WINDSOR, Ont. – The Gryphons men's and women's cross country team both reached the podium at the 2026 OUA Cross Country Championships on Saturday (Oct. 31). The Gryphon men took home silver, finishing in 2nd out of 13 universities in the final team standings. The men were led by fifth-year standout Jack Lehto, winning the individual event, crossing the line in first overall in a field of 100 racers. The Gryphon women returned to the podium, finishing in third place out of 12 universities in the final team standings to take home a bronze medal. The men were led by Jack Lehto (Burlington, ON) who continued his marvelous 2026 season as he was the first racer to cross the line out of 100 racers to claim the OUA individual championship. For the fifth-year mechanical engineering major, this was his third win of the season after he earned wins at the Vigars and Salters Western Invitational and the Marauder Lakefront Open. Lehto crossed the line with a time of 23:56.2, finishing :26 seconds ahead of the next closest racer.  For Lehto, he becomes the 16th men's individual cross country champion in program history. The individual championship for Jack marked the third consecutive season he finished in a podium spot at OUA's where he won back-to-back individual bronze medals in 2024 and 2025. Lehto also earned OUA First Team All-Star status for a third consecutive year. The men as whole had an impressive showing, finishing in second place in the team standings to take home a silver medal. Luke Feltham had an outstanding performance, finishing in 3rd place, joining his teammate Lehto on the podium. Feltham, the third-year biochemistry major from Stratford crossed the line with a time of 24:25.8 to take home a bronze medal and earn OUA First Team All-Star status. This marks the fourth consecutive season a pair of Gryphon teammates finished on the podium together. Charlie Shaw also earned OUA All-Star status on the second team, finishing in 14th place with a time of 24:48.1. Owen Lloyd (18th – 24:54) and Charles Mills (33rd – 25:25) round out the 5 Gryphon runners who contributed to the team's 2nd place finish in the team standings. The Gryphons missed out their 24th provincial banner as they finished McMaster Marauders who finished ahead of the Gryphs with 30 points. The women's side impressed, earning a spot on the podium with their third-place finish in the team standings to take home a bronze medal. Three Gryphons placed in the top 10, with Michelle Gray leading the way. The fifth-year biological and pharmaceutical chemistry major narrowly missed out on a podium finish, crossing the line in 4th-place with a time of 28:31.7. Gray earns OUA All-Star status for a second consecutive season, this time on the first team. Joining Gray on the First Team as a provincial All-Star is first-year runner Mikala Ryan. The criminal justice and public policy major in her first OUA Cross Country Championships had a fantastic showing, crossing the finish line in 6th with a time of 28:35.5. Rounding out the top 10 finishers for the Gryphons was last year's OUA individual champion Alexandra McDougall. The fifth-year biomedical engineering major from Port Perry, finished in 8th place to earn OUA All-Star status for a second consecutive season as a Second Team All-Star. Anna May (20th – 29:52) and Maeve Pestonji (23rd – 30:04.5) round out the five Gryphon runners contributed to the final team standings. The Gryphons finished comfortably in third place with a final score of 61.
 
Next up for the Gryphons men's and women cross country teams, a short trip to Hamilton for the 2026 U SPORTS Cross Country Championships on Saturday, November 14 hosted by McMaster.