AUS season kicks off with STFX Invitational
By Corey LeBlanc
ANTIGONISH – The STFX Invitational, once again, will serve as the opening meet for the Atlantic University Sport (AUS) cross country season.
Female and male runners will be toeing the line on the course that winds through the Antigonish campus at 12 and 1 p.m., respectively, on Saturday, Sept. 9.
"We enjoy hosting so much," STFX head coach Eric Gillis said, pointing out how "unique" it is for a university to have that option for its course.
He noted that runners who participate, including from AUS schools, "enjoy" not only the challenge of the course, but also the meet, in general.
"It is always a very nice way to kick off the year," Gillis added.
He agreed that his student-athletes always embrace the support that they receive at the home meet; not only from their STFX family, but also the broader community. The meet usually draws hundreds of spectators, with most – of course – partisan to the White and Blue.
"It is a great motivator for our runners," Gillis said of what he called an "exciting time of the year" on campus and in the community.
And, he added, the 2023 STFX Invitational will be "extra memorable" for the 12 new student-athletes donning the White and Blue for the first time.
"There is no better way for us to start the season."
Running for repeat
When the X-Women tackle their home course on Saturday, it will be as defending AUS champions.
"We are a year older and experienced," Gillis said of a roster that raced to the 2022 crown.
He added, "And, we are essentially returning the same team."
Leading the way will be Allie Sandluck (Thorburn, NS) – last year's female individual conference champion – who is back to defend her gold medal.
Silver medal winner Mairin Canning (Antigonish, NS) and Eileen Benoit (Windsor, NS), who finished fourth in the conference, have also returned.
"We expect them to be as strong as ever," Gillis said, adding that the top-level trio is "healthy and ready to go."
Breanna Sandluck (Thorburn, NS) – Allie's sister – is the only top-five finisher for the X-Women 9th place USports team who is not returning.
As for newcomers, the X-Women welcome transfer Eve Carreau (Truro, NS) who has deep ties to both STFX and the cross-country team. Her parents, Lavinia (Gough) Carreau – an Antigonish native – and the late Rob Carreau, a former teammate of Gillis, also donned the White and Blue.
"We expect her to have an immediate impact," Gillis said, noting that she had a good summer of training in Antigonish.
As for challengers to the X-Women's place at the top of the podium, the Antigonish native expects the Dalhousie Tigers (second in 2022) to be stronger, and UNB Reds (third) to be "even more of a force," considering they have a group of not only talented returnees, but also newcomers. The Tigers and Reds finished second and third, respectively, at last year's conference championship meet.
"It went almost as well as it could," Gillis offered of the X-Women's gold-medal performance in 2022, which included having half (five) of the top-10 finishers in the race.
With that in mind, along with the improvement he anticipates from competitors, Gillis said all White and Blue runners will have to "up their level of performance."
He noted that the AUS continues to improve, which he described as a "great thing."
When it comes to goals for 2023, Gillis said, "We want to defend our [AUS] title and improve on our finish at USports (ninth in 2022).
He added, "And, I think, we have the people to do it."
Playing the underdog
As for the X-Men – who captured third place at last season's conference championships – Gillis believes that they will have "good depth," with six new student-athletes joining the medal-winning program.
"We expect him to be one of our top runners," the STFX mentor said of a familiar face – Joel Gallant (Wellington, PEI) – who missed last season due to injury.
And his brother, Luc Gallant (Wellington, PEI), is one of the returnees from 2022 expected to help lead the way for the White and Blue.
Gillis noted that there is a group of X-Men "looking to be AUS all-stars." He agreed that hunger will benefit the team as it looks to move up the ladder.
When it comes to new faces, STFX has added teammates from the Halifax-based Athletics East Track and Field Club: Mathew Lawton and Griffin Gamble, who both achieved personal bests earlier this summer at the U20 nationals in BC.
"He is also a very strong addition," Gillis offered of Andrew Lupenette, from Belleville, Ontario, who advanced to the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) provincial meet in 2023.
Gillis said those three will be vying for top-seven spots with the X-Men, which means a chance to race in the AUS championships.
"You can't replace him; you need guys to step up," Gillis said, when reflecting on the loss of All-Canadian runner Jacob Benoit, who raced to third place in the 2022 AUS championships and 11th at USports Championships. The Windsor, Nova Scotia native, who is continuing his studies in a master's program, will lace up his sneakers for the rival Dalhousie Tigers this season.
He added, "Jacob was such a huge part of our team, so we are certainly going to miss him."
The Tigers, with their 22nd conference title victory, and the silver-medal winning UNB Reds, who finished ahead of the X-Men in 2022, are a couple of the teams to beat this season.
"It is the strongest that I have ever seen," Gillis said of the calibre of competition in the conference.
Considering the roster's aforementioned depth, he expects the X-Men to challenge for an AUS medal, once again, and a top-10 finish at nationals.
The 2023 AUS Cross Country Championships are scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 28, starting at noon, hosted by the Saint Mary's Huskies at Point Pleasant Park in Halifax, while the 2023 USPORTS Cross Country Championships – hosted by Western University – at the Thames Valley Golf Course in London, Ontario, will take place in November.
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