A cross-country crap kicking

By Dale Miller

There weren’t many hills, but the Dinos cross-country team still managed to win by a landslide at the University of Saskatchewan Open, Oct. 4-5.


"We had a good start," mused Assistant Coach Doug Lamont. "We basically went to Saskatchewan and beat four of our Canada West rivals–this puts us in good standing, but I’m still guardedly optimistic."


This year, the U of S Open consisted of 11 teams, including the host Huskies, the University of Alberta, the University of Regina, and the University of Manitoba, creating tough competition for both the men and women.


The men–who brought 16 runners–won their 8 km event with 50 points besting the U of A’s 62. This was Nathan Kendrick’s first event since his foot injury last fall, making his second place finish all the more impressive. Aaron Swanson, Brad Hove and Stewart Aune also put forth stellar efforts, finishing fourth, tenth and twelfth, respectively. The result launched the men from fifth to third in the national rankings.


"We won this event last year, so the men are in about the same condition," stated Lamont. "The women, on the other hand, are stronger–they’ve really matured as a group."


The women, who were 18 strong, spanked the Regina Harriers by 18 points, dominating every inch of their 5 km course. Shannon Slater stepped up as usual, taking second place, while cross-country rookies Sabrina Harper and Heather Sim placed fifth and sixth, respectively.