Posted: December 7, 2004

Athletics: Ottawa Lions Take On The Nation

From: Scott MacDonald

The Ottawa Lions Track & Field Club took on the nation on the weekend at Toronto's Sunnybrook Park and came away with plenty of hardware. The Lions sent 19 athletes to Saturday's National Cross Country Running Championships, and returned with 2 team medals, 3 individual medals, and 2 berths on Canada's National Team.

Lead by Katie Engel (7th) and Danelle Woods' (9th) top 10 finishes, the Junior Girls (under 20) team of Engel, Woods, Tess Acton, Jennie Biewald, Kayla Robinson, Heather Bijman, and Elly Robertson combined to win the National Championship by 16 points over South Simcoe Dufferin (Barrie, Ontario) and the Toronto Olympic Club. The victory was especially impressive after Acton fell in the early going, forcing her to fight her way back through the field.

For the third year in a row, Katie Engel qualified for the National Junior Team. This will be her first time making the trip since last year, a burst appendix kept her home, and the previous year, she was too young to be selected. Katie will head to France for the World Championships in March. Danelle Woods also qualified, but is underage, and will not be permitted to compete this year.

On the Junior Boys side, Mike Woods (Danelle's older brother) won the official National Championship despite finishing second to Quebec's Jean-Claude Nduwingoma (he is not a Canadian citizen). Woods' finish, combined with great efforts by Allan Brett (16th), Travis Holmes, Scott Miller, Adam Lewandowski, Thom Palmer, and Doug O'hearn earned the Lions a Silver Medal, finishing just 9 points behind the team from Dartmouth Athletics (Nova Scotia). Woods qualified for the World Championships for the second straight year, but as a freshman at the University of Michigan, he is unsure whether or not he will be able to make the trip.

The other individual medals for the Ottawa Lions came in the masters races, where Andre Okenge and Suzanne Egan each finished second in their age categories. Okenge lead into the wind for much of the race, finishing 5th overall in the 8 km race. Congratulations to all of the competitors, and also to coaches Ray Elrick, Vince Fay, Ian Clark, and Gilles Lamenoise.

For additional results, check www.rrresults.com.