1994 University of Victoria Men’s Cross Country Team
“This was probably was the most memorable moment in my career…
the most satisfying part was the opportunity to work with this
enthusiastic and talented group of athletes.”
- Brent Fougner
Roster
| NAME |
| Neal Beattie |
| Sean Clark |
| Graham Cocksedge |
| Mark Creery |
| James Davison |
| Paul McArthur |
| James Morrison |
| Craig Odermatt |
| Jody Lee |
| Chad Pawson |
| Raymond Schmidt |
| Gord Thompson |
| Joe Wessel |
Brent Fougner (Head Coach)
Allen Johnston (Assistant Coach)
Biography
The University of Victoria men’s cross country team made in history in the 1994 season. Under the guidance of head coach Brent Fougner, the Vikes won their fourth Canada West Universities Athletic Association (CWUAA) championship and then went on to win the program's first ever Canadian Interuniversity Athlete Union (CIAU) National Championship.
Heading into the Canada West championships, hosted by the University of British Columbia, UVic was ranked No. 2 in the nation. Running on a 10-km course, the Vikes lived up to their high national ranking and were victorious over their competition, placing first overall with 29 points. Solid top-10 performances from
Graham Cocksedge (31:29)
, Neal Beattie (31.47)
, Jody Lee (31.58)
, Raymond Schmidt (32:12) and
Paul McCarthur (32:13) led the Vikes to the conference title. University of British Columbia finished second, 11 points behind UVic and University of Manitoba finished third with 78 points. Fougner was named Canada West coach of the year at the conclusion of the meet.
The team then travelled to London, ON for the 1994 CIAU national championships where they were on a collision with a University of Windsor Lancers team that had been ranked first all season. Competing on the Thames Valley Golf Course, Beattie led the Vikes by crossing the line in sixth-place, followed by Cocksedge who finished in seventh. McCarthur placed 10
th,
Craig Odermatt finished 12
th, Ooms-Lee in 14
th,
Chad Pawson in 17
th and Schmidt in 38
th. The top-five Vikes finishers saw UVic end the meet with 49 points, giving them victory over Windsor by a mere two points for the first national title in program history. Fougner was also honoured as the CIAU coach of the year.
“There were no standouts from the Vikes, just complete chemistry and consistency throughout the season…Our strength is that we have a lot of depth. When we win, we do so as a team,” said Fougner on the team. The 1994 championship victory ignited a four year reign for the Victoria men's cross country team.
.
Season Summary
Canada West Universities Athletic Association: GOLD (1
st)
Team Results
| RANK |
SCHOOL |
POINTS |
| 1. |
Victoria |
29 |
| 2. |
UBC |
40 |
| 3. |
Manitoba |
78 |
| 4. |
Alberta |
111 |
| 5. |
Saskatchewan |
169 |
| 6. |
Lethbridge |
220 |
UVic Individual Results
| RANK |
SCHOOL |
TIME |
| 3. |
Graham Cocksedge |
31:29 |
| 4. |
Neal Beattie |
31:47 |
| 5. |
Jody Ooms-Lee |
31:58 |
| 8. |
Raymond Schmidt |
32.12 |
| 9. |
Paul McCarthur |
31:13 |
Canada West Coach of the Year: Brent Fougner
Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union Championship: GOLD (1
st)
| RANK |
SCHOOL |
POINTS |
| 1. |
Victoria |
49 (6-7-10-12-14) |
| 2. |
Windsor |
51 (2-3-11-15-20) |
| 3. |
Western |
85 (8-13-18-19-27) |
| 4. |
McGill |
98 (4-5-16-33-40) |
| 5. |
UBC |
125 (21-22-25-26-31) |
CIAU Coach of the Year: Brent Fougner
