WINDSOR, Ont. – Ten years ago to the day, the Guelph Gryphons track and field program burst on to the national scene by capturing both the women's and men's championship banners at the season's final meet at McGill University in Montreal. It was the only time Guelph had ever swept both titles in the same year.
Until today.
The Gryphons completed the elusive double again by taking both the women's and men's overall team competitions on a historic afternoon at the U SPORTS Track and Field Championships held at Windsor's Dennis Fairall Fieldhouse. Guelph finished the three-day event with 20 medals, seven of them gold, and became the first university to sweep the team titles since the Windsor Lancers did it in the 2008/09 season.
The Gryphon men repeat as U SPORTS champs
Head coach
Dave Scott-Thomas has a fond memory of those teams in Montreal. But he offered some perspective on the difference, given that the combined point total of his champions this season (123 for the women and 122.5 for the men) was about 100 points greater than the teams a decade ago.
"It's our strongest year ever," Scott-Thomas, who was named U SPORTS Women's and Men's Coach of the Year, said as a matter of fact. "I put a lot of weight on titles as an indication of strength. We've had other very good years.
"But this shows where we are now as a program."
The Gryphons added three golds to the already-stocked trophy case Saturday. Fifth-year star
Thomas Land topped the podium in his final 600m race, the foursome of
Morgan Byng,
Shyvonne Roxborough,
Tessa Hamilton, and
Jenna Smith set a fieldhouse and U of G record in the 4x200m event, and third-year Mississauga, ON native
Maja Naruszewicz placed first in the high jump.
It marked the fifth time in program history that the men were crowned national champions, and second straight, while the Guelph women won their third banner.
"This has been a very focused team and also a loose team in a lot of ways," said Scott-Thomas. "They have fun a lot of fun when they compete. They go hard, a lot of risk taking.
"We batted up, if anything. That's a good sign, very difficult to do at a national championship. It was a low margin of error, and that's been a trademark of both squads all season. We hit our marks all the way through."
Championship website
Full results
Land, named the Male Performer of the Meet for the second straight year (sharing the 2018 award with Alberta's Austin Cole) capped his storybook university career in style by repeating as national gold medalist in the 600m. He also completed the same double with the 1000m gold that he accomplished at the OUA Championship two weeks ago. Land ran the race in 1:19.41, .09 seconds ahead of the silver medalist Stephen Evans from the Ottawa Gee-Gees, who the Turkey Point, ON native passed just before the finish line.
Andrew Leblanc wasn't far behind in fifth place with time of 1:20.06, registering four big points.
The Gryphons enjoyed an excellent start to the day as first-year shot putters
Thomas Nedow and U SPORTS Male Rookie of the Year
Mark Bujnowski showed incredible focus in their first ever nationals meet, winning silver and bronze respectively. Nedow, a Brockville, ON native, produced a personal-best distance of 15.98m on his third attempt, while Bujnowski, from Mount Brydges, ON, hit 15.95m in the fourth round of the event.
And like the memorable day two on Friday, the medals kept coming. Fourth-year Toronto, ON native
Jordan Bates, one of the Gryphon captains, followed up her triple jump silver at the OUA Championship with another silver at the national level. Bates jumped 12.30m on her second attempt of the day, falling just short of the gold medal-winning result of 12.33m from York's Holly Pitters.
The Gryphons' dominant women's 4x200m relay team of Byng, Roxborough, Hamilton, and Smith won gold in incredible fashion. After setting an OUA-record time of 1:38.38 at the conference meet two weeks ago, the explosive quartet eclipsed that running 1:37.97, a facility and U of G record.
Immediately after the women won their gold, the 4x200m Gryphon men's relay team of
Graeme Thompson,
Nathan Egert,
Kurdell Reason, and
Sebastian Smith showcased their talents by securing a bronze medal in a time of 1:28.65.
It was evident that as the afternoon wore on, the Gryphon men couldn't be caught. But that didn't stop them from tallying more points.
Mostafa Elkurdy, a fourth-year Calgary native, who has proved his value to the team with inspired performances this season, won his second medal of the meet, a bronze in the men's 1500m event. Elkurdy ran the second leg of the gold-winning men's 4x800m relay the previous night.
And shortly after Elkurdy's medal,
Thomas Weigl tied with Trinity Western's David Boyd for fourth in the pole vault, clearing a height of 4.85m.
The Guelph women held a smaller lead than the men but two of the program's elite high jumpers put the finishing touches on the team's banner victory. Naruszewicz has been sharp all season and she did the OUA/U SPORTS double by clearing 1.74m on her first attempt, a jump that would put her atop the podium. Teammate
Arabella Alton, the silver medalist behind Naruszewicz at the OUAs, finished fourth after making 1.68m.
Guelph's 20th and final medal of the competition came late in the afternoon as
Zoe Sherar, Byng, Smith, and
Lauren D'Agnolo ran the women's 4x800m in 3:43.57 for a well-earned silver.
Scott-Thomas was proud of several performances, referencing athletes like Leger, who was on a mission after a disappointing OUA Championship, and LeBlanc, a role player, who ascended to greatness this weekend. Hamilton was another example, a Gryphopn who entered the program as a pole vaulter and became an All-Canadian after three memorable days. Guelph also reached the podium in five of the meet's six relays and scored points in 29 of 34 total events.
The Gryphons came to Windsor exuding confidence and simply maintained their momentum throughout the event. The teams had estimated scoring about 90 points each, meaning they greatly exceeded the already-high expectations.
"They got the job done," the coach said. "That doesn't mean it was boring drudgery, workmanlike, or robotic. This is a group that just doesn't get rattled - and it's amazing how that can free you up."
Gryphon Medalists at U SPORTS T&F Championships
GOLD
Shyvonne Roxborough (Women's 60m)
Tommy Land (Men's 1000m, 600m)
Sarah Hammond (Women's 60m hurdles)
Levi Fritz, Mostafa Elkurdy, Joshua Kellier, Andrew LeBlanc (Men's 4x800m relay)
Morgan Byng, Shyvonne Roxborough, Tessa Hamilton, Jenna Smith (Women's 4x200m relay)
Maja Naruszewicz (Women's high jump)
SILVER
Kendra Leger (Women's 60m hurdles)
Sean Cate (Men's high jump)
Mark Emode (Heptathlon)
Tessa Hamilton (Women's 300m)
Sadie-Jane Hickson, Dana Earhart, Olivia Romaniw, Charlotte Ward (Women's 4x800m relay)
Thomas Nedow (Men's shot put)
Jordan Bates (Women's triple jump)
Zoe Sherar, Morgan Byng, Jenna Smith, Lauren D'Agnolo (Women's 4x400m)
BRONZE
Graeme Thompson (Men's 300m)
Andrew LeBlanc (Men's 1000m)
Mark Bujnowski (Men's shot put)
Graeme Thompson, Nathan Egert, Kurdell Reason, Sebastian Smith (Men's 4x200m relay)
Mostafa Elkurdy (Men's 1500m)
OVERALL TEAM STANDINGS
Women
1. Guelph Gryphons, 123 points
2. Toronto Varsity Blues, 84
3. Windsor Lancers, 79
4. Vert et Or Sherbrooke, 55
5. Saskatchewan Huskies, 53.5
6. York Lions, 42
7. Western Mustangs, 37
8. Alberta Pandas, 32
9. Laval Rouge et Or, 30
10. Manitoba Bisons, 27
11. Trinity Western Spartans, 26.5
12. Ottawa Gee-Gees, 18
13. Lethbridge Pronghorns, 11
14. Calgary Dinos, 9
15. Victoria Vikes, 8
16. Regina Cougars, 7
17. Waterloo Warriors, 6
18. Dalhousie Tigers, 5
19. Montreal Carabins, 4
19. McGill Martlets, 4
21. Prince Edward Island Panthers 2
Men
1. Guelph Gryphons, 122.5 points
2. Alberta Golden Bears, 68
3. Laval Rouge et Or, 55
4. Toronto Varsity Blues, 51
5. Western Mustangs, 44
6. York Lions, 43
6. Manitoba Bisons, 43
8. Lethbridge Pronghorns, 30
9. Victoria Vikes, 22
9. Dalhousie Tigers, 22
11. Trinity Western Spartans, 21.5
12. Windsor Lancers, 20
13. Sasketchean Huskies, 18
14. Vert et Or Sherbrooke, 17
14. Montreal Carabins, 17
16. Waterloo Warriors, 12
17. Calgary Dinos, 11
18. St. Francis Xavier X-Men, 10
19. McMaster Marauders, 8
19. Ottawa Gee-Gees, 8
21. Regina Cougars, 6
INDIVIDUAL HONOURS
Men
Athlete of the Meet (George Gemer Award): Thomas Land, Guelph and Austin Cole, Alberta
Coach of the Year (Bob Boucher Award): Dave Scott-Thomas, Guelph
Women
Athlete of the Meet: Kelsey Balkwill, Windsor
Coach of the Year (Sue Wise Award): Dave Scott-Thomas, Guelph
