It was a successful weekend in Kelowna for the Bisons cross country team, who sent eight runners -- their most since 2019 -- to the Canada West Championships.

The men finished fifth overall in the 8k race, bringing a full team for the first time in four years, while rookie Lena Klassen headlined the women's side, earning All-Rookie honors.

Justin Kroeker was the top Bison overall, earning his first Canada West All-Star nod after an 11th-place result (24:52). He was just ten seconds shy of the top seven (first-team all-stars) in a race that saw ten of the top 13 runners all finish within a minute of each other.

Rounding out the Bisons' results in the field of 78 were Calvin Reimer in 32nd (26:08), Noah Fillion in 33rd (26:14), Carson Kroeker in 41st (26:37) and Alexander Brandt-Ganding in 53rd (27:07). Carson's time earned him All-Rookie honors, as he finished with the fourth-fastest time of any first-year.

On the women's side, Klassen maintained her consistency at the conference championships, earning All-Rookie honors after finishing with the second fastest time of any first-year, at 30 minutes. The a field of 71, she finished 21st overall and was the top Bisons finisher, just ahead of Angela Kroeker, who was 24th in a time of 30:14.

Rounding out the women's results was Hailee Morisseau, a former CanWest All-Star who completed her final conference championship with a time of 31:18.