BY SCOTT HUNTER HADDOW
The Laurentian University women's
cross-country running team is ready to burn rubber.
The curtain has lifted on the 2005-06 season,
and the team is prepared for the best in the province and
Canada.
"We lost only one athlete from last year,"
said head coach Dick Moss. "Everyone has had a good summer of
training and we added a top athlete in Meaghan Juuti. With some
luck, we could crack the Top-6 at the Ontario University
Athletics (OUA) championships and Top-11 at nationals. It
will
depend on whether we can stay healthy. We
don't have much depth, so we can't afford to lose key
people."
The Laurentian squad, despite a lack of
depth, doesn't lack talent and power.
Some key runners to watch are Leila Angrand,
a two-time bronze medal winner at the OUA championships. Kirsti
Dolson was a top-four rookie in the OUA all last year. Alicia
Kaye has had an incredible summer, winning a few and having
strong finishes at triathlon national and international events.
She
qualified for the Canadian Under-23 national
team and competed at the world championships in Japan.
Kaye also finished 12th at the recent
Canadian national championships.
Moss also has high hopes for Caitlin Tino and
Melanie Muise, but knows his team will need some time to find
its form.
The women hit the trails today, Sunday, in
the Laurentian Open/Ramsey Tour. The OUA championships take
place in Kingston on Oct. 29.
