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Dalhousie launches CIS cross country championship
Halifax, NS -Dalhousie University officially launched the 2005 CIS Cross Country championship at a press conference earlier today. The host school is welcoming 143 women's participants representing 24 schools and 132 men's participants representing 22 schools. Both the women's 5km and men's 10km races will be held at Point Pleasant Park in Halifax, NS on Saturday, Nov. 12 with the women's championship starting at 1pm followed by the men's championship at 1:40pm.
"We are extremely proud of our cross country program here at Dalhousie," said Al Scott, Director of Athletics. "The dedication of those student-athletes is very evident of the tradition of excellence that is so prominent here. And to host this championship is truly an honour."
Runners to watch include last year's individual gold medallist, Cristiano Mauricio of Windsor. Also from last year's championship team is silver medallist Brandon Young. Two-time gold medallist (2003, 2001), Beth Wightman, traded in her Queen's tri-colour for the Toronto Varsity Blues and will be a favoured contender for the women's race. A couple more two-timers include silver medallist (2004, 2003), Janice Ashworth, from Dalhousie and bronze medallist (2004, 2003) Shannon (Slater) Popowich from Calgary, who will both be looking for top spot as well. Blasting from the past, Moncton's Patty Blanchard is returning to her sport after claiming a bronze medal at the inaugural CIS cross country championship in 1981.
Ranked teams on the women's side include Calgary (1), Guelph (2), Toronto (3), Victoria (4), StFX (5), Western (6), McGill (7), Saskatchewan (8), Windsor (9) and 2004 team winners, Dalhousie (10). Rounding out the women's field are Acadia, Alberta, Laurentian, Laval, Manitoba, Moncton, Queen's, SMU, Sherbrooke, Wilfrid Laurier, Memorial, Ottawa, Regina and Trent.
Ranked teams on the men's side include 2004 team winners, Guelph (1), Windsor (2), Dalhousie (3), Alberta (4), Victoria (5), Queen's (6), Manitoba (7), McGill (8), Calgary (9) and Laval (10). Rounding out the men's field are Sherbrooke, SMU, StFX, Toronto, UNB, Memorial, Moncton, Ottawa, Regina, Saskatchewan, Trent and Waterloo.
Dalhousie University is hosting the 2005 CIS Men's and Women's Cross Country championships for the first time since 1993. The event is set for November 12 at Point Pleasant Park in Halifax, NS. Last season was the best-ever for Dalhousie's cross country program as head coach Dan Hennigar led the women's squad to a CIS team gold medal. The men's Tigers are the strongest and most experienced team in years and are looking to reach the CIS podium for the first time since winning bronze in 1978. Stay tuned to the championship website for more information: http://cisport.ca/e/championships/cross_
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