Two of the biggest cross-country races in Canada will be coming to Kelowna over the next year and a half as the UBC Okanagan Heat have been awarded the hosting rights for the 2023 Canada West Championships along with the 2024 U SPORTS Championships.
The 2023 Canada West Championships will be hosted on Saturday, October 28 at Mission Recreation Park while the U SPORTS Championships will be hosted at the same venue in November of 2024.
"We couldn't be more excited about hosting the nation's best cross-country student-athletes here in Kelowna and the Okanagan in 2023 and 2024," said Tom Huisman, UBCO's director of athletics and recreation. "The 2024 U SPORTS Championship will mark the first time that UBC Okanagan has hosted a national championship, which is something we take great pride in, and will help establish a foundation for pursuing future national championship events."
"Hosting sport events are an essential element in creating a prosperous, vibrant community," added Brad Duquette, community development coordinator for the City of Kelowna. "City of Kelowna is excited to partner with UBC Okanagan to provide an opportunity for athletes to compete at a western and national level and to offer our local sport community the opportunity to experience these high level events right here at home, at Mission Recreation Park. Hosting these events will also be an impressive addition to the City's already rich sports history, and will contribute to our efforts to be recognized as a premier sport event destination in Western Canada."
Under the guidance of head coach Malindi Elmore, the Heat have quickly built themselves into one of the top cross-country programs in Canada since competing in their first Canada West Championship in 2019.
The women's team has established themselves as a Top 5 program in Canada thanks to back-to-back silver medal finishes at the Canada West Championships in 2021 and 2022 as well as a fifth-place finish at the U SPORTS Championships this past year. The team has also been consistently ranked in the U SPORTS Top 10 over the past two seasons.
The men's team is coming off their best-ever finish at the conference championship in 2022 as they finished fifth at last year's event in Abbotsford. The Heat were led in that race by 2022 Canadian marathon champion Trevor Hofbauer while four of the Heat's top seven finishers were rookies, showcasing the potential for this team in the years to come.
"It is very exciting to bring the Canada West and U SPORTS Championships to Kelowna," said Elmore on hosting these events in her hometown. "As someone born and raised in the city, I have been running in Kelowna most of my life and believe we have one of the most beautiful and supportive running communities in the country. To be able to showcase our city to top university student-athletes from around Canada really helps puts us on the 'running map' and also send the signal of our intent to continue to evolve into a top running program."
This Fall's Canada West Championships race will mark the third time the Heat have hosted a Canada West Championship since joining the conference at the beginning of the 2011-12 season. UBCO has also previously hosted the 2015-16 women's volleyball championship as well as the 2019 men's and women's golf championship.