UBCO set to host CW Championships

The best runners from across Canada West are ready to descend on Kelowna this weekend.

The University of British Columbia Okanagan is set to host the 2023 CW Cross Country Championships this Saturday, as athletes from nine schools vie for the top spot on the podium in both team and individual events.

This year's event will take place at Mission Recreation Park in Kelowna, BC. The venue offers a picturesque setting surrounded by mountain views. The course will feature a 2 km loop, challenging athletes over various styles of terrain as they complete four laps. Marking just the second time UBCO has hosted a Canada West championship event, the course will also be a preview for competitors competing in the 2024 U SPORTS Championships, which are set to be hosted on the same course one year from now.

Joining the Heat will be competitors from UBC, Victoria, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Regina, Manitoba, Calgary, and Trinity Western.

UBCO runners will be familiar with the track, having previously hosted the Heat Invitational at the venue back on Oct. 7. Tori Bouck led the way for the Heat women at that event, posting a time of 29:33, with teammates Kristen Smith and Brooke Lawlor close behind. Owen Lloyd paced the Heat men that day with a 26:26 time, followed by a close grouping of teammates including Russell Pearson, Isaac Baker, Christopher Crowe and Kyle Porter.

UBC Enter as Medal Favourites

Both UBC men’s and women’s squads will be favoured to take home team gold at the CW championships, entering as the highest ranked Canada West sides based on the most recent U SPORTS national rankings.

The Thunderbird women are currently ranked first in the country, led by sensational second-year runner Kyla Becker. The Portland, Ore. product has twice been named a U SPORTS Athlete of the Week and will already be familiar with the track after claiming gold at the Heat Invitational, where she finished the course in a blistering 28:40.

Victoria and Saskatchewan also enter as nationally ranked sides, ranked eighth and ninth respectively. The Huskies will be led by Allison Grajczyk-Jelinski, who was named a U SPORTS Athlete of the Week after winning the inaugural Dakota Classic race earlier this season.

Look for Trinity Western's Constance Nankivell to be a medal threat. The Edinburgh product was named a U SPORTS Athlete of the Week after winning the Pacific Lutheran Invitational in her first race as a Spartan.

On the men’s side, UBC enters as the third ranked team in the latest U SPORTS rankings. They’ll be led by Andrew Davies, who won gold at the Heat Invitational after completing the course in a time of 24:50. Teammate John Perrier was close behind at that event, finishing third, just ahead of Victoria’s Daniel Damian.

Victoria and Alberta are the other two nationally ranked teams, sitting seventh and eighth respectively.

Regina’s Jonathan Podbielski will be a runner to watch after claiming top spot at the Dakota Classic, which earned him a Canada West Runner of the Week nomination.

More information about the race can be found at the event’s official webpage.

Live timing and results will be available by visiting Startline Timing.