Hunter races to best Bisons finish in history

Named All-Canadian for his efforts

Romer Bautista, Staff

It was the race of his life, and one for the Bisons history books. With his second-place finish at the CIS cross-country championships in Victoria, B.C. on Nov. 10, Kristjan Hunter became the first Bison in the program’s history to get on the podium at the event.

The second-place finish caps off an outstanding season for Hunter. He started off the season with back-to-back wins at the Ron Pynn Invitational and the Roy Griak Invitational. Those were followed with a second-place finish at the University of Saskatchewan Open and another victory, this time at the Manitoba Championships.

With such terrific results during the season, expectations were high heading into the CIS championships. And Hunter more than met those expectations. He finished the 10-km race in 31:41.36, besting his result from the Manitoba Championships by more than two minutes.

The great race from Hunter helped the Bison men’s team finish in sixth place at the meet. Rookie runner Desire Budigoma was the second Bison male to cross the finish line, coming in 24th place with a time of 33:23.44. Paul Carr (40th, 33:57.35) and Colin Barnett (41st, 33:58.50) also finished in among the top 50 racers at the meet.

Rounding out the rest of the men’s team were Sheldon Kilcullen (55th, 34:29.51), Eric Tranquada (57th, 34:36.25), and Patrice Leclerc (60th, 34:48.43).

By finishing in the top seven, Hunter was named a first-team all-Canadian for the meet. It was the second time that Hunter has been given such a distinction. He was also named an all-Canadian in 2004 for his fifth place finish and in 2005 for his fourth place finish.

The awards didn’t stop there for Hunter, however. He was also named the Canada West cross-country athlete of the year and named a Canada West first-team all-star.

Joining him as a first-team Canada West all-star is Budigoma, who was the sixth Canada West runner to finish the race. Budigoma was also the recipient of the Canada West Cross-Country Rookie of the Year award.

Carr and Barnett were named to the Canada West second all-star team for their results.

On the women’s side, the Bisons team finished in 14th place. Georgette Mink was the team’s top finisher, finishing the 5-km race in 19:37.36.

The rest of women’s team results were as follows: Alex Bell in 72nd (19:54.40), Alice Sherwin in 76th (19:58.27), Melanie Gregoire in 79th (20:00.16), Lacey Ginter in 89th (20:29.00), Gina Tessmann in 102nd (21:09.41), and Andrea Hesketh in 107th (21.32.41).

Mink was named as a second-team Canada West all-star.

The University of Guelph Gryphons won gold in both the men’s and women’s events.





Volume 95 Issue 13	The Official University of Manitoba Students' Newspaper Website	November 14, 2007

Home About Us Advertising Rates Contact Staff Current Issue PDF Employment Letters to the Editor Meet the Staff Online Archives Volunteer Online Classifieds St. Vincent's Academy Diaries	Font Size Respond Email Print-Friendly Hunter races to best Bisons finish in history Named All-Canadian for his efforts Romer Bautista, Staff It was the race of his life, and one for the Bisons history books. With his second-place finish at the CIS cross-country championships in Victoria, B.C. on Nov. 10, Kristjan Hunter became the first Bison in the program’s history to get on the podium at the event. The second-place finish caps off an outstanding season for Hunter. He started off the season with back-to-back wins at the Ron Pynn Invitational and the Roy Griak Invitational. Those were followed with a second-place finish at the University of Saskatchewan Open and another victory, this time at the Manitoba Championships. With such terrific results during the season, expectations were high heading into the CIS championships. And Hunter more than met those expectations. He finished the 10-km race in 31:41.36, besting his result from the Manitoba Championships by more than two minutes. The great race from Hunter helped the Bison men’s team finish in sixth place at the meet. Rookie runner Desire Budigoma was the second Bison male to cross the finish line, coming in 24th place with a time of 33:23.44. Paul Carr (40th, 33:57.35) and Colin Barnett (41st, 33:58.50) also finished in among the top 50 racers at the meet. Rounding out the rest of the men’s team were Sheldon Kilcullen (55th, 34:29.51), Eric Tranquada (57th, 34:36.25), and Patrice Leclerc (60th, 34:48.43). By finishing in the top seven, Hunter was named a first-team all-Canadian for the meet. It was the second time that Hunter has been given such a distinction. He was also named an all-Canadian in 2004 for his fifth place finish and in 2005 for his fourth place finish. The awards didn’t stop there for Hunter, however. He was also named the Canada West cross-country athlete of the year and named a Canada West first-team all-star. Joining him as a first-team Canada West all-star is Budigoma, who was the sixth Canada West runner to finish the race. Budigoma was also the recipient of the Canada West Cross-Country Rookie of the Year award. Carr and Barnett were named to the Canada West second all-star team for their results. On the women’s side, the Bisons team finished in 14th place. Georgette Mink was the team’s top finisher, finishing the 5-km race in 19:37.36. The rest of women’s team results were as follows: Alex Bell in 72nd (19:54.40), Alice Sherwin in 76th (19:58.27), Melanie Gregoire in 79th (20:00.16), Lacey Ginter in 89th (20:29.00), Gina Tessmann in 102nd (21:09.41), and Andrea Hesketh in 107th (21.32.41). Mink was named as a second-team Canada West all-star. The University of Guelph Gryphons won gold in both the men’s and women’s events.


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