HIGH ACHIEVERS: Glebe, Colonel By give dominant efforts at high school East XC championships

By Martin Cleary

Moments of perfection in sport are rare.

Occasionally, a 5-pin bowler will roll a 450 game. A golfer will score a hole in one. In baseball, a pitcher will toss a perfect game.

The idea of perfection in cross-country running is a little more complicated as it involves not one individual, but four runners being the four best in the race. The team standings are determined by adding the placement finish of the top four runners for each team. The lowest score wins.

If a team places its runners first, second, third and fourth, it has recorded the perfect 10 in cross-country running.

The senior girls’ and senior boys’ teams from Glebe Collegiate Institute and the novice boys’ squad from Colonel By Secondary School flirted with perfection Wednesday during the National Capital Secondary School Athletic Association East Conference cross-country running championships at the Hornets Nest.

The East Conference runners will join the West Conference runners, who had their championships on Tuesday, for the NCSSAA city cross-country championships Oct. 27 at Mooney’s Bay. The top individuals and teams will qualify for the first time since 2019 to represent the NCSSAA at the OFSAA provincial high school championships Nov. 5 at the Dagmar Ski Resort in Uxbridge.

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The Glebe Gryphons girls’ senior team came closest to cross-country team perfection, when they placed two girls in the top three and six in the top eight for a winning score of 14. Ashbury and Béatrice-Desloges were second and third respectively at 89 and 102 points.

Gloucester’s Olivia Baggley was the girls’ senior champion over 6,000 metres in 25 minutes, 7.86 seconds. But Glebe runners filled out the rest of the podium with Lauren Alexander in second at 25:32.06 and Caitlin Gormley in third at 27:41.17.

The Gryphons just kept on coming after Gormley, taking four of the next five positions. Glebe’s other two scoring runners were Sophie Trott, fourth in 27:41.62, and Claire Waddington, fifth in 28:16.42. Abby McColgan and Sarah Flynn were seventh and eighth respectively in 29:06.66 and 29:21.11.

Derek Strachan and Kiefer Melinz Dupuis gave Glebe a one-two boys’ senior finish respectively as they completed the 6,000-metre layout in 22:46.18 and 22:58.20.

The Gryphons also finished as the top team with 18 points as Nicholas Hurley was fifth in 23:30.43 and Ari Good took 10th in 25:31.30. Cameron Cino narrowly missed being the fourth Glebe scorer as he was 11th overall in 25:33.39.

Adriano Padoin-Castillo of Immaculata was third in the boys’ senior race at 23:00.94.

Colonel By’s Owen Siderus was the boys’ novice 4,000-metre champion in 14:51.08 as the Cougars captured the team title with 20 points. After his win, Siderus watched four of his teammates place between fourth and 11th.

The other three runners to score points for the Cougars were William Ross, fourth, 16:14.96; Anthony Ghie, fifth, 16:18.00; and Kiran Dust, 10th, 16:53.99. Adrian Tang trailed Dust by less than a second in 11th at 16:54.57.

Louis-Riel’s Daniel Cova was the boys’ junior winner over 5,000 metres in 18:42.88, which powered the Rebelles to the team title with 29 points. Immaculata was second at 36 and Glebe took third at 43.

Glebe runners Saul Taler and Russell Heins were second and third with respective times of 18:45.27 and 18:57.65.

The top three runners in the girls’ junior 5,000 metres were Kate Johnston-Zemek of Ashbury, 22:17.96; Tessa Knight of Franco-Cité, 23:39.12; and Zoe Cliché of Garneau, 23:43.34.

Franco-Cité was first in the team standings with 51 points, while De La Salle was second at 80 and Béatrice-Desloges claimed third at 85.

Two of the top three individual runners in the girls’ novice 4,000-metre race helped their schools to a top-three team finish.

Immaculata’s Evelyn Davies placed first individually in 17:41.83 and sparked her school to a third-place team result at 90 points. Glebe won the team competition at 56 points as Julia Van Wesenbeeck was third at 18:14.42.

Second-place results were registered by Nadine Buchanan of Franco-Cité in 18:08.67 and Colonel By in team at 71.

GIRLS

Novice (4,000 metres)

1. Evelyn Davies (Immaculata), 17 minutes, 41.83 seconds
2. Nadine Buchanan (Franco-Cité), 18:08.67
3. Julia Van Wesenbeeck (Glebe), 18:14.42
   
   Teams: 1. Glebe, 56 placement points, 2. Colonel By 71, 3. Immaculata 90.

Junior (5,000 metres)

1. Kate Johnston-Zemek (Ashbury), 22:17.96
2. Tessa Knight (Franco-Cité), 23:39.12
3. Zoe Cliché (Garneau), 23:43.34
   
   Teams: 1. Franco-Cité 51; 2. De La Salle 80, 3. Béatrice-Desloges 85.

Senior (6,000 metres)

1. Olivia Baggley (Gloucester), 25:07.86
2. Lauren Alexander (Glebe), 25:32.06
3. Caitlin Gormley (Glebe), 27:41.17
   Teams: 1. Glebe 14, 2. Ashbury 89, 3. Béatrice-Desloges 102.

BOYS

Novice (4,000 metres)

1. Owen Siderus (Colonel By), 14:51.08
2. Charlie Mortimer (Hillcrest), 15:06.14
3. Kiran O’Hare (Glebe), 16:11.76
   
   Teams: 1. Colonel By 20, 2. Glebe 44, 3. Immaculata 74.

Junior (5,000 metres)

1. Daniel Cova (Louis-Riel), 18:42.88
2. Saul Taler (Glebe), 18:45.27
3. Russell Heins (Glebe), 18:57.65
   
   Teams: 1. Louis-Riel 29, 2. Immaculata 36, 3. Glebe 43.

Senior (6,000 metres)

1. Derek Strachan (Glebe), 22:46.18
2. Kiefer Melinz Dupuis (Glebe), 22:58.20
3. Adriano Padoin-Castillo (Immaculata), 23:00.94
   
   Teams: 1. Glebe 18, 2. Colonel By 74, 3. Immaculata 79.