Eagles soar to first place in cross-country
The UTM Eagles Cross Country team took first place in the first race of the OCAA Cross Country season, held Sept. 14 in Windsor, ON.
UTM went into the race with a new look, having eight new student-athletes joining this year’s roster while racing without four-time CCAA national championship qualifiers Kale Heino and Haseeb Malik, who graduated from UTM in June. The women’s team was led by three-time All-Canadian second team member Sophie Glanz (Mississauga Academy of Medicine) and the men’s team by Gabe Boily-Porter (geography).
While individual times matter, cross-country scoring is a team sport where the lowest score wins. The first four finishing athletes from each school are scored based on their overall placement and added together.
Glanz and Jessica Martin (Fanshawe College) had the early lead in the field of 65 runners, keeping each other at a close distance. Glanz cruised to first overall—securing the coveted first place spot by over twenty seconds—and earning one point for the team. First-time athlete Eirini Martsoukaki and returning athlete Taylyn Tait sprinted to the finish line together, beating out two Laurier Brantford athletes to secure seventh and eighth place, respectively. New athlete Tori Horrobin crossed the finish line in 13th place to give the team an overall low score of 29—enough to secure first place by ten points.
The men’s race was a nail-biter, with the UTM team racing into sixth by less than a second. Dylan Schrotter sprinted to 39th, beating out a Sault College athlete by 0.4 seconds. Gabriel El Haddad beat a Mohawk College runner by 0.4 seconds, and Tameem Hadid came from 200m behind a Seneca College competitor to win by 0.3 seconds.
Glanz credited the early-season win to winter running and 5 a.m. wake-up calls. “I’ve had great coaches this year who really helped me come into the season in great form. With a busy schedule due to my program, it’s difficult to always run, but I’m really excited to be part of the team this year.”
The UTM Eagles Cross Country team will be competing next on Sept. 28 and will be joining the Mississauga CIBC Run for the Cure, taking place at UTM on Oct. 5.