LONDON, Ont. – Jack Lehto opened the Guelph Gryphons' 2026 cross country season with an individual win on Saturday (Sept. 26) at the 51st Vigars & Salter Western Invitational in London, with both the Gryphons men's and women's teams finishing third in the team standings. At Thames Valley Golf Club, Lehto, a fifth-year team captain from Burlington, covered the men's 8km course in 24:46, finishing 10 seconds ahead of McMaster's Samuel Patrick. Lehto's win came against a field led by the nation's top-ranked team. He finished ahead of a McMaster pack that placed five runners in the top eight, and his time was just 16 seconds off the meet record. Rookie Mikala Ryan led the women in her first season in red and gold. She placed fourth overall in 29:08, the best finish by a first-year runner in the race. Fifth-year Alexandra McDougall who set the meet record on this course last fall, was sixth this time in 29:30. Fifth-year Michelle Gray completed Guelph's trio of top-ten finishers, placing 10th in 29:57.
Fifth-year Maeve Pestonji (28th, 31:35) and Anna May (30th, 31:40) completed the Gryphons scoring. The 10th-ranked Gryphon women totaled 74 points, finishing behind sixth-ranked Windsor and ninth-ranked McMaster and ahead of seventh-ranked Western and eighth-ranked UNB. On the men's side, rookie Aiden Clodd was Guelph's second finisher, taking 17th in 25:42. Fifth-year graduate transfer Owen Lloyd was three seconds behind him in 20th. Fourth-year Charlie Mills (26th, 25:57) and third-year Willem De Gooyer (32nd, 26:08) rounded out the scoring five. The fifth-ranked Gryphon men scored 83 points, behind No. 1 McMaster and host Western.
"Jack's dependability is an asset to our team and is part of what makes him such a great leader for the Gryphon Cross Country program," said Gryphons cross country head coach, Kyle Boorsma. "He's relentless in his preparation and from that comes a confidence in his ability to execute on race day. It was great to see him open the season with a win. Mikala's result was equally exciting. To finish fourth in her first university race speaks to both her talent and her composure, and we're excited about what lies ahead for her. Overall, I thought it was a strong start for both teams. We competed well against some of the top programs in the country, and there are a lot of positives to build on as we continue preparing for the championship season."
Next up for the Gryphons is the Marauder Lakefront Invitational in Hamilton on Saturday, Oct. 17, which gives them an early look at the U SPORTS Championship course. The 2026 OUA Cross Country Championships follow on Saturday, Oct. 31 in Windsor, before the team returns to Hamilton for the U SPORTS Championships on Nov. 14.
