LCCVI’s Duff finishes in top half of his division

Barry Wright/The Independent

Chase Capes put a bow on his collegiate cross-country career with a provincial championship Monday.

The St. Patrick’s runner who is now committed to the University of Oregon for next season and beyond won the 6K OFSAA final at Sudbury in a time of 18:38.39.

He pulled away in the final 1500 metres for a win of more than six seconds over his closest competitor from Etobicoke.

The gold-medal time was 30 seconds faster than his SWOSSA winning race at Canatara Park late last month.

Capes, who has family ties to Petrolia, and his teammates Ryan Ladouceur, Eli Lukenda, and Owen Gray were fifth in the team standings. Northern was 11th.

Northern’s novice girls’ team finished eighth in the division.

Individually, Olivia Somers of Northern was 51st in the senior girls’ final in a field of 277 runners and Hailey Reed of North Lambton crossed the finish line in 83rd place in a field of 269 in the junior girls’ race. Jesse Janoska of Great Lakes placed 140th and Jocelyn Field of North Lambton was 156th.

And LCCVI’s Carter Duff finished in the top half of the field in the novice boys’ final in his first appearance at the provincial event. He placed 121st of 266 runners.