St. Mary’s to host top CCAA cross-country runners

St. Mary’s University will host the 2021 Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Cross-Country Running National Championships this fall.

The Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) institution will host the event Nov. 12-13, 2021, in Calgary, AB.

Nathan Ruff, Director of Athletics and Recreation at STMU, will be the Championship Chairperson.  

“Even in the face of this pandemic, we are confident that we can provide a safe, challenging, meaningful and memorable championship experience for all of the athletes,” said Ruff.

Cross-Country Running is a fast-growing sport at St. Mary’s and with a beautiful 35-acre campus that overlooks fish creek provincial park, its home course has gained the attention of many in the local cross-country community.

The course consists of a 2-km loop that will be ran three times for the women’s 6 km race and four times for the men’s 8 km race. The course has multiple elevation changes with a pair of primary uphill and downhill sections per loop. There are many open areas for passing and a wooded section in the Northwest corner of the campus.

STMU is a relatively new member of the CCAA and the ACAC and this is the first National Championship it will host.

“In its brief ACAC history, St. Mary’s has continued to expand its ACAC/CCAA Athletics participation and this CCAA Championship is the next step in the evolution of the Lightning Athletics program,” said Mark Kosak, Chief Executive Officer of the ACAC.

The last CCAA Cross-Country Running Championships were hosted in 2019 by GPRC in Grande Prairie, AB. The Lethbridge Kodiaks of the ACAC captured the team title in the women’s race, while the Fanshawe Falcons of the OCAA earned team gold in the men’s race.

*Fall CCAA Championship schedule is subject to change due to any adverse circumstances surrounding COVID-19*

Media Contact:
Rodney Wilson / rodney@ccaa.ca
Manager, Communications & Events