon

by InternationallinkinbioUniversity

While the fall conjures up ideas of a cross country season, it also features some top notch road racing opportunities. Making a good use of one of those opportunities was Joshua Cassidy who rolled his way to a fifth place finish in the Chicago Marathon. 

With a time of 1:33:29, Cassidy put up his fastest marathon performance since 2019, finishing less than two minutes off the podium. The two-time Paralympian will be at it again Sunday morning as he takes to the streets of Toronto for the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon where he will be looking to defend his title from a year ago. 

In cross country, Maddie Seaby helped her Louisville Cardinals to an 11th place finish on Friday at the Arturo Barrios Invitational in College Station, Texas. Seaby, who is in her first year with the Cardinals, finished the six kilometre course in a time of 20 minutes and 51.5 seconds to place 64th overall in the field of 385. 

Staying south of the border, Louise Stonham placed 15th this morning at the Highlander Invitational in Riverside, California. Stonham completed the six kilometre run in 20 minutes and 51.8 seconds to help Long Beach State University to the women’s team title. 

Closer to home, Elizabeth Vroom helped the Queen’s Gaels to fourth place finish at the Bayfront Open in Hamilton. Vroom was the second scorer for the Gaels, placing 21st over the eight kilometre course. Freya Hurst was 65th overall for the Gaels. 

OTTAWA, ON -- 05 July 2018: Josh Cassidy racing in the para wheelchair 1500m at the 2018 Athletics Canada National Track and Field Championships held at the Terry Fox Athletics Facility in Ottawa, Canada. (Photo by Sean Burges / Mundo Sport Images).

Cassidy fourth at New York City Marathon

by InternationallinkinbioLocal

For Josh Cassidy, competing in last Saturday’s New York City Marathon just 27 days after placing fifth at the Boston Marathon would normally not be a newsworthy fact. He is after all, a man has regularly raced Boston on a Monday in April, hopped a plane and contested the London Marathon just six days later. However, nine days following Boston, Cassidy’s partner Laiken gave birth to son Henrik – leaving Cassidy without a full night’s sleep for three weeks heading into one of the more difficult marathon courses on the circuit.

Despite the lack of sleep, and time off training during that time, Cassidy pulled off his highest ever finish in New York, placing fourth in 1 hour 40 minutes and 38 seconds.

“Expectations low, motivation high, I wasn’t sure how it was going to go,” was how Cassidy described his mindset heading into the race. The focus was a top-6 finish to be in the prize money.

As he reached the 1-mile mark atop the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, connecting Staten Island and Brooklyn, Cassidy had already settled into fourth, between two packs. The following 25 miles would become a game of cat and mouse with American Daniel Romanchuk for bronze.

Cassidy held a ten second advantage at the mid way point, but Romanchuk was able to overtake him by the 25 km mark. Cassidy would narrow the gap to two seconds at the 20 mile marker, before hitting a wall in the final kilometres to hold on to fourth.

“Pretty emotional at the end, after an exhausting few weeks, tough marathon, a lot to overcome mentally and physically,” wrote Cassidy on Instagram this week. “Super proud of this one, and great way to end the season.”

In a road race closer to home, Nic Roberts took home top spot in The Great Big Cookie Run 5km last Sunday. Roberts crossed the line in a time of 15 minutes and 57.0 seconds, to finish nine seconds up on second place.

On the women’s side, Club President Jennifer Dumoulin finished in 22:26.0 to place 18th.

Copyright Brian Rouble/Shuttered Moments

Cassidy fifth at Boston Marathon; XC competes in Sherbrooke

by InternationallinkinbioUniversity

The world’s oldest marathon race returned to the streets of Boston Monday morning with a familiar face near the top of the leader board. Canadian record holder Joshua Cassidy placed fifth with a time of 1:28:56 – his fastest marathon since the 2017 edition of Boston.

Traditionally held on Patriots Day, the third Monday in April, the 125th edition of the BAA Boston Marathon was pushed to the October date as a result of COVID restrictions following its cancellation in 2020.

Monday’s event almost didn’t happen for Cassidy, who almost pulled out of the event in September after losing two and a half weeks of training due to a sinus infection. Despite the break, the three time Paralympian held tight to the front of the pack throughout the race. Cassidy battled for third with South African Ernst Van Dyk all the way up Heartbreak Hill, a 600 metre ascent between the 32 and 34 kilometre marks. Continuing the battle towards the finish, Van Dyk narrowly pulled away, while Cassidy nipped at the line by American Aaron Pike, who finish one second ahead.

Cassidy, who is also awaiting the birth of his first child with partner Laiken appeared content with the result, writing on Instagram “not bad, needed a bit more quality training, but so happy to be out there, happy to be home again, and grateful for everyone with the Boston Marathon team.”

Back in Canada, a small collection of Lion, Gee-Gees, and Ravens took part in the the Vert et Or Invitation cross country race on the campus of the University of Sherbrooke on Sunday. Nico Pedersen was the winner of the open men’s eight kilometre race with a time of 25 minutes and 49.4 seconds. Nathan Meraw of the Gee-Gees was the top male in the university section, placing 43rd in 27:58.8. The top female honour went to Kylee Fowler, a first year student with the Gee-Gees, who placed 42nd in 34:02.3. Carleton’s Sophy Wood was the top Raven in 46th.

Complete results from the Vert et Or Invitation can be found on the FQA website.