Athletics Canada announces 2020 Pan Am XC team

In February 2020, Victoria, B.C. is hosting the Pan Am Cross-Country Cup, which will see four Canadian teams competing. Athletics Canada announced on Thursday the senior and U20 men’s and women’s teams that will be representing Canada this winter.

RELATED: Lalonde, Tate win ACXC 2019

First- and second-place finishers from the senior men’s race at nationals (the qualifier for Pan Ams), Mike Tate and Luc Bruchet, are notably missing from the team. Both runners are likely deciding to focus their winter training efforts on an indoor track season, as opposed to cross-country races. Due to the new World Rankings system, the indoor track season has become more important than ever, with the points accumulated during that season helping runners to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Games.

However, it appears that all of the eligible senior women have accepted their bids. Gen Lalonde, who leads the senior women’s team, has had a great year. In 2019 she was a World Championship finalist on the track, she had one of the highest-ever World Cross-Country finishes by a Canadian last March and she broke her own Canadian steeple record. She will be joined by two fellow World Championships competitors, Maria Galea-Bernard (steeplechase) and Natasha Wodak (10,000m) at the upcoming Cup.

The championship will take place February 29.

Senior women

Gen Lalonde
Natasha Wodak
Maria Galea-Bernard
Hannah Woodhouse
Kristen Lee
Victoria Coates

Senior men

Brandon Allen
Connor Black
Jean-Simon Desgagnes
John Gay
Kieran MacDonald
Mitchell Ubene

RELATED: Booms and busts of ACXC 2019

U20 women

Annika Ariano
Mackenzie Campbell
Petal Palmer
Sadie Sigfstead
Abbey Yuhasz
Ceili McCabe

U20 men

Keon Wallingford
Kevin Robertson
Philippe Morneau-Cartier
Dakota Goguen
Chase Canty
Scott Arndt