OCAA CROSS COUNTRY RUNNERS READY TO HIT GROUND RUNNING

LONDON, Ont. - Cross country runners in the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) return to the scene of their last meet on Saturday at Fanshawe College's 15th Annual Cross Country Invitational.

The course at the Fanshawe Conservation Area was host to last year's OCAA cross country championships. The Fanshawe Falcons continued their recent dominance at the provincial level, winning their third consecutive overall team championship. The women's team also three-peated, while the men's team won its second OCAA banner in as many years. Both teams are also defending national champions.

Saturday's women's 5 km and men's 8 km race will be a litmus test for returning OCAA student-athletes to see what gains if any they made during the off-season. OCAA bronze medalist Sean Sweeney of George Brown is looking to improve on his time of 26:19 last October. Sweeney's rival, two-time OCAA men's individual champion Jason Smith will not return to Conestoga this season, providing an opportunity for a new champion to emerge.

Nathaniel Green of Humber fell just short of an individual medal at last year's provincials with a fifth-place time of 26:56, and will be in the mix for a podium position this season. Cambrian's Eric Leighman was consistently in the Top 10 in 2010, and will look to improve on his ninth place time of 27:39 at the OCAA championship.

George Brown earned a men's team silver last season, and has a key recruit in its quest for a women's title this year. Erika Houde-Pearce was an OCAA individual bronze medalist with Fanshawe in 2010, and will no doubt has familiarity with the course on Saturday as she runs for her new school for the first time.

Also competing for a new school is Grace Hartman, formerly of the University of St. Francis in Joliet, Ill. and now of the St. Clair Saints. Hartman qualified for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) cross country championships and has run a 5 km time of 18:33. To put that mark in perspective, Liliane Sparkes of Fanshawe won her second straight OCAA women's individual championship with a time of 18:53 last year.

The opening race of the cross country calendar means the debut of other first-time OCAA student-athletes. Garrett Hookey, who competed in Ironman Canada last November, has been training with Georgian for over a year and will make his debut on Saturday. Hometown product Steve Pittman of St. Clair was a member of five Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) cross country team championships. Hassan Ishaq and Brandon Richardson will also make their OCAA debuts with Mohawk and Redeemer, respectively.

In the women's race, Jessica Medved finished in the Top 25 at OFSAA as a junior and will compete for St. Clair. Julie Koopmans will run her first OCAA race with Redeemer while both Amy Walcott and Jackie Siemon will do likewise for Humber.

Two-time men's individual champion Dave Sharratt of Conestoga makes his return to the OCAA, albeit as a head coach this time around. Between Sharratt and Smith, the last four OCAA men's champions have been Condors.

This is one of two warm-up events leading into the 2011 OCAA cross country championships. Fleming College hosts its meet in Peterborough, Ont. on Oct. 15, two weeks prior to provincials hosted by St. Lawrence College in Kingston, Ont. on Oct. 29.

- OCAA -

ABOUT ONTARIO COLLEGES ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION

The Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) is a recognized leader in intercollegiate athletics in the province, dedicated to student athlete and sport development. The OCAA has 31 members sponsoring 16 league and tournament championships.

For additional information please contact:
Josh Bell-Webster
Marketing and Communications
Ontario Colleges Athletic Association
Tel: 416-426-7041
Fax: 416-426-7308
E-mail: bell-webster@ocaa.com