Royals Basketball Tournament Douglas College Athletics This year will be the 2nd Annual Douglas College Pre-Season Basketball Tournament. This year the tournament expands from 4 teams to 12; including 4 women’s teams. On the men’s side of the tournament the host Douglas College Royals welcome 8 new play- ers to the 2006/07 squad, including former BCCAA all-stars Chris Veale, Justin Adams, and Andrew Sturgeon. Three teams from Alberta join the tourna- ment this year. The Mount Royal College Cougars, the 2005-06 ACAC Conference gold medallists, bring in a new squad who are expected to be as good as last years team; a team who were semi finalists at the 2006 National Tournament in Toronto. The SAIT Trojans return with more than half the line- up that saw them go 16-4 in league and lose in the ACAC gold medal game to Mount Royal. The Lakeland College Rustlers who are coached by veteran bench boss, Phil Allen, and boast a group of young athletic players who expect to compete for first place in the ACAC North Division this season. The 3 Alberta teams will be up against last years BCCAA silver medallists, the Camosun College Chargers. 2006 CCAA Coach of the Year, Gord Thatcher, brings in a very young but talented group which includes 10 1st year players. The Capilano College Blues will be in a similar situation after losing 4 starters from last year’s BCCAA bronze medal team, but will play their usual run and gun style of bas- ketball. The Langara College Falcons will start this season with new coach Jake McCallum, but return one of the most talents backcourts in the league led by 4th year player Paul Naka. Finally, The Kwantlen University College Eagles begin this season with great expecta- tions as they welcome 2 CIS transfers to the mix for 2006/2007. On the women’s side, new Douglas coach Katie McLeod has a new look line-up. The Royals return 4 players from last year’s playoff team but look to be one of the hard- est working teams in BC. Other teams on the women’s side of the tournament include last yeat’s BCCAA gold medallist Langara Falcons, 2006/07 pre-season favourites Capilano Blues, and up- and-comers Kwantlen Eagles. Cross Country College Douglas College Athletics The Douglas College Cross Country team returned yesterday from the 33rd Annual Western Invitational Cross Country Classic, hosted by Western Washington University at East Lake Padden Park in Bellingham, Washington. “It was a very slow course com- paring to our previous meet at the Sundodger Invitational,” said Head Coach Besnik Mece. “But we competed very well and our progress improved since their last competition.” In the women’s 6 km race, Douglas College’s Natasha Williams finished 87th and ran a personal best of 27:32 and Alicia Williams finished 97th overall and also improved on her new personal best with a time of 28:36. The winner of the race was Rose Wetzel of Club Northwest with 22:07 and second place Canadian Julia Howard 4G THE OTHER PRESS OCTOBER 19 20066 with 22:13. In the men’s 10km race, Douglas College’s’ Karry Kazuta gave an excellent performance and finished 44th overall with a time of 35:03, just To ahead of teammates Kevin McDonald, who finished 74th with a time of 36:36 and Jerin Mece who finished 114th at 39:51. David Wambui of SFU won the race with a time of 32:10. The Royals, next competition is the Skagit Valley Invitational on Saturday, October 21 in Mount Vernon, Washington. Until then, the » Royals will continue to prepare for the NWAACC Championships on November 11 in Spokane, WA. BC Lions Clinch Top Spot Stephanie Smith, OP Sports Editor Stephanie Smith — OP Sports Editor the 2,000 yard milestone. “I don’t need at body in this league to motivate me,” said Simon. “I motivate myself. I want to be t best and that’s what I’m going to do, go « and play my game. All that talking and st during the week, the hype, when it comes down to it, you’ve got to play.” “J am very proud of the work done | Wally Buono, his staff, and our players,” s President and CEO Bob Ackles. “This hz been a tremendous season so far, and we very excited to have secured home field advantage for the CFL’s best fans.” The BC Lions clinched a home playoff game and took a stranglehold on the West Division title with a 39-13 win over the Calgary Stampeders on Friday. The convinc- ing victory came after a week of hype and trash-talking between the CFL’s two best teams, who were going into a home-and- home series that was to decide who would get the number 1 spot in the West. “We're not interested in all of the hoopla,” said Geroy Simon, who recorded his 10th 100-yard receiving night and caught one touchdown. “We can talk just as good as anybody, but if you want to trash talk, you’re going to have to back it up, and we can. Just look at the score- board. That’s all I’m going to say.” The win, which combined with a Saskatchewan Roughriders loss to the Montreal Alouettes on Monday has secured the division for B.C., was the 200th of head coach Wally Buono’s CFL career. Simon, whose main MVP rival is Calgary running back Joffrey Reynolds, is now just 76 yards shy of his career high of 1,750 yards receiving and 320 shy of