A season of hard work paid off for the women’s cross-country team on the Thames Valley golf course in London, Ontario on Saturday. The team brings back the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) championship—a huge success for a team that has ranked in the top consistently, but has only won one CIS title, back in 1991.
But this season was a stellar one for the Blues. As coach Ross Ristuccia commented after the victory, “Once we got going we did not miss a beat.”
U of T’s performance this year, highlighted by their undefeated record in the final stretch of the season, is a testament to that statement.
The victory was relatively easy for the Blues, who finished a strong 43 points ahead of the second-place Manitoba Bisons. The third-place team, the Victoria Vikes, was barred from winning its fifth consecutive title.
Tambra Dunn, a three-time All Canadian, finished third and earned herself a place on the First Canadian All Star Team. Jackie Sandoz and Elizabeth Ben-Ishai both earned places on the Second Canadian All Star Team.
The five-kilometre route was one the athletes were familiar with, as it is the site of the Annual Western International and has also hosted the CIS championships five times previously. Beautiful weather made the victory even sweeter.
U of T’s team atmosphere and high spirits complemented the mix. “We had a short meeting before the race and everyone was really upbeat,” said Ristuccia. “Everybody really came together.”
This sort of team atmosphere is a key to their success. But many veteran athletes will likely be moving on next season. Ben-Ishai, the third-place finisher for the Blues, is graduating, and other veterans are losing eligibility. However, Ristuccia remains confident.
“There are many great runners who did not even make the team this year,” he explained, “so we should not have a problem getting a strong team next year.”
