McMaster’s Marauder Bayfront Cross-Country Open in photos

What you need to know (and what you may have missed) from Hamilton's Marauder Bayfront Open, a cross-country meet put on by McMaster University

Tim Huebsch October 13, 2017

The Ontario University Athletics (OUA) cross-country regular season is approaching its end with just a few races remaining on the calendar. McMaster University in Hamilton hosted the Marauder Bayfront Open on Friday.

Western’s Kristina Popadich and McMaster’s Jeff Tweedle, racing on his home course, were Friday’s winners in 23:32 and 20:45. Both races were contested over 7K. Toronto’s Lucia Stafford (24:18) and Guelph’s Danielle Jossinet (24:39) finished second and third behind Popadich. Taylor Forbes (non-university scorer) was second (20:52) and Western’s Ben Carson (20:58) was third in the men’s race.

It was Popadich’s and Tweedle’s first win of the 2017 university cross-country campaign, which began in September.

Results

Remaining this fall season are conference championships and nationals, the U Sports Cross-Country Championships, at the end of October and in mid-November, respectively.

Photos

Women’s 7K

Western’s Kristina Popadich and Lucia Stafford broke away early

Toronto’s Madeleine Kelly was the only runner to match Stafford and Popadich’s early pace

A big chase pack included runners from across the province, as far west as Thunder Bay

Popadich and Stafford ran side-by-side

Guelph, the winners of 12 consecutive national team titles, fielded a near-full squad in Hamilton

Toronto, missing Gabriela Stafford and Sasha Gollish at the Bayfront Open, are considered favourites to end Guelph’s women’s team dominance at the national level in mid-November

McMaster fielded the most runners of any women’s team

Popadich finished seventh at the 2016 U Sports Cross-Country Championships and should be a lock for a top-10 placing again in 2017

Men’s 7K

Queen’s, though missing key runners, huddles together pre-race

The men’s 7K was led by a much larger pack

Sergio Raez-Villanueva is a likely candidate to move up in CR‘s power rankings after a solid fourth-place performance Friday

Jack Sheffar returned from injury and raced for the first time this fall. The Western University standout finished ninth at the Canadian university cross-country championships in 2016. He ran near the front early but finished back in the pack.

Isaiah Frielink could be a factor for Rookie of the Year at the Nov. 12 nationals in Victoria as will Max Turek (not pictured)

Jeff Tweedle took the win in 20:45, which averages out to sub-3:00 per kilometre pace for 7K

Cross-country running is full of pain

As it was an “open” meet, non-university runners were eligible to compete including 2:22 marathoner Blair Morgan and Taylor Forbes, the latter of who finished in second on Friday

Canadian Running will post full highlights from both races shortly.