DEBOER, LEINWEBER WIN AT OCAA CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS

MOUNT HOPE, Ont. - Conestoga College's Dianne Deboer (Guelph) and Fanshawe College's Alex Leinweber (London) won their respective races at the 2025 Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) Cross Country Championships on Saturday.

The event was hosted by Mohawk College at Marydale Park in Mount Hope, Ont. Fifty-two runners crossed the finish line in the women's six kilometre race, while 57 completed the men's eight kilometre run.

Deboer won the women's race in a time of 21:56, eleven seconds faster than runner-up Taylor Kampen (Richmond Hill) of Seneca Polytechnic. Catherine Irwin (Kingston) of Humber Polytechnic took the bronze medal in a time of 22:28.

Last year's champion, Mette Siemens (Saskatoon, Sask.) of Sheridan College, was one position short of the podium with a time of 23:22.

It is Deboer's first OCAA medal in five attempts. Deboer's best previous finish at provincials was sixth in 2023, with Top 10 finishes the past four years. Deboer is the first-ever runner from Conestoga to win the women's race, and the first since Jason Smith won back-to-back men's races in 2009 and 2010.

For Kampen, it marks consecutive OCAA individual silver medals. Irwin is now a three-time OCAA individual medalist with a complete set, winning gold 2021 and silver the following year, both while at St. Lawrence College.

Irwin did not go home without a gold, however, as the Humber Hawks won the women's team banner with their top four runners accumulating 39 points. The Fanshawe Falcons placed second with 44 points, and the Mohawk Mountaineers were awarded the bronze with 47 points. Points are awarded by an individual's placement, excluding runners whose schools do not have a complete team.

Leinweber won the men's race in a time of 24:49, twenty-three seconds ahead of fellow first-year runner Brendan Currie (LaSalle) of St. Clair College. Conestoga's Nathan Paul (Kitchener), a third-year veteran, fell just short of the sliver medal, winning bronze in a time of 25:15.

Leinweber follows in the footsteps of Matt Talbot, who won gold for Fanshawe last year. Currie wins St. Clair's first individual medal in three years. Paul is the first student-athlete from Conestoga to reach the men's individual podium since the aforementioned Smith. Mohawk's Blaise Uglow (Schomberg) and Gavin Mathieson (Cayuga) finished fourth and fifth, respectively, both crossing under 26 minutes.

Mohawk celebrated a second OCAA men's team championship in three years. Four Mountaineers placed in the Top 9 to give Mohawk 26 points, 20 more than runner-up St. Clair. Fanshawe finished in third place with 58.

Runners represented a dozen Ontario post-secondary campuses, including Cambrian College, Conestoga, Confederation College, Fanshawe, Humber, Lambton College, Wilfrid Laurier University Brantford, Loyalist College, Mohawk, St. Clair, Seneca and Sheridan.

The top OCAA individuals and teams advance to the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association Cross Country National Championships in Brookvale, P.E.I., on Nov. 8.

Webcast: www.ocaa.com/live

Championship Results: results.raceroster.com

- OCAA -

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