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In Praise of the Nordic Wolves!

January 19th, 2009
Nordic Skiing
General News

Author: Mike Aylward

Lana Puumala, Stephen Hart, Catharine “Rena” Bode, Jeffrey Cameron, Brook Latimer, Marco Seppanen, Kerrie Fabius, Skeets Morel!  This list of stellar student-athletes could go on and on as they are all legends of the Lakehead Thunderwolves Nordic Ski teams. 

 

As the Nordic Wolves season has just gotten underway under new Head Coach Adam Kates and both the men's and women's team embark on their Drive For Five consecutive OUA championships and the women's team will be aiming at a sixth straight CIS-CCUNC national championship; it is time to reflect on this storied program. 

The Lakehead Thunderwolves women’s and men’s Nordic ski teams are the most decorated varsity teams in Lakehead Athletics history and Thunderwolves Nordic has become the best varsity Nordic program in North America over the past decade reaching the heights of success under former Head Coach Lisa Patterson.

Lakehead’s Nordic women’s squads have won one North American championship, five national championships and nine OUA championships while the men have won two national championships and 11 OUA titles.   

 

 Catharine "Rena" Bode: OUA Champion/All Canadian/OUA All Star/Torino Winter Universiade Team Canada Nordic Member

Lakehead’s nine women’s titles are the most in OUA history, two ahead of Carleton’s seven titles; while the men’s 11 championships are second to Laurentian’s 12 titles.

Lakehead has had one CCUNC national individual overall champion; Stephen Hart in 2005-06. 

 

 Stephen Hart: CIS-CCUNC and OUA Champion/All Canadian/OUA All Star/Innsbruck-Seefeld and Torino Winter Universiade Team Canada Nordic Member 

Lakehead’s women have had 10 individual OUA Overall champions while the men have had seven.  Lana Puumala of the Nordic Women is the only skier in OUA history to have won three individual OUA championship titles.  Lakehead’s women’s 10 individual champions are the most in OUA history; two ahead of Carleton’s eight champions.  Lakehead’s seven men’s individual champions are second to Laurentian’s 10 individual champions.

The Thunderwolves Nordic teams have had numerous CCUNC All Canadians and OUA All Stars.  Through a strange twist of fate; Lakehead Nordic legend Jeff Cameron is the only Lakehead varsity athlete to have ever been a six-time OUA All Star.  The reason was that Lakehead competed as a club team in Cameron’s first season when he was named and then the Wolves become a full varsity status team in his second season and he went on to be named an OUA All Star six consecutive times. 

 

 Jeff Cameron: OUA Champion/All Canadian/Six-Time OUA All Star/Tarvisio Winter Universiade Team Canada Nordic Member

One of the prices of Lakehead’s success is that they often lose their top skiers to the National Team Development Centre squad located outside Thunder Bay; even though these young student-athletes are still Lakehead students.  But, when that happens, and it happens almost yearly; the Wolves don’t miss a beat and another excellent student-athlete steps in and Lakehead keep on skiing to success.  Lakehead has become a training ground for top young Canadian Nordic skiers and gives them the opportunity to achieve a high level education while pursuing their sporting dreams. 

Many Lakehead skiers have gone onto represent Canada at a variety of international competitions; this season will see men's team member Ghislain De LaPlante represent Canada at the World Junior Championships in France in February while women's team members Anna Crawford and Mallory Deyne will represent Canada at the Winter Universiade Games being held in Harbin, China also in February. 

 

 
Unfortunately for Lakehead; their success is hurting them again as the OUA Championships will be held at the same time as both of these prestigious international events but new Head Coach Adam Kates and his two teams look forward to the challenge of defending their OUA titles.  However, all three skiers will be available to the Wolves for the CIS-CCUNC national championships in March.  

 

 Anna Crawford: All Canadian/OUA All Star/Harbin Winter Universiade Team Canada Nordic Member

Following is a list of the Nordic Wolves Team accomplishments as well as a partial list of individual awards.  The individual awards do not include the countless meet and championship gold, silver, and bronze medals at the various national and OUA championships; just All Canadian and OUA All Star status as well as Academic Achievement Award winners.

Note: There are a number of OUA All Stars and OUA Academic Achievement Award Winners not listed here.  If you have the name and year of missing OUA All Stars or Academic Achievement Award Winners; please email the info to Lakehead Sports Information Consultant Mike Aylward at thundertrain@shaw.ca

 

  Chris Hamilton: OUA Champion/OUA All Star 

 
World Junior Team Canada Nordic Selection:
1) Ghislain De Laplante: 2009

 

Lakehead Nordic Thunderwolves Selected to Nordic Team Canada at Winter Universiades:
 
Harbin, China  Universiade 2009
1)      Anna Crawford
2)      Mallory Deyne
Torino , Italy Universiade 2007
1)      Stephen Hart (Didn’t attend due to illness)
2)      Phil Wood
3)      Skeets Morel
4)      Catharine “Rena” Bode; chosen as alternate but was selected to go to Torino . 5)      Andrew Casey: chosen as alternate but was selected to go to Torino
Alternates:
6)      Mallory Deyne
Innsbruck/Seefeld Austria Universiade 2005
1)      Skeets Morel
2)      Stephen Hart
Tarvisio , Italy Universiade 2003
1)      Jeffrey Cameron
2)      Kerrie Fabius
3)      Tara Redpath

 

  Christina Groulx: OUA Champion/OUA All Star/NTDC Team Member

   

CIS-CCUNC   National   University and Collegiate Championships: (Note: This competition is between all varsity Nordic ski teams at Canadian universities and colleges.)
 
Women:
1)     2007-08
2)     2006-07 *  This championship was the North   American   Universities and Colleges championship as well as CCUNC championship with teams from Canada and the USA . 
3)     2005-06
4)     2004-05
5)     2003-04
Men:
1)     2005-06
2)     2004-05
 
Men National Team Silver:
1)     2006-07 * Also North American Silver
 
 Men National Team Bronze:
1)     2003-04 
 

  Jeff Seguin: OUA Champion and OUA All Star

 

OUA Conference Championships (Note: The OUA is the only conference in CIS with a full conference competition for Nordic Skiing):

The OUAA and OUA Nordic men’s championships have been competed for since the 1972-73 season. 

Thunderwolves Nordic Men OUA Championships (11 Titles):

1)     2007-08
2)     2006-07
3)     2005-06
4)     2004-05
5)     2001-02
6)     1998-99
7)     1997-98
8)     1995-96
9)     1994-95
10)  1993-94
11)  1987-88
 
 The OUAA and OUA Nordic women’s championships have been competed for since the 1976-77 season.
 
Thunderwolves Nordic Women OUA Championships (9 Titles):
1)     2007-08
2)     2006-07
3)     2005-06
4)     2004-05
5)     2001-02
6)     2000-01
7)     1999-00
8)     1997-98
9)     1996-97 
 

  Mallory Deyne: All Canadian/OUA All Star/Harbin Winter Universiade Team Canada Nordic Member

 

CIS-CCUNC Individual Overall National Champions:
Men:

1)     2005-06: Stephen Hart
 
 Lakehead OUA Championships Overall Women’s Individual Champions:
1)     2007-08: Christina Groulx
2)     2006-07: Rena Bode
3)     2002-03: Kerrie Fabius
4)     2000-01: Karla Mika
5)     1999-00: Becky Laakso
6)     1998-99: Lana Puumala
7)     1996-97: Megan McTavish (Note: Also won for Carleton in 2003-04 as a Grad student) 8)     1995-96: Brook Latimer
9)     1994-95: Lana Puumala
10)  1993-04: Lana Puumala
 
Lakehead OUA Championships Overall Men’s Individual Champions:
1)     2007-08: Chris Hamilton
2)     2006-07: Jeffrey Cameron
3)     2005-06: Stephen Hart
4)     2004-05: Stephen Hart
5)     2001-02: Jeff Seguin
6)     1998-99: Marco Seppanen
7)     1987-88: Marco Seppanen 
 

  Ghislain De Laplante: OUA All Star/Team Canada Nordic World Junior Championships Member

 

Coaching Awards:
Ontario Sports Council Female Coach of the Year: (Note: This award given to the top female coach for all sports and sporting organizations in the province of Ontario ) 2007: Lisa Patterson

OUA Fox 40 Female Coach of the Year (OUA Award all OUA Sports): 2007-08: Lisa Patterson
 
Winter Universiade Team Canada Nordic Head Coach Torino 2007: Lisa Patterson

 Former Head Coach Lisa Patterson: OUA Fox 40 Female Coach of the Year/Ontario Sports Council Female Coach of the Year/Most Team Championships in Lakehead Varsity History - 1 North American Championship; 6 National Championships; 8 Conference Championships

Lakehead CIS-CCUNC All Canadians:

Women:
2007-08
1) Anna Crawford
2005-06:
1) Rena Bode
2) Mallory Deyne
 2001-02
1) Tara Redpath
2) Kerrie Fabius
 
Men:
2006-07
1) Jeff Cameron
2005-06
1) Stephen Hart
2) Skeets Morel
3) Phil Wood

 Skeets Morel: All Canadian/OUA All Star/Canadian Sr. Men's Sprint Champion/Innsbruck-Seefeld and Torino Winter Universiade Team Canada Nordic Member 

OUA All Stars:

Women:
 
2007-08
1) Christina Groulx
2) Anna Crawford
3) Kaylie Isheroff
 
2006-07
1) Rena Bode
2) Anna Crawford
3) Mallory Deyne
4) Emily Hayman
 
2005-06:
1) Mallory Deyne
2) Rena Bode
3) Linnaea Kershaw
4) Emily Hayman
5) Berit Dool
 
 2004-05
1) Mallory Deyne
2) Emily Hayman
3) Rena Bode
4) Berit Dool
 
Men:
2007-08
1) Chris Hamilton
2) Scott Sullivan
3) Ghislain De Laplante
 
 2006-07
1) Jeff Cameron
2) Michael Somppi
3) Robb Martin
 
2005-06
1) Stephen Hart
2) Skeets Morel
3) Jeff Cameron
4) Andrew Casey
5) Phil Wood
6) Jesse Winter
 
2004-05
1) Stephen Hart
2) Skeets Morel
3) Jeff Cameron
4) Jeff Seguin
 
2003-04:
1) Jeff Cameron
 
2002-03:
1) Jeff Cameron
 
2001-02
1) Jeff Cameron 
 

OUA Academic Achievement Award Winners: (Note: Similar to Academic All Canadian; given to varsity athletes who maintain an 80% average in a full course load.)

2007-08
Women:
1)     Anna Crawford
2)     Mallory Deyne
Men:
1)     Chris Hamilton
2)     Robb Martin
 
2006-07:
Women:
1)     Anna Crawford
2)     Catharine “Rena” Bode
3)     Mallory Deyne
4)     Berit Dool
Men:
1)     Jeff Luckai
2)     Robb Martin
3)     Joshua Robinson
4)     Michael Somppi
 
2005-06:
Women:
1)     Catharine “Rena” Bode
2)     Berit Dool
Men:
1 )   Stephen Hart
2)     Robb Martin
 
2004-05
Women:
1)     Catharine “Rena” Bode
2)     Emilie Caron
3)     Mallory Deyne
4)     Berit Dool
5)     Anne Desrosiers
Men:
1)     Stephen Hart
2)     Skeets Morel
 
2003-04
Women:
1)     Catharine “Rena” Bode
 
2002-03:
Women:
1)     Catharine “Rena” Bode

 

Counter: 364

Last Edited: January 21st, 2009

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