XC: Victoria women, UBC men win team titles at 2024 CW Cross Country Championships

CAMROSE, Alta. – The UBC Thunderbirds extended their dynasty by capturing their fourth-straight men’s Canada West Cross-Country title, while the Victoria ended the UBC women’s dynasty by winning their first conference title since 2017.

The Thunderbird men topped the Victoria Vikes by 19 points, while the Victoria women bested UBC by just seven points to win their 16^th conference title in program history. The Saskatchewan Huskies earned bronze on the men’s side, as did the UBC Okanagan Heat in the women’s competition.

The story of Saturday’s races at Stoney Creek Park in Camrose were the individual champions however, as fourth-year Golden Bear Ron MacLean electrified the home crowd with a sensational gold medal performance. The Stewart Cup Champion from two weeks prior, MacLean won the men’s race with a time of 25:33.9, besting his previous high of silver from the 2022 Canada West Championship.

MacLean held a lead of less than a second over Trinity Western Spartan Yemane Mulugeta after the first loop of the course, before stretching his lead over the final two kilometers.

“It is our home course, so we had a huge advantage in knowing the way it runs. We knew 5/6 km is when the race would really start, so I tried to stay as relaxed as possible, and didn’t want to lead the race until that point,” said MacLean. “I came through 4km feeling really good, and Yemane and I broke away. I knew if I could get to the big hill ahead of him, I was going to win the race. Put everything I had into that hill and the flat right after, and held it to the line.”

Mulugeta was named the rookie of the year on the men’s side, leading the Spartans to a fourth-place finish. ​ Jaiveer Tiwana led UBC with a bronze medal finish, with all five scoring Thunderbirds placing inside the top 27 in a dominant team performance.

On the women’s side, Trinity Western Spartan Constance Nankivell completely obliterated the field, winning by 38 seconds with a time of 28:38.9. Nankivell exacted some revenge on UBC Okanagan’s Lauren McNeil, who captured gold at the Stewart Cup in Calgary earlier this season ahead of Nankivell. The sophomore Spartan led by 17 seconds after the first 4km loop was over, adding an extra 19 seconds on the second loop of the challenging track.

Erin Owens led Victoria with a fifth-place finish, with Marisha Thompson and Elise Coates also earning top-10 finishes to secure the team title.

Next up for the runners will be the 2024 U SPORTS Championship, hosted by UBC Okanagan on November 9^th in Kelowna.

Men’s Team Standings

Women’s Team Standings

2024 Canada West Award Winners

Men's Team Coach of the Year: Steve Weiler - UBC

Women's Team Coach of the Year: Hilary Stellingwerff - Victoria

Rookie of the Year, Male Competition: Yemane Mulugeta - Trinity Western

Rookie of the Year, Female Competition: Sophie Hamilton - UBC Okanagan

Student-Athlete Community Service Award, Male Competition: Kaiden Deck - Saskatchewan

Student-Athlete Community Service Award, Female Competition: Jaira Cross Child - Saskatchewan

Athlete of the Year, Male Competition: Ron MacLean - Alberta

Athlete of the Year, Female Competition: Constance Nankivell - Trinity Western

Men's Champion (P.S. Warren Trophy): UBC Thunderbirds

Women's Champion (Harold Wright Trophy): Victoria Vikes

2024 Canada West All-Stars

Men’s First Team

Men’s Second Team

Women’s First Team

Women’s Second Team

2024 Canada West All-Rookie Team

Men’s

Women’s