Saturday in Brampton will mark the fourth OFSAA cross-country appearance for Lily Bignucolo – though almost certainly the one that the 17 year old grade 12 student at Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School feels the best about.
Sure, part of that comfort comes courtesy of her status as a senior with the highly touted Knights program, an athlete who can draw upon experiences past to create a clear visual in her mind for what lies ahead this weekend as she battles it out with about 250 or so of the top high-school cross-country runners in the province.
“This is my fourth year now, so I know what to expect,” said Bignucolo, who has yet to finalize her post-secondary plans but has acknowledged that remaining at home and running for the Laurentian Voyageurs is definitely in the mix. “I don’t like the spotlight on me, so I feel that I do better in a big pack of runners.”
Truth be told, it wasn’t all that difficult at all to pick out Lily Bignucolo at the NOSSA championships last week hosted on St Joseph’s Island. She would have been the purple and black adorned standout who was leading her second place competitor by more than 80 seconds as she crossed the finish line.
“I was nervous for NOSSA,” she stated. “I did not run that course the day before and everyone was saying that it was hilly. I wasn’t as confident as cities.”
In the end, Bignucolo could not have asked for much more than her convincing victory in a time of 24:01, covering the six kilometre course with ease. “I liked it better with no boys running (they grouped all seniors together at the SDSSAA event),” she said. “And the course was more fun.”
“I was just having fun.”
With her 2023 gold medal in the junior girls division marking her only first place finish previously at the Sudbury showdown, Bignucolo has enjoyed a significant surge that she suggested dates back a little less than a year or so.
“Last year at cross-country, I was not good,” she admitted. “But then I found out my iron was low – and I joined Track North in the winter and my training was more effective. I had a sore hip for track season but once I overcame that, I felt that I really progressed.”
“I just trained hard all summer and I’ve now seen some of my best results ever.”
Bignucolo was one of five SDSSAA runners who claimed gold last week at NOSSA, joined by fellow senior Raphael Belzile from Macdonald-Cartier, Lo-Ellen Park juniors Julian Luoma and Lia Paille, as well as Bishop Alexander Carter novice Mila Drozdowsky.
Local schools also claimed four team banners as Lo-Ellen finished first in both novice boys and senior girls brackets while the Lockerby Vikings took home the hardware in both junior and senior boys ranks, with Lo-Ellen earning bragging rights in the overall aggregate race, well ahead of the St Joseph Scollard Hall Bears from North Bay.
Following are the SDSSAA runners who managed to crack the top-ten in their respective divisions:
Senior Boys Division1st - Raphael Belzile (ESMC) - 20:40.47
3rd - Jack Ellis (SSS) - 21:03.26
4th - Carson Jewitt (LEP) - 21:09.95
5th - Isaac Longston (LCS) - 21:14.25
7th - Gord Farrell (LCS) - 21:24.05
9th - Ewan Duncan (LCS) - 21:50.28
Senior Girls Division
1st - Lily Bignucolo (LEP) - 24:01.05
5th - Megan Pineau (LEP) - 25:37.26
7th - Misaki Diavolitsis (LCS) - 26:01.89
Junior Boys Division
1st - Julian Luoma (LEP) - 17:06.25
2nd - Maxime Belzile (ESMC) - 17:48.71
5th - Karim Kaidi (Hanmer) - 19:00.04
6th - Logan Anderson (LCS) - 19:21.80
8th - Eden Abols (LCS) - 19:41.27
Junior Girls Division
1st - Lia Paille (LEP) - 21:10.72
4th - Ewa Breckon (LEP) - 22:00.62
5th - Mackenzie Roy (SCC) - 22:27.21
8th - Amelie Gervais (CND) - 23:35.95
9th - Hannah Adler (CND) - 23:51.00
Novice Boys Division
2nd - Dax Hester (LEP) - 16:17.75
4th - Lincoln Elliott (LEP) - 16:37.70
5th - Zidan Eldahhan (LEP) - 16:43.00
9th - Max Barros (SCC) - 17:08.90
Novice Girls Division
1st - Mila Drozdowsky (BAC) - 18:21.25
2nd - Julia D'Angelo (STB) - 18:55.49
4th - Sofia Kalviainen (LEP) - 19:16.62
5th - Ella Sabourin (HOR) - 19:24.29
8th - Sophie Rancourt (LAS) - 19:36.18
