WINDSOR, Ont. - On Thursday morning (March 6, 2025) in Windsor, four University of Guelph student-athletes from the Gryphons track and field program were recognized nationally for their outstanding performances throughout the course of the 2024-25 season. Max Davies, an endurance runner from Toronto, was named U SPORTS Male Track Athlete of the Year, while Rebecca Parker, a fourth-year pentathlete from Windsor, was named U SPORTS Female Field Athlete of the Year. Gryphon sprinters Keon Rude (Calgary, AB) and Dianna Proctor (Edmonton, AB) were both named U SPORTS Rookies of the Year. The Gryphon track and field teams are currently in Windsor for the 2025 BioSteel U SPORTS Track & Field Championships, with the three-day national championship event set to begin on Thursday afternoon (March 6) at 1:30pm. The three-day U SPORTS meet, hosted by Windsor, runs from Thursday to Saturday from the University of Windsor's Dennis Fairall Fieldhouse.
 

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2024-25 U SPORTS TRACK & FIELD SEASON AWARDS
 
WOMEN
Athlete of the Year (Track): Favour Okpali, Western Mustangs
Athlete of the Year (Field): Rebecca Parker, Guelph Gryphons
Rookie of the Year: Dianna Proctor, Guelph Gryphons
Student-Athlete Community Service Award: Georgia Orland, Calgary Dinos
Women's Assistant Coach of the Year: Tina Sharman, Windsor Lancers
 
MEN
Athlete of the Year (Track): Max Davies, Guelph Gryphons
Athlete of the Year (Field): Kenneth West, Western Mustangs
Rookie of the Year: Keon Rude, Guelph Gryphons
Student-Athlete Community Service Award: Aaron Thompson, Western Mustangs
Men's Assistant Coach of the Year: Jamie Epp, Saskatchewan Huskies
 

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Rebecca Parker – U SPORTS Field Athlete of the Year

Rebecca Parker has been named U SPORTS Field Athlete of the Year for the 2024-25 season. Parker becomes the second Gryphon field athlete to win this award, following her teammate Jen Elizarov (pole vault) who won the national award last season. Parker was simply sensational throughout the 2024-25 indoor track season. The fourth-year pentathlete won two medals at the 2025 OUA Track and Field Championships which, like the upcoming nationals, took place in her hometown of Windsor, with Parker earning OUA gold in the women's pentathlon and OUA bronze in the women's long jump. The criminal justice and public policy major on three occasions this season broke a school record in the pentathlon overall score, scoring 4141 in the provincial championship, which also marked a new OUA record. Parker broke two more OUA records within the pentathlon when she posted an 8.49 time in the 60m hurdles and jumped 5.88m in the long jump.
 
Max Davies – U SPORTS Track Athlete of the Year

Max Davies has been named U SPORTS Track Athlete of the Year for a second consecutive season. The U SPORTS (Track) Athlete of the Year award, for both men's and women's track athletes, has been handed out annually since the 2002-03 season. The Gryphons have now won the national award three times on the men's side (Max Davies, 2023-24 & 2024-25 and Tommy Land, 2017-18). Davies is currently in his third season with the U of G track program, and has picked up right where he left off after a phenomenal season last year. The Toronto native took home two OUA gold medals, as well as an OUA bronze medal, at the 2025 OUA Track and Field Championships in Windsor, topping the podium in the men's 1000m and the 4x800m relay, well also claiming bronze in the 1500m. The management major broke two school records in Boston earlier in the season in the 1500m with a time of 3:42.19 and his time of 3:57.26 was good enough to break the school record in the mile. This is the first time in school history where a Gryphon track athlete has won back-to-back U SPORTS Track Athlete of the Year awards. Max is also the University of Guelph's reigning Men's Athlete of the Year (across all sports), and a season ago, was named the OUA's (Men's) Athlete of the Year (across all sports). 
 
Dianna Proctor – U SPORTS Rookie of the Year

Dianna Proctor has been named U SPORTS Rookie of the Year for the 2024-25 season. Proctor becomes the fourth Gryphon to be named national Rookie of the Year since the inception of the award in 2000-01. The music major from Edmonton, Alberta had a scintillating showing in her first OUA Track and Field Championship winning three gold medals. Proctor came in first place in the women's 300m, 4x200m relay and crossed the finish line first in the 4x400m relay as the team's anchor leg. Proctor narrowly missed out on what would have been a fourth podium finish at the OUA Track & Field Championships, finishing 4th in the women's 60m. Proctor, who was also named OUA Rookie of the Year, was the Gryphons leading point-getter at the provincial championships. 
 
Keon Rude – U SPORTS Rookie of the Year

Gryphon sprinter Keon Rude has been named U SPORTS Rookie of the Year. This is the fifth time since 2000-01 in which a Gryphon men's track athlete has been named national Rookie of the Year and the first since 2018-19 when Matthew MacNeill took home the award. Rude is a geography major from Calgary, Alberta who had a strong showing in his debut at the provincial championships, winning three medals. Rude won an OUA silver medal in the men's 60m hurdles, a bronze in the 60m and gold as part of the men's 4x200 relay team as he ran the second leg in the finals for his side. Rude was also named OUA Rookie of the Year.
 

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For more information on the rest of the national award winners in track and field, visit usports.ca. The 2025 BioSteel U SPORTS Track & Field Championships gets underway at 1:30pm on Thursday, March 6. See below for schedule details.

Schedule | 2025 BioSteel U SPORTS Track & Field Championships

Thursday, March 6

1:30 p.m. Weight Throw W Final

3:15 p.m. 60m Hurdles W Pent

3:45 p.m. 60m M Hept

4:00 p.m. High Jump W Pent

4:30 p.m. Long Jump M Hept

6:00 p.m. Shot Put M Hept

6:00 p.m. Pole Vault W Final

6:00 p.m. 60m W Heats

6:15 p.m. 60m M Heats

6:30 p.m. 600m W Heats

6:45 p.m. 600m M Heats

6:55 p.m. 60m Ambulatory W Final

7:00 p.m. Shot Put W Pent

7:00 p.m. 60m W Final

7:10 p.m. 60m M Final

8:00 p.m. High Jump M Hept

8:00 p.m. Long Jump W Pent

8:00 p.m. 4x200m W Heats

8:20 p.m. 4x200m M Heats

9:00 p.m. 800m W Pent

 

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Friday, March 7

2:30 p.m. Weight Throw M Final

4:15 p.m. 60m Hurdles M Hept

4:25 p.m. Long Jump W Final

4:25 p.m. 60m Hurdles W Heats

4:30 p.m. High Jump M Final

4:40 p.m. 60m Hurdles M Heats

4:55 p.m. 1000m W Final

5:05 p.m. 1000m M Final

5:35 p.m. 60m Hurdles W Final

5:45 p.m. 60m Hurdles M Final

5:55 p.m. 300m W Heats

6:00 p.m. Pole Vault M Hept

6:10 p.m. 300m M Heats

6:25 p.m. Long Jump M Final

6:35 p.m. 3000m M Final

6:40 p.m. Shot Put W Final

6:55 p.m. 3000m W Final

7:40 p.m. 300m Ambulatory W Final

7:45 p.m. 300m Ambulatory M Final

7:55 p.m. 300m W Final

8:05 p.m. 300m M Final

8:30 p.m. 4x800m W Final

8:45 p.m. 4x800m M Final

9:00 p.m. 1000m M Hep
 

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Saturday, March 8

11:00 a.m. 300m Wheelchair M Final

12:30 p.m. Triple Jump W Final

12:35 p.m. Shot Put M Final

1:00 p.m. Pole Vault M Final

1:15 p.m. 600m W Final

1:30 p.m. 600m M Final

2:15 p.m. 4x200m W Final

2:25 p.m. 4x200m M Final

2:30 p.m. High Jump W Final

2:35 p.m. Triple Jump M Final

2:45 p.m. 1500m W Final

3:00 p.m. 1500m M Final

3:45 p.m. 4x400m W Final

4:00 p.m. 4x400m M Final
 

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