Posted: Sep 07, 2022
Red Deer Polytechnic Cross Country Running 2022/2023 Season Preview
2021/2022 Season Review
Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) Championships, hosted by University of Alberta Augustana
RDP Queens – bronze Justine Larson – ninth (26:54) 6 km
RDP Kings – silver Jayden Wildcat – eighth (29:15) 8 km
Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Cross Country Running National Championships, hosted by St. Mary's University
RDP Queens – 10th
RDP Kings – eighth
2022/2023 Season Preview
The motivated Red Deer Polytechnic Cross Country Running team has made its mark in the early stages of the 2022/2023 ACAC season.
"We have a great group of runners on the team this year," said Doug Spicer, RDP Cross Country Running Head Coach. "They are very young, but extremely talented. We expect big things from this group based on last year's success."
Red Deer's Ethan Duret, a second-year Bachelor of Commerce student, Axsivier Lawrence, a third-year Business Administration General student, and Daniel Szucs, a fourth-year Bachelor of Business Administration General Management student, are the three returning members from last season's ACAC silver medal winning RDP Kings.
Axsivier Lawrence
Red Deer's Myah Cota, Justine Larson, Kammy Park and Lacombe's Jenica Swartz are back with the Queens after contributing to an ACAC bronze medal performance last year.
Felix Barraza, Jordan Coen, Jayce Soley, along with Benjamin Higham and Benjamin House, who are both graduates of Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School, join the Red Deer Polytechnic Kings this season. Melissa Ray and Georgia Sawchuk round out a promising Queens squad.
The 2022/2023 RDP Cross Country Running team has a strong contingent of 10 student-athletes from central Alberta, showcasing the talent in the region. This geographical proximity made it more convenient for the Kings and Queens to support each other during the summer.
"The Red Deer Polytechnic Cross Country Running team trained steadily over the summer, both individually and as a group," said Spicer, who began his role on July 20. "The student-athletes used [former coach] Kari Elliot's summer program that she established before heading south."
Spicer has named two returning student-athletes the captains of the Kings and Queens, but he anticipates that leadership will be present in many forms.
"Our two team captains are Axsivier Lawrence and Justine Larson," added Spicer. "Although there are many leaders who encourage and guide their teammates."
Justine Larson
The Red Deer Polytechnic Cross Country Running team has a plan to progress throughout the four competitions, aiming to peak at the championships.
"We will continue with a fairly heavy training load and use the first couple of meets to continue training and fine tuning our skills," said Spicer.
At Running Room Grand Prix #1, both the Red Deer Polytechnic Kings and Queens finished second in Medicine Hat.
Grand Prix #1
Then the following weekend, the RDP Kings and Queens earned a pair of first place finishes at Running Room Grand Prix #2 in Calgary.
The Red Deer Polytechnic Kings and Queens will compete for medals at the ACAC Cross Country Running Championships on October 29. Concordia University of Edmonton will host the event.
"The Kings and Queens will taper their heavy training close to the end of the regular season, concentrating more on speed as they head into the ACAC Championships and National Championships," said Spicer.
Medicine Hat College will host the CCAA Cross Country Running National Championships on November 12, 2022.
Jenica Swartz at Grand Prix #1
Not returning from 2021/2022
Devin Saunders, Wyatt Grainger, Jayden Wildcat, Keith Yellowfly, Lauren Pasiuk