It was a memorable and historic day for Zone 4 athletes at the MHSAA’s Provincial High School Cross Country Championships this past Wednesday at Asessippi Ski Resort near Russell.

Six Zone 4 teams brought home medals. The Miller Aces won gold and the Morden Thunder earned bronze in the junior varsity girls A/AA/AAA division. The Morden junior varsity boys and Carman Cougars varsity girls captured gold. The Garden Valley Zodiacs earned silver and Carman took bronze in the varsity boys category. Carman’s Nate Phillips finished third in the overall varsity boys individual competition.

Sienne Loewen, Halle Smith, Kirsten Giesbrecht, Kate Sawatsky, Bella Peters, Kennedy Loewen & India Loewen of the Miller Aces captured JV gold.

Aces coach Rob Smith

“It was a real challenge this year for the girls. Last year they battled the cold and windy conditions. This year the conquered some crazy hills that really tested their character. This team ran hard for each other and were driven to repeat as provincial champions. As a coach it was really special to observe a group of girls that just refused to lose. I’m extremely proud of them.”

crossMorden JV boys – Kiru Griffin, Connor Olson, Mason Frost, Logan McPhail, Tyson Mullin, Vance Olson & Isaac Loewen

Thunder coach Nicole Rutledge

“What an awesome day for these student-athletes! It was a tough course, beautiful scenery but some nasty hills. Each runner gave it their best and it was so exciting to see them rewarded with some hardware. The races really tested the runners mentally and physically and I hope all our runners are proud of their contribution to their team’s success.”
 

crossMorden JV girls won bronze – Anika Wiens, Kate Giesbrecht, Meredith Plett, Mady Letkeman, Ava Earl, Alison Convrey & Brielle Apperly

 

crossGarden Valley varsity boys earned silver – Phye So Moon, Koen Unrau, Isaiah Vandenberg & Lucas Froese

Zodiacs coach Scott Bell

“The five kilometre course the athletes ran Asissippi was incredibly challenging. Maybe the toughest course I have seen at a high school cross country meet. There was a varity of rugged terrain that the athletes had to look out for – mud, gravel, grass, holes and natural obstacles, with some steep hills to climb and some slopes to speed down. A proper cross country course! The weather was especially favourable for runnig at this time of year. It was sunny, temperature in the mid-teens with a light breeze. At the Provincials, the level of competition is very high for our athletes. The Zodiacs team competed with a great deal of heart, which was definitely on display as GVC athletes passed a great deal of runners from other schools over the last section of the race. In the end, the Zodiacs came close to a Provincial banner, finishing a close second to Westgate Mennonite College. Phye So Moon, Koen Unrau, Isaiah Vandenberg & Lucas Froese were a tight-knit team, supporting and encouraging each other throughout the season, and their silver medals at the Provincials are a hard-earned momento of their gutsy running performances and positive team spirit.”
 

crossCarman varsity girls – Hana Lysiuk, Jessica Anderson, Sara Griss, Megan Gross & Milcah Ziso

Cougars coach Larisa Ens

"The 2023 MHSAA Cross Country Championship at Asessippi will be remembered for years to come. Sunny skies and expansive views of fall foilage in the valley were not the only highlights as Zone 4 dominated the A-AAA team categories. Carman’s varsity girls team was hopeful going into the race as they did capture the Zone 4 title in St. Malo, but I’m sure every competitor second guessed themselves on the rugged terrain which had the girls finish at the top of a grueling hill. The team was absolutely elated to capture gold as it has been 32 years since the girls brought home that title. Likewise, the varsity boys were thrilled with their bronze medal finish given that they traveled with only four athletes, the minimum number to qualify as a team, meaning every runner’s scored counted and all must finish the race. Looking around at the 900 competitors and coaches, there are so many familiar faces coaching within Zone 4. Those teachers are steadfast in their commitment to their students and the sport and it shows as Zone 4 literally ran away with over half of the A-AAA titles."

crossCarman varsity boys captured bronze - Griffin Carnelley, Nathan Dyck, Ahmad Aldarwish & Nate Phillips