StFX runners reunite at Antigonish Highland Games

StFX runners had a reunion this past weekend, July 12-14, at the 150th edition of the Antigonish Highland Games. Current and former runners competed in the five mile road race, the elite mile and the track and field competitions which were revived after almost two decades.

The five mile road race took place Friday evening through the Town and County of Antigonish, starting and ending on the Columbus field track. Two-time Olympian and 2003 CIS individual cross country champion Eric Gillis was the race winner, finishing in a time of 25:14 and breaking the previous course record of 25:40 in the process. The native of Antigonish and StFX alumnus, currently living and training in Guelph, Ont. came home for the 150th anniversary of the popular Highland Games and didn't disappoint the local fans. Second place finisher Dan McNeil (Glace Bay, NS), also an X alumnus, gave Gillis a close race, finishing at 25:17.

Summerside, PEI native Connor McGuire was third at 26:00. McGuire is a recent graduate from both the X-Men cross country and track & field programs where he enjoyed a stellar four-year career. The two-time AUS individual champion was the 2013 StFX male athlete of the year.

Four more runners with StFX connections placed in the top ten in the race that featured 360 competitors. Alumnus Lee McCarron (Antigonish, NS) was fourth crossing the line at 26.01, while second year X-Men runner Bryden Tate (Heatherton, NS) finished sixth at 26.12. StFX teammate Stephen Deering (Antigonish) placed eighth at 26.30 and X alumnus Brent Addison (26.35) from Halifax was ninth. 

Recent X-Men graduate Zach MacDonald (Ardness, NS) was 12th with a time of 28.00, while Brandon MacDonald (Antigonish) was 16th at 29.43. MacDonald wrapped up his first season of eligibility with the X-Men in 2012. Antigonish native Dylan MacInnis (31.30) returned to race and placed 23rd overall, while alumnus Matt MacDonald was 28th at 32.24.

Four former X-Women runners placed in the top eight amongst female competitors. Alumnus Michelle Murray (Antigonish) was the first woman across the line with a time of 30.33, while recent StFX graduate Meggie Soehl (Bedford, NS) was third at 31.57. Sisters Kelly (32.47) and Paula MacDonald (34.30) from Montague, PEI were fourth and eighth, respectively.
Current X-Women runners Kendra MacNeil (33.22) and Ginny Anderson (34.11), both natives of Antigonish, finished fifth and ninth amongst the female competitors. X-Women alumni Helena Fiore (Toronto) and Bre Langley (Calgary) made the trek back to compete and placed 10th and 14th, respectively, with times of 35.23 and 37.05.

In the elite mile ran the following morning, Dan Gorman won the race with a time of 4:11, followed by Matt MacNeil at 4:20 in second place and X-Men alumnus Lee McCarron at 4:21 in third. McGuire (4:26), Tate (4:26), Deering (4:26) followed in fourth through sixth positions while McNeil was eighth at 4:47.

Michelle Murray was the second female to clock in at 5:07 behind Celia Peters (5:04), while Kendra MacNeil was fifth at 5:37.

In the track and field events held at the newly installed facilities on the campus of StFX University, several current X-Women and X-Men athletes competed in the Athletics Nova Scotia sanctioned event.

Eilish MacQuarrie (Antigonish) placed first in the 100m, 200m and 400m sprints. She clocked a time of 12>56 in the 100m, ran 25.73 in the 200m and was 57.72 in the 400m. Teammate Bridget Brennan from Beechwood, NB placed second behind MacQuarrie in all three events. Brennan posted a time of 13.12 in the 100m, 26.72 in the 200m and 59.15 in the 400m. She also competed in the women's long jump where she took top spot with a jump of 4.97m. Her sister Stephanie Brennan was second overall in the women's age 18-19 200m sprint, crossing the line at 29.66. Kendra MacNeil placed 1st in the women's age 18-19 shot put with a throw of 7.07m.

In the men's track and field events, Mackenzie Munroe (Yarmouth, NS) took first place in four separate events. He won the 100m sprint with a time of 11.78, the 200m race (23.56), 400m race (49.77) and the 800m event with a time of 2:11.49. His X-Men teammate Alex Vanderlinden (Antigonish) placed second in the 400m with a time of 55.03. Bryden Tate claimed top honors in both the 1500m and 3000m events, posting a time of 4:18.45 in the 1500m and 9:12.37 in the 3000m.