His last act as a Marauder will see Blair Morgan return to the international stage for a second time.

The leading light of the McMaster men's cross country team was named to the Canadian delegation for the FISU World University Cross Country Championships for the second consecutive running on Wednesday, while Marauder head coach Paula Schnurr will join Morgan as an assistant coach.

Providing the low post for the McMaster men en route to a fourth-placed finish as a group, Morgan crossed the line eighth at the CIS Cross Country Championship in November, being named a Second Team All-Canadian for his efforts. His position as a national all-star automatically qualified him for the honour of an international role.

Having taken part in the 2014 event in Entebbe, Uganda, the Marauder enters the March 12 event in Cassino, Italy with the experience of an international veteran. He entered that 2014 race with just 12 days of preparation, being called into action as an alternate,and with no opportunity to train at the altitude that Entebbe presented. The result was a middle-of-the-pack finish, one that Morgan has undoubtedly learned from.

"It puts the race in perspective, now that I've seen it once," says Morgan. "I know now what the level of competition is going to be, what the challenge of racing after travelling is like, and racing with guys as a team who I'm usually competing against."

Altitude will not enter into the March event, as Cassino sits just 40m above sea level, but the challenge of international racing remains. Chiefly, Morgan and his fellow FISU racers will have just two days to adapt to a new time zone and shake off the lethargy of an intercontinental flight.

Conditions should make for a golden opportunity for Canada, as a veteran delegation readies for a race that will likely not feature many of the top African nations that competed in Uganda two years ago. Morgan himself believes that the team's best-ever finish, and a potential place on the podium, is in reach, while he personally takes aim at the top 20.

The coach who has been alongside Morgan throughout his varsity career, Schnurr will be on hand in Cassino to help guide one of her stars, while gaining valuable international coaching experience in the process.

CANADIAN DELEGATION FOR 2016 FISU WORLD UNIVERSITY CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS

Name                           University       Hometown                  Academics                   CIS Eligibility            
 
Women
Emma Cook-Clarke     Calgary             Calgary, Alta.               Science                        3                     
Karissa LePage            Alberta             Regina, Sask.               Graduate Studies         5
Stefanie Smith             Windsor           London, Ont.               Human Kinetics           3
Claire Sumner              Queen's           Calgary, Alta.               Chemistry                    3         
Colleen Wilson            Dalhousie        Ancaster, Ont.              Oceanography             4                     
 
Men
Ryan Cassidy               Victoria            Grande-Digue, N.B.     Education                    5         
Olivier Collin               Victoria            Saint-Lazare, Que.       Kinesiology                 4         
Matt McNeil                 Dalhousie        Saint John, N.B.           Engineering                  5         
Blair Morgan                McMaster         Yarker, Ont.                 Engineering                  5
Forrest Simpson           Victoria            Nanaimo, B.C.             Business                      4         
Kevin Tree                   Lakehead         Tottenham, Ont.           Kinesiology                 4
 
* Year of CIS eligibility during 2015 cross country season
 
Head Coach & Team Leader: Kip Sigsworth (Lakehead University)
Assistant Coach: Brant Stachel (Queen's University)
Assistant Coach: Paula Schnurr (McMaster University)