The 1987 University of Victoria women’s cross country team had a magical season, sweeping the Top 7 spots at the Canada West championships and nearly doing the same at nationals en route to claiming both the Canada West University Athletics Association (CWUAA) and the Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union (CIAU) banners.
The Vikettes came into the season as the two-time defending conference and national champions and boasted a roster that featured three athletes: Silverado Socrates (formerly Brenda Shackleton), Cathy Dargie and Liz Jones, that were a part of all three championship-winning teams.
Joining those three veterans were Robyn Meagher and Trish Fougner (nee Wellmann) who were champions the year before as well as Ulla Hansen and Beth Tarasuk.
The dominance started at the Canada West championship meet hosted by the University of British Columbia (UBC). The team was unbeatable on the day. In an outstanding performance, the Vikettes took home the top seven spots in the race. Hansen won the race (17:18.4), followed by Socrates (17:34.5) for silver, Meagher (17:54.6) for bronze, Wellmann (4th)
, Dargie (5th), Tarasuk (6th) and Jones (7th).
That outstanding sweep of the Top 7 spots won the Vikettes their 9th Canada West title with a conference-record low and perfect score of 15 points. UBC finished second with 59 points, followed by the University of Saskatchewan who finished third with 68 points.
At the CIAU national championships, the Vikettes won the combined team championship title on their home course, at Beacon Hill Park, while Socrates also won her third-consecutive individual CIAU gold medal. The team's combined scoring total of 18 points shattered the previous CIAU record of 25 points set by Western Ontario in 1982. The cross country scoring system combines the scores of the first five finishers and in their two championship meets throughout the year, the Vikettes were just three points away from a perfect score for their entire season.
Hansen finished 19 seconds behind Shackleton for the silver medal. Meagher placed fifth with a time of 16:48.1, followed by Wellman in sixth, Dargie in seventh and Tarasuk who rounded out the top 10.
Roster
Silverado Socrates (formerly Brenda Shackleton)
Ulla Hansen
Robyn Meagher
Cathy Dargie
Trish Fougner (nee Wellmann)
Beth Tarasuk
Liz Jones
UVic Achievements:
- 1987 Canada West Champions
(3rd straight year)
- 1987 CIAU National Champions
(3rd straight year)
- Swept top-seven places at Canada West Championships
- Six runners in the top-10 at CIAU Nationals
- Silverado Socrates was honoured with almost every award possible in her time as a Vikette runner. She was rookie of the year, athlete of the year for 3 straight seasons, CIAU All-Star and All-Canadian.
Awards:
- Canada West gold medallist: Ulla Hansen
- Canada West silver medallist: Silverado Socrates
- Canada West bronze medallist: Robyn Meagher
- CIAU gold medallist: Silverado Socrates
(3rd straight year)
- CIAU silver medallist: Ulla Hansen
International Achievements:
Robyn Meagher: 1992 Barcelona Olympics 29th in the 3000-metre 1996 Atlanta Olympics 43rd in the 5000-metre
Brenda Shackleton (Silverado Socrates): Canadian U20 record holder 3000-metres (9:12.84)
1987 Season Summary
Canada West Team Results at University British Columbia
| Place |
Team |
Points |
| 1. |
Victoria |
15 |
| 2. |
British Columbia |
59 |
| 3. |
Saskatchewan |
68 |
Canada West Top 10 Individual Results
| Place |
Athlete |
School |
Time |
| 1. |
Ulla Marquette (Hansen) |
Victoria |
17:18.4 |
| 2. |
Brenda Shackleton |
Victoria |
17:43.5 |
| 3. |
Robyn Meagher |
Victoria |
17:54.6 |
| 4. |
Trish Wellmann |
Victoria |
18:25.7 |
| 5. |
Cathy Dargie |
Victoria |
18:39.8 |
| 6. |
Beth Tarasuk |
Victoria |
18:46.8 |
| 7. |
Liz Jones |
Victoria |
18:57.8 |
| 8. |
Cara Haddenden |
British Columbia |
19:18.1 |
| 9. |
Yolande Boyer |
Saskatchewan |
19:26.1 |
| 10. |
Lisa Parrish |
British Columbia |
19:55.4 |
CIAU Results at McGill University, Quebec
| PLACE |
NAME |
TIME |
SCHOOL |
| 1. |
Brenda Shackleton |
16:03 |
Victoria |
| 2. |
Ulla Marquette (Hansen) |
16:22.9 |
Victoria |
| 3. |
Sandra Anschuetz |
16:30.4 |
Western Ontario |
| 4. |
Paula Schnurr |
16:39.8 |
McMaster |
| 5. |
Robyn Meagher |
16:48.1 |
Victoria |
| 6. |
Trish Wellmann |
17:06.9 |
Victoria |
| 7. |
Cathy Dargie |
17:16.1 |
Victoria |
| 10. |
Beth Tarasuk |
17:29.4 |
Victoria |
