On Nov. 4, distance runner Ian McAllister from London, Ont. etched his identify within the historical past books on the 2023 Ontario Top College XC Championships (OFSAA XC), held at Toronto’s Centennial Park. He received his moment consecutive OFSAA XC identify.
McAllister’s moment instantly victory used to be historical, as he changed into most effective the twelfth runner since 1957 to win two consecutive Ontario highschool XC titles. His fulfillment puts him in an unique membership, along Canadian operating legends akin to Moh Ahmed, Kevin Sullivan and Bruce Kidd, who’ve additionally achieved this uncommon feat.
Closing yr, McAllister received the senior boys identify in a tightly contested picture end. This yr, dealing with the problem of shielding his identify, McAllister delivered every other stellar efficiency, crossing the end line in 18 mins and 21 seconds. He outpaced Brockville’s Travis Gaffney, who took moment position, trailing 13 seconds at the back of. Toronto’s David Jiang took the bronze, completing in 18:40.
In a post-race interview with RunnerSpace, McAllister printed his plans to proceed racing after his OFSAA win at Athletics Canada XC Nationals and at a couple of meets within the U.S. His older brother, Heath, is recently in his freshman yr on the College of Michigan, competing on their observe and box crew. Significantly, Heath represented Workforce Canada within the U20 race on the 2023 Global XC Championships in Bathurst, Australia.
The Ontario highschool cross-country championships are famend as one of the crucial premier highschool meets in North The usa. A large number of former OFSAA champions have long past directly to constitute Workforce Canada on the Olympic Video games and Global Athletics Championships, akin to Ben Flanagan (2012), Justyn Knight (2013), Gabriela DeBues-Stafford (2012) and Kate Van Buskirk (2005).
Within the ladies’s senior 6K tournament, rising skill Emily Cescon of Toronto secured victory with an 11-second lead over her shut good friend and coaching spouse, Stephanie Bertram. Each Cescon and Bertram teach in combination underneath trainer Ethan Davenport on the Toronto Monitor Membership, even supposing they compete in opposition to each and every different in highschool competitions. Each athletes have dedicated to the College of Michigan to additional their athletic careers in 2024, coaching underneath former Canadian middle-distance runner Kevin Sullivan.
Hanna Hollins from Pickering finished the ladies’s senior 6K podium in 21:39.
Males’s 4K beginner
William Thomas – 12:43 (Riverdale Collegiate, Toronto)
Timothy Woods – 12:46 (Denis Morris HS, St. Catharines, Ont.)
Emmett Leary – 12:53 (Georgian Bay SS, Midland, Ont.)
Ladies’s 4K beginner
Rebecca Pribaz – 14:12:40 (Northern SS, Toronto)
Kate Nagy – 14:16:40 (Newmarket HS, Newmarket, Ont.)
Micah Carswell – 14:26:91 (Père-René-de-Galinée SS, Cambridge, Ont.)
Males’s 5K junior
Brody Clark – 14:34:30 (Milton District HS, Milton, Ont.)
William Scharf – 14:40:47 (Riverdale Collegiate, Toronto)
Jack Gregory – 14:43:68 (Napanee SS, Higher Napanee, Ont.)
Ladies’s 5K junior
Eleanor Voykin – 15:50 (Birchmount Park HS, Toronto)
Riley Innes – 16:30 (Sir William Mulock HS, Newmarket, Ont.)
Keiva Birmingham – 17:12 (Northern SS, Toronto)
Males’s 6K senior
Ian McAllister – 18:21 (London Central, London, Ont.)
Travis Gaffney – 18:34 (St Mary’s HS, Brockville, Ont.)
David Jiang – 18:40 (Higher Canada School, Toronto)
Ladies’s 6K senior
Emily Cescon – 21:25 (De L. a. Salle School, Toronto)
Stephanie Bertram – 21:34 (Lawerence Park, Toronto)
Hanna Hollins – 21:39 (Dunbarton HS., Pickering, Ont.)
Blended Para 4K
Best male: Anthony Cigan – 14:39 (St. Joeseph CHS, Thomas, Ont.)
Best feminine: Ella Heeler – 19:05 (Regiopolis-Notre Dame SS, Kingston, Ont.)
For entire effects from the 2023 OFSAA XC Championships, please refer right here.
