Galbraith, Sviergula, Woods top NCAA races
Notre Dame’s Aaron Sviergula and Blessed Trinity’s Aden Hendriks battle for first in the junior boys division Tuesday at the NCAA cross country meet at Firemen’s Park in Niagara Falls.
Last year’s Niagara Catholic Athletic Association cross country meet was an eye opener for Holy Cross’ Mario Galbraith.
The Grade 12 student placed sixth in the senior boys division at the NCAA championships and ended up finishing 48th at the Southern Ontario Secondary Schools Association race.
“Last year I started running three months before the season. I thought I was good and then you come here and there’s a lot of other really good guys,” the 17-year-old Niagara-on-the-Lake resident said.
“This year, I joined a track club and I have been running more and focusing on doing actual workouts and stuff,” he said. “I wanted to put the work in and see how good I could get because this is my last year of high school. You are never going to get these times back and it could set me up for the future. Maybe I could run for Brock.”
The Thorold Elite Track Club member’s hard work paid off Tuesday at Firemen’s Park in Niagara Falls when he won the NCAA senior boys division by a sizeable margin. It was his first race of the year and came on the heels of a vacation to North Carolina’s Outer Banks.
“I had some good workouts but I wasn’t sure what shape I was in. I wanted to put in a good effort and see how I could do today.”
His time down south wasn’t filled with training.
“I ran on the beach most days but it was a lot more relaxed then what I was doing before I went on vacation. I really wanted to train but it is hard to train by yourself and you’re with your family and you are on vacation.”
Galbraith will use the next week to get ready for SOSSA but he is not expecting to qualify for the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations championships.
“I just want to run the very best that I can with my current fitness and see how close I can get and how fast I can run. It is really stacked this year. There are like eight guys who were in the top 50 at OFSAA and there are only five spots.”
Blessed Trinity won the boys team title followed by Saint Paul and Denis Morris.
JUNIOR BOYS
Aaron Sviergula credited a different source of training for his victory in the junior boys race at the NCAA cross country meet.
“I have been playing outdoor ball hockey and I have been sprinting a lot in that so I think I have gotten a lot more speed,” the Grade 10 student at Notre Dame said.
The 15-year-old Fonthill resident placed second and third at the NCDSB elementary meets and last year he was third in the novice boys division at the NCAA meet.
He wasn’t sure how good of a season he was going to have until recently.
“I think it was today that I noticed that,” he said, “I was confident that I was going to come first, second or third or around that because some of the boys didn’t come out from DM this year. That let me take their spots.”
He has no specific goals for the season.
“I am going to try and keep it up and stay strong for running. I am going to keep practising outside of school.”
He would love to make it to OFSAA.
“I enjoy the running but it is pretty challenging.”
Sviergula was in battle for first for most of the race before pulling ahead at the end.
“I’ve been thinking about my brother (Jason) because he has been encouraging me through the meets but he wasn’t here today because he went back to school. I just remembered his words to keep pushing through and I managed to keep my spot.”
His brother is a big part of his running career.
“He just yells through races to encourage me and I appreciate that.”
NOVICE BOYS
T.J. Woods was confident heading into Tuesday’s NCAA cross country meet at Firemen’s Park.
“I was a little nervous but I thought that I had it. I always get nervous and I think that that is a good thing,” the Grade 9 student at Dens Morris said. “I don’t want to lose and I want to get first every race.”
Woods has taken his running to the next level in 2023.
“I have always done school cross country but I never thought of joining a track club until this summer.”
Joining the Thorold Elite Track Club has been a big boost for the 13-year-old Thorold resident.
“We do a lot of workouts and stuff and it helps you get faster. It has given me a lot of confidence too.”
This past summer, he finished third in Ontario in the 800 and 1,500 metres for 2009 birth dates.
At the end of Tuesday’s race, Woods collapsed on the ground and lay on his back.
“I felt tired but I had to keep going. Right when I finish, I always fall down.”
He has lofty goals for the rest of the fall season.
“My main goal is to get to OFSAA and I want to do well there and maybe medal.”
RESULTS
Novice boys individual (4K): 1. T.J. Woods, DM (14.40); 2. Jose Gras, DM; 3. Evan Blake, Saint Paul; 4. Mason Pasma, Notre Dame; 5 Jake O’Donnell, Saint Paul.
Novice boys teams: 1. Saint Paul (3. Blake; 5. O’Donnell; 6. Tomas Boscacci; 12. Finn Dunker-Ault; 14. Gianluca Arghittu); 2. Blessed Trinity (7. Deyan Skrban; 8. Jon Luc Tersigni; 9. Austyn Ellis; 15. Owen Gregerson; 20. Tyler Joseph); 3. Denis Morris (1. Woods; 2. Gras; 16. Prince Enomayo; 22. Peyton Taylor).
Junior boys individual (5K): 1. Aaron Sviergula, Notre Dame (18:31.4); 2. Aden Hendriks, BT; 3. Domenico Patitucci, DM; 4. Andre Rais-Firouz, BT; 5. Matteo Volpini, BT.
Junior boys team: 1. Blessed Trinity (2. Hendriks; 4. Rais-Firouz; 5. Volpini; 8. William Motyka-Tweedy; 9. Nestor Senyonga).
Senior boys individual (6K): 1. Mario Galbraith, Holy Cross (17:15.2); Ayden Pidsadny, BT; 3. Jordan Spratt, BT; 4. Jackson Schwandt, St. Francis; 5. Keenan Therrien-Tomas, Saint Paul.
Senior boys teams: 1. Blessed Trinity (2. Pidsadny; 3. Spratt; 6. Tony Hendriks; 9. Danijel Skrban; 10. Joshua Fabina); 2. Saint Francis (4. Schwandt; 7. Gavin Paxton; 16. Kaelen Smith; 17. Adam Kotrec; 21. Kieran Edgar).
