DUNDAS, Ont. - Laurier's cross country teams earned valuable experience on the course that will host the U SPORTS Championships in four weeks, competing against nearly every major program in Ontario at the Marauder Invitational at Christie Lake Conservation Area on Saturday.

With several out-of-province teams also in attendance, the meet featured one of the deepest fields of the season.

The Golden Hawks took advantage of the fast course conditions, with numerous athletes posting personal-best performances over the 8 km distance. Laurier's men finished 12th overall, while the women placed 13th.

On the women's side, senior runners led the way with some of their strongest performances of the year. Alyssa Zinn, competing her way back from significant summer injuries, paced the Golden Hawks by breaking the 32-minute mark over 8 km.

Tegan Ceccanese produced a controlled effort before closing strongly to finish as Laurier's second scorer.

Rosalind Thompson battled throughout the race to claim third among the team's scorers, while Brooklyn Ralph showed impressive early-race strength before securing fourth-scoring honours.

Rookie Ava D'Arminio rounded out the scoring five, improving by nearly three minutes from her first 8 km race of the season.



For the men, Tyler Klazek led the purple and gold with a personal-best performance, crossing the line in 26 minutes, 36 seconds.

Simon Drolet and Nathan Lemire, both managing injuries entering the race, ran measured efforts and finished within 30 seconds of Klazek.

Nolan Kuhlberg delivered his strongest cross country race of the season after a fast start, finishing as Laurier's fourth scorer, while Om Nathwani completed the scoring lineup just six seconds later.

The Golden Hawks will now turn their attention to the OUA Championships, set for two weeks' time in Windsor, Ont.