BURLINGTON, Ont. - The Guelph Gryphons cross country program was well represented among the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) major award winners for the 2023 cross country season.
Julia Agostinelli and
Nicholas Bannon each took home the OUA Community Service Awards, while Gryphons head coach,
Terry Radchenko, was named the OUA (Men's Cross Country) Coach of the Year. With
Julia Agostinelli being named the OUA Community Service Award winner, this marks the fourth consecutive season in which a University of Guelph cross country student-athlete has taken home the OUA's community service award on the women's side.
Nicholas Bannon, meanwhile, earns OUA Community Service Award recognition for a second consecutive season. For Gryphons head coach
Terry Radchenko, now in his third season as head coach of the Gryphon cross country program, he has been named OUA Cross Country Coach of the Year on four separate occasions (twice on the men's side, twice on the women's). In total, the OUA awards eight major awards in cross country, with the Gryphons represented in five of those eight major awards this season.
2023 Gryphon Cross Country OUA Major Award Winners
2023 Gryphon Cross Country OUA All-Stars
OUA MVP & Community Service Award Winner - Julia Agostinelli
21-year-old London native
Julia Agostinelli becomes the fifth University of Guelph cross country student-athlete to earn the OUA women's community service award. It also marks the fourth consecutive season in which a Gryphon has taken home the award (2022-
Hannah Woodhouse, 2021-Kiana Gibson, 2019-Kiana Gibson).
Agostinelli, an applied human nutrition major in her fourth year of studies and third-year of eligibility, became the 11th runner in program history to earn a 1st-place finish and OUA MVP at the provincial championships. She joins former Gryphon cross country athlete Kiana Gibson as the only other Gryphon to take home the OUA MVP and Community Service Awards in the same season. In addition to competing with the Gryphon cross country team, Julia has filled the role of a Student Athlete Mentor where she provides support to incoming Gryphon athletes adjusting to varsity life. She is also a representative for the Gryphon Mental Wellness Project which works to support teammates mental health and wellbeing by facilitating the distrubution of mental health resources to student-athletes. This past summer, she also worked to support a local nutrition initiative, the Food Uniting Neighbours, a local initiative which seeks to combat food insecurity in the Guelph community. Finally, Julia has contributed to the University of Guelph Grove Youth Wellness Centre where she has been instrumental in providing essential support to youth in their mental health and wellness journey.
OUA MVP & Community Service Award Winner - Nicholas Bannon
Fifth-year food, agricultural and resource management major,
Nicholas Bannon, becomes the fifth student-athlete to take home the OUA Community Service Award and first to do so in back-to-back seasons.
It also marks the first time in which a Gryphons men's cross country student-athlete has earned both the OUA MVP and the Community Service Award in the same season. The Shelburne, Ontario native crossed the finish line 1st at the OUA Championships to become the 15th Gryphon athlete to earn OUA MVP honours and first since Mitchell Ubene in 2019. In addition to his contributions with the U of G cross country team, Bannon has been a active supporter within the Gryphon community. This past season marked the sixth year in which he has been a member of the U of G Student Athlete Mental Health Initiative, and second year acting as treasurer. In addition to managing the organization's finances, Bannon is involved in activity planning to raise awareness surrounding mental health and the supports for student-athletes on campus. Nicholas is also a President's scholar mentor for four incoming University of Guelph students, which involves regular meetings and sharing resources in order to ease the transition in university. Finally, he is a representative for the Department of Food, Agriculture and Resource Management and has volunteered as the undergraduate representative at open houses sharing his experiences and answering questions to perspective students considering the department for their post-secondary studies.
OUA Men's Coach of the Year - Terry Radchenko
In his third season in charge of the University of Guelph's men's and women's cross country teams,
Terry Radchenko earns the fourth OUA Coach of the Year nod of his career with the Gryphons,
twice receiving the honour on the women's side and twice on the men's side. Radchenko, who is also the associate head coach for the Gryphons track & field program where he oversees the U of G endurance programs, led the Gryphons men's cross country team to a second OUA title under his guidance, with the U of G women claiming silver at this year's OUA Cross Country Championships (Oct. 28 in Waterloo). It marks the fourth conference banner in the three seasons of Radchenko's tenure as head coach after capturing both the men's and women's titles in his debut season and the women's championship last season. Now Radchenko leads the Gryphons to London, Ontario for the 2023 U SPORTS Cross Country Championships on Sunday (Nov. 12).
With Bannon and Agostinelli leading the way for the 2023 Gryphons OUA First Team All-Star selections, third-year Toronto native
Max Davies follows closely behind after capturing a second-place finish at the OUA championships for the first All-Star nod of his cross country career. The third Gryphon student-athlete to earn an OUA First Team All-Stat honour is
Rohan Nowbotsing, after crossing the finish line in sixth with a time of 24:39 to earn the first provincial recognition in his fourth season with the Gryphons. Rounding out the group of all-stars on the men's side in
Christian Rachner, a third-year Brampton native who is now a two-time conference all-star after also taking home second team honours at last year's championships. The final OUA All-Star and second on the U of G women's team is
Nina Whitford who adds Second Team honours to an impressive resume which includes two first team all-star's and a U SPORTS First Team All-Canadian award.
2023 OUA Cross Country Major Award Winners
Most Valuable Runner (W) - Julia Agostinelli, Guelph Gryphons
Most Valuable Runner (M) - Nicholas Bannon, Guelph Gryphons
Rookie of the Year (W) - Alyshia Alkerton, Queen's Gaels
Rookie of the Year (M) - Angus Skinner, Queen's Gaels
Coach of the Year (W) - Guy Schultz, Western Mustangs
Coach of the Year (M) - Terry Radchenko, Guelph Gryphons
Community Service Award (W) - Julia Agostinelli, Guelph Gryphons
Community Service Award (M) - Nicholas Bannon, Guelph Gryphons
2023 OUA First Team All-Stars
WOMEN
1. Julia Agostinelli, Guelph Gryphons
2. Rosalyn Barrett, McMaster Marauders
3. Chloe Coutts, Western Mustangs
4. Erika Jordan, Western Mustangs
5. Sophie Coutts, Western Mustangs
6. Heidi Ohrling, Western Mustangs
7.
Olivia Roussel, Western Mustangs
MEN
1. Nicholas Bannon, Guelph Gryphons
2. Max Davies, Guelph Gryphons
3. Ben Shore, Toronto Varsity Blues
4. Roman Mironov, Queen's Gaels
5. Miles Brackenbury, Queen's Gaels
6. Rohan Nowbotsing, Guelph Gryphons
7. Marcel Scheele, Western Mustangs
2023 OUA Second Team All-Stars
WOMEN
8. Nina Whitford, Guelph Gryphons
9. Janelle Bykowski, Windsor Lancers
10. Hannah Goodjohn, McMaster Marauders
11. Victoria Lamb, McMaster Marauders
12. Paige Breedon, Waterloo Warriors
13.
Sandra Guga, Western Mustangs
14. Elizabeth Vroom, Queen's Gaels
MEN
8. Andre Alie-Lamarche, Ottawa Gee-Gees
9. Will Cox, Queen's Gaels
10. Christian Rachner, Guelph Gryphons
11. Jacob Fitzpatrick, Windsor Lancers
12. Connor Lashley, McMaster Marauders
13. Brandon Raftis, Toronto Varsity Blues
14. Ben Fox, Western Mustangs
