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38 Sp Sports SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 432) Fax 905-337-5571 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com · FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2011 Diving in Fourth-place finish f at Pan Ams leaves mixed feelings for triathlete Jones By Herb Garbutt OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF MICHAEL IVANIN / OAKVILLE BEAVER GETTING STARTED: Oakville Aquatic Club's Daniel Xia (foreground) and other competitors start a race during last weekend's Brad Townsend meet at Iroquois Ridge Pool. Results from the meet will appear in an upcoming edition of the Beaver. OT wins GHAC field f ld hockey, h k HT drops d T2 final f l By Jon Kuiperij BEAVER SPORTS EDITOR FACING OFF: Mannie Montelpare of Holy Trinity (left) and Aldershot's Tarryn Blignaut vie for possession during yesterday's Halton senior girls' field hockey Tier 2 final. ERIC RIEHL / OAKVILLE BEAVER Hamilton Catholic representatives historically haven't fared too well against Halton champions in girls' field hockey. So how did Oakville Trafalgar coach Jim Groen make sure his team wouldn't let down in yesterday's (Thursday's) Golden Horseshoe Athletic Conference final with a trip to provincials at stake? "We didn't tell them (that)," Groen laughed. Once the game started, however, the Red Devils probably figured it out on their own. OT dominated the early going and didn't let up the rest of the way, cruising to an 8-0 rout of Cardinal Newman and earning a return trip to the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations tournament. Ellie Cookson and Daniela Deschamps paced the Devils with a pair of goals each, while Dana Ball, Alyssa Bull, Emily Farquharson and Claire Newman added singles. Lauren Mounce recorded the shutout in goal for OT. The Devils will look to improve on last year's y fourth-place p OFSAA showing g when they compete at the provincial tournament in Markham next week. "I'm hoping for a better outcome than last year," Groen said. "I think we can do as well, if not better. It's a big difference having been there and... knowing what to expect." Titans comeback falls short Also yesterday, the Holy Trinity Titans fell 3-2 to the Aldershot Lions in the inaugural Halton Tier 2 senior final. Trinity trailed 3-0 at halftime but fought back with two second-half goals and would have tied the game with five minutes left in regulation if not for a great save by Aldershot goalie Tessa Lang. "It was a great season, going into the Tier 2 championship," said Trinity cocoach Sandra Moretta. "The girls were pysched and ready to go. (The Tier 2 final) gave the girls something to play for." In a way, it was an indication of how far Kyle Jones has come in the past four years. At the last Pan Am Games in Brazil, Jones was satisfied with his fourth-place finish in the triathlon. This time around in Guadalajara, Mexico, his reaction to another fourth-place showing was one of disappointment. "Four years ago, I came really close, but I also surprised myself a bit. I didn't go expecting to win and I was pleased with fourth. I was only 22," Jones said upon returning from Mexico Tuesday. "This year was different. I went into it and it was my shot at winning. That was my whole focus leading up to the race." But, given a few days to reflect on his performance in the context of the last 12 months, Jones did see a bright side to his showing in Mexico. "Overall, I'm pleased with my Kyle Jones season. You figure, I had surgery not even a year ago," Jones said of the operation to repair a kinked artery that threatened his career. "I had some good results. I won three races, I was second at nationals, I had a couple of fourths. I competed really well when it mattered. At the end of the day, it's not a bad result." Of course, Jones would have loved to return home with a medal. And at least at his previous fourth-place finish, at the World Cup in Edmonton, he at least had a bit of prize money to cushion the blow of finishing just off the podium. Jones came out of the water with the lead group, just 10 seconds behind the leader. He made up that time on the bike but it would ultimately be the run that would decide the race. Despite posting the fourth-best run time, it was the three medalists that turned had the top times, with Canada's Brent McMahon taking the bronze 23 seconds ahead of Jones. Canada is likely to earn two Olympic berths in London but does have a possibility to earn a third. Canada was awarded three for Beijing and Canada sent two-time Olympic medalist Simon Whitfield, Paul Tichelaar and Colin Jenkins, who finished just ahead of Jones to claim the bronze medal at the Pan Am Games. Jones went to Beijing as Canada's alternate. Jones said he can build off this year's results and hopes to secure one of Canada's Olympic berths for London. "I made a huge progression. I think maybe I'm too hard on myself sometimes," he said. "It sets me up well for next year. Sometimes it's good that you don't get what you wanted. It gives you extra motivation, more fuel for the fire."