Canadian Running and Under Armour have teamed up for the 2024 Canadian U Sports cross-country season to highlight some of the top homegrown talents across the country. Each week, leading up to the 2024 U Sports Cross-Country Championships in Kelowna, B.C., in November, Canadian Running will select the top athlete as the Under Armour Athlete of the Week.
The award will go to a U Sports cross-country athlete who achieved a standout performance at their meet. These athletes will be featured on Canadian Running and awarded an Under Armour prize pack featuring the new UA Infinite Pro trail shoe. This week we highlight University of Guelph athlete Jack Lehto for his performance at the Don Mills Open in Waterloo, Ont., on Sept. 28.
The University of Guelph athlete clocked 18:01 over the 6K loop to take first over a field of 130 men–marking the first win of his collegiate career. The 20-year-old from Burlington led his team to their first team victory this year; Guelph’s men claimed five of the top six places in the race’s collegiate division.
“I felt really good about the race,” says Lehto, who is in his third year studying mechanical engineering. “I was feeling a little bit flat, but I went out pretty quickly and found I was able to keep that up.”
His Guelph teammate, Max Davies, followed closely behind Lehto, claiming second place in 18:07. Lehto revealed that he and Davies completed a light workout the day before the race, making up for the shorter-than-usual distance covered in U Sports men’s XC.
“My goals for the rest of the season are to medal at OUAs and contribute whatever I can at U Sports to secure a team victory,” says Lehto. The Gryphons demonstrated their dominance with a commanding performance in Waterloo, scoring an impressive 18 points to comfortably outpace the second-place McMaster Marauders, who finished with 67. A repeat of these efforts will undoubtedly position the Gryphons team as one of the top contenders in the country as we inch toward championship season in late October.
Full results from the 2024 Don Mills Open can be found here.
Jacob Benoit and Madelyn Eybergen named Under Armour U Sports Athletes of the Week
