University of Guelph Athletics

On November 6, 2011, the Guelph Gryphons women's rugby team captured the national title in school history, shutting out the reigning national champions, the St. Francis Xavier X-Women, in the gold-medal final of the 2011 CIS Women's Rugby Championships, hosted by Trent University. It marked the Gryphons first national title in women's rugby since 1998. The Gryphons went undefeated throughout the 2011 season, capturing a fourth straight OUA title with a 36-5 victory over McMaster, marking the 12th conference banner in school history. At nationals in Peterborough, the Gryphons earned a spot in the CIS gold medal match after victories over McMaster and Laval. In the gold medal final, the Gryphons received single tries from Mackenzie Higgs, Samantha Eyles, Brittany Sammut and Britt Benn, while Stephanie Tibelius converted all four tries, in a dominant 28-0 shutout over StFX. Morgan Linthwaite was named championship MVP, while Mary-Jane Kirby, Caitlin Beaton, Jacey Murphy and Britt Benn all joined Linthwaite on the list of tournament all-stars. Jacey Murphy was named national player of the year for a second consecutive season, while head coach Colette McAuley earned her first national title as head coach after having also served as an assistant coach on the Gryphons first national title-winning team in 1999.