LONDON, Ont. - For a sixth consecutive season, the Guelph Gryphons cross country team sees both the men and women capture Top-5 finishes at the U SPORTS Cross Country Championships. On Sunday afternoon (Nov. 12) at Thames Valley Golf Club, located in London, Onatrio, the Guelph Gryphons men's and women's cross country teams earned 4th-place finishes in the overall team standings at the 2023 U SPORTS Cross Country Championships. Leading the way for the U of G men was
Nicholas Bannon and
Max Davies who each crossed the finish line in the Top-15. On the women's side,
Julia Agostinelli finished 16th with
Alexandra McDougall and
Cameron Ormond completing the Gryphon Top-3 finishes crossing the finish line in 24th and 25th.
Women's Team Standings
Men's Team Standings
Women's Individual Results
Men's Individual Results
After capturing another conference banner at the OUA Championships two weeks ago, the Gryphon men carried that momentum into Sunday's national championship in London.
Finding themselves in the front pack for the majority of the race,
Nicholas Bannon and
Max Davies crossed the finish line just seconds apart to claim two, Top-15 finishes for the Gryphons. Bannon, who raced for the final time in his Gryphon cross country career, ran the 8km race in a time of 25:03.8 for a 12th-place finish. The Shelburne, Ontario native and 2023 OUA MVP earns his second U SPORTS All-Canadian finish in as many year's after also capturing U SPORTS Second Team All-Canadian honours last season. Davies, who completed the race in a time of 25:14.3 and in 14th-place, earns U SPORTS All-Canadian status for the first time in his Gryphon career.
Jack Lehto (25th, 25:32.9),
Gaetano Pocchi (26th, 25:33.6), and
Rohan Nowbotsing (25:40.7) rounded out the Top-5 Gryphon finishers who contributed to the final team standings and the U of G men's 4th-place finish. The team narrowly missed the national podium, finishing just seven points behind the 3rd-place Queen's Gaels who totaled 90 points in the final standings.
On the women's side it was 2023 OUA MVP
Julia Agostinelli who led the way for the Gryphons, crossing the finish line with a time of 29:40.2 to capture a 17th-place finish. Racing in her hometown of London, Onatrio, Agostinelli narrowly missed out on All-Canadian status, finishing just three seconds off the pace of the 14th-place runner.
Alexandra McDougall (24th, 30:05.9) and
Cameron Ormond (25th, 30:07.2) rounded out the Top-25 finishes for the Gryphons and
Nina Whitford (34th, 30:13.9) completed the Top-5 U of G runners who totaled 159 points for a 4th-place finish in the team standings.
Saturday afternoon (Nov. 11)
Julia Agostinelli was also announced as the winner of the U SPORTS Community Service Award for the 2023 season. Agostinelli becomes the third University of Guelph cross country student-athlete to be honoured nationally, with the award also marking the third consecutive season in which a Gryphon has been recognized by U SPORTS (
Olivia Roussel - 2022, Kiana Gibson - 2021).
The 21-year-old in her fourth year of studies and third-year of eligibility earns the U SPORTS honour thanks to her extensive work with the Gryphons Student Athlete Mentorship program, the Gryphon Mental Wellness Project, the Food uniting Neighbors initiative, and the University of Guelph Grove Youth Wellness Centre. Agostinelli adds the national award to an impressive season in which was
also named the OUA Community Service Award winner.
The UBC Thunderbird men's and women's teams were crowned champions at the 2023 U SPORTS Cross Country Championships. For more information, visit usports.ca.
2023 U SPORTS Major Awards
Most Valuable Runner (W) - Katie Newlove, UBC Thunderbirds
Most valuable Runner (M) - Philippe Morneau-Cartier, Laval Rouge et Or
Coach of the Year (W) - Laurier Primeau, UBC Thunderbirds
Coach of the Year (M) - Laurier Primeau, UBC Thunderbirds
Community Service Award (W) -
Julia Agostinelli, Guelph Gryphons
Community Serice Award (M) - Jason Ushko, Alberta Golden Bears
MEN'S 8KM RACE
Team Standings:
1. UBC Thunderbirds - 52 pts
2. Laval Rouge et Or - 60
3. Queen's Gaels - 90
4. Guelph Gryphons - 97
5. Victoria Vikes - 177
6. UNB Reds - 202
7. Sherbrooke Vert et Or - 207
8. Western Mustangs - 219
9. McMaster Marauders - 251
10. Toronto Varsity Blues - 288
11. StFX X-Men - 298
12. Lakehead Thunderwolves - 332
13. Montreal Carabins - 334
14. Windsor Lancers - 383
15. Maitoba Bisons - 389
16. Alberta Golden Bears - 396
17. Saskatchewan Huskies - 408
18. Trinity Western Spartans - 441
19. Brock Badgers - 534
20. York Lions - 556
First Team All-Canadians (Top 7 Runners)
1. Philippe Morneau-Cartier, Laval, 24:17.6
2. Jean-Simon Desgagnes, Laval, 24:20.9
3. Andrew Davies, UBC, 24:24.7
4. Jacob Benoit, Dalhousie, 24:42.5
5. John Perrier, UBC, 24:44.4
6. Thomas Laviolette, Montreal, 24:46.2
7. Jared Howse, UNB, 24:48.1
Second Team All-Canadians (Runners 8-14)
8. Jude Wheeler-Dee, Queen's, 24:58.1
9. Roman Mironov, 25:00.8
10. Javieer Tiwana, UBC, 25:01.4
11. Jonathan Podbielski, Regina, 25:01.5
12. Nicholas Bannon, Guelph, 25:03.8
13. Jonathan Tedeschi, Laval, 25:07.0
14. Max Davies, Guelph, 25:14.3
WOMEN'S 8KM RACE
Team Standings:
1. UBC Thunderbirds - 38 pts
2. Western Mustangs - 71
3. StFX X-Women - 93
4. Guelph Gryphons - 159
5. McMaster Marauders - 172
6. Victoria Vikes - 182
7. Laval Rouge et Or - 201
8. UNB Reds - 215
9. Sherbrooke Vert et Or - 255
10. Queen's Gaels - 266
11. Alberta Pandas - 276
12. Saskctahewan Huskies - 284
13. Windsor Lancers - 305
14. Montreal Carabins - 322
15. Waterloo Warriors - 364
16. Toronto Varsity Blues - 445
17. Brock Badgers - 545
18. UQAM Citadins - 556
19. York Lions - 583
First Team All-Canadians (Top 7 Runners)
1. Katie Newlove, UBC, 29:06.8
2. Catherine Beauchemin, Laval, 29:18.2
3. Erika Jordan, Western, 29:24.7
4. Jennifer Erickson, UBC, 29:27.4
5. Kaitlyn Harrison, Saskatchewan, 29:28.2
6. Mairin Canning, StFX, 29:28.2
7. Eileen Benoit, StFX, 29:29.2
Second Team All-Canadians (Runners 8-14)
8. Holly MacGillivray, UBC, 29:30.5
9.
Olivia Roussel, Western, 29:31.1
10. Allie Sandluck, StFX, 29:31.5
11. Marley Beckett, UBC, 29:33.5
12. Emily Doucet, UNB, 29:35.1
13. Rosalyn Barrett, McMaster, 29:37.1
14. Tori Bouck, UBC Okanagan, 29:37.3
