With Ottawa set to host the OFSAA Cross Country Championships this year, the number of qualifying spots at the NCSSAA Championships was doubled, giving local athletes more opportunities to compete at the provincial high school meet. Lions athletes seized the chance, with 41 athletes securing their spots at OFSAA either through team qualifications or individual performances.
To reach OFSAA, the top four teams in each event advanced to the provincial championship, while individual athletes qualified by placing among the top 10 non-team finishers.
Novice Girls 4km
After claiming the West Conference title a week earlier, John McCrae’s Alexandra Harris added city champion to her resume as she topped the Novice Girls 4km field with a time of 16 minutes and 18.9 seconds. Joining Harris on the podium was Reve McInnes of Glebe CI, who nabbed the bronze medal in a 17:06.2.
On the team side, Kira Coldrey led her Colonel By Cougars to top spot with her fifth place finish overall. Coldrey was helped by fellow Lion Matilda Edwards who placed seventh overall.
Joining these three ladies in the Novice Girls race at OFSAA will be:
- Charlie Fee (Nepean) 3rd Place Team
- Mia Lloyd (Sir Robert Borden) 4th Place Team
- Alyssa Nash (De La Salle) 9th Place
Junior Girls 5km
East Conference champion Laila Lebel of Colonel By claimed another victory, finishing nine seconds clear of the field in 20:56.5. Close behind was The Element’s Riley Daniels, who finished second in 21:05.1. West champion Dahlia Loreti from Pierre Savard took bronze with a time of 21:12.8.
Lebel’s win contributed to Colonel By’s silver in the team event. Olivia Gardiner (29th) joined Lebel in the team effort, while Alexis McElheran finished 62nd to help Glebe secure bronze.
Individuals punching their ticket to OFSAA included:
- Bianca Arabackyj (De La Salle) 4th Place
- Emily Munro (Hillcrest) 11th Place
- Brynn Blackadder (South Carleton) 15th Place
Senior Girls 6km
St. Francis Xavier’s Bridget Jeffrey claimed the Senior Girls’ city title, finishing in 22 minutes and 40.6 seconds. Her victory capped a Lions sweep of the top five, with Peak Centre Academy’s Grace Streek taking silver in 23:00.4 and Franco-Cité’s Tessa Knight earning bronze. Ciara Villeneuve (Paul-Desmarais) finished fourth in 23:23.3, and Kyra Lauter (Franco-Ouest) took fifth with 23:32.2.
In the team standings, Olivia Voros helped Nepean secure first place with her 44th-place finish. Kate Johnston-Zemek’s 20th-place effort led Ashbury to second, while Bronwyn O’Ray and Villeneuve guided Paul-Desmarais to third. Rounding out the team qualifiers, Maya Allibon (19th) and Abby Thompson (54th) lifted John McCrae into fourth.
Additional qualifiers advancing to OFSAA include:
- Adrienne Fraserwalls (Franco Cité) 14th Place
Novice Boys 4km
All Saints’ Declan McGinnity led the Lions in the Novice Boys race, finishing ninth to secure an individual OFSAA spot. Joining him is Garneau’s Maxime Cazabon, who, despite being better known for high jumping, placed in the top 20 with a time of 16:51.5 to help his team win the title.
Junior Boys 5km
Luke Van Brabant from Earl of March took the top spot in the Junior Boys 5km race, finishing in 18:24.0. Van Brabant also helped Earl advance to OFSAA as a team with their third place finish. Joining him in the qualification pool is Jakob Lafferty from St. Pius X, who finished 17th in 20:04.7 to secure the final individual qualification spot.
Senior Boys 6km
Former OFSAA Cross Country gold medalist Saul Taler proved he’s ready for a second provincial title, winning the city championship with a dominant 18:28.3 finish. After a friendly finish with clubmate Daniel Cova at the East Conference meet, Taler surged ahead this time, claiming victory by an 18-second margin. Cova took silver but led his Louis-Riel Rebelles to the team title over Taler’s Glebe Gryphons, aided by strong performances from Mikel Fortier (7th) and Cohen Kaye (12th).
First-year senior Charlie Mortimer of Hillcrest rounded out the podium with a 19:10.7 finish.
Qualifying for OFSAA through team performances were Austin Walker (16th) for third-place Colonel By, along with Noah Smith (6th) and Matteo Padoin-Castillo (20th) from fourth-place Immaculata.
Additional individual qualifiers included:
- Conlin Burnett (Lisgar), 10th place
- Barrett Goold (Sir Robert Borden), 15th place
- Dean Kintogiannis (Earl of March), 23rd place
The OFSAA Cross Country Championships are scheduled for Monday, November 4 at Mooney’s Bay Park. For full details, visit the Championship Website.