University of Toronto midfielder Artem Tesker and cross country star Lucia Stafford have been named the Varsity Blues athletes of the week for the period ending October 27.

Fourth-year standout Lucia Stafford earned the individual gold medal in dominant fashion at the 2019 OUA cross country championships this past Saturday in Hamilton, Ont.

Stafford, a fourth-year engineering major from Toronto, crossed the 8km finish line in 27:20.2, a full six seconds ahead of Queen's runner Branna MacDougall and 41 seconds ahead of her sister Brogan MacDougall, the 2017 and 2018 OUA individual champions, respectively.

It marks Stafford's second career podium finish after placing second in 2016 and is the first time a Varsity Blue has won the individual crown since her sister, 2016 Olympian Gabriela DeBues-Stafford, did it in 2015. Stafford led Toronto's women to an overall bronze-medal finish.

First-year midfielder Artem Tesker was instrumental in leading the Varsity Blues men's soccer team to a 3-1 quarter-final upset victory over the No. 5 nationally-ranked Ryerson Rams on Sunday night (Oct. 27).

The arts and science major from Moscow tallied Toronto's first goal of the match in the 27^th minute, burying Atchu Sivananthan's rebound to give the Blues a lead that they would not relinquish. He also assisted on U of T's second goal, the eventual game-winner, feeding a nice pass to team captain Nikola Stakic.

Tesker was a dominant force for the remainder of the match, controlling the midfield, shutting down any offensive bursts from the Rams and forcing turnovers at opportune times. He was also a vital component in Toronto's 6-0 first-round victory over the Nipissing Lakers on Wednesday night.

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