SASKATOON – In their lone home event of the year, the University of Saskatchewan Huskie cross country team put on quite the show for the hometown crowd inside Victoria Park on Sept. 29.
 
WOMEN'S FULL RESULTS | MEN'S FULL RESULTS
 
Courtney Hufsmith continued her strong start to the season by crossing the line a full two minutes and 15 seconds ahead of second place to claim individual victory and lead the Huskies women's team to a second-place team finish.
 
"It was an awesome day for us, we came out and executed how we wanted to," said Huskie head coach Jason Reindl. "Courtney had an unbelievable run and for our women's team to finish second took a lot of effort from everyone today."
 
Finishing in a time of 28:06, Hufsmith took the lead from the very start of the race and never looked back to record what was a personal best time for the third-year athlete on the Victoria Park course.
 
"I was really hoping to go under 28 minutes today so I wanted to start off at a strong pace and maintain that throughout," said Hufsmith. "I missed my goal by seconds, but that was a good starting point for my first 8 km race of the season."
 
The native of Saskatoon now has two victories from the first two races of her 2018 campaign.
 
"The game plan was for her to run a hard race, she hasn't been pushed in a while so we wanted her to go out and see how fast she could run on a solo effort," said Reindl. "Right from the gun she put the hammer down and we are really happy with how she executed."
 
Courtney Moffatt finished 6th (30:46) in her first competitive action of 2018, while Hillary Mehlhorn in 14th (31:32), Dezeray Wapass in 24th (32:53) and Olivia Chadwick in 26th (32:55) rounded out the scorers for Saskatchewan.
 
"To finish 1, 6, 14 against this strong of a field is awesome," said Reindl. "Having Dezeray Wapass and Sydney Neufeld as two first-years really pushing to be our fourth and fifth-place finishers was great."
 
In the men's race, Saskatchewan didn't post a team score with only four athletes participating, but still had a strong day on their home course.
 
Jared Welsh led the way in 22nd (26:37), followed by Taryn Heidecker in 29th (26:54), Kaden Nilson in 53rd (28:22) and Graham Wilson in 57th (28:34)
 
"Jared is a solid performer and you can always count on him to really deliver," said Reindl. "He performed up to expectations today which was great."
 
Both team titles were claimed by the Calgary Dinos as the meet offered the Huskies a chance to compete against some of the strongest squads in the Canada West conference.
 
"We had 50-plus athletes in both races so it was good to get out there and start rubbing elbows right from the very start," said Reindl. "When you get to face a team like Calgary it is a big confidence builder to keep things close and push them to be at their best."
 
For the race the Huskies, in partnership with Saskatchewan Aboriginal Track and Field, wore orange singlets for Orange Shirt Day which takes place September 30. A legacy of the St. Joseph Mission residential school commemoration event held in Williams Lake, B.C. in 2013, Orange Shirt Day is an opportunity for First Nations, communities and schools to come together in the spirit of reconciliation and hope.
 
 
Women's Results
 
Courtney Hufsmith – 1st, 28:06
Courtney Moffatt – 6th, 30:46
Hillary Mehlhorn – 14th, 31:32
Dezeray Wapass – 24th, 32:53
Olivia Chadwick – 26th, 32:55
Sydney Neufeld – 27th, 32:55
Natalia Bidulka – 32nd, 33:25
Sonia Rees – 34th, 33.38
Gabriella Antaya – 35th, 34:01
 
Women's Team Standings
 
1) Calgary Dinos: 23
2) Saskatchewan Huskies: 59
3) Alberta Pandas: 68
4) Manitoba Bisons: 114
5) MacEwan Griffins: 117
 
 
Men's Results
 
Jared Welsh – 22nd, 26:37
Taryn Heidecker – 29th, 26:54
Kaden Nilson – 53rd: 28:22
Graham Wilson – 57th: 28:34

 
Men's Team Standings
 
1) Calgary Dinos: 19
2) Manitoba Bisons: 61
3) Regina Cougars: 79
4) Alberta Golden Bears: 79