cross country Archives - Queen's Journal

Former Gaels Cross-Country Star Branna MacDougall wins debut marathon in Muskoka

Written on October 26, 2021. Posted in Sports.

On Oct. 3, former Queen’s Cross-Country athlete Branna MacDougall, ran and won her debut marathon in Bracebridge, Ontario, finishing the 42-kilometer race in just 2 hours, 33 minutes, and 40 seconds. With that finish, only 25 other female Canadians in history have ever run a marathon faster. Following...

Internal emails reveal backlash among alumni, donors over Boyd firing

Written on March 26, 2021. Posted in Sports.

The University and Athletics & Recreation (A&R) received dozens of emails from alumni and prospective students expressing concern over former Provost Tom Harris’ decision to fire cross country coach Steve Boyd. Many of the emails from alumni indicated an intent to halt donations to Queen’s...

Mark Bomba named Queen’s new cross country Head Coach

Written on August 27, 2020. Posted in Sports.

After Steve Boyd was controversially dismissed back in February and pleas for his reinstatement were rejected, top runners left Queen’s due to the firing. Mark Bomba is Queen’s answer for those who stuck around. Queen’s announced on Aug. 27 that Bomba would be the new Head Coach for Cross Country...

Incoming Queen’s cross country recruit to run at UBC

Written on June 1, 2020. Posted in Sports.

More bad news was dealt to the cross country team at the end of April when top recruit Mackenzie Campbell announced she will run at the University of British Columbia (UBC) next year. Her departure comes after two top runners left Queen’s in early April in the wake of Head Coach Steve Boyd’s firing earlier this...

Top runners leave Queen’s cross country after controversy over coach's firing

Written on April 28, 2020. Posted in Sports.

The Queen’s cross-country team was dealt a blow last week when two of the top performers on the women’s team announced they will be running elsewhere next year. The news follows an extremely successful season for the women’s cross-country team, who won their first-ever national title last November....

Meet Kara Blair, Queen’s most humble star

Written on November 29, 2019. Posted in Cross Country, Sports.

Kara Blair has made an incredible leap forward over the last year, and her individual accomplishments—highlighted by a fourth-place finish at this year’s nationals—helped push the top-ranked Queen’s cross-country team into championship territory. Following an outstanding season as co-captain of the...

Strong performances from Gaels at World Cross Country Championships

Written on April 4, 2019. Posted in Cross Country, Sports.

While Kingston’s Fort Henry hills are some of the most difficult in Canada, little could prepare Makenna Fitzgerald and Brogan MacDougall for what hit them at the World Cross Country Championships last Saturday in Aarhus, Denmark. Featuring the strongest field of under-20 athletes in the world,...

Becoming a world-class athlete in six races

Written on March 22, 2019. Posted in Cross Country, Sports.

Makenna Fitzgerald looked around, trying not to let the imposter syndrome take over—“What am I doing here?” she thought to herself. She took in Trinidad and Tobago’s landscape—it was the first time she’d ever been outside North America. Around her were six of Canada’s best senior female cross country...

Pair of Gaels sport maple leaf, compete internationally over reading week

Written on March 1, 2019. Posted in Cross Country, Sports.

Kingston and Trinidad and Tobago have two very different climates, especially in February. It’s something a faction of the women’s cross country team now knows all too well. On Feb. 16, first-years Makenna Fitzgerald and Brogan MacDougall, along with Queen’s Assistant Coach Brant Stachel, helped...

Brant Stachel named Coaching Coordinator of Athletics Ontario, NACAC Team Coach

Written on February 1, 2019. Posted in Cross Country, Sports.

According to Brant Stachel, a positive culture defines an athlete’s success. If his career is any indication, that philosophy holds credence. Earlier this January, Athletics Ontario (AO) announced Stachel, Queen’s assistant cross country coach, as their Coaching Coordinator effective immediately....

Miles Brackenbury signed by cross country

Written on January 25, 2019. Posted in Cross Country, Sports.

The men’s cross-country team’s roster will see no shortage of local talent next season. On Monday afternoon, Kingston Collegiate Vocational Institute (KCVI) student Miles Brackenbury signed with the men’s cross country team for the coming 2018-19 season, joining three other Kingston runners—Matt...

Sports in Brief

Written on November 29, 2018. Posted in Sports.

Past, present Gaels qualify for World Cross Country Championships On Saturday, several Queen’s cross country runners took to the hills of Fort Henry for the Canadian Cross Country Championships. It was the fourth and final year Kingston hosted the event. Gaels rookie Brogan MacDougall, coming off...

Men's and women's cross country eye podium on home soil

Written on November 9, 2018. Posted in Cross Country, Sports.

Going into this weekend’s U Sports National Championships, cross country head coach Steve Boyd said it’s no secret: they can win everything. “If anybody beats us, more power to them because we have a really good team,” he said of his women’s squad. Of his men’s side, he added: “If all the stars align,...

Cross country win big at OUA Championships

Written on November 2, 2018. Posted in Cross Country, Sports.

Things didn’t go as planned for Head Coach Steve Boyd’s cross country teams at the OUA Championships last Saturday. They went better. Headed into the weekend, Boyd said it’d serve as an appetizer for the U Sports Championship, which will take place at Fort Henry on Nov. 10. The end result, though,...

Gaels weekend road roundup: week 7

Written on October 30, 2018. Posted in Sports.

Women’s cross country run into gold rush at OUA Championships The women’s and men’s cross country teams both earned medals at the OUA Championships on Saturday, proving they’re one of the strongest combined programs in Canada. With sisters Brogan and Branna MacDougall leading the charge, the...

Cross country heading to OUA Championships cautiously optimistic

Written on October 24, 2018. Posted in Cross Country, Sports.

The men’s and women’s cross country teams will be in action this weekend at the OUA Championships at Western University. The former will try to place first for the second consecutive year and the latter hopes to move one spot up the podium. Women’s cross country Having ranked first in the country...

Gaels weekend road roundup: week 4

Written on October 2, 2018. Posted in Sports.

Men’s rugby solidifies top position in OUA against Guelph When they took the field against Guelph on Friday, the Gaels knew a test awaited them. With both teams heading into the game undefeated, it was the likeliest matchup for this year’s OUA championship. Playing away at Guelph, Queen’s came out...

Gaels weekend round-up: week three

Written on September 25, 2018. Posted in Sports.

Football comes out on top despite Guelph’s late comeback Saturday’s game against the Guelph Gryphons had all the makings of a heartbreaker for the Gaels. After kicking off with a 14-0 lead at the end of the first quarter, Queen’s sped ahead of Guelph in what looked to be a decisive win. With just...

Cross country dominates podium at Queen’s invitational

Written on September 18, 2018. Posted in Cross Country, Sports.

It was hard to be pessimistic about the cross country team’s return this weekend at the annual Queen’s Invitational. In their first official race on the Fort Henry hills—the location of this year’s U Sports Championships—the women’s and men’s team filled up the podium with tricolour singlets. For...

Men's and women's cross country boasting new-look teams

Written on September 14, 2018. Posted in Cross Country, Sports.

In times of athlete turnover, most teams suffer from one to two-year lulls in performance. But this year’s men’s and women’s cross country teams are hoping to buck that trend. When the men finished fifth and women secured second at last year’s U Sports National Championships, the Gaels were looking...

Brant Stachel gains national recognition for work in Kingston

Written on July 30, 2018. Posted in Sports.

Most of Brant Stachel’s young coaching career has been spent in the shadows. The cross country team’s assistant coach has often found the time for others—but now, he’s finding it for himself. This year, Stachel has been adding to his already budding resume. The 28-year-old, while coaching a handful...

Queen’s wins bid for 2018 and 2019 U Sports Championships

Written on June 25, 2018. Posted in Sports.

On June 13, U Sports announced that Queen’s would be the site of the 2018 and 2019 U Sports Cross Country Championships. The championships, which bring in the country’s best cross country runners at the university level, will take place on Nov. 10 at the Hills of Fort Henry this coming fall. For Gaels...

Sumner impresses on world stage at FISU Championships

Written on May 28, 2018. Posted in Sports.

Over the past five years, Claire Sumner has gone stride for stride with Canada’s best runners—all while becoming one of the best female cross country runners at the collegiate level. In April, the Queen’s PHE ’55 Alumnae award winner continued to impress, this time on the world stage representing...

Cross country misses out on gold at U Sports Championship

Written on November 17, 2017. Posted in Sports.

Going into last Sunday’s U Sports National Championships, the women’s cross country team knew they had a target on their back. After spending the past seven weeks as the top ranked team in Canada, the Gaels were beat by the University of Toronto Varsity Blues at the championship in Victoria, B.C.,...

Running over the competition

Written on November 10, 2017. Posted in Sports.

As she crossed the finish line at the 2017 OUA Championships, Molly Steer was in a state of disbelief. Walking to the Queen’s tent where her teammates and coaches were waiting upon finishing nothing had quite sunk in. A year ago, competing at the championships seemed like a long shot. On some days,...

Historic weekend for cross country

Written on November 3, 2017. Posted in Sports.

Queen’s rushed in the dawn of a new era in women’s cross country on Saturday. Led by gold medalist Branna MacDougall, the Gaels officially ended Guelph’s 13-year reign as OUA champions — winning Queen’s first provincial title since 2003 in Windsor last weekend. In a statement win, the Gaels finished...

Cross country makes historical signing

Written on October 27, 2017. Posted in Sports.

Queen’s women’s cross country has a dynasty in the making. With a group of their top athletes preparing to graduate in the spring, cross country head coach Steve Boyd and assistant coach Brant Stachel have been looking for ways to maintain Queen’s position as the lone frontrunner in Canadian University...

Back on his feet

Written on September 22, 2017. Posted in Sports.

Sitting in Toronto’s Women’s College Hospital, Alex Wilkie waited impatiently as his doctor re-evaluated his hip. Wilkie knew how diligent he’d been in the six- month recovery process, which spanned across the first six months of 2017. Throughout his time away from running, he remembered everything...

Homecoming for MacDougall

Written on September 22, 2017. Posted in Sports.

The last few months have been a homecoming for Branna MacDougall. The Kingston native recently returned to her hometown after transferring from Iowa State to run for the Queen’s Cross Country team this fall. A highly-touted high school recruit from Regiopolis-Notre Dame Catholic Secondary School,...

Gaels make strong first impression at Queen’s Invitational

Written on September 19, 2017. Posted in Sports.

Every year, running the hills of Fort Henry signifies the start of the cross country season and often sets the tone of what’s to come for the season ahead. On Saturday, the men’s and women’s cross country teams started their season off on the right foot with strong performances across the board. In...

Tag: cross country

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