GUELPH, Ont. – The Guelph Gryphons men's and women's cross country teams are set for the 2025 season, starting with the Vigars and Salter Western Invitational on Saturday (Sept. 20). The event marks the first of five scheduled events that make up the 2025 season which wraps up at the U SPORTS Cross Country Championships in Sherbrooke, Quebec on Saturday, November 8. A total of 34 student-athletes (19 men and 15 women) will represent the Gryphons cross country program this upcoming season.
Following their silver medal finish last season, the Gryphons men's cross country team will look to get back to the top of the podium and add on to their provincial-leading 30 OUA banners in team history. The women will aim to make a return to the podium after finishing in 5th-place at last season's OUA Cross Country Championships. Both teams will also look to make it onto the national podium, with the Gryphon men coming in 4th and the women in 9th-place in the overall team standings at the 2024 U SPORTS Cross Country Championships a season ago. The 2025 OUA Cross Country Championships will be hosted by the Queen's Gaels in Kingston on October 25. The cross country format remains the same as in recent years at both the OUA and U SPORTS championships, with both men and women competing in 8km races, with team standings determined by the top five finishers (seven runners per school, top five count towards scoring).
Men's Cross Country
"Our men's team in 2025 is led by a solid core of returning athletes," says Gryphons cross country head coach,
Kyle Boorsma, who enters his first season in charge of the Gryphons cross country program. "As a whole, this group is super focused on bringing back a title and are determined to make that a reality."
A total of 19 athletes are on the 2025 Gryphons men's cross country roster, including the return of six individuals who helped Guelph capture OUA silver a season ago. Helping lead the way for the Gryphons in 2025 is the trio of
Max Davies,
Jack Lehto and
Christian Rachner.
Max Davies returns to Guelph for his fourth season with the program as one of the team captains after he spent his summer becoming a Canadian national champion in the 1500m at the Canadian Track and Field Championships and setting a new provincial and Canadian U23 record in the men's 1500m with a time of 3:33.86. The 21-year-old Toronto native and back-to-back recipient of the University of Guelph's 'Men's Athlete of the Year' award, impressed last season placing in the top 10 in all his cross country races which includes crossing the line in 1st-place at last year's Vigars and Salter Invitational, a 2nd-place finish at the OUA Cross Country Championships and a 9th-place finish at the U SPORTS Cross Country Championships.
Jack Lehto enters his fourth-year with the team is a key returnee for the Gryphons as a team co-captain alongside Davies. The mechanical engineering major had an equally impressive 2024 season as one of the team's top runners, finishing in the top 3 in four of his events which includes a 1st-place finish at the Don Mills Open and a bronze medal at the 2024 OUA Cross Country Championships. The Burlington native earned U SPORTS Second Team All-Canadian status after crossing the line in 11th-place at nationals last year.
Christian Rachner returns for his final season with the cross country program. The Brampton native earned OUA First Team All-Star status last year with his 7th-place finish at the provincial championships with a time of 24:57.3.
Charlie Mills, another member of the last year's silver medal winning team returns. The third-year mechanical engineering major had a top 20 finish at provincials last year, crossing the line in 19th-place and a top 8 finish at the Don Mills Open. Last season's OUA Rookie of the Year,
Luke Feltham returns for his sophomore season. The Stratford native, was the top rookie racer at the 2024 OUA Cross Country Championships, crossing the line in 37th-place.
Women's Cross Country
"The majority of our women's cross country team is coming off of a really strong outdoor season, where lots of our athletes set personal bests on the track during the summer and will look to carry that momentum into the fall outdoor season," says head coach
Kyle Boorsma, who enters his first season leading the Gryphons women's cross country program.
Plenty of familiar faces return to Guelph as part of the 15 athletes on this season's Gryphons women's cross country team.
Alexandra McDougall is back for her fourth year as she leads the charge for the women. The Port Perry, Ontario native and team captain had a top 10 finish at last season's Don Mills Open and placed in 22nd at last season's OUA Cross Country Championships.
Michelle Gray is also back for her fourth season with the program. The biological and pharmaceutical chemistry major was the team's top finisher at last year's provincial championship, coming in 15th-place as she just missed out on making the OUA Second Team All-Star. The Mississauga native also came in 5th at last year's Don Mills Open. Fellow, Mississauga native
Nicole Hartnell returns for her third year and was a part of the team that competed at provincials and nationals last season.
Jocelyn Giannotti and
Kristina Etezadi will look to build upon their strong rookie seasons as they head into their sophomore seasons at Guelph. Giannotti (Ottawa, ON) raced at provincials for the team last season. Etezadi, a human kinetics major at U of G, earned OUA Rookie of the Year honours as the first freshman to finish at the 2024 OUA Cross Country Championships, coming in 35th-place with a time of 31:08.5. Third-year runner
Grace Wheeler (Lions Head, ON) will look to make an impact for this upcoming season.
Kayla Sanderson-Kirby returns to the team as one of the leaders and has been named a team captain for 2025 alongside Alex McDougall.
