XC | Voyageurs Return to Action at Western International
Following a twenty-two month break from varsity competition due to the pandemic, the Laurentian Voyageurs Cross Country Running team returned to Ontario University Athletics (OUA) competition this past weekend at the Western Invitational 8km Cross Country Running Meet in London, ON.
The women were led by third-year Health Promotion and Concurrent Education student, Angela Mozzon (Sudbury), who covered the 8 kilometre rolling course on the Thames Valley Golf Course in 34 minutes and 34 seconds, placing 64th overall. Mozzon was closely followed by rookie and first-year Nursing student, Kristen Mrozewski (Sudbury), who placed 69th in a time of 34:50. Rounding out the scoring for Laurentian included Sarah Booth (Peterborough) in 81st place; Ashley Valentini (Oshawa) in 89th and rookie Kylie Esposito (Sault Ste. Marie) in 92nd. The Voyageur women placed 11th overall in the team standings with a score of 390 points.
On the men's side, third-year Criminology student Keon Wallingford (North Bay) was the top Laurentian scorer, placing 52nd, in a time of 27 minutes and 16 seconds. Rookie and Mechanical Engineering student Calum Passi (Sudbury) was the next Voyageur across the line in 63rd place. Other scorers for Laurentian included Paul Sagriff (Kingston) in 79th; Nicholas Lambert (Elliot Lake) in 81st and Cameron Date (Haileybury) in 92nd. Displacers for the Voyageurs included rookie Patrick Leroux (Wingham) in 104th, Adam Kalab (Ottawa) in 109th and rookie Cameron Heinz (Huntsville) in 110th. The Voyageur men placed 12th overall in the team standing with a score of 347 points.
"It was definitely great to be back racing again" noted Head Coach, Darren Jermyn. "Angela and Kristin had solid runs on the women's side. Keon is coming back from being injured this past spring, so I was happy how he competed today, and I know he will be much closer to the front of the pack when the OUA championships rolls around in early November. Calum Passi also held his own as a rookie running on this challenging course. We know we can improve upon our team scores, particularly on the men's side, and that will be our focus through our next major training block."
The Voyageurs will be back in OUA regular season action at the McMaster Bayfront Open on October 22nd.