Conestoga’s women’s team will compete in the 2014 Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Cross-Country Running National Championships to be hosted by the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) in Calgary, Alberta on November 7 and 8. Twenty-three individual runners, 18 men’s teams and 17 women’s teams will race at Confederation Park, which features 2-km and 1-km loops.
Conestoga’s team of Brianna Dolderman, Karlie Dolderman, Emily Erb, Payton Thiel and Chloe Norris finished third at the provincial championships. The Dolderman sisters, who also play varsity volleyball for the Condors, were the top two finishers for Conestoga in their five-kilometre race, with Brianna recording a time of 21:54.
“I'm so impressed with the way the woman's team raced at the Provincials,” said Coach Dave Sharratt. “Not even being on the radar with any teams on the start line, they came from behind and took third place overall as a team. This is also Conestoga’s first-ever medal in cross-country running.”
Sharratt has high hopes that his team will continue to improve in Calgary.
“Now that other teams know what we are capable of, we will really have to keep training hard,” he said. “The CCAA has us ranked 9th in the nation, but I personally think we are capable of finishing in the top five or six.”
At the conclusion of the races, medals will be awarded to the top individuals and institutions. The CCAA Coach of the Year and All-Canadians will also be honoured.