Written by Thomas Scott

The Dalhousie Tigers achieved national success this season and won a gold medal at the AUS Championship for an individual victory.

The Tigers kicked off the season with a second-place finish at the STFX Invitational early in September. Jacob Benoit captured a first-place finish in his first race as a Tiger with a time of 26:57. Nick Robertson placed seventh with a time of 28:15, and Maksym Pokotylets finished ninth with a time of 28:27.

Later in the month, the Tigers won the Acadia Invitational. Benoit once again finished first with a time of 26:31. Aidan Goslett captured third place, Lukas Rudaitis placed sixth, and Robertson captured eighth. Dal’s total time on the day was 2:16:19.

The University of New Brunswick Invitational was a big test for the Tigers, featuring schools from the RSEQ. Benoit again placed first among the Tigers, finishing the race in sixth. He completed the race in 26:01.

At the AUS Championship, Benoit was incredible once again, winning gold, running a time of 25:34, and beating second place by 14 seconds. 

“It felt like I was working towards that for a long time, and I feel like getting that victory helped me going into U SPORTS,” says Benoit.

The Tigers finished third with an average time of 27:38. Nick Robertson placed 14th and made the Second Team All-Star Team. Robertson completed the race with a time of 27:24.

To cap off the year, Dal headed to nationals, hosted by the Western Mustangs in London, Ontario. Benoit placed fourth with a time of 24:42. Benoit made first-team all-Canadian for his performance at nationals, the first Tiger to do so since 2015. Benoit’s fourth-place finish is the highest a Tiger has placed in nationals since Paul Chafe won bronze in 2005.

Transferring from STFX, Benoit immediately felt welcomed wearing the black and gold. The team gelled on and off the course.

“It really makes a big difference because you guys learn to go through all the hardships together,” says Benoit. “There's been days when someone else is having a bad practice, and you give them a pat on the back.” Jacob Benoit would go on to be named the team MVP and Liam Elliott the Tiger of the year. Head Coach Rich Lehman was named Dalhousie’s Coach of the Year. Pokotylets earned his three-year D this season. Rudaitis, Nick Robertson and Harmon Grimshaw-Surette are all graduating after this season.