MIDLAND, ON -- After three days of intense competition at the 2017 OUA Nordic Skiing Championships at Mountainview Ski and MTB Centre, the Carleton Ravens men's and women's teams both prevailed as conference champions.
Carleton's sweep of the banners at this year's championship comes 13 years after the Ravens last achieved two team titles in 2003-04, and is only the second time in the Nordic program's history that the men's and women's teams both ended the event as gold medalists.
Following last year's upset over conference powerhouse Lakehead at Nakkertok Cross Country Ski Club, the Ravens women's team won its second consecutive OUA title thanks to a well-rounded effort from the group.
Carleton's men's Nordic team captured its first banner since 2015, emerging as the winners on the final day of competition following a tight two-horse race with 2016 champion, Lakehead, throughout the competition.
Friday, February 24
Women 5km Interval Start Free
On the women's side, Carleton's Zoë Williams (Cantley, QC) was the Ravens' lone medalist, as she raced to a silver finish behind Lakehead's Jennifer Jackson. The Ravens received a 4-5-6 finish through Emily Jones (Huntsville, ON), Megan Evans (Revelstoke, BC) and Maggie McClure (Halifax, NS) to round out their 17-point score on Day 1.
Men 10km Interval Start FreeThe Ravens got off to a strong start on Day 1, as Aidan Kirkam (Kanata, ON) captured a bronze in the opening event of the championships by crossing the finish line in third place (27:09.3), with Carleton's Patrick van Walraven (Ottawa, ON) Carrington Pomeroy (Chelsea, QC) finishing fourth and fifth, respectively. Carleton would lead the pack with 19 points after the first day.Interval Start Free - Official ResultsDay 1 - Team Scores
Saturday, February 25
Women 3 x 3km Free Technique Relay
Entering Day 2, the Ravens held a large lead over Lakehead, who sat in second place with 55 points. Carleton fielded two relay teams, as Megan Evans, Emily Jones and Zoë Williams earned silver (34:02.8), while the trio of Isabelle Maclean (Sudbury, ON), Alyssa Stowe (Almonte, ON) and Maggie McClure (32:05.2) helped the Ravens earn a second podium finish with a third-place showing.Men 3 x 3km Free Technique Relay
With plenty of depth in this year's team, the Ravens stormed out of the gates and ended the event with two top-three team placements. Although Lakehead's trio captured first prize with a 30-second cushion, Carleton's Chris Weller (Chelsea, QC), Patrick van Walraven and Carrington Pomeroy timed in at 27:30.2 for second, while the threesome of Colin Ward (Mahone Bay, NS), Brendon Howard (Kanata, ON) and Aidan Kirkham took third with a time of 27:55.6, which was nearly a minute ahead of fourth-place finisher Nipissing.
Free Technique Relay - Official ResultsDay 2 - Team Scores
Sunday, February 26
Women 10km Mass Start ClassicThe Ravens clinched the team title on Sunday as Zoë Williams captured her second individual and third silver medal of the weekend with a second-place result, while Megan Evans added a bronze medal to her collection by finishing in third position. Ravens skiers Emily Jones (5th), Laura Inkila (Thunder Bay, ON) (6th), Isabelle Maclean (8th), Alyssa Stowe (9th) and Shelby Howard (Kanata, ON) (10th) rounded out the top 10.
Men 15km Mass Start ClassicWith Carleton ahead by only one point over Lakehead ahead of the final event, the Ravens needed a big team effort to clinch the overall men's title. While Lakehead's Noah Thompson gave the Thunderwolves a big boost with his first-place finish, it was Aidan Kirkham finishing the weekend with a silver medal performance in the 15km Mass Start Classic to keep the Ravens in prime position to win. Rounding out the Carleton results were Carrington Pomeroy (5th) Chris Weller (6th) and Colin Ward (8th), who helped clinch the conference title.
Mass Start - Official Results
Carleton Ravens Nordic Women's Team: Carleton finished the weekend with first overall ahead of Lakehead, who finished second, and Guelph in third position. This year's victory marks the Ravens' 10th overall Nordic team title and second consecutive team championship after capturing the 2016 banner.For the second year in a row, the Ravens owned the OUA Nordic All-Star spots with six selections, including:Megan EvansEmily JonesIsabelle MacleanMaggie McClureAlyssa StoweZoe Williams
Carleton Ravens Nordic Men's Team:The Ravens men's team is back on top of the conference after a one-year hiatus, collecting their ninth Paul Allen Trophy as OUA champions. Lakehead finished in second place with Nipissing claiming third.Six Ravens Nordic skiers received OUA All-Star nods, including:Brendon HowardAidan KirkhamCarrington PomeroyPatrick van WalravenColin WardChris Weller
