This week’s Flashback Friday goes to the 2002-03 AUS championship winning men’s cross country team.

Back Row (L-R): Al Yarr (Assistant Coach), Mike Wadel, Brain Barkhouse, Louis Brill, Ryan Salsbury, Phil Duguay, Tyson Dyck, Stanley Chaisson, Matt Sheffield, Dan Hennigar (Head Coach).
Front Row (L-R): Tim Gillespie, Nicholas McBride, Scott Simpson, Paul Chafe.

The 2002-03 season opened on a high note. Matt Sheffield led a Tigers squad to place all seven of their runners in the top thirteen spots. After the first meet the Tigers sat comfortably in first place with a thirty-point victory over second-place UNB. The Tigers continued to dominate at the next three conference competitions, earning top three overall rankings in every meet they competed.

Heading into the AUS championship and buoyed by the regular season success, the Tigers set the goal of winning the team title. Scott Simpson led the way, and won the meet easily, defeating three-time All-Canadian Eric Gillis by almost a minute and a half. Dalhousie’s Sheffield and Paul Chafe finished third and fourth, respectively. Each of Dalhousie’s seven finished in the top 12, giving the Tigers the conference title in a landslide victory. By the end of the championship Dalhousie had four runners awarded with all-conference honours. 

Having dominated the conference the Tigers next key competition focus was to make their mark nationally. Heading into the CIS Championships, Simpson once again led the way for the Tigers. The highest placing finisher for the Tigers, Scott ran admirably, earning a fourth-place finish and first team all-Canadian honours. The Tigers finished the CIS championship in seventh out of twenty-three teams represented.

With the conclusion of the 2002-03 season, several Tigers were rewarded for their hard work. Scott Simpson, Matt Sheffield, Paul Chafe, Brian Barkhouse, Stanley Chaisson, Mike Wadel and Nicholas McBride were all named AUS all-stars.

The 2017-18 edition of the men’s cross country team looks to challenge for the AUS title on October 28 as they travel to Acadia for the conference championship.