Truro, NS - The Crandall Chargers men's and women's cross country teams brought the program to new heights on Saturday, as they achieved historic performances at the CCAA Championships. Dalhousie Agricultural Campus played host to the Championships at Victoria Park, marking the first time since 2010 that these championships have been held in Atlantic Canada. The Chargers were well familiar with the course, having successfully defended their conference titles on it just two weeks prior.

In the women's 6K race, Clareta Livingstone led the Chargers with a 41^st place finish, crossing the line with a time of 25:16. Mary Fillmore and Rylee Stanford followed close behind in a sprint finish, placing 44^th and 45^th with times of 25:32 and 25:33, respectively. Laura Sanchez Fonseca rounded out the team finish with a 71^st placement in 27:01, while Lydia Bodechon placed 92^nd in 30:52.

The Chargers women reached a new program high, placing 11^th in the team standings with a score of 140 points – the former record of 17^th place was set at the 2022 championships. Livingstone's 41st-place finish is also a new high for the program – the former record of 64^th was set at the 2021 championships. Notably, both Fillmore and Stanford also dipped under the old record.

In the men's 8K race, Luke Purdy led the Chargers with a 48^th place finish, crossing the line with a time of 27:41. Jackson Culberson placed 56^th with a time of 28:38, while Luc Blanchette placed 69^th with a time of 29:24, his first time breaking the 30-minute mark. Charles Taylor rounded out the team scoring with an 83rd-place finish in 33:56.

The Chargers men reached a new program high, placing 12^th in the team standings with a score of 211 points – the former record of 14^th place was set at the 2021 championships. Purdy's 48th-place finish is also a new high for the program – the former record of 52^nd was set in the 2021 championships.

"The team did phenomenal," said Head Coach Brandon LeBlanc. "Each and every one of our athletes, male and female, beat their time from this course two weeks ago and achieved a personal best."

Both the men's and women's teams entered the championships ranked 14^th in the country, but emerged with better placements. The women's team beat the 10th-ranked St. Mary's Lightning and 11th-ranked Medicine Hat Rattlers – also just narrowly missing the 7^th and 8th-ranked Red Deer Queens and Mohawk Mountaineers, respectively – while the men's team beat the 12th-ranked Prairie Pilots.

"Year-over-year we're reaching new heights, and we're showing that we can be competitive on the national stage," added LeBlanc.

While these championships marked the end of the season for most, a few of the Chargers men will head to Ottawa, ON to compete in the Canadian Cross Country Championships, set to take place on November 25^th.