(PHOTO BY ANDREW DOBROWOLSKYJ)

LONDON, Ont. - Sarah McCuaig guided the McGill Martlets to a fourth-place finish of 14 teams overall at the 36th annual Western International cross-country meet held at the Thames Valley Golf Course, Saturday.

McMaster captured the women's title, while the No. 1 seeded Eastern Michigan Eagles won the men's title, placing three of the top four runners. McGill's men placed 10th overall on a day which runners experienced cool, overcast weather with blustery head winds on a challenging, hilly course.

McCuaig, a 20-year-old science sophomore from Waterloo, Ont., came in eighth of 122 runners overall, completing the five-kilometre course in 18 minutes, 25 seconds. McMaster's Jessica Pearo won the women's division with a time of 17:15.Pearo caught Guelph's Rachel Cliff (2nd overall, 17:26), who had been leading from the start, in the final kilometre and won by 11 seconds for victory. Stephanie MacNeill of McMaster grabbed the third podium spot in 18:04.

Other top Martlets who factored in the team scoring, in order of finish, included junior Charlene Puel, a native of France, who placed 15th overall and was clocked in 18:50, plus sophomores Madeleine Cummings (18th, 18:53) of Toronto and Aimee Castro (37th, 19:35) of Hamilton, Ont., in addition to senior Catherine Drouin-Audet (42nd, 19:44) of Repentigny, Que.

"Our top three women ran well and just need to help the others in the top five improve," said long-time McGill head coach Dennis Barrett. "We also have a couple runners back home who are injured (Gina Pinsonnault-Bilodeau and Holly Stewart)."

In the men's race, a 10k loop, Guelph's Ross Proudfoot made a move to come from behind to win the individual title in 31:50, beating runner-up Terefe Ejigu of Eastern Michigan (31:56), the leader for most of the race, by six seconds. Eastern Michigan's Matt Hammersmith placed third with a time of 32:07.

McGill's top finisher was Daniel Kramer, a junior from Swampscott, Mass., who finished 49th in 34:33. Rounding out the Redmen scorers were four newcomers, including Oliver Foster (51st, 34:37) of Toronto, Ian Forbes (66th, 35:31) of Fredericton, U of T transfer Liu Liu (69th, 35:56) of Brampton, Ont., and Tyler Lorenz (73rd, 36:33) of Foxborough, Mass.

"We have a very young men's team and will need to find some young guns like the kid that won the meet today from Guelph," said Barrett. "We also have a couple runners on the shelf with injuries (Devon Labuik and Jaan Grondahl)."

With two non-conference meets under their belts now, McGill will now focus on their Quebec conference competition, begininning with the Laval Open on the Plains of Abraham, Oct. 9.

SOURCE:
Earl Zukerman
Communications Officer
Athletics & Recreation
McGill University
514-398-7012 (tel.)
www.mcgill.ca/athletics
m.athletics.mcgill.ca (mobile website)
earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca