STFX X-Women and Dalhousie Tigers win AUS women’s and men’s cross country titles

The X-Women's Allie Sandluck and Huskies' Andrew Peverill claim individual gold medals

(CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I.) The STFX X-Women and Dalhousie Tigers raced to first-place for the women's and men's team finishes at the 2022 Subway AUS Cross Country Championships presented by Bell. Today's wins mark STFX's 10th AUS women's cross country banner and Dalhousie's 22nd AUS men's cross country banner. 

The championships were hosted by the UPEI Panthers at the Fox Meadow Golf Course in Stratford, P.E.I. 

WOMEN'S RACE RESULTS 
In the women's 8km race, the X-Women claimed both gold and silver medals and had five of the top 10 finishers to earn their second consecutive AUS title. The X-Women's Allie Sandluck (Thorburn, N.S.) captured the gold medal with a time of 30:17, 10 seconds faster than the next runner. Other X-Women to finish in the top 10 were Mairin Canning (Antigonish, N.S.) placing second, followed Eileen Benoit (Windsor, N.S.) in fourth, Tanna Burke (Cole Harbour, N.S.) in seventh and Breanna Sandluck (Thorburn, N.S.) in ninth.  

The Dalhousie Tigers, who won seven straight banners from 2013-19, finished with silver. Lauren Lowther (Antigonish, N.S.) and Danielle Keefe (Fredericton, N.B.) completed the race in the fifth and sixth position to lead their team. 

The third-place UNB REDS also had two runners finish in the top-10. First-year runner Sierra Rodrigues (Bolton, ON) reached the finish line in third place, while Hilary Bishop (Milton, ON) came in at 10th. 

Ava Stefanovich-Thomson (Toronto, ON) was Acadia's strongest runner, leading the team to a fourth place standing. The fifth-place Université de Moncton Aigles Bleues were led by Sophie Black (Dieppe, N.B.), while Katie Richard (Charlottetown, P.E.I.) finished eighth for the sixth-place UPEI Panthers. Rounding out the field were the Memorial Sea-Hawks who were led by Maria Chafe (St. Philip's, NL), followed by Saint Mary's with Jacqueline Moore (Dartmouth, N.S.) pacing the Huskies. 

MEN'S RACE RESULTS 
The second race featured a dominant performance from the Dalhousie Tigers, who captured their third straight AUS Men's Cross Country Championship. The Tigers' top five runners—Hudson Grimshaw-Surette (Yarmouth, N.S.), Nick Robertson (Charlottetown, P.E.I.), Will Cox (Ottawa, ON), Aidan Goslett (Toronto, ON) and Daniel Rosen (Toronto, ON)—finished fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and 11th. 

Saint Mary's Andrew Peverill (Sackville, N.S.) continued his AUS supremacy, as he earned his third straight championship gold medal with a time of 24:37. 

The UNB REDS claimed silver with Jared Howse (Red Deer, AB) crossing the line in second, while teammate Mitchell Kean (Fredericton, N.B.) finished ninth. 

Leading the pack for the third-place STFX X-Men was Jacob Benoit (Windsor, N.S.), who finished third overall. 

Levi Moulton (Paradise, NL) was the Memorial Sea-Hawks' strongest runner, as he placed eighth. While Moncton's Damien Canal (Clermont-Ferrand, FR) finished 27th for the sixth-place Aigles Bleus. Coming in at seventh were the host UPEI Panthers, whose top runner on the afternoon was Jack Roberts (Charlottetown, P.E.I.). 

2022 AUS CROSS COUNTRY MAJOR AWARD WINNERS AND ALL-STARS 
Following the races, AUS all-star awards were presented to the top 14 finishers in each race, and individual medals, team medals and the AUS championship banners and trophies were handed out. 

AUS ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AWARDS 
The AUS athletes of the year were awarded to the individual 2022 AUS champions, STFX's Allie Sandluck (Thorburn, N.S.) and Saint Mary's Andrew Peverill (Sackville, N.S), who wins this award for the third consecutive year. 

AUS ROOKIE OF THE YEAR AWARDS 
The winners of the AUS rookie of the year awards were UNB's Sierra Rodrigues (Bolton, ON) who finished third with a time of 30.28 and STFX's Liam McCullagh (Toronto, ON) who finished 15th with a time of 26.20. 

AUS STUDENT-ATHLETE COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARDS 
Dalhousie's Hannah Trites and Moncton's Alain Lavoie were honoured as the AUS Student-Athlete Community Service award winners for 2022. 

A fourth-year kinesiology student from Fredericton, New Brunswick, Trites boasts a 4.06 cumulative GPA. Outside of the classroom, she's spent the last four years highly involved with Special Tigers—a program that partners with Special Olympics Nova Scotia to run events that pair youth with intellectual disabilities with varsity athletes—serving on the executive team, and currently as the president. She also serves on the executive teams with the Golden Key International Honour Society, Dalhousie's Student-Athlete Mental Health Initiative (SAMHI) and the Dalhousie Varsity Athlete Student Council. 

Since 2020, Trites has been a Fast and Female R.E.A.L. Role Model, helping to inspire self-identified girls to prioritize health and maintain active lifestyles through sport. She is also the co-coordinator of the Youth Fun Run as part of the Fredericton Marathon Committee and a volunteer with Ronald MacDonald House's Home for Dinner Program, providing meals for current residents. 

An education student from Grand-Sault, New Brunswick, Alain Lavoie is a dedicated volunteer on and off campus, the team captain for Moncton's cross country team and a committed student with a 4.3 GPA. Lavoie is the chair of the Université de Moncton's disciplinary committee, is a student advisor and a mentor for fellow students in the education program.  
 
He is also a national ambassador for the MealExchange program, promoting food security on campuses across Canada, and is the food bank manager on campus. Lavoie serves as the president of the Conseil Jeunesse de la CDR-Acadie, the deputy of the Acadian Youth Parliament and is a youth representative on the faculty of education's diversity committee. 

AUS COACH OF THE YEAR 
On the women's side, STFX's Eric Gillis earned his second consecutive AUS coach of the year nod, while Dalhousie's Rich Lehman took home the honour on the men's side. 
 

The U SPORTS national championship meet will take place November 12, 2022, at The Links at Brunello Golf Course in Halifax, N.S. The event will be co-hosted by Saint Mary's University and Dalhousie University.