{"id":150555,"date":"2025-11-13T07:30:21","date_gmt":"2025-11-13T12:30:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/runningmagazine.ca\/?p=150555"},"modified":"2025-11-12T17:11:36","modified_gmt":"2025-11-12T22:11:36","slug":"u-sports-xc-champion-madelyn-eybergen-and-coach-hilary-stellingwerff-on-uvics-historic-double-gold","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/runningmagazine.ca\/shakeout-podcast\/u-sports-xc-champion-madelyn-eybergen-and-coach-hilary-stellingwerff-on-uvics-historic-double-gold\/","title":{"rendered":"U Sports XC champion Madelyn Eybergen and coach Hilary Stellingwerff on UVic’s historic double gold"},"content":{"rendered":"

When the University of Victoria women\u2019s cross country team claimed a team bronze medal at last year\u2019s U Sports Canadian University Championships, it marked the first time in 13 years that the Vikes had climbed onto the national podium.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Claiming bronze individually that same day was Madelyn Eybergen<\/strong>, a breakout star at the University of Windsor, who had entered the season as a complete unknown. Eybergen discovered distance running only a year earlier after injury woes put an end to a promising varsity high-jump career.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At the time, both feats seemed like crowning achievements: a return to form for the once-dominant Vikes program after several years of steady rebuilding under new head coach Hilary Stellingwerff,<\/strong> and an incredible cap to her career as a Lancer for Eybergen, who was set to wrap up her time in Windsor and pursue graduate studies in kinesiology elsewhere.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fast-forward to this past weekend in Sherbrooke, Que., however, and the 2025 iteration of the U Sports Championships would see both the Vikes and Eybergen achieve even greater heights, topping the podium with gold medals in the team and individual competitions, respectively.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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A post shared by UVic Vikes (@uvicvikes)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n