SAULT STE. MARIE – Ont. – This past weekend (Feb. 21-23, 2025), our University of Guelph men's and women's Nordic ski teams made the trip to Sault Ste. Marie to compete in the 2025 OUA Nordic Skiing Championships, hosted by Algoma University and the Soo Finnish Nordic Ski Club at Hiawatha Highlands for a three-day conference championship event. Teams competed individually on Friday (Feb. 21) in the 15km skate interval start and Saturday (Feb. 22) in the 12km classic mass start before wrapping up on Sunday (Feb. 23) with the team relay in the 3x5km classic race.
Leading the way for the Gryphons on the women's side was fourth-year biodiversity major
Janna Wardell. Wardell produced the best Gryphon individual finish of the weekend, crossing the line in 24th-place in the women's 12km classic mass start with a time of 45:52.9 before claiming 27th-place in the 15km skate interval start with a time of 53:04.8. Second-year Springwater, Ontario native
Abbygale Davidson had a strong showing, earning a 33rd-place finish in the mass start (48:43.1) and 36th in the interval start (58:34.6) in fields of 52 and 50 student-athletes. Wardell and Davidson were joined by
Marissa Lefebvre for Sunday's team relay race for the Gryphons as they finished in 8th-place in the women's 3x5km classic race.
On the men's side, first-year chemistry major
William Fairhead led the way for the Gryphons. Fairhead had a great debut in his first OUA championship, crossing the line in 36th in the men's 12km classic mass start (39:35) and 46th in the 15km skate interval start (48:53.9). Fairhead was also part of the men's relay team (
Henley Baird and
Akshaye Goela) that finished in 10th-place for the Gryphons in the 3x5km classic race.
The Carleton Ravens women's team claimed the OUA title for the seventh time in eight seasons while on the men's side, the Lakehead Thunderwolves captured their fourth consecutive OUA banner.
For more information, visit oua.ca.
Guelph Gryphons Individual Results
Interval Start - 15km
WOMEN
27
th –
Janna Wardell, 53:04.8
36
th –
Abbygale Davidson, 58:34.6
47
th –
Marissa Lefebvre, 1:19:21.9
48
th -
Shobia Sivakumaran, 1:22:20.3
49
th –
Zoe Cohen, 1:26:29.7
MEN
46
th –
William Fairhead, 48:53.9
59
th –
Benjamin Arsenault, 59:15.1
61
st –
Henley Baird, 1:04:27
65
th -
Akshaye Goela, 1:15:32.5
66
th -
Graham Hrebicek, 1:17:28.8
Mass Start - 12km
WOMEN
24
th –
Janna Wardell, 45:52.9
33
rd –
Abbygale Davidson, 48:33.1
45
th -
Shobia Sivakumaran, 1:00:55.8
48
th –
Marissa Lefebvre, 1:03:26.7
DNF –
Zoe Cohen
MEN
36
th –
William Fairhead, 39:35
58
th –
Benjamin Arsenault, 49:48.5
59
th –
Henley Baird, 50:18.1
63
rd -
Akshaye Goela, 59:03.4
64
th -
Graham Hrebicek, 1:02:33.3
Team Relay 3x5km
WOMEN
8
th - 58:19.6 (
Janna Wardell,
Marissa Lefebvre,
Abbygale Davidson)
MEN
10
th - 54:18.6 (
Henley Baird,
Akshaye Goela,
William Fairhead)
OUA Nordic Skiing All-Stars
WOMEN
Helen McCulligh - Carleton Ravens
Mia Sawatsky - Lakehead Thunderwolves
Brooke Ailey - Nipissing Lakers
Anna Sierra Heffernan-Wilker - Ottawa Gee-Gees
Mia Smith - Nipissing Lakers
Madelaine Galik - Carleton Ravens
Sophia Giangrande - Carleton Ravens
Kate Mason - Ottawa Gee-Gees
Maya Abraham - Carleton Ravens
Isabella Pighin - Carleton Ravens
MEN
Nicholas Randall - Lakehead Thunderwolves
Alexander Randall - Lakehead Thunderwolves
Kaedan Ward - Carleton Ravens
Wes Robinson-Shaw - Carleton Ravens
Noah Vanderzon - Carleton Ravens
Japhy-Kai Crookham - Nipissing Lakers
Joel Haering - Lakehead Thunderwolves
Raphael Guerout - Carleton Ravens
Darion Dillabaugh - Carleton Ravens
Milo Sircom-Brown - Ottawa Gee-Gees
Nathaniel Sneyd - Carleton Ravens
