Last weekend, the Gaels capped off a stellar cross-country season by establishing themselves once again at the national level.
On Nov. 8, Queen’s men’s and women’s cross country teams took a trip to Sherbrooke, QC., to participate in the 2025 U Sports Cross Country Championship. The result was pure excellence, as the men defended their national title, while the women once again surpassed expectations by finishing in fourth place.
For the men, it was a story of team dominance. The Gaels’ 63 points calculated using the placements of their best five runners—were a whopping 21 places better than the runners-up from the Université de Sherbrooke, and halving the score of the third-place University of Guelph.
Track star Jude Wheeler-Dee, ConEd ’26, earned bronze, and his time of 00:24:24 was a jump from last year, when he finished 13th.
Roman Mironov, Comm ’26, capped off his impressive season with a top-10 finish at 8th, a six-spot jump from 14th in 2024.
In an interview with The Journal, Wheeler-Dee spoke about his performance with pride. “I wanted to win, I’m not going to pretend I didn’t,” he said. “But the bigger thing for me was being competitive and finishing on empty. I walked out of that race knowing I tried as hard as I could.”
Angus Skinner, ConEd ’28, placed 11th, up from 30th last year. Tanner Hueglin, ArtSci ’26, took 17th, and Peter Neill, Sci ’27, rounded out Queen’s scorecard with a strong finish at 24th.
Wheeler-Dee’s podium performance earned him a nod as a First Team All-Canadian, while Mironov and Skinner were honoured as Second Team All-Canadians.
Ethan Rashid-Cocker, Comm ’27, and Owen Danby, ArtSci ’27, didn’t make Queen’s top five, but established themselves well in the top half of the 163-man competition, finishing 49th and 58th, respectively.
The performance demonstrated Queen’s strength of their depth as a group, as the team’s fourth- and fifth-place finishers made up much of the difference to earn gold. Wheeler-Dee praised what he described as a tight-knit Gaels group, saying, “Our 10th guy pushes the 9th, who pushes the 8th, and it trickles all the way to the top.”
The women’s team added to Queen’s pride, capping off a season where they continued to break expectations. They were just two weeks removed from a performance that shocked the OUA on Oct. 25, when they won gold at the provincial event. Before OUAs, Queen’s was ranked 8th nationally in polls among coaches.
The Gaels turned heads at OUAs, but at nationals, they proved it wasn’t a fluke. Once again, despite being ranked fourth in the OUA by coaches earlier in the year, Queen’s took the top spot among all competitors from Ontario. The team finished fourth overall, 36 points shy of third-place University of British Columbia.
The performance was highlighted by a breakout race from Caleigh Pribaz, Kin ’26, whose time of 00:29:20 earned her 21st place to lead the Gaels. Elizabeth Vroom, Sci ’26, capped off a remarkable season at 27th place, and freshman Madison McDermott, ArtSci ’29, ended a strong rookie season at 39th.
Hannah Goodjohn, Nurs ’26, finished 47th, and Jasmine Stokes, Nurs ’26, rounded out Queen’s top five at 55th place. Olivia Baggley, ArtSci ’27, and Rosalyn Barrett, HealthSci ’26, also put up formidable results, finishing 75th and 77th, respectively.
It was another showcase of depth from the Gaels, who were the only top-five finishers without an individual in the top 20, but instead displayed an impressive performance as a group. McDermott—already honoured as OUA’s Rookie of the Year—was given a nod on the U Sports All-Rookie Team.
Wheeler-Dee praised his fellow Gaels’ journey this year. “What they did was incredible,” he said. “From the inside, we knew they were capable, but now everyone else can see it.”
Such a strong performance for both teams merited honours for Queen’s cross-country head coach Mark Bomba, who was given the Fred Foot Award as U Sports Coach of the Year. The award adds to his trophy haul for the year, as he was also named OUA Coach of the Year.
Wheeler-Dee was enthusiastic when talking about his long-time Queen’s coach. “There’s so much credit that needs to go to Mark Bomba. He’s built a phenomenal program from the ground up.” He went on to discuss the immense preparation involved, saying Bomba has “a five-year plan every year,” crucial in the long-term success of his Gaels.
The performances capped off an incredible season for the cross-country teams, but it won’t be long until they’re back in action. The athletes are set to compete in the indoor distance track season, where the Gaels will compete starting in January. In the meantime, Wheeler-Dee is preparing for the Canadian Cross Country Championships, which will take place in London, ON., from Nov. 29 to 30.
Tags
Angus Skinner, Caleigh Pribaz, Elizabeth Vroom, Jude Wheeler-Dee, Mark Bomba, Roman Mironov, U Sports Cross Country Championships
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