Quebec distance star completes three-peat at U Sports XC Championships
Philippe Morneau-Cartier achieved a historic golden hat trick on Saturday in Sherbrooke, Que.
Will Thompson
For Philippe Morneau-Cartier, Saturday’s 2025 U Sports Cross-Country Championships in Sherbrooke, Que., cemented his legacy in collegiate cross-country history. The Université Laval athlete successfully completed his U Sports hat trick, marking his third straight undefeated season.
On the women’s side, after transitioning from high jump just last year, Victoria Vikes star Madelyn Eybergen stunned with double gold.
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Completing the triple
Morneau-Cartier, a 24-year-old medical student from La Pocatière, Que., ran the 8K course in 23:14, holding off the field by a five-second margin. Thomas Laviolette of the Montreal Carabins took silver in 24:19, while OUA Champion Jude Wheeler-Dee of the Queen’s Gaels rounded out the podium in 24:24.
The run marked Morneau-Cartier’s second battle with Laviolette in just two weeks; at the RSEQ championships on Oct. 25 in Saint-Lazare, Que., Morneau-Cartier grabbed his fourth straight RSEQ title in 23:40, with Laviolette close behind in 23:44.
Wheeler-Dee’s third-place finish led the Gaels to back-to-back national titles, with all five scorers finishing in the top 24, totalling a mere 63 points. The performance crushed their score from the 2024 championships (94 points), where they climbed to the top of the podium for the first time in 40 years.
Men’s results
Individual
- Phillippe Morneau-Cartier (Laval Rouge et Or) — 23:14
- Thomas Laviolette (Montreal Carabins) — 24:19
- Jude Wheeler-Dee (Queen’s Gaels) — 24:24
- Nolan Turgeon (Sherbrooke Vert et Or) — 24:32
- Felix Quirion (Sherbrooke Vert et Or) — 24:37
- Jack Lehto (Guelph Gryphons) — 24:37
- Max Davies (Guelph Gryphons) — 24:42
- Roman Mironov (Queen’s Gaels) — 24:44
- Jaxon Kuchar (Victoria Vikes) — 24:45
- Jared Howse (UNB Reds) — 24:46
Team
- Queen’s Gaels (63 points)
- Sherbrooke Vert et Or (84 points)
- Guelph Gryphons (132 points)
Former high jumper to national XC gold
The women’s 8K race was just as thrilling, with former high jumper Victoria Vikes athlete Madelyn Eybergen bouncing back from CanWest silver to secure national gold in a blistering 27:10.
The win marked Eybergen’s second career U Sports gold since transitioning from high jump over the summer of 2024. Last fall, Eybergen made a dominant cross-country debut representing the Windsor Lancers, taking OUA gold and U Sports bronze. She went on to win the 3,000m title at March’s U Sports Indoor Track and Field Championships.
Eybergen’s performance also led the Vikes to an overall team title with 99 points, upgrading their previous third-place finish. Overall, 2025 marked a breakthrough season for the team, which secured the 2025 CanWest Championship title for the first time since 1998.
Coming in as the reigning champion and the 2025 CanWest conference champion, UBCO’s Lauren McNeil settled for silver in 27:24. Port Perry’s rising star, Alex McDougall, the 2025 OUA champion, grabbed bronze in 28:06, becoming the first University of Guelph women’s cross-country athlete since 2016 to finish on the individual podium at U Sports.
Women’s results
Individual
- Madelyn Eybergen (Victoria Vikes) — 27:10
- Lauren McNeil (UBCO Heat) — 27:24
- Alex McDougall (Guelph Gryphons) — 28:06
- Julia Agostinelli (Toronto Varsity Blues) — 28:22
- Sophie Courville (McGill Martlets) — 28:30
- Marisha Thompson (Victoria Vikes) — 28:35
- Elisa Tripotin (UQAM Citadins) — 28:46
- Caroline Ash (St. Francis Xavier X-Women) — 28:47
- Olivia Cooper (Alberta Pandas) — 28:47
- Maria Linton (Western Mustangs) — 28:50
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Team
- Victoria Vikes 99 points
- St. Francis Xavier X-Women 117 points
- UBC Thunderbirds 138 points
See here for full results from the 2025 U Sports XC Championships.
