The return to school after Labour Day each year is a ritual that many students dread. Yet for more than 50 Collingwood Collegiate Institute (CCI) student athletes, the fall means cross-country running season, and they couldn’t be happier.
Making the most of their after-school practice time on the local trails, the Owls have made it clear they plan to make 2018 one of the most successful seasons in recent memory.
At the mid-point of the season, the Black and Gold have established themselves as the top overall team in the Georgian Bay Race Series, which features competitors from Alliston to South River. After races in Wasaga Beach and Huntsville, the CCI trail runners have amassed the highest overall point total when all six race divisions are combined. In addition, five of the six teams placed in the top 10 at the Dundas Valley Invitational that featured the top runners in all of Ontario.
Leading the way for CCI is a great crew of Midget Girls paced by Hailey Abbott but closely followed by Maddie Calder, Leah Ray, Meghan Howell, Leah McGladdery, Jamie Korpi, Marin Hurley, and Tanyss Taylor. This is a tight knit group as they have made a habit of placing five runners in the top 10 of the series races. In addition, this squad notched a CCI first as they were the champions of the pre-OFSAA Dundas Valley Invitational which featured most of the best Grade 9 runners and teams in all of Ontario. They presently sit first in the league standings with Abbott being the top individual runner and four other CCI Midgets are ranked in the top 10.
The other female Owls clearly have no plans to be outdone as the Junior Girls and Senior Girls teams are also sitting in first place positions at the mid-point of the series. Led by Lucy Kraychyk, Emma Cornell and Kendal Lockhart, the Junior Girls look to finish strong as they prepare for the upcoming GBSSA Championships. Rounding out this solid squad is Isabel Lewin, Hannah Rydlo, Monica Foley, and Kate Marshman.
The Seniors, paced by top overall individual Anna Carruthers, also look to sharpen their focus as they attempt to capture a GBSSA title later this month. Sofie Ohrling, Sanna Huyssen, Ali McMullin, Sarah Foster, and Anna Foley certainly will be the team everyone will be looking to chase down for those top honours.
On the guys’ side, the results have also been impressive as the Midgets have raced their way to a tie at the top of the standings. Taiga Young, Jack Garbutt, Ben Cornell, Oliver Goode, Jared Hodgkinson, Will Carruthers, Andrew Chisholm, Grayden Pearson, and Braxton Dickey have all made contributions to this season’s success.
The Juniors have picked up where they left off last year as they have raced to first place in the Series standings. This deep line-up features a solid team pack made up of James McCulloch, Sage Fry, Josh Fagan, Cole Mitchell, Oliver Czerny, Matt Hammond, Campbell MacLean, Finn Ready, Kai Cockerill, and Liam Jackson-Hoag. They too look ready to grab a top placing at the GBSSA Championships.
The Senior Boys sit fourth at the mid-season mark adding valuable points to the overall team total. Up against an incredibly strong group of Senior Boys teams, the boys in Black and Gold have battled hard led by Jake Korpi, Jack Czerny, Will Hurley, and Greg Phillips.
It has been a remarkable first half of the season and the Owls look to cap things off with an equally strong series finish and GBSSA Championships before taking on Ontario’s best at OFSAA in Dundas on Nov. 2 and 3.
