File photos for UBC Okanagan Heat athletics

For the second straight season, Mike Mitchell and Owen Harris will take on the best runners from Canada at this Saturday’s U SPORTS National Championship in Kingston, Ontario.

Mitchell is coming off a Canada West championship in which he finished in 14th position, good enough to earn him All-Star recognition. Harris would crack the top-40 in Calgary, finishing the 10km race with a time of 35:47.

Both runners have experience at the event, as both participated last year on the exact same course in Kingston last fall. Mitchell would finish in 85th spot in 2018 while Harris would finish in 136th in the field of 160 runners.

With the Heat sending just two runners as individuals, they will not be apart of the team competition in Kingston this year.

The Guelph Gryphons have been the undisputed kings of men’s and women’s cross country in Canada in recent years as they captured 12 straight titles at one point before Toronto and Laval have captured the last two team titles. Guelph’s men’s team has also won 10 of the last 13 team championships including eight in a row at one point.

Coaches comments:

Heat head coach John Machuga noted that the pacing of the race will be important, as just the two individuals are going. “Given that we are not sending a full team to Nationals the two runners that are going will be keying off of their Canada West competitors to find their spots in the race. This year it will be a great performance if both Owen and Mike could finish in the top 100 in U SPORTS”.


UBCO men’s cross country history

Top individual and Top 20 finishes at a Canada West (CW) conference championship / U SPORTS or CCAA national championship – Heat men

2019 10K: Michael Mitchell (14th, 33:23.6) – CW (2nd Team All-Star)
2018 10K: Michael Mitchell (85th, 33:34.4) – CW
2017 8K: Michael Mitchell (13th, 26:38) – CCAA
2016 8K: Cael Warner (31st 28:08) – CCAA
2015 8K: Cael Warner (22nd, 27:45.5) – CCAA
2014 8K: Cael Warner (13th, 28:22) – CCAA
2013 8K: Nick MacLean (37th, 28:37) – CCAA
2012 8K: Colin Wallace (23rd, 27:07) – CCAA
2011 8K: David Harbocian (55th, 29:29) – CCAA

UBC Okanagan’s team finishes at the Canada West (CW) / U SPORTS national cross country championships (M)

2019 (8th) CW @ University of Calgary, Canmore Park, Calgary, AB | LINK |
2018 (No team score)  CW & U SPORTS @ Queen’s University, Fort Henry Hill, Kingston, Ont. | LINK |

UBC Okanagan’s team finishes at the CCAA national cross country championships (M)

2017 (10th) @ Collège Lionel-Groulx, Equestrian Park, Blainville, QB | LINK |
2016 (12th) @ Sault College, Crimson Ridge Course, Sault Ste. Marie, ON | LINK |
2015 (10th) @ St. Lawrence College, Memorial Park, Brockville, ON | LINK |
2014 (7th) @ SAIT, Confederation Park, Calgary, AB | LINK |
2013 (10th) @ Humber College, Humber Arboretum, Etobicoke, ON. | LINK |
2012 (10th) @ Ste. Lambert, Parc Michel-Chartrand in Longueuil, QB | LINK |
2011 (13th) @ Thompson Rivers, MacArthur Island Park, Kamloops, BC | LINK |