XC: T-Birds claim conference titles in Saskatoon
October 30, 2021
SASKATOON, SK - The UBC Thunderbirds men's and women's teams were crowned 2021 Canada West champions Saturday at Saskatoon's Victoria Park.
The UBC women's team captured its third straight conference title, finishing 14 points ahead of the second place UBC Okanagan Heat. On the men's side, the Thunderbirds ended Calgary's run of three straight banners, with a 45-point advantage in the standings.
The women's race came down to a sprint finish with UBCO teammates Joanna Brown and Lauren McNeil sprinting for the title. In the end, Brown edged out McNeil, finishing in a time of 28:43.40 to win the gold medal. UBC's Glynis Sim finished in a time of 29:27.70 to take the bronze.
FULL WOMEN'S RESULTS HERE
UBC dominated the men's race, taking four of the top five spots. The Thunderbirds were led by individual champion Thomas Nobbs, who completed the course in a time of 24:30.60 and silver medalist Tyler Dozzi (25:20.50). Calgary's Eric Lutz claimed the bronze medal with a time of 25:18.60.
FULL MEN'S RESULTS HERE
"We had a lot of great races today," said UBC Thunderbirds head coach Steve Weiler. "The important thing for us was that as a team we executed really well, so we're really happy with that. Now we're looking forward to improving on that in three weeks at the U SPORTS national championships."
The U SPORTS cross country championships are slated for November 20 in Quebec City Quebec.
Thomas Nobbs and Joanna Brown were named Canada West Cross Country Athletes of the Year after winning the individual titles.
UBCO's Lauren McNeil was the women's Rookie of the Year after a silver medal result, while a fifth-place finish saw UBC's Spencer Hardy win the award on the men's side.
Saskatchewan's Courtney Hufsmith and Calgary's Eric Lutz were recognized with Student-Athlete Community Service awards for their athletic excellence, community service, and academic success
UBC lead endurance coach Steve Weiler and UBC Okanganan head coach Malindi Elmore also honoured with Coach of the Year awards.
2021 Canada West Cross Country Championships
Victoria Park, Saskatoon
WOMEN
TEAM STANDINGS
Not enough finishers to score: Manitoba, Trinity Western
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
Top 7 first team all-stars, 8-14 second team all-stars
AWARDS
Athlete of the Year: Joanna Brown (UBCO)
Rookie of the Year: Lauren McNeil (UBCO)
Student-Athlete Community Service: Courtney Hufsmith (SSK)
Coach of the Year: Malindi Elmore (UBCO)
MEN
TEAM STANDINGS
Not enough finishers to score: Manitoba
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
Top 7 first team all-stars, 8-14 second team all-stars
AWARDS
Athlete of the Year: Thomas Nobbs (UBC)
Rookie of the Year: Spencer Hardy (UBC)
Student-Athlete Community Service: Eric Lutz (CGY)
Coach of the Year: Steve Weiler (UBC)
The UBC women's team captured its third straight conference title, finishing 14 points ahead of the second place UBC Okanagan Heat. On the men's side, the Thunderbirds ended Calgary's run of three straight banners, with a 45-point advantage in the standings.
The women's race came down to a sprint finish with UBCO teammates Joanna Brown and Lauren McNeil sprinting for the title. In the end, Brown edged out McNeil, finishing in a time of 28:43.40 to win the gold medal. UBC's Glynis Sim finished in a time of 29:27.70 to take the bronze.
FULL WOMEN'S RESULTS HERE
UBC dominated the men's race, taking four of the top five spots. The Thunderbirds were led by individual champion Thomas Nobbs, who completed the course in a time of 24:30.60 and silver medalist Tyler Dozzi (25:20.50). Calgary's Eric Lutz claimed the bronze medal with a time of 25:18.60.
FULL MEN'S RESULTS HERE
"We had a lot of great races today," said UBC Thunderbirds head coach Steve Weiler. "The important thing for us was that as a team we executed really well, so we're really happy with that. Now we're looking forward to improving on that in three weeks at the U SPORTS national championships."
The U SPORTS cross country championships are slated for November 20 in Quebec City Quebec.
Thomas Nobbs and Joanna Brown were named Canada West Cross Country Athletes of the Year after winning the individual titles.
UBCO's Lauren McNeil was the women's Rookie of the Year after a silver medal result, while a fifth-place finish saw UBC's Spencer Hardy win the award on the men's side.
Saskatchewan's Courtney Hufsmith and Calgary's Eric Lutz were recognized with Student-Athlete Community Service awards for their athletic excellence, community service, and academic success
UBC lead endurance coach Steve Weiler and UBC Okanganan head coach Malindi Elmore also honoured with Coach of the Year awards.
2021 Canada West Cross Country Championships
Victoria Park, Saskatoon
WOMEN
TEAM STANDINGS
| Rank | Team | Pts |
| 1 | UBC Thunderbirds | 46 |
| 2 | UBC Okanagan Heat | 60 |
| 3 | Saskatchewan Huskies | 72 |
| 4 | Calgary Dinos | 101 |
| 5 | Alberta Pandas | 106 |
| 6 | Victoria Vikes | 113 |
| 7 | Regina Cougars | 215 |
Not enough finishers to score: Manitoba, Trinity Western
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
Top 7 first team all-stars, 8-14 second team all-stars
| Rank | Name | Team | Time |
| 1 | Joanna Brown | UBCO | 28:43.4 |
| 2 | Lauren McNeil | UBCO | 28:43.6 |
| 3 | Glynis Sim | UBC | 29:21.7 |
| 4 | Jenna McFadyen | SSK | 29:36.4 |
| 5 | Kaitlyn Harrison | SSK | 29:39.9 |
| 6 | Olivia Cooper | ALB | 29:43.5 |
| 7 | Mackenzie Campbell | UBC | 29:49.6 |
| 8 | Allison Grajczyk-Jelinski | SSK | 29:52.2 |
| 9 | Jasmine Feddema | ALB | 30:04.6 |
| 10 | Zoë Doorenspleet | UBC | 30:06.5 |
| 11 | Sihaam Khalid | CGY | 30:28.2 |
| 12 | Katherine Newlove | UBC | 30:30.2 |
| 13 | Camille Galloway | UBCO | 30:31.1 |
| 14 | Hailee Morisseau | MAN | 30:31.9 |
AWARDS
Athlete of the Year: Joanna Brown (UBCO)
Rookie of the Year: Lauren McNeil (UBCO)
Student-Athlete Community Service: Courtney Hufsmith (SSK)
Coach of the Year: Malindi Elmore (UBCO)
MEN
TEAM STANDINGS
| Rank | Team | Pts |
| 1 | UBC Thunderbirds | 24 |
| 2 | Calgary Dinos | 69 |
| 3 | Alberta Golden Bears | 71 |
| 4 | Victoria Vikes | 82 |
| 5 | Saskatchewan Huskies | 144 |
| 6 | UBC Okanagan Heat | 170 |
| 7 | Trinity Western Spartans | 205 |
| 8 | Regina Cougars | 214 |
Not enough finishers to score: Manitoba
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
Top 7 first team all-stars, 8-14 second team all-stars
| Rank | Name | Team | Time |
| 1 | Thomas Nobbs | UBC | 24:30.6 |
| 2 | Tyler Dozzi | UBC | 25:00.5 |
| 3 | Eric Lutz | CGY | 25:18.6 |
| 4 | Joshua Kozelj | UBC | 25:22.9 |
| 5 | Spencer Hardy | UBC | 25:24.0 |
| 6 | Brandon Vail | VIC | 25:33.0 |
| 7 | Logan Arthur | ALB | 25:43.3 |
| 8 | Daniel Damian | VIC | 25:43.8 |
| 9 | Riley Stuermer | ALB | 25:48.5 |
| 10 | Tyler Kiyonaga | CGY | 25:51.8 |
| 11 | Robert Chauvet | ALB | 25:54.8 |
| 12 | Liam Dwyer | UBC | 25:55.6 |
| 13 | Joshua Woolgar | TWU | 25:57.1 |
| 14 | Connor Baerg | UBCO | 25:58.1 |
AWARDS
Athlete of the Year: Thomas Nobbs (UBC)
Rookie of the Year: Spencer Hardy (UBC)
Student-Athlete Community Service: Eric Lutz (CGY)
Coach of the Year: Steve Weiler (UBC)