CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW: U SPORTS CROSS COUNTRY – University of Toronto Athletics

The University of Toronto Varsity Blues cross country teams travel west to compete at the 2024 U SPORTS Cross Country Championships, hosted by UBC-Okanagan at Mission Recreation Park in Kelowna this Saturday, Nov. 9.

The Blues will be sending a large team contingent for the women after a strong sixth place overall result at the OUA Championships just two weeks ago. At the provincial showcase event, Julia Agostinelli earned a Top 10 finish, placing eighth individually. The master’s of physical therapy student joined the Blues this fall after a four year career at Guelph University where she claimed OUA cross country gold in 2023, and has earned U SPORTS bronze in both the 1000m and 1500m at the U SPORTS Track & Field Championships.

Agostinelli will be joined by fellow cross country veteran Sarah Luedke, who earned a Top 20 result placing 17th at the OUA championships this fall. The team is rounded out by Liana De Medeiros, Sophie Levasseur, Samantha MacDonald, and Avery Murrell.

As for the men’s side of the draw, fifth-year runner Ben Shore will be the lone Blues representative in the national field. A showcase for continued improvement, Shore previously finished 111th at the 2021 edition of the national cross country championships, before improving to a 53rd place finish in 2023. After another strong fall season, the engineering student is set to round out his varsity career aiming for another new career-best.

The U SPORTS Cross Country Championships are scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. (EST). All U SPORTS championships are broadcast in English on one of the following CBC Sports digital platforms: CBC Gem, CBCSports.ca, CBC Sports YouTube or the CBC Sports App IOS or Android.