The Martlet

The members of the Vikes cross country and track team are preparing for the transition towards the indoor track circuit as they hope to build on their success from the cross country season.

The Vikes were able to achieve their best team results in the past 10 years as both the women’s (silver) and men’s (bronze) teams secured spots on the podium at the cross- country nationals in November in Quebec City. However, what was most impressive to the Vikes’ coaches was the dramatic im- provement they saw in their runners. “Most of our guys were 20 to 30 seconds faster in the 10k [race],” says Associate Coach Keith Butler. “Three of our runners ran well enough this year to make the na- tional university team.” The three runners, Stephanie Trenholm on the women’s side and Dylan Haight and Cliff Childs on the men’s, will represent Canada this spring at the World University Cross Country Championships in Lodz, Poland.

The Vikes received excellent contributions from the team’s rookies as well. Newcom- ers Ellen Pennock and Ryan Cassidy both won their respective races at the National Junior Championships in Vancouver, also in November. Cassidy was named to the Cana- dian Junior Team and will travel to Trini- dad and Tobago to participate in the North America, Central American and Caribbean (NACAC) Championships. With the conclusion of the cross country season, the Vikes’ focus now shifts towards the indoor track season. Expectations are high; the team is looking to improve on their fourth-place finish at nationals a year ago.

The men’s team dominated their signature event, the 4 x 800–metre relay, five years in a row before their run was interrupted by back-to-back third place finishes. The Vikes believe that the past couple of years have been nothing but an aberration and are determined to recapture what they feel is rightfully theirs. The coaches expect strong seasons from John Pratt, who is the reigning Western Canada 800-metre champion, and Adam Gaudes, who holds the UVic record for the 300- and 400-metre events, but will move up to the 800-metre this year.

The women’s team success depends on Trenholm, who will be looking to win the national 1500-metre crown this season, and rookie Rachel Francois, who will help strengthen the 4 x 400– and 4 x 800–metre relay teams. Francois is coming off a season where she represented Canada in the Pan American Junior Championships in Florida.

The Vikes hope to qualify 18 athletes for the indoor championships in Winnipeg, which is a step up from the 12 they took last year. In order to qualify, an athlete must finish in the top two at the Canada West Championships or meet the qualifying standards. The Vikes will get their first opportunity to qualify at the Golden Bear Classic in Edmon- ton on Jan. 20 and 21, but will have further chances at the University of Washington Classic on Jan. 28, and at the Bison Classic in Winnipeg on Feb. 3.

The CIS championships are March 8–10 in Winnipeg.