Gee-Gees women shine at OUA Nordic Skiing Championships

Nordic skiing racers
March 1, 2022

The Gee-Gees women's relay team stepped to the top of the podium with a gold medal performance in the relay as the highlight of an outstanding weekend of racing at the OUA Nordic Skiing Championships held at Laurentian University.

The relay trio of Magalie Daoust, Zoe Pekos and Erin Dunn narrowly edged out the Lakehead Thunderwolves and the Carleton Ravens in a sprint to the finish of the 3 x 3.5 km free relay on Day One of the championships. The Garnet and Grey won the relay gold by 0.2 seconds with Lakehead taking silver. 

Daoust, Pekos and Dunn were named OUA All-Stars for their combined performances over the championships, which also lifted uOttawa into silver medal position in the overall women's team standings. The Gee-Gees men placed fourth overall with Edward Southward earning an OUA All-Star award.

Daoust also won an individual silver medal in the 10.5 km interval start freestyle. Her time of 33:35.7 was 9.7 seconds behind the gold medallist, but well clear of the bronze medal winner. Pekos finished sixth with a time of 34:59.2 with Dunn coming in eleventh place and Florence Despins finishing 20th.

The Gee-Gees men also had four top twenty finishers in Saturday's freestyle race led by Edward Southward in ninth followed by Jeremy Leigh in 13th, Frederick Serratore in 17th, and Nathan Hay in 19th.

In Sunday's 10-kilometre mass start classic events, Southward was again the top finisher for the Gee-Gees men, clocking in at 30:11.4 for an eighth place finish. Nathan Hay followed up in 18th position. In the women's classic event it was Daoust and Dunn out front for the Gee-Gees, finishing fifth and seventh, respectively, and Zoe Pekos crossed the line in 12th.

Overall, the Garnet and Grey had fifteen competitors at the championships. The course conditions were in wonderful shape and, despite some unexpected strong winds, the competitors had fantastic two days of racing. 

Full results are available online here.

 

Final Team Standings:

Women

  1. Lakehead - 36
  2. Ottawa - 91
  3. Carleton - 94
  4. Nipissing - 159
  5. Waterloo - 213
  6. McMaster - 218
  7. Laurentian - 295
  8. Guelph - 323
  9. Queen's - 407
  10. Toronto - 439
  11. Algoma - 579

 

Men

  1. Lakehead - 36
  2. Carleton - 101
  3. Nipissing - 106
  4. Ottawa - 149
  5. Waterloo - 262
  6. Guelph - 300
  7. Laurentian - 331
  8. Queen's - 348
  9. McMaster - 457
  10. Toronto - 521
  11. Algoma - 546