Cross Country/Distance Track 10/27/2018 4:16:00 PM Fraser Caldwell, Sport Information Officer

Cross Country: Turek Wins Individual Gold to Lead Marauders Men to First Team Title at OUA Championships Since 1964

The second-year runner became just the third McMaster man to win the individual title at the conference m

A year after announcing himself at the OUA Championships and being named the conference's Rookie of the Year, Max Turek took himself and his Marauders team to an entirely new level Saturday.

The second-year runner topped the field over 10 kilometres in London, winning individual gold in 31:57 to lead the McMaster men to the team title at the OUA Championships.

His effort marked Turek as just the third Marauder in program history to win the individual title, joining the elite company of 1992 winner Dave Lorne and 1964 winner Dave Knox. The team banner ended an even longer drought, as the Marauders won just their fourth conference title in the 117-year history of the H.R. Little Cup and the first since ending a three-year dynasty in 1964.

The history-making performance from Turek was backed up by a strong group showing by the McMaster men, as Sergio Raez Villanueva followed in seventh position, with Alex Drover finishing nearly simultaneously for eighth.

Josh McGillivray scored fourth for the Marauders, crossing the line 11th in a time of 32:17, while Jon Favero completed the scoring for McMaster in 18th.

Their excellence as a pack saw four of Mac's five scorers land in OUA All-Star positions, as Turek and Raez Villanueva graced the First Team, while Drover and McGillivray were among the Second Team.

McMaster handily out-paced the field, with their team score of 45 points beating out the silver-medal-winning Queen's Gaels by 14 and the defending OUA champions from Guelph by 20.

Earlier in the afternoon, the McMaster women finished sixth as a team, running the eight kilometre event as a pack but ultimately suffering from the lack of a top-20 finisher.

Third-year veteran Kristen Kuhn was the Marauders top scorer on the day, crossing the line 23rd, while teammate Rachel Faulds followed just three seconds and one spot behind.

Three places back of Faulds, Emma Waddington scored third for the Marauders by finishing 27th, and was immediately followed by rookie teammate Renelle Briggs.

Fellow first-year runner Caroline Forbes wrapped up the scoring for McMaster by finishing 32nd.

NEXT UP: The newly-crowned OUA champions will look to build on their conference success at the national level, as they travel to the U SPORTS Championships in Kingston on Saturday, November 10.

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Players Mentioned

Renelle Briggs: First Year; 1

Rachel Faulds: Fifth Year; 5

Caroline Forbes: First Year; 1

Kristen Kuhn: Third Year; 3

Emma Waddington: Second Year; 2

Alex Drover: Second Year; 2

Jon Favero: Fourth Year; 4

Josh McGillivray: Third Year; 3

Sergio Raez Villanueva: Third Year; 3

Max Turek: Second Year; 2

Players Mentioned

Renelle Briggs
: First Year; 1

Rachel Faulds
: Fifth Year; 5

Caroline Forbes
: First Year; 1

Kristen Kuhn
: Third Year; 3

Emma Waddington
: Second Year; 2

Alex Drover
: Second Year; 2

Jon Favero
: Fourth Year; 4

Josh McGillivray
: Third Year; 3

Sergio Raez Villanueva
: Third Year; 3

Max Turek
: Second Year; 2