THUNDERBIRDS MAKE IT BACK-TO-BACK TITLES FOR WOMEN AND MEN
October 29, 2022
ABBOTSFORD, British Columbia - For the second year in a row the UBC Thunderbirds women's and men's teams claimed the Canada West cross-country championships. The Thunderbirds claimed both titles with comfortable 40 plus point victories on either side Saturday afternoon at Clearbrook Park, in Abbotsford, B.C.
The UBC women earned their fourth straight title with an impressive 40-point lead over second place UBC Okanagan Heat, 32-72. While the Thunderbird men were equally as dominant earning a 44-point win, 25-69, over the Alberta Golden Bears.
The women's race saw a separation of the top three competitors from the rest of the field, with fourth place almost 16 seconds behind. The gold medal went to UBC's Kiana Gibson who finished at 27:08.6 nearly 30 seconds ahead of UBC Okanagan Heat's Joanna Brown who finished at 27:32.4. The bronze medal went to fellow Thunderbird Holly MacGillivray, who finished with a time of 27:37.6.
UBC Head coach Steve Weiler:
"The race went quite well. It is always interesting to see new teams for the first time. Obviously, multiple prairie schools had some very strong women, who ran quite well today. So very happy to have four in the top ten and looking to showcase our depth a little more in two weeks at U SPORTS."
On winner Kiana Gibson:
"She went out hard and hard in the middle and maintained it through to the end. She is in top form and she is one of the top women in U SPORTS and she showcased that today with a sizable lead over the rest of Canada West."
On other performances:
"Emilia Fold had a big step forward and I would give her the race of the day for our women's squad."
FULL WOMEN'S RESULTS HERE
On the men's side UBC's Tyler Dozzi won the gold medal with a time of 23:55.1, an 8.6 second lead over silver medalist Ron MacLean from Alberta. The bronze medal was a sprint to the finish with just one second separating third spot from fifth. UBC's John Perrier ended up taking home the bronze medal with a time of 24:08.3, just 2/10 of a second ahead of Victoria's Daniel Damian at 24:08.5.
UBC head coach Steve Weiler
"Everything went well for us today. This is the first time this season that we have had all our men on the line and the first time that we have shown our full strength. And we had really strong execution and really happy to have seven in the top 14 this year and we were firing on all cylinders.
On winner Tyler Dozzi:
"Tyler has been dealing with injuries recently so we have been really cautious around that, and as you can see it has paid off in spades. A lot of time in the pool and he has maintained his fitness quite well. It is his final term of school so really happy for him to finish on a high note."
On team's performance:
"We are very fortunate to have John Perrier out at UBC doing grad work. He is a great contributor. But, it is a really deep team. We didn't know who our top seven would be until the day. The execution went really well. We were a very young team last year and they've been able to bring that experience in from last year and capitalize on it this year."
FULL MEN'S RESULTS HERE
The U SPORTS cross country championships are scheduled for November 21 in Halifax, N.S. at the Links at Brunello Golf Course.
Kiana Gibson and Tyler Dozzi were named Canada West Cross Country Athletes of the Year after winning their respective individual titles.
Victoria's Christina Peet Williams was named women's Rookie of the Year, while Regina's Jonathan Podbielski was named Rookie of the Year on the men's side.
UBC Okanagan's Joanna Brown and Saskatchewan's Treyton Pernitsky were recognized with Student-Athlete Community Service awards for their athletic excellence, community service, and academic success.
UBC lead endurance coach Steve Weiler was named Coach of the Year on both the men's and women's sides.
2022 Canada West Cross Country Championships
Clearbrook Park Abbotsford, B.C
WOMEN
TEAM STANDINGS
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
Top 7 first team all-stars, 8-14 second team all-stars
AWARDS
Athlete of the Year: Kiana Gibson (UBC)
Rookie of the Year: Christina Peet Williams (Victoria)
Student-Athlete Community Service: Joanna Brown (UBC Okanagan)
Coach of the Year: Steve Weiler
MEN
TEAM STANDINGS
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
Top 7 first team all-stars, 8-14 second team all-stars
AWARDS
Athlete of the Year: Tyler Dozzi (UBC)
Rookie of the Year: Jonathan Podbielski (Regina)
Student-Athlete Community Service: Treyton Pernitsky (Saskatchewan)
Coach of the Year: Steve Weiler
-CW-
The UBC women earned their fourth straight title with an impressive 40-point lead over second place UBC Okanagan Heat, 32-72. While the Thunderbird men were equally as dominant earning a 44-point win, 25-69, over the Alberta Golden Bears.
The women's race saw a separation of the top three competitors from the rest of the field, with fourth place almost 16 seconds behind. The gold medal went to UBC's Kiana Gibson who finished at 27:08.6 nearly 30 seconds ahead of UBC Okanagan Heat's Joanna Brown who finished at 27:32.4. The bronze medal went to fellow Thunderbird Holly MacGillivray, who finished with a time of 27:37.6.
UBC Head coach Steve Weiler:
"The race went quite well. It is always interesting to see new teams for the first time. Obviously, multiple prairie schools had some very strong women, who ran quite well today. So very happy to have four in the top ten and looking to showcase our depth a little more in two weeks at U SPORTS."
On winner Kiana Gibson:
"She went out hard and hard in the middle and maintained it through to the end. She is in top form and she is one of the top women in U SPORTS and she showcased that today with a sizable lead over the rest of Canada West."
On other performances:
"Emilia Fold had a big step forward and I would give her the race of the day for our women's squad."
FULL WOMEN'S RESULTS HERE
On the men's side UBC's Tyler Dozzi won the gold medal with a time of 23:55.1, an 8.6 second lead over silver medalist Ron MacLean from Alberta. The bronze medal was a sprint to the finish with just one second separating third spot from fifth. UBC's John Perrier ended up taking home the bronze medal with a time of 24:08.3, just 2/10 of a second ahead of Victoria's Daniel Damian at 24:08.5.
UBC head coach Steve Weiler
"Everything went well for us today. This is the first time this season that we have had all our men on the line and the first time that we have shown our full strength. And we had really strong execution and really happy to have seven in the top 14 this year and we were firing on all cylinders.
On winner Tyler Dozzi:
"Tyler has been dealing with injuries recently so we have been really cautious around that, and as you can see it has paid off in spades. A lot of time in the pool and he has maintained his fitness quite well. It is his final term of school so really happy for him to finish on a high note."
On team's performance:
"We are very fortunate to have John Perrier out at UBC doing grad work. He is a great contributor. But, it is a really deep team. We didn't know who our top seven would be until the day. The execution went really well. We were a very young team last year and they've been able to bring that experience in from last year and capitalize on it this year."
FULL MEN'S RESULTS HERE
The U SPORTS cross country championships are scheduled for November 21 in Halifax, N.S. at the Links at Brunello Golf Course.
Kiana Gibson and Tyler Dozzi were named Canada West Cross Country Athletes of the Year after winning their respective individual titles.
Victoria's Christina Peet Williams was named women's Rookie of the Year, while Regina's Jonathan Podbielski was named Rookie of the Year on the men's side.
UBC Okanagan's Joanna Brown and Saskatchewan's Treyton Pernitsky were recognized with Student-Athlete Community Service awards for their athletic excellence, community service, and academic success.
UBC lead endurance coach Steve Weiler was named Coach of the Year on both the men's and women's sides.
2022 Canada West Cross Country Championships
Clearbrook Park Abbotsford, B.C
WOMEN
TEAM STANDINGS
| Rank | Team | Score | Scoring Order | Total |
| 1 | UBC Thunderbirds | 32 | 1-3-7-8-13(15)(16) | 2:20:00 |
| 2 | UBC Okanagan Heat | 72 | 2-9-17-20-24(25)(32) | 2:23:59 |
| 3 | Saskatchewan Huskies | 88 | 5-6-12-31-34(36)(40) | 2:26:29 |
| 4 | Victoria Vikes | 94 | 14-18-19-21-22(23)(26) | 2:26:10 |
| 5 | Alberta Golden Pandas | 109 | 4-10-27-33-35(37)(39) | 2:28:37 |
| 6 | University of Calgary | 136 | 11-28-29-30-38(41) | 2:32:10 |
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
Top 7 first team all-stars, 8-14 second team all-stars
| Rank | Name | Team | Time |
| 1 | GIBSON, Kiana | UBC Thunderbirds | 27:08.6 |
| 2 | BROWN, Joanna | UBC Okanagan Heat | 27:32.4 |
| 3 | MACGILLIVRAY, Holly | UBC Thunderbirds | 27:37.6 |
| 4 | COOPER, Olivia | Alberta Golden Pandas | 27:53.5 |
| 5 | MCFADYEN, Jenna | Saskatchewan Huskies | 27:53.8 |
| 6 | HARRISON, Kaitlyn | Saskatchewan Huskies | 27:54.0 |
| 7 | BECKETT, Marley | UBC Thunderbirds | 27:56.8 |
| 8 | HENNESSEY, Jamie | UBC Thunderbirds | 28:25.1 |
| 9 | NEIGUM, Kaila | Regina Cougars | 28:26.7 |
| 10 | SIMPSON, Emily | UBC Okanagan Heat | 28:29.6 |
| 11 | FEDDEMA, Jasmine | Alberta Golden Pandas | 28:34.5 |
| 12 | KHALID, Sihaam | University of Calgary | 28:37.1 |
| 13 | GRAJCZYK-JELINSKI, Allison | Saskatchewan Huskies | 28:45.3 |
| 14 | NEWLOVE, Katie | UBC Thunderbirds | 28:51.8 |
AWARDS
Athlete of the Year: Kiana Gibson (UBC)
Rookie of the Year: Christina Peet Williams (Victoria)
Student-Athlete Community Service: Joanna Brown (UBC Okanagan)
Coach of the Year: Steve Weiler
MEN
TEAM STANDINGS
| Rank | Team | Points | Scoring Order | Total | |
| 1 | UBC Thunderbirds | 25 | 1-3-5-7-9(11)(12) | 2:00:53 | |
| 2 | Alberta Golden Bears | 69 | 2-8-16-20-23(29)(33) | 2:02:46 | |
| 3 | Victoria Vikes | 70 | 4-10-17-18-21(22)(24) | 2:02:51 | |
| 4 | Saskatchewan Huskies | 103 | 13-14-15-26-35(37)(40) | 2:04:46 | |
| 5 | UBC Okanagan Heat | 120 | 6-25-27-30-32(34)(36) | 2:05:46 | |
| 6 | University of Calgary | 155 | 19-28-31-38-39(41)(42) | 2:08:41 |
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
Top 7 first team all-stars, 8-14 second team all-stars
| Rank | Name | Team | Time |
| 1 | DOZZI, Tyler | UBC Thunderbirds | 23:55.1 |
| 2 | MACLEAN, Ron | Alberta Golden Bears | 24:03.7 |
| 3 | PERRIER, John | UBC Thunderbirds | 24:08.3 |
| 4 | DAMIAN, Daniel | Victoria Vikes | 24:08.5 |
| 5 | MAKWAE, Bill | UBC Thunderbirds | 24:09.3 |
| 6 | HOFBAUER, Trevor | UBC Okanagan Heat | 24:12.3 |
| 7 | PODBIELSKI, Jonathan | Regina Cougars | 24:15.8 |
| 8 | SCHIMMELPENNINCK VAN DER OYE, Sacha | UBC Thunderbirds | 24:16.7 |
| 9 | MURRAY-WHITE, Cassian | Alberta Golden Bears | 24:20.8 |
| 10 | MILLER, Riley | UBC Thunderbirds | 24:22.8 |
| 11 | MYTOPHER, Brayden | Regina Cougars | 24:24.9 |
| 12 | KUCHAR, Jaxon | Victoria Vikes | 24:25.1 |
| 13 | NIEDERHAUSER, Thibault | UBC Thunderbirds | 24:26.3 |
| 14 | TIWANA, Jaiveer | UBC Thunderbirds | 24:29.0 |
AWARDS
Athlete of the Year: Tyler Dozzi (UBC)
Rookie of the Year: Jonathan Podbielski (Regina)
Student-Athlete Community Service: Treyton Pernitsky (Saskatchewan)
Coach of the Year: Steve Weiler
-CW-