2016 Cross Country Preview
As summer begins to fade and the leaves begin to fall, the cross country season gets underway. After a 2nd place finish for the women and a 5th place for the men in 2015, the UBC T-Birds are looking ahead to another great season.
The women have a strong streak of getting onto the NAIA podium, and they look to continue that trend in 2016, having finished no lower than 2nd since 2012. Returning from the 2015 roster are individual All-Americans Natalia Hawthorn and Madelyn Brunt, as well as 4x800 All-American Sandra Kilmartin. They will be bolstered by 5000m All-American Enid Au, looking to have a breakthrough cross country season after a stellar performance at the 2016 NAIA Track & Field Championships. Joining her will be returners Nicola Symonds and Nicole Lacis, as well as NAIA steeplechase qualifier Brianna Cairns. Impact freshmen include Mikayla Tinkham, who was 5th and 4th at the 2016 BC High School Championships in the 800m and the 1500m respectively; as well as cross-country-skier-turned-runner Alison Pouw, who was 11th at the 2015 OFSAA Cross Country Championships. Despite the loss of veterans Devan Wiebe and Kirsten Lee, the women’s team remains confident of achieving another podium finish.
After coming off their highest NAIA finish in history, the men’s team is hungry for a podium finish of their own. Leading off the key returners is Jesse Hooton, who was an All-American in both track and cross country last season. He is followed closely by John Gay, winner of the 2016 NAIA 3000m steeplechase title. Max Trummer is the next veteran, one who gained national team experience competing for Team Austria at the 2016 European Junior Cross Country Championships; followed by Lukas Jarron, multiple-time NAIA Track & Field All-American. With the loss of top 7 runners Devin Rajala and Bilal Shamsi, the men’s team will be relying on freshmen to maintain their depth. Key freshmen include Kieran Lumb, who won the 2015 BC High School Cross Country Championships as well as the 2016 Canadian Junior Mountain Running Championships. Sean Bergman brings national team experience as a steeplechaser who has competed for Canada at both World Youth and World Junior Championships, in addition to national titles at both age groups. Canadian Junior bronze medalist in the 800m, Rhys Kramer, will look to prove his fortitude over the longer distances; and decorated triathlete Michael Milic will add some grit and endurance to the mix.
With UBC’s first race looming, the team is getting mentally and physically prepared for a long season. The plan is simple: train hard, race well, and show the NAIA that they should fear the north!
EDITOR’S NOTE:
On September 17th, the UBC teams competed at the University of Washington Sundodger Invitational, with the men’s team placing 3rd and the women’s team placing 5th. On October 1st, the UBC teams competed at the Willamette University Charles Bowles Invitational, with the men’s team placing 1st and the women’s team placing 3rd. As of the most recent NAIA Coaches’ Poll on September 28th, the men’s team are ranked 1st and the women’s team are ranked 5th in the NAIA – this marks the first time that the UBC men’s team has ever been ranked top in the NAIA.
