Lloyd, McNeil lead cross country at Fast Days of Summer 5000
The UBC Okanagan Heat men's and women's cross country teams competed in their first race of the season, running the Fast Days of Summer 5000 along the Kelowna Rail Trail on Sunday morning where Owen Lloyd and Lauren McNeil finished first and second respectively.
Lloyd, a third-year from Cambridge, Ont., looked strong during the race, winning the event in a time of 15 minutes, 48 seconds.
Meanwhile, McNeil, back with the Heat after competing for UBCO during the 2021-22 season while on exchange, showcased her impressive speed, running step-for-step with Lloyd for much of the race and finished second in 15:51.
In total, Heat runners claimed eight of the top nine finishes in the community event.
The Fast Days of Summer 5000, which also serves as a fundraiser for the Heat cross country program, is the first of four events that UBCO will run in in the lead up to hosting the 2024 U SPORTS Cross Country Championships at Mission Recreation Park this November.
The Heat will return to action in three weeks' time as they get set to compete in the Vancouver Spirit Run on Sunday, September 22.
HEAT RESULTS
1. Owen Lloyd - 15:48
2. Lauren McNeil - 15:51
4. Charlie Kanuka - 16:02
5. Kyle Porter - 16:13
6. Christopher Crowe - 16:28
7. Caleb Graham - 16:30
8. Kristen Smith - 17:02
9. Lucas Robertson - 17:07
12. Ezra Ganske - 17:15
13. Tori Bouck - 17:18
16. Brooke Lawlor - 17:38
17. Joel Geake - 17:41
18. Trevor Robertson - 17:49
19. Sophie Hamilton - 17:58
23. Miles Powell - 18:25
26. Lys Milne - 18:35
29. Ella Wigmore - 18:42
37. Abigail Yakemchuk - 20:07
44. Sharanya Vijayaraghavan - 20:42
46. Nora Prince - 20:54
49. Tessa Coyle - 20:58
56. Felicity Hanson - 21:57
63. Chyvonne Borsa - 22:49
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CLUB RECAP: Women's softball picks up three wins on opening weekend in Calgary
SOFTBALL
The defending Western Collegiate Softball Association (WCSA) champions got their season off to a strong start as they posted a 3-1-1 record on opening weekend in Calgary.
UBCO had their offence rolling to open the year as they posted 37 runs over five games, including double-digit efforts in a 12-6 win over Regina and 11-0 shutout of the SAIT Trojans. The Heat also knocked off the Lethbridge Pronghorns 7-4 and earned a hard-fought 6-6 draw with the Calgary Dinos, rallying from a three-run deficit on two separate occasions.
The only blemish for UBCO was a 5-1 setback against the Saskatchewan Huskies.
With the offence rolling, a couple of players racked up big stat lines over the five games. Third baseman Taryn Lamb of Kelowna, B.C., batted .583 with seven hits and five RBI while pitcher/utility Sheyanne Lawrence stuffed the stat sheet, hitting .538 with two home runs, four RBI and seven hits, while also picking up a win and 11 strikeouts on the mound in two appearances.
The Heat will have a weekend off before returning to action for the weekend of September 13-15 where they will play six games in three days in Victoria, B.C., facing the Victoria Vikes, Dinos and Huskies each twice.
MEN'S RUGBY
The Heat continue with their training camp in preparation for their season opener on September 22 against Mount Royal University in Calgary.
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MacInnes' late goal propels men's soccer past Spartans
Thanks to an 83rd minute goal from fourth-year forward Zack MacInnes, the UBC Okanagan Heat men's soccer team earned their first victory of the season on Saturday night as they got past the visiting Trinity Western Spartans by a score of 1-0 at Nonis Sports Field.
MacInnes, a native of Kelowna, B.C., converted a rebound opportunity after an initial shot from rookie forward Aidan Synnuck of Sidney, B.C., was stopped by Spartans keeper Alexander Cordeiro of Burnaby, B.C.
The goal is MacInnes first of the season and second of his career.
The two Pacific division rivals were evenly matched throughout the contest with both teams finishing the night with four shots on goal. Trinity Western (0-2-0) controlled play through the opening 20 minutes before the Heat (1-2-1) found their footing and began to swing the contest in their favour.
MacInnes nearly opened the scoring in the 79th minute when his shot from the top of the box deflected off a Spartans defender before striking the cross bar. However, he would make no mistake just four minutes later and the Heat would hold off a late push from Trinity Western to seal the victory.
TOP PERFORMERS
F Zack MacInnes - UBCO
The fourth-year forward used his pace and ball skills all night long on the wing to frustrate the Spartans defenders and was rewarded for his efforts with the game winning goal.
MF Kieran Eve - TWU
The third-year midfielder from Coquitlam, B.C., was a presence in the middle of the park for the Spartans all night long, playing the full 90 minutes and finishing with three shots and one shot on goal.
WHERE THEY STAND
With the win, the Heat leapfrog the Thomson Rivers WolfPack to move into fourth place in the Pacific division. Meanwhile, the Spartans suffer their second-consecutive loss to open their campaign to sit at the bottom of the division standings.
UP NEXT
UBCO will be back on the road next weekend as they make the trip north to Prince George to take on the UNBC Timberwolves. Game one of the weekend doubleheader is set for Friday, September 6 at 6 p.m. Fans can catch the action live on CanadaWest.tv.
Men's soccer battles back to earn draw with Cascades
Rookie forward Jaise Shaw scored his first career goal to help the UBC Okanagan Heat men's soccer team rally for a 1-1 draw with the UFV Cascades on Friday night at Nonis Sports Field at the Heat's home opener.
After the Heat fell behind 1-0 in the 81st minute, Shaw quickly responded with a nice solo effort. The 6-2 forward got past his man before cutting in and burying a shot far side past UFV keeper Jackson Cowx of Surrey, B.C., to even the score at one apiece.
Minutes later, in stoppage time, Shaw appeared to give the large home crowd, featuring UBCO Jump Start students, another reason to cheer. After taking a ball from Alex Sol of Langley, B.C., Shaw broke in and buried what appeared to be his second goal of the match. However, the play was ruled offside much to the chagrin of the Heat bench.
Neither team would find another chance in the final moments as the teams settled for the 1-1 tie.
TOP PERFORMERS
F Jaise Shaw - UBCO
The rookie forward, making his debut in front of the home crowd, came off the bench in the second half to provide a shot in the arm of the Heat's offence. Along with his goal, he finished the match with three shots and two shots on target in 45 minutes of action.
MF Kevin Mailand - UFV
The second-year midfielder from Hannover, Germany had a strong showing for the visitors, netting his team's lone goal while finishing with two shots on goal.
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Second half surge pushes women's soccer past WolfPack in home opener
The UBC Okanagan Heat women's soccer team got second half goals from seniors Alyssa Scott and Sydney Kolodziej as they defeated the Thompson Rivers WolfPack 2-0 in their home opener on Friday night at Nonis Sports Field.
In a match that the Heat dominated possession for much of the contest, the WolfPack were able to keep UBCO at bay in the opening 45 minutes despite the Heat outshooting TRU 11-2.
With the two teams deadlocked at zero heading into the second half, the Heat continued to push and were rewarded in the 61st minute. Rookie defender Maya Letellier of Calgary, played a great ball into the box that found Scott (North Vancouver, B.C.) who made no mistake to put the host up 1-0.
After the goal, the WolfPack looked to push for the equalizer but the Heat held firm and were rewarded with a second tally 20 minutes later. After some nice passing around the box, the ball deflected to rookie Malala Rabesoa of North Vancouver, B.C., who chested a pass to Kolodziej (Kelowna, B.C.) to poke pass the WolfPack keeper for the ever-important insurance marker.
The WolfPack would get one chance late but it was easily handled by Heat keeper Talia Gagnon of Dieppe, N.B., as she recorded the third clean sheet of her career.
TOP PERFORMERS
D Sophia Campbell - UBCO
The fourth-year centreback from Surrey, B.C., was outstanding leading the Heat backline on Friday night as the WolfPack managed just five shots in the contest.
D Paige Dwane - TRU
The rookie defender from Surrey, B.C., made her Canada West debut and played the full 90 minutes, recording one shot on goal while helping her backline make a number of crucial blocks in the opening half to keep the game within reach.
UP NEXT
The Heat will be back in action next Friday night, September 6, when they are back at Nonis Sports Field to take on the UFV Cascades. Kickoff is set for 5:30 p.m. and tickets to the game are free for all fans.