GUELPH, Ont. – The Guelph Gryphons men's and women's cross country teams are set for the 2026 season, starting with the Vigars and Salter Western Invitational on Saturday (Sept. 26). The event marks the first of five scheduled events in the 2026 season that all take place in Ontario, finishing up at the 2026 U SPORTS Cross Country Championships in Hamilton, ON, hosted by McMaster University on Saturday, November 14.
The men's cross country team last season returned to the podium nationally, winning a bronze medal at the 2025 U SPORTS Cross Country Championships, while also earning a second consecutive silver medal finish at the provincial level. The Gryphons women's cross country team will aim to return to the podium in 2026 after narrowly missing out for a second consecutive year at OUA's, finishing in 4th-place provincially followed by a 12th-place showing at nationals. The 2026 OUA Cross Country Championships will be held in Windsor, ON with the University of Windsor serving as hosts on October 31. 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).
"The team has been training harder than ever and as a result, our prep for the season ahead is in a good place," says Gryphons head coach
Kyle Boorsma, who enters his second season in charge of the University of Guelph cross country program. "We have nine new athletes in total this season, but we also bring back some proven firepower on both the men's and women's sides, so we are excited to get the cross country season underway Saturday at Western."
Women's Cross Country
The women's cross country team is led by
Alexandra McDougall who returns after a phenomenal 2025 season. McDougall last season was the OUA individual champion at the provincial championships, a U SPORTS bronze medalist and the 2025 OUA Runner of the Year. McDougall also represented Canada at the 2026 FISU Cross Country Championships in Italy, finishing in 15th-place and helping her side to a bronze medal. Four members of the team that raced at nationals last season return with last year's OUA Second Team All-Star
Michelle Gray,
Anna May,
Brooke Spina and
Maeve Pestonji.
Jocelyn Giannotti is another experienced racer who returns for her third season as she has raced at the 2024 OUA Cross Country Championships. Six new racers join the women's program including
Mikala Ryan and
Abbigail Silvera. Ryan comes to Guelph from the Bisons Track Club and Humberside HS in Toronto and is poised to make an immediate impact on the team. Silvera joins the program from Aurora, ON as part of the Newmarket Huskies Track Club.
Alyssa Carnaghan (Blackstock, ON),
Jordyn Goodwin (Whitby, ON) and
Shannon Dewar (Ottawa, ON) are among the six new racers joining the cross country team alongside Dalhousie transfer
Jasmine Mitha (Toronto, ON).
Men's Cross Country
The men's cross country team sees another key returner
Jack Lehto back with the program for his fifth-year. Lehto is a two-time U SPORTS All-Canadian and two-time OUA bronze medalist. Lehto had another outstanding season in 2025, finishing in 3rd-place at the 2025 OUA Cross Country Championships and 6th-place at nationals. Lehto, alongside his Gryphon teammate
Alexandra McDougall, was in Italy in the spring of 2026, representing Canada at the FISU Cross Country Championships, finishing in 24th-place in the 10km race.
Charles Mills,
Charlie Shaw,
Luke Feltham,
Nicolas Belan and
Nolan Buie all return to the cross country program as part of the men's team that took home the bronze medal at nationals last year.
Willem De Gooyer is back for his third-year as he looks to take a step forward. Three new faces join the program for 2026.
Aiden Clodd comes to Guelph from Whitby, ON where he was the OFSSAA boys 2000m steeplechase champion and youth national championship in the steeplechase.
Myles Clinton also joins from the high school ranks from St. Marys, ON.
Owen Lloyd (Cambridge, ON) transfers in from UBC Okanagan where he placed in 9th-place at the 2025 CanWest Cross Country Championships.
