Eleven new recruits have signed on to join the UBC Okanagan Heat cross country program for the upcoming 2022-23 season. The well-balanced group of incoming students include nine high school graduates, as well as two transfer students.
"The incoming group of student-athletes is the best recruiting class we have ever had on the UBCO cross country team," commented Heat head coach Malindi Elmore on the newest additions to her teams. "We have several provincial and national level athletes who will make an immediate impact on the program. We are very excited about the depth that this will bring our program with opportunities to strengthen both our cross country and track programs."
Headlining the recruiting class are transfers Emily Simpson, joining UBCO from the Calgary Dinos, as well as Madison Greenough, who comes to the Heat from the Waterloo Warriors.
Simpson, who will be conducting her post-graduate studies in Medicine, is coming off an accomplished career with the Dinos. During her time at Calgary, she finished fifth at the Canada West Cross Country Championships while also finishing third in the 1500m at the Canada West Track and Field Championships. She was also an Academic All-Canadian each season with the Dinos.
Greenough brings with her multiple years of U SPORTS experience as she previously served as the captain of the Waterloo Track and Field team and Cross-Country team, each for two consecutive years. Additionally, the Master of Data Science student has received a long list of academic recognition, including being a U SPORTS Academic All-Canadian, OUA Academic All-Canadian, as well as being part of the Honour Roll and Dean's Honour Roll.
Three of the new recruits, Ella Wigmore, Charlie Kanuka, and Lucas Robertson, have previously trained and competed together with the West Vancouver Track & Field Club, with Wigmore and Robertson also being graduates of West Vancouver Secondary School.
Wigmore, who will be studying general science, brings a list of accomplishments including a first-place team finish at the BCHS Cross Country meet in 2021, as well as receiving honours with distinction from 2017-2021.
Set to study in the Bachelor of Science program, Robertson has received honours with distinction throughout his high school career and finished 53rd at the cross country provincial championship for senior boys.
Kanuka, who was previously competed at the B.C. Summer Games, will be coming to UBCO to study health and exercise science.
The Heat will have four more incoming recruits from B.C. including Basil Parkins, Isaac Baker, Mateo Moore, and Abigail Yakemchuk.
Parkins, a graduate of Oak Bay Secondary School, will be studying Management and has earned a ninth-place finish at the B.C. High School Cross Country Championships.
Baker, who will be studying health and exercise science at UBCO, won the B.C. high school sr. boys cross country team championship, and was also part of the 2021-22 ACXC B.C. U18 provincial team.
Moore, an incoming management student from the Nanaimo Track & Field Club, has a previous 22nd place finish at the 2019 U16 Canadian Cross Country Championships.
Abigail Yakemchuk, a product of Ocean Athletics Track & Field Club, has previously been named Junior Female Athlete of the Year at Langley Christian Secondary. In 2020, she placed second in the U18 women's four-km 'championship eligible' race in the BC Athletics' BC Cross-Country Championships Virtual Challenge.
The Heat's final two recruits will be from outside the province. Russell Pearson is coming to UBCO from the Calgary Warriors Track Club. The 2022 Alberta Secondary Schools 300m champion will be studying in the Management program. Owen Lloyd, hailing from the Laurel Creek Track & Field Club, helped earn a third-place team finish at the Athletics Ontario Provincial Championships and the Athletics Canada Cross Country Championships, and will be studying in the Bachelor of Arts program.
These eleven recruits are joined by Trevor Hofbauer, a 2020 Canadian Olympian who was announced as a recruit for UBCO in April 2022.
