Truro, NS - The Crandall Chargers men's and women's cross country teams successfully defended their conference titles at the ACAA Championships on Saturday. Dalhousie Agricultural Campus played host to the Championships at Victoria Park under clear skies and unusually warm temperatures for late-October.

In the women's 6K race, Mary Fillmore repeated as the conference's silver medalist with a time of 25:37. Michaela Allen and Clareta Livingstone placed 4^th and 5^th with times of 26:26 and 26:29, respectively, while Rylee Stanford followed close behind, crossing the line 7^th with a time of 27:09. Laura Sanchez Fonseca placed 9^th in 27:42, while Lydia Bodechon was 17^th in 31:36.

In a nail-biting finish, the Chargers and the Mount Allison Mounties tied in the women's team standings at 18 points each – the lowest possible score for a tie. The league's tie-breaking procedures dictate that the team whose last scoring member is nearest to first place is given the higher position. Because of Stanford's 7^th place finish over Mountie Claire Wilbur's 8^th – by a margin of just nine seconds – the Chargers were declared the gold medalists for the second consecutive year. The Mount Saint Vincent Mystics achieved a third place finish with a score of 51 points.

In the men's 8K race, Luke Purdy solidified his undefeated streak, claiming the gold medal with an astonishing time of 28:14, while Jackson Culberson captured silver with his first-ever sub-30 minute clocking: 29:34. Luc Blanchette placed 4^th in 31:16, while Charles Taylor rounded-out the team scoring, placing 15^th in a time of 35:17.

The Chargers men captured their third consecutive conference banner with a score of 20 points. The Mount Allison Mounties won silver with a score of 29 points, while third place went to the Holland College Hurricanes with 38.

Purdy was recognized with the conference's Male Runner of the Year Award and, alongside teammates Culberson and Blanchette, was named to the Men's All-Conference Team. Fillmore, Allen, and Livingstone were all named to the Women's All-Conference Team, while Head Coach Brandon LeBlanc was awarded Coach of the Year for the third consecutive year.

"Championship banners are an all-around team effort, and today's results really emphasized that," said LeBlanc. "Our women persevered through what was perhaps the strongest competition in the history of the conference, while each and every one of our men pulled-off their best performances when it mattered most."

The Chargers will now take on Canada's best at the CCAA Cross Country Championships, also hosted by Dalhousie Agricultural Campus on the same course in Truro, NS on November 11^th. Both teams are currently ranked 14^th in the country.