Saayman grabs another All-Canadian nod
GRANDE PRAIRIE, ALTA., (Nov. 9, 2019) - Jacques Saayman did Jacques Saayman things Saturday afternoon.
Amidst piles of snow and frigid temperatures in Grande Prairie, Alta., Saayman (4th year, Fort McMurray, Alta., Bachelor of Business Administration) made it four straight years as an All-Canadian by finishing in the Top 10 at the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) National Championships.
His time of 29:19 placed him seventh overall amongst 106 runners from all across Canada.
"It was a good race, and there were tough conditions, obviously," said Saayman after finding his way back to his warm hotel room. "But like we talked about in our team meeting, the conditions are tough, but they were going to be tough for everyone out there today. Knowing that, it was just about running smart and running within ourselves. . . It was a good, hard race."
His first trip to the national stage came in 2016 in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., where as a rookie he finished 10th overall. A year later in Quebec, he won the individual bronze medal when he helped his men's squad win their first-ever CCAA team medal (bronze).
Last year in Markham, Ont., Saayman's eighth place run helped the men's side to silver.
"At the end of the race, the first people I went up to were my coaches (Bre MacEachern and Ryan Edgar) because they have been consistently there for me throughout the four years," explained Saayman. "A lot of things has changed in my time at SAIT, but our coaching staff hasn't. The effort I have put in throughout my four years stems from them, and their commitment to the team despite having their own lives and jobs. If they can show up every year, why can't I?"
MacEachern fought back emotions when talking about Saayman, who is on the fence about this year being his last with the team.
"I can't say enough great things about Jacques, he's such a great leader," she said. "Even when he's not feeling at his best, he goes out and leaves everything on the course. . . We're going to miss him if he decides not to come back. The fact he has been an All-Canadian in all four years just shows his consistency and his ability to rise to the occasion no matter what the conditions."
On Saturday, Saayman's teammate Daryl Ross (4th year, Calgary, Business Administration) finished 31st in a time of 30:42, while Jakob Vollmerhaus (2nd year, Bragg Creek, Alta, Geographic Information Systems) and Michael Stewart (1st year, Airdrie, Alta., Avionics Technology) rounded out the final two Trojans runners to count in the team standings by placing 46th (31:23) and 53rd (31:31) overall, respectively.
As a team, they placed sixth overall.
"Even though it wasn't the results we've been used to the last couple of years, it doesn't say anything less about this team," Saayman stated. "It was a good effort, but we know we can do better and we talked about that afterwards. . . From third place to sixth place, it was just tiny little points that made the difference, and we'll remember that."
On the women's side, Ann Danard (3rd year, Thunder Bay, Ont., Civil Engineering Technology) was the only Trojans female to take part in the 6km race.
She placed 14th overall in a time of 26:58, destroying her run last year at the event in Markham, Ont., where she placed 29th.
"We're very proud of her. She's worked very hard this year and it shows in how much she has improved from last year's nationals," MacEachern said. "She had big goals this year, and she came so close to the Top 10. She did so great today."