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Get ready to rumble – X-country racers flock to Sudbury

New faces to the high-school scene, and familiar faces to OFSAA championships, were among the race winners as the 2015 Laurentian University "Rumble on the Rock" XC Race was recently hosted in Sudbury.
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The Laurentian University women’s and men’s cross-country team started their season with strong showings last month. Photo supplied

New faces to the high-school scene, and familiar faces to OFSAA championships, were among the race winners as the 2015 Laurentian University "Rumble on the Rock" XC Race was recently hosted in Sudbury.

While the top two spots in the midget girls race were swept by a pair of runners representing Thériault from Timmins (Kristen Kornell - 13:29; Maxine Dupuis - 13:34), first place in the midget boys event was captured by a local.

Ethan Sheppard of Lockerby Composite strided home seven seconds ahead of Augustin Marks de Chabris of Lo-Ellen, the first finisher on a Knights' team that coach Colin Ward considers one of his strongest since taking over the LOE cross-country program.

Safe to say that a whole slew of these fourteen year-olds are still adjusting to the jump from the elementary ranks. "The races are a lot tougher, because they're five kilometers, and there's a lot more competitors than in elementary," said Sheppard.

Not that it has affected his pre-race game-plan a great deal. "I still do the first km very fast, like I always do, but then I slowly ease up," he said. "In the last two (kms), I kick it back up like my first km."

Among the front-runners in preliminary races at Lockerby and Fielding Park, Sheppard enjoys a love-hate relationship with the trails of Laurentian University. "The hills here just kill you," he said.
"I'm good at them, I just don't enjoy them."

Meanwhile, there was a clean-cut contrast in the junior races. On the ladies side, Nina Kucheran of Collège Notre-Dame, ran away from the field, posting a time that was forty seconds faster than her nearest rival (Emily Bartlomucci of Thériault), taking first place in 14:34.

A short while later, Josh Tillson (Lo-Ellen) and Vincent Gauthier (Thériault) were in a photo finish, both clocking times of 25:19 as the Knights' junior outleaned his northern competitor.

Senior girls honours also extended out of town, as Megan Cruickshank of the Algonquin Barons will head in as the NOSSA favourite, cruising to a 22 second win over Allison Caswell of Lo-Ellen.

Finally, few who follow the high-school cross-country scene can claim a whole lot of surprise at the fact that Mathieu Plamondon of Thériault outclassed the senior boys field, breaking the 23-minute barrier on a hilly course that covered 6.4 kilometers.

A two-time OFSAA cross-country champion already (midget and junior boys), Plamondon has coupled an impressive talent base with the experience that comes from going toe to toe with the very best in the province.

"I'm a smarter racer now," said Plamondon, providing a comparison to his performance at the 2013 OFSAA Cross-Country Championships, hosted in Sudbury. "Back then, I would just lead the pack from the start. Now, I'm a little more strategic. It all comes with experience."

More strategic, perhaps, but no less fast. "I really didn't know what to expect with my first senior race out of town," said Plamondon. "I went out knowing that there was going to be some fast guys. I stuck with the pack, got a feel for the race, and went from there."

"I felt really good on the hills, and I could hear them breathing hard, so I knew that I was going to get them on the hills."

While Plamondon is a known commodity when it comes to OFSAA competition, the reality is that the 16 year-old grade 11 student could well be facing runners two years his senior when the best in the province gather at Duntroon on Nov. 7.

"Honestly, it would be nice to get a medal," said Plamondon of his chances. "I know who most of these guys are, but I've never raced them in cross-country. We'll find out at pre-OFSAA (Duntroon on October 16th) what I'm up against."

Following are the top ten finishers in all six divisions contested at the 2015 Rumble on the Rock:

Senior Boys (6,400m)
1 - Mathieu Plamondon (Thériault) - 22:59
2 - Brendan Costello (Lo-Ellen) - 23:48
3 - Justin Leale (Espanola) - 24:44
4 - Colton Lafrance (Espanola) - 24:47
5 - Logan Emiry (Espanola) - 25:06
6 - Ben Lagadin (Lively) - 25:18
7 - Dawson Chaperone (Lasalle) - 25:39
8 - Shawn Bélanger (Notre-Dame) - 25:43
9 - Stavros Gallant (Lockerby) - 25:48
10 - Reece Deschamps (Thériault) - 26:11

Senior Girls (5,500m)
1 - Megan Cruickshank (Algonquin) - 24:55
2 - Allison Caswell (Lo-Ellen) - 25:17
3 - Miranda Boudreau (Lockerby) - 26:05
4 - Alexie Legault (Notre-Dame) - 26:24
5 - Kennedy Parks (Espanola) - 26:52
6 - Maia Kvas (Thériault) - 27:02
7 - Kiana Labranche (Thériault) - 27:24
8 - Delaney Johnston (Lockerby) - 27:58
9 - Hannah Story-Korman (Temiskaming) - 28:12
10 - Karissa Merrylees (Manitoulin) - 28:28

Junior Boys (6,400m)
1 - Josh Tillson (Lo-Ellen) - 25:19
2 - Vincent Gauthier (Thériault) - 25:19
3 - Nicholas Lambert (Elliot Lake) - 26:00
4 - Aidan Martel (St Charles) - 26:19
5 - James Scott (Manitoulin) - 26:43
6 - Riley Robitaille (Thériault) - 27:57
7 - Nicholas Brown (Lo-Ellen) - 28:59
8 - Noah Mallick (Lockerby) - 29:03
9 - Branden Dubosq (Thériault) - 29:05
10 - Noah Dickinson (Elliot Lake) - 29:15

Junior Girls (3,400m)
1 - Nina Kucheran (Notre-Dame) - 14:34
2 - Emily Bartlomucci (Thériault) - 15:14
3 - Gabrielle Dagenais (Thériault) - 15:23
4 - Sophie Laperrière (Algonquin) - 15:28
5 - Hillary Clark (Elliot Lake) - 15:35
6 - Alexa Madore (Thériault) - 15:46
7 - Katie Keenan (Lockerby) - 16:26
8 - Hailey Clark (Espanola) - 17:10
9 - Leanne Britton-Foster (Elliot Lake) - 17:30
10 - Carlie Parker (Marymount) - 17:38

Midget Boys (5,500m)
1 - Ethan Sheppard (Lockerby) - 21:56
2 - Augustin Marks de Chabris (Lo-Ellen) - 22:03
3 - Colin Withers (Espanola) - 22:38
4 - Noah Gallant (Espanola) - 22:39
5 - Connor Jermyn (Lo-Ellen) - 22:41
6 - Luca Nardi (Notre-Dame) - 22:44
7 - Zachary Roy (Thériault) - 23:33
8 - Keenan Bertrand (Thériault) - 23:51
9 - Lucas Mrozewski (Lo-Ellen) - 24:00
10 - Riley Gravelle (Thériault) - 24:13

Midget Girls (3,400m)
1 - Kristen Kornell (Thériault) - 13:29
2 - Maxine Dupuis (Thériault) - 13:34
3 - Ariane Saumure (Macdonald-Cartier) - 14:21
4 - Meghan Boileau (Thériault) - 14:40
5 - Jade Hurley (Lively) - 15:06
6 - Meredith MacFarlane (Timmins High) - 15:21
7 - Hannah Hickey (Timmins High) - 15:23
8 - Nathalie Marks de Chabris (Lo-Ellen) - 15:38
9 - Catherine Héroux (Algonquin) - 15:59
10 - Jaime Schweyer (Marymount) - 16:25
 


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