By Troy Langstaff
The Dalhousie Tigers men’s cross country team came into the season looking to claim back-to-back AUS banners for the first time since the 2003 and 2004 seasons.
The group posted team finishes of second, fourth and second in the three invitational meets leading up to the AUS championship. With 10 AUS banners of their own since 2010 StFX was their biggest competition. Head coach Rich Lehman also believed UNB could be a sneaky threat, so a strong team performance was needed for the Tigers to retain the title of AUS champions.
2021 Men's Cross Country Photo Gallery
The Tigers had a strong core that featured second-years Will Cox and Aidan Goslett, third-year Nick Robertson and fourth-year Hudson Grimshaw-Surette. It was evident throughout the first three meets of the year that these runners could finish in any combination during a race which posed a challenge for other teams with only one or two consistent athletes.
“We knew from training sessions that we were very solid from one to five and that the order could and would switch depending on the course, weather, etc.,” explained Lehman. “It's nice to know that with a championship on the line we can rely on any one of those five guys to get the job done.”
The Tigers battled all year long with the X-Men which made for an exciting day at the AUS championship at the end of October.
The end of the race would see Dalhousie and StFX runners combine to take seven of the top ten finishing positions, but it was the Tigers that had the better results giving them their second-straight AUS banner.
Leading the way for Dalhousie was Cox who took the bronze. Robertson, Grimshaw-Surette, and Daniel Rosen finished sixth through eighth, while Goslett finished in 12th rounding out the top five scorers for the team. Harmon Grimshaw-Surette and Alex Freeman were 14th and 22nd, respectively.
Cox, Robertson and Hudson Grimshaw-Surette earned AUS all-star honours for their performances.
Three weeks later, the team headed to Quebec to take part in the U SPORTS championship hosted by l’Université de Laval.
It was once again Cox who led the charge for the Tigers, finishing 30th with a time of 25:43. Goslett had a very impressive race, clocking in with a time 25:53 which was good for 39th. Grimshaw-Surette was just one second behind him in 40th, while Robertson also finished in the top 50, crossing the line in 47th position.
The Tigers had been ranked just inside the top 10 in Canada all year long and stepped it up at the national championship to earn a very respectable seventh-place team finish.
There are still some decisions to be made on next year’s team, but if the Tigers have some of the veteran runners return, Lehman believes the group could be quite dangerous.
“There are still a couple of things up in the air…. if we have all of them back, I believe we're a national medal threat next year.”
2021-22 Men's Cross Country Award Winners
Team MVP - Will Cox
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| Tiger of the Year Alec Freeman |
3 Year D |
Tigers Assist Emily Clarke |