Marauders cross country soars to podium finishes at final regular season meet 

C/O McMaster Sports, Muad Shoots

Gold and bronze performances at Bayfront Open have McMaster’s cross-country teams ready to take on playoffs  

McMaster’s cross country teams completed their regular season on Oct. 14 at the Marauder Bayfront Open in Hamilton. Competing on home territory, both the men and women’s teams had exceptional outings at their eight kilometre races, coming in first and third place respectively.  

Heading into the meet the Marauders boasted high positions atop the U SPORTS top ten cross country power rankings for Oct. 11. Fueled by first place efforts at the Western Invitational and Don Mills Open, the men’s team took their competition by storm, totaling 89 voting points to put McMaster ahead of the pack. Coming in third and fourth at the London and Waterloo meets respectively, the women’s team pulled into fifth with 49 points for their performance.  

Backed by the Sep. 28 U SPORTS player of the week, Max Turek’s first place run and time of 23:47.2 led the men’s team to complete control of the race. Closing out the spots behind Turek, McMaster swept the podium following strong efforts from Andrew Davies and Dylan Alick. Just nine seconds off Alick’s time of 24:06.5, Alex Drover’s fourth place showing gave the Marauders the top four overall runners for the men’s event.  

Coming in eighth place for his run, Sam Nusselder rounded out the team’s qualified scorers for the race. With multiple graduating players on the roster, including the top five at the Bayfront Open, Nusselder highlighted the men’s desire to make the most of the year while the current core stayed intact.  

“This is kind of like the last dance in a way for us before we all graduate and move onto other things. [The team’s] just trying to finish off the season how we’d hoped for and leave behind something we can remember,” said Nusselder.  

Good for 38 points ahead of the second place Queen’s Gaels, the men’s total score of 18 was yet another display of their continued season dominance.  

For the women’s team, their top scorer, Rosalyn Barrett, finished the race in seventh after completing the run in 29:22.9. Three other Marauders, Hannah Goodjohn (13th), Sarah Nolan (18th) and Kaitlyn Treleaven (19th), pulled into the top twenty with impressive runs for the team. Together, their combined score of 81 helped McMaster to a third place finish.  

Lead runner Sadie-Jane Hickson and her time of 28:44.3 allowed the Guelph Gryphons to secure first place in the race with an impressive 31 point total. Coming in behind Hickson, Western athletes Sophie Coutts and Anna Carruthers closed out the podium for the women’s event. Their efforts helped to lift the Mustangs into second place with 36 points.  

Per Goodjohn, the women’s team will experience a roster change similar to the men next year, including the loss of Emma Waddington, Olivia Macaskill, and Nolan, the team captain. Despite the turnover, Goodjohn showed confidence in the younger members of the team to continue their development and fulfill larger roles next year.   

“From the younger runners, I’ve seen a lot of them come into it and succeed within the program. There’s always that period of adjustment. . . Even through that struggle period, they still manage to succeed and excel,” explained Goodjohn.  

Both teams will look to capture gold as they take on the Ontario University Athletics championships on Oct. 29 at Western’s Thames Valley Golf Course. Following the contest, they will head off to the Brunello Golf Course in Halifax to compete at the U SPORTS championships for their final event of the year. 

While only seven runners will be selected for the playoff races, Nusselder applauded all of his teammates for their display of commitment and dedication throughout the season.  

“It’s always just amazing to see how many people are still really involved with everything. We might only race seven, but a lot more than seven go into training with the group that races,” said Nusselder.  

With three meets now in the books, both cross country teams are primed for big performances as they venture into the championships.