Jordan, Heubach and Cormier to join Tigers this fall

(Halifax, N.S.) - Dalhousie cross country and track and field head coach Rich Lehman is pleased to announce the commitment of Savanna Jordan, Lorena Heubach and Hannah Cormier to the 2017-18 lineup.

A middle-distance runner, Savanna Jordan comes to the Tigers after successful high school and provincial team careers.

Jordan led Alberta’s provincial cross country team to a third-place national finish after a gold medal performance in the U18 4km race at the 2016 Canadian Cross Country Championships. She earned Alberta’s youth female cross country athlete of the year honours as a result.

The Calgary, A.B. native is the reigning Alberta High School and Alberta Athletics club cross country champion. She also won both the 800m and 1500m races at the Alberta High School track and field championships in grades 10 and 11. William Aberhart High School’s two-time track and field team MVP, she was selected as their female athlete of the year at the end of the 2016 season.

“I am excited for the opportunity to compete at the next level,” says Jordan. “I look forward to being a part of the Tigers positive training environment and to race for Dalhousie.”

An honours student, Jordan will begin her studies in kinesiology this fall.

“Savanna is the type of middle-distance runner that you can build a program around,” says Lehman. “She has run 2:13 for 800m and has proven that she can race well at any distance. We're thrilled to have her commit to Dalhousie.”

Another middle-distance runner, Hannah Cormier joins Jordan to compete on both the cross country and track and field teams.

A member of Fredericton High School’s cross country team since her grade 10 year, Cormier earned a second-place finish at the regional cross country championship this past season before placing fourth at the New Brunswick Interscholastic Athletic Association (NBIAA) provincial championship. In 2015, she was first and third at the regional and provincial championships, respectively.

A native of Fredericton, N.B., Cormier also competes for the FHS track and field team and was first in the 800m and second in the 1500m events at last year’s NBIAA provincial championships.

“I am excited to meet new people and train with a great team,” says Cormier. “I’m looking forward to improving as a runner in a challenging new environment.”

The recipient of the Black Kat Scholar award, Cormier will graduate with honours this June and will begin to pursue a degree in Kinesiology in September.

“I've had the opportunity to watch Hannah compete in New Brunswick for a number of years now and I think she will fit in perfectly with our current group,” says Lehman. “She has impressive range on the track and in cross country and is a very tough racer.”

Joining Jordan and Cormier on the track and field team is heptathlete Lorena Heubach.

A member of the Annapolis West Education Centre (AWEC) track and field team since grade 10, Heubach won the 200m and triple jump events at last year’s Nova Scotia School Athletic Federation (NSSAF) provincial championships. She also had silver medal performances in the long and high jump events and placed fifth in both the 100m and 400m sprints. AWEC’s 2016 female track athlete of the year, she currently holds the triple and high jump records in her school district.

The Annapolis Royal resident also competes for South West Nova Athletics and earned a silver in the triple jump, bronze in both the long jump and 200m, and fourth in the high jump at last year’s Athletics Nova Scotia (ANS) provincial championships.

“I’m very excited to be part of a group of people that share my love of track and field,” says Heubach. “Track and field has had a big impact on my life as a high school student-athlete and I couldn’t be happier to continue to compete while continuing my education.”

An honours student, Heubach will receive both a J and W Foundation and an entrance scholarships to begin her studies in science this September.

“Lorena was the most impressive athlete at the Nova Scotia high school provincials last year,” says Lehman. “I'm excited to have a combined events athlete of her calibre in our program again.” 

The Tigers won their fourth-consecutive cross country and 28^th consecutive track and field AUS conference championships this past season.