1987 University of Victoria Women’s Cross Country
“It was nice to be part of a team that loved having so
much fun, yet were so passionate about what they did"
- Silverado Socrates
(Formerly Brenda Shackleton)
Roster
| NAME |
| Brenda Shackleton |
| Ulla Marquette (Hansen) |
| Robyn Meagher |
| Cathy Dargie |
| Trish Wellman |
| Beth Tarasuk |
| Liz Jones |
Ron Bowker (Head Coach)
Biography
The 1987 University of Victoria women’s cross country team had a magical year, defeating all comers to claim their ninth Canada West title and fourth Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union (CIAU) national banner. The women’s squad welcomed back many key runners including
Robyn Meagher, Cathy Dargie, Liz Jones and two-time CIAU athlete of the year,
Brenda Shackleton.
The Vikettes started their dominance at the Canada West championship meet hosted by the University of British Columbia (UBC). Head coach
Ron Bowker's were unbeatable on the day. In an outstanding performance, the Vikettes took home the top seven spots in the 5,250-metre race.
Ulla Marquette (Hansen)
(17:18.4) won the race, followed by Shackleton (17:34.5) silver, Meagher (17:54.6) bronze,
Trish Wellman (4
th)
, Dargie (5
th),
Beth Tarasuk (6
th) and Jones (7
th).
That outstanding sweep of the top-seven spots won the Vikettes their ninth 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, while Shackleton 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.
Marquette 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.
For the fourth time, third consecutive year, Bowker was honoured as CIAU coach of the year.
International Success
Many of the members of the women’s cross-country team competed in the spring season for the track and field team. Although many runners were middle-to-long distance runners, their team dynamic produced multiple records for Canada and the Vikes program. Robyn Meagher competed in the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympics running the 3000-metre event (29
th). She also competed in the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics where she ran in the 5000-metre race and finished 43
rd.
Brenda Shackleton (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. Alongside Shackleton’s accomplishments as a Vikette, she also successfully broke records running for Canada. At the 1985 Canadian Junior meet, Shackleton set a record of 9:12.84 in the 3-000 metre race, crushing the previous record by 10 seconds. Her record still stands today.
Following the 1988 cross-country season, Shackleton, Trish Fougner (nee Wellman), Robyn Meagher and Tania Jones competed in the 4x800-meter relay. That team shattered records, setting a time of 8 minutes and 41.6 seconds that lasted for 25 years.
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 Wellman |
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 Wellman |
17:06.9 |
Victoria |
| 7. |
Cathy Dargie |
17:16.1 |
Victoria |
| 10. |
Beth Tarasuk |
17:29.4 |
Victoria |
