VICTORIA, B.C. – Although failing to usurp the nation's title from the Guelph Gryphon's CIS Championship-winning dynasty, the University of Victoria Vikes men's cross country eked out their third consecutive Canada West title at this year's CIS Championship hosted by Western University in London, Ont.
2012 CIS CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS /
2012 CANADA WEST RESULTS
The Vikes men had an exceptional season heading into the Championship, earning three team titles in as many races and ranking second in the nation on the CIS Top Ten poll. Unfortunately, it was a challenging race for the UVic squad and they raced to a fourth-place team finish in the CIS Championship.
Coming in ninth in a field of 130 runners,
Dylan Haight (Victoria, BC) failed to best last year's eighth-place finish but claimed silver medal honours in the Canada West conference race.
Ryan Cassidy (Grande-Digue, NB) crossed the line just behind Haight for a tenth-place CIS finish and a third-place Canada West finish. Both men won Second Team All-Canadian honours as well as Canada West First Team All-Star status.
Fourth-year
Doug Oxland (Nanaimo, BC) finished the race 21
st in the CIS and 6
th in Canada West to be named a Canada West First Team All-Star while
Thomas Riva (Qualicum, BC) and
Forrest Simpson (Nanaimo, B.C.) rounded out the crew of scorers with CIS finishes of 42
nd and 54
th and 11
th and 14
th in Canada West, respectively. Both Riva and Simpson earned Canada West Second Team All-Star honours.
“It was a tough course and today just wasn't our day,” said head coach of the Vikes men's cross country team,
Brent Fougner. “They battled up front but unfortunately the gap between our one to five runners was just not good enough for a medal.”
The final meet of the season for the University of Victoria Vikes men's cross country team will be the Canadian Championships, Nov. 24, in Vancouver, B.C.
