Reddy leads Tigers at AUS-RSEQ Cross Country Meet
Michelle Reddy was the top AUS finisher at the AUS-RSEQ Interlock cross country meet Saturday afternoon in Fredericton, NB.
Source: Andy Campbell, UNB Athletics
(FREDERICTON, NB) The Laval Rouge et Or dominated Saturday's women's six kilometre AUS-RSEQ cross country race through Fredericton's Odell Park.
Laval runners swept the podium.
Laval's Anne-Marie Comeau finished first, in a time of 20:58, ahead of teammates Jesse Lacourse and Aureli Dube-Lavoie.
"It's a fast course, but it was hard," said Comeau. "I gave all of what I had and I'm happy with the win."
Michelle Reddy, of the Dalhousie Tigers, was the first Atlantic University Sport finisher. She ran fifth.
"I was a little intimidated with how fast they went out," said Reddy. "They kind of gapped me 50-metres off the start. Looking back, I should've taken the risk and gone with them, because it never really grew, it kind of stayed the same. I wish I'd taken the risk."
Dal's Savanna Jordan and Sophie Watts ran 6th and 7th, while Acadia's Katie Robinson was 8th.
Hannah Cormier was the top UNB Reds runner. She finished 44th overall.
"I knew there was going to be a lot of top runners, so I just tried to run my own race and thought of it more as an elite level AUS race, so that I knew where I should fit in," said Cormier.
Cormier was hoping for more, but believes she can improve heading into the season's most important period.
"Ideally, I'd be a little further up in the AUS conference races, but hopefully I'll keep progressing over the next couple of weeks, before the AUS championships."
Jean-Simon Desgagnes, of the Laval Rouge et Or, won Saturday's AUS/RSEQ interlock men's cross country race, through Fredericton's Odell Park.
Desgagnes covered the eight kilometre course in a time of 25:14, beating Angus Rawlings, of the St FX X-Men, by just four seconds.
Andrew Peverill, of the Saint Mary's Huskies, finished third in 25:28.
The X-Men's Alex Neuffer was fourth.
Peverill set a fast early pace, leading through the first four kilometres.
"We let him go a bit but we kept him in sight," said Desgagnes. "At four K, with the StFX guy, we caught him, then raced together. For the kick at the end, I knew they were there, but I just let it go."
"When we started going up the hill on the second lap, the Laval guy and I started chasing him down," said Rawlings. "After that it was kind of all on the gas for the next four kilometres."
Desgagnes and Rawlings traded the lead throughout the final two kilometres, with the Quebec runner winning a sprint to the finish line.
"I knew he had those wheels at the end, so I was trying to get rid of him before, and once he made that move past me I knew I wasn't going to catch him so I said to myself let's just hold on," said Rawlings.
Isaac Cull was the top UNB Reds finisher, running 24th overall. Cull finished in 27:05, 1:51 behind the winner.
"I think we could definitely have had a better performance than what we had today," said Cull. "We need to have a little bit more confidence in ourselves. It seemed like it wasn't there today. When it comes time for AUS, our confidence levels will be much better.
The AUS season continues Oct. 13th with the Universite de Moncton Invitational.
The Subway AUS Championship goes October 27th, in Halifax.