Nickel golden at SOSSA cross country

Stamford’s Jade Boisvert hangs on to fifth place in the novice girls division at Thursday’s SOSSA cross country meet at Firemen’s Park in Niagara Falls.

After placing 10th at the pre-OFSAA meet last year, Alexandra Nickel had high hopes for her first year as a high school cross country runner.

But disaster struck at the zone meet.

“There was a root that didn’t have a marker on it and I tripped over it and sprained my ankle,” the Grade 10 student at Jean Vanier said Thursday, after winning the junior girls division at the Southern Ontario Secondary Schools Association cross country championships. “Oh man, it was gutting. I couldn’t believe it because I was so excited to go to OFSAA.

“I had been waiting for so long to get to high school so I could go to OFSAA.”

She will now get that chance to compete at the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations after she matched her first place overall result from last week’s Zone 3/4 meet.

“I am super happy about that,” the 15-year-old Welland resident said.

Nickel trains almost every day for running but not with any club. The Western New York Flash soccer player stopped running with a club to focus on soccer.

“I will do better at running because I focus on my fitness in soccer and I feel that will really help me out.”

Her training partner is her mother, Holly Nickel.

“She is the best influence,” Alexandra said. “She’s such a role model for me and she tells me that I have to work so hard for what I have.”

Running is a big part of her family tree. Her late uncle Daryl Mahler was a legendary running coach at Denis Morris and cousin Matt Mahler was a scholarship runner in the States.

“He did really well and got a scholarship and I just want to be like him and be like my dad’s family,” she said. “They really have a passion for running.”

She has a tough time choosing between soccer and running.

“I would probably have to say soccer, although, I am pursuing running as well to see if I can get a scholarship in the States.”

NOT JEFFERY’S DAY

Tessa Jeffery’s hopes for a SOSSA repeat wasn’t meant to be Thursday at Firemen’s Park in Niagara Falls.

After winning the SOSSA junior girls title and placing sixth at OFSAA last year, the Grade 11 student at E.L. Crossley came second in the SOSSA senior girls division.

“I go into every race confident and feeling good and some days it’s not my day. And today it wasn’t,” the 16-year-old Fonthill resident said.

The Athletics Niagara member wasn’t able to match the pace of Westdale’s Chloe Thomas.

“I was with her and I just lost the pace and that’s on me for letting her get in my head,” said last week’s overall winner at the Zone 3/4 meet. “I thought ‘Oh she is faster’ but I have to stay mentally strong.

“If you take the pace out tough, I have to stay with you.”

Jeffery took solace in the fact that she wasn’t her best at SOSSA but still has OFSAA to look forward to Nov. 2 in Sudbury.

“The next one is the main one and today was all about qualifying,” she said. “I hope to do better at OFSAA.”

She wasn’t dwelling on Thursday’s result and was seen comforting a runner from another school after the race.

“You brush it off and you get right back to training.”

BOISVERT EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS

Stamford’s Jade Boisvert had modest expectations heading into Thursday’s SOSSA cross country meet.

“I’m not sure, but I wasn’t expecting to do very well,” the 14-year-old Niagara Falls resident said.

She was first in her zone and second overall at the Zone 3/4 meet last week to advance to SOSSA and her fifth-place performance at SOSSA made her the top runner from Niagara and advanced her to OFSAA.

“I’m really happy,” she said. “I was hoping to do as good as I could and advance to OFSAA.”

She started taking running more seriously after Grade 7.

“When I hit Grade 8, I wanted to do better so I signed up for Athletics Niagara,” she said. “I did a lot of training and when I went to the DSBN (District School Board of Niagara) meet in Grade 8, I crushed it.”

She ended up placing first in the 800 metres and second in the 1,500 metres.

KEMP CHASING GOLD

Cassie Kemp is one step closer to her goal after winning the para girls division at the SOSSA cross country meet Thursday.

“She has that drive and she is always thinking about getting first and repeating the magic that we had last year,” coach Dave Poirier said. “She wants to write a new story for this year.”

The 17-year-old Collegiate student came second at OFSAA last year, missing the gold medal by 1.2 seconds.

“There’s that hunger there,” Poirier said.

In track and field this past spring, Kemp set an OFSAA record and won gold in the 800 metres and placed third in the 1,500 metres.

“I want get first every time,” Kemp said. “I am running faster now and I don’t even know how to explain it.”

Running at SOSSA was a challenge for Kemp.

“It was really tiring but they (coaches and teammates) helped me a lot with all the stuff that was going on,” she said. “They are helping me a lot because they are pushing me.”

The top two teams and the top five individuals not on qualifying teams advance to the OFSAA championships. Below are the local runners and teams who met that criteria.

Novice girls: 5. Jade Boisvert, Stamford; 7. Kate Ybema, Heritage Christian; 8. Sarah Sweitzer, St. Francis; 10. Laura Pagoda, Blessed Trinity.

Junior girls: 1. Alexandra Nickel, Jean Vanier (19:17.8); 2. Abby Jackson, Westlane; 3. Payton Tonnos, Eden; 4. Haley Morey, Eden; 6. Mia Nanini, Eden.

Junior girls team: 1. Eden (Tonnos. Morey, 9. Gabrielle Johnson and 37. Pauline Rotz).

Senior girls: 2. Tessa Jeffrey, Crossley; 3. Lauren Brooks, Churchill; 5. Alissa Mete, Notre Dame.

Senior girls teams: 1. Sir Winston Churchill ((Brooks, 10. Isabella Goveia, 12. Shayla Kuzyk, 18. Bianca Salierno and 28. Clare Atreo); 2. E.L. Crossley (Jeffery, 11. Laura Fennell, 14. Kaitlyn Palmateer, 25. Sydney Doussept and 36. Lauren Knafelc).

Para girls: 1. Cassie Kemp, Collegiate (14:19); 2. Shannon Swinson, Beamsville; 3. Deanna Donnelly, Port Colborne.