Both the Lethbridge College Kodiaks men’s and women’s cross-country teams are heading to the CCAA Nationals this week with medals on their mind.
The two teams both punched their ticket after finishing on the podium at the ACAC Provincial Championships in Vermillion last week.
The women’s side won the championship, marking the 60thprovincial title for Kodiaks athletics.
The women were led by second-year Sophia Nowicki, who won the individual crown with a time of 23:53 on the six km course. Emily Spencer (seventh) Salma Moreira (10th) and Janelle Graham (12th) rounded out the scoring for the Kodiaks.
The men earned the right to join them after a third-place finish of their own. They achieved this despite having just five runners in an event where each school could field up to eight.
Leading the way for the men was Timothy Kimaiyo, who finished sixth. Connor Jackson (eighth) Kevin Kipchumba (21st) and Daniel Robdrup (22nd) were the other scoring times.
Lethbridge College has had representation from at least one side of the cross-country program at the CCAA Championships every year since 2002.
Even though the teams are regulars at this event, this particular year carries a little more weight than seasons previous.
Bertil Johansson has spent 30 years as an instructor at Lethbridge College and 32 as the cross-country coach. He is set to retire from coaching after the 2018 season, making this national meet his last ever at the helm of the program.
“It’s something I’ve been thinking about for the last couple of years,” remarked Johansson about the possiblilty of retiring. “Half of the women’s team will be gone… some of the men possibly won’t be coming back, so I thought it would be a good time to leave with them.”
Johansson will leave behind a legacy of winning – his teams have amassed 13 ACAC championships under his watch. In the 16-year history of the CCAA Championships, the Kodiaks have won six gold medals.
In Johansson’s very first year at the program, the Kodiaks’ women won a provincial title. He has already secured the bookend finish with last weekend’s results and has high expectations for both teams at nationals.
“I told the girls if they stay healthy and run similarly [to Vermillion], the results will take care of themselves. I would expect first or second,” Johansson predicts.
For the eighth-ranked men’s team, Johannson says they could challenge for a top five spot or even the podium.
After the weekend success, the team took Monday off before returning to practice on Tuesday evening.
For both teams, focus is shifting from the terrain of Vermillion to what is waiting for them in Toronto.
“We get there and we get a walk-through the next day. We don’t really know what it will bring,” remarks Robdrup, men’s team captain. “It’s expected to be very flat, so it will be a quick race.”
CCAA Championships also bring competition the teams have never seen before. Robdrup says it doesn’t faze the Kodiaks.
“We see the rankings and know there’s a lot of good runners from Montreal and Toronto, but we stay focused on ourselves.”
The one place the Kodiaks focus other than their own skills is their coach’s pending retirement.
“It’s been the theme of the year,” Robdrup laughed. When you’ve been around as long as he has, you deserve a spotlight. He’s had a huge impact on running in our area and the ACAC.”
Johansson says he’s not sure how he’ll feel at the end of the weekend.
“I’ve had mixed emotions all year. I’ve spent most of my life at Lethbridge College. Other people can say I’m crazy, but I’ve been committed. I’ve been committed to my wife for 40 years and engaged to Lethbridge College for 32.”
Three decades later, Johannson’s book is all but finished. On Nov. 10, his teams will have the opportunity to pen the final chapter.