2015 XC Season Recap
It was a season of firsts for the cross-country program; regionals were held in Colorado for the first time, breaking the streak of annual trips to San Diego, while nationals were held on the east coast of the United States. Head coach Laurier Primeau, along with a new coaching staff, also headed the team following long-time coach Marek Jedrzejek's retirement.
Before heading to nationals, the team swept the regional meet winning both the men's and women's races with a perfect score of 15 earning an automatic berth to the big dance.
For the first time in team history, the UBC Thunderbirds cross-country program travelled to the Tar Heel State as Charlotte, N.C. acted as the host of the NAIA Cross-Country Championships. The national championships were held in Vancouver, Wash. and Lawrence, Ka. before heading to Charlotte. The national squads, predominantly athletes with several years of eligibility remaining, finished second in the women's race, and the men fifth - the team's best ever performance - at the 60th anniversary of the event.
Bracebridge, Ont. native Natalia Hawthorn was the top women's finisher in ninth and Jesse Hooton was the top male athlete for UBC with a tenth-place performance. Athletes who finish in the top-30 earn All-American honours. Senior athletes Devan Wiebe and Kirsten Lee capped off their T-birds cross-country career with top-30 placements in addition to Hawthorn. The UBC women were three-time the defending champions in the event, but came in with a bit of a chip on their shoulder. "Being ranked 7th headed into NAIA's we felt we had something to prove” said Natalia. “Even with the loss of some of our top girls from last year, we believed that if everybody gave it their best effort we would have a chance at medalling. We were ecstatic about our 2nd place finish, and so excited to see what we can accomplish next year as our team builds."
On his first season at the helm of the cross country team, alumnus and Lead Endurance Coach Chris Johnson commented “Overall, I was pleased with the season although I think there is a lot of room for growth. Our current athletes are rapidly improving and Laurier has recruited some talented athletes to join them in September. We expect improvement as we move forward into 2016-2017. I have learned that even at the collegiate level there is a wide range of training and racing backgrounds. Some of our athletes require a careful and patient approach to training and racing with lots of cross training and rest. Others can handle large quantities of work without breaking down. It is important for us to learn what each athlete can handle so we can move forward with healthy athletes capable of contributing to the success of our team.”
When asked about the upcoming track season, CJ said “I am most excited to see our athletes run personal best times and to watch several of our athletes qualify and perform at their best at the NAIA Championships. Our winter training has gone very well and we head into the outdoor season with great confidence and readiness.”
Tim Huebsch BA 2014 | Political Science XC, 1500m, 5000m
