GUELPH, Ont. – Throughout the 2021-22 season, the University of Guelph Department of Athletics will be highlighting various members from our Gryphon varsity programs as part of our "BioSteel Gryphon Athletes of the Week" series. This week's edition features a pair of decorated Gryphon cross country runners, with
Kiana Gibson (women's cross country) and
Mitchell Ubene (men's cross country) earning Athlete of the Week honours following their impressive performances at the 2021 U SPORTS Cross Country Championships on Saturday, November 20 in Quebec City.
Mitchell Ubene (men's cross country)
Mitchell Ubene is this week's BioSteel Gryphon Athlete of the week for his exceptional first-place individual finish in the men's 8km at the 2021 U SPORTS Cross Country Championships.
His dominant performance helped propel his team to a U SPORTS podium finish for the third straight season, with the Guelph men having also claimed silver in 2018 and bronze in 2019. Ubene, a mechanical engineering major in his fifth-year with the Gryphons, posted a time of 24:27.5 in the men's 8km race to finish just ahead of Laval's Thomas Fafard. In doing so,
Mitchell Ubene becomes just the 10th student-athlete in U of G history to earn the title of individual national champion in men's cross country, and the first since Ubene's former teammate Connor Black did so back in 2018. Ubene's latest performances caps off a sensational 2021 cross country season for the Tecumseh, Ontario native, who also helped lead the Gryphons to an OUA title back on November 6 in London. The mechanical engineering major has also impressed in the classroom, with Ubene receiving the University of Guelph's President's Trophy following the 2019-20 season (given annually to top performing student-athlete in both athletics and academics at the University of Guelph). Ubene's gold medal-performance at nationals in Quebec City on Saturday also earned him the title of U SPORTS Athlete of the Year in men's cross country. This marks the second time this season that Ubene has been named BioSteel Gryphon Athlete of the Week, with the 23-year-old also receiving the Gryphons weekly award back on September 27, 2021.
Kiana Gibson (women's cross country)
For the third time this season,
Kiana Gibson has been named BioSteel Gryphon Athlete of the Week. The Ottawa native led the way for the Gryphons women's cross country team this past weekend in Quebec City, helping the team finish 3rd in the overall team standings at the 2021 U SPORTS Women's Cross Country Championships.
Gibson was the first Gryphon across the finish line, with the arts and sciences major completing the 8km women's race in a time of 29:09. With the result, Gibson earns U SPORTS Second Team All-Canadian honours, while helping the U of G women's cross country team take home bronze thanks to their 119 points in the final team standings (just 7 points behind silver-medalists, Western). For Gibson, who two weeks ago was named U SPORTS Athlete of the Week following her individual gold medal-performance at the OUA Cross Country Championships, the performance in Quebec City caps a memorable senior season with the Gryphons women's cross country team. The 21-year-old Ottawa native claimed individual gold medals on three separate occasions this season, including leading her team to an OUA title. This past weekend at nationals in Quebec, Gibson was also recognized for her accomplishments outside of athletics, with Gibson being named the U SPORTS Community Service Award winner. She becomes the first Gryphon cross country runner, male or female, to receive the U SPORTS Community Service Award in the 11-year history of the national award.
"Gryphon Athletes of the Week" for 2021-22
| Name |
Sport |
Date |
| Mitchell Ubene |
Men's Cross Country |
Nov. 22, 2021 |
| Kiana Gibson |
Women's Cross Country |
Nov. 22, 2021 |
| Owen McKee |
Men's Soccer |
Nov. 15, 2021 |
| Natalie Armatage |
Women's Rugby |
Nov. 15, 2021 |
| Kiana Gibson |
Women's Cross Country |
Nov. 8, 2021 |
| Alex Williamson |
Men's Rugby |
Nov. 8, 2021 |
| Mark Wilson |
Men's Lacrosse |
Nov. 1, 2021 |
| Kennedy Feasby |
Women's Rugby |
Nov. 1, 2021 |
| Kiana Gibson |
Women's Cross Country |
Oct. 25, 2021 |
| Ian Vidovich |
Men's Soccer |
Oct. 25, 2021 |
| Jacqueline Giles |
Women's Golf |
Oct. 18, 2021 |
| Connor McKinney |
Men's Rugby |
Oct. 18, 2021 |
| Venessa Mazur |
Women's Soccer |
Oct. 11, 2021 |
| Justin Allen |
Men's Golf |
Oct. 11, 2021 |
| Lucas Doros |
Men's Soccer |
Oct. 4, 2021 |
| Hannah Beaumont |
Women's Rugby |
Oct. 4, 2021 |
| Olivia Rizakos |
Women's Soccer |
Sept. 27, 2021 |
| Mitchell Ubene |
Men's Cross Country |
Sept. 27, 2021 |
| Emily Power |
Women's Lacrosse |
Sept. 20, 2021 |
| Cam MacLeod |
Men's Lacrosse |
Sept. 20, 2021 |
