GUELPH/WINDSOR WIN X-C TITLES
TOP RANKED GRYPHONS WIN WOMEN'S TITLE
Women's Championship Standings
Women's Team-by-team Results
Canada's top ranked women's cross-country team, the Guelph Gryphons did not disappoint the fans at Sunnybrook Park on Saturday, falling just four points shy of tying the OUA Championship record, finishing with three runners in the top eight, including the gold and silver medalists en route to their fifth championship in school history.
The Gryphons bested the second place Western Mustangs by 35 points to win their first women's team championship since 2001. The University of Toronto Varsity Blues finished third with 96 points.
Veteran Kristina Rody completed her varsity career with her first individual medal at the OUA championships, finishing the 5km course in a time of 17:32, more than 36-seconds ahead of teammate Laura Moulton who took the silver. Laurentian Voyageurs runner Leila Angrand captured the bronze medal in a time of 18:12.
The Gryphons got off to a quick start in the race and took control by the 1km mark. Head Coach Dave Scott-Thomas says that the quick start was in the Gryphons game plan. "We knew that if Kristina and Laura could get off to a quick start, they would pull the rest of the field along with them and it would give us a great opportunity to win the team title."
As Rody and Moulton approached the 4km mark, Mouton began to run out of steam, which forced Rody to complete most of the final lap well in front of the field. "I'm not used to being that far out in front of the field," said the Master Student who spent the past two years out of school. "I've never won an individual OUA medal and I was just surprised that Laura wasn't pushing me to the finish line."
With the victory on Saturday, the Gryphons should remain ranked number one in Canada heading into the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) Championships on November 13 in Guelph.
DEFENDING CIS CHAMPION LANCERS SERVE NOTICEMen's Championship Standings
Men's Team-by-team Results
The University of Windsor Lancers men's cross country team swept the medal podium en route to repeating as OUA Champions on Saturday. Cristiano Mauricio broke from Lancer Ryan McKenzie's year old course record, finishing the 10km event in a time of 31:01, three seconds faster than McKenzie's mark. James Gosselin captured the silver, while Brandon Young earned the bronze.
The Lancers finished with 27 points, while second place Guelph had 36. Waterloo captured third with 104 points.
Mauricio and Gosselin took control of the race after the first lap, pulling away from the field by the 2km mark. Eventually Mauricio distanced himself from Gosselin but the damage was already done as the Lancers captured their seventh OUA crown in the past eleven years.
The Lancers were ranked second in the CIS behind the Guelph Gryphons heading into the championship and Head Coach Dennis Fairall was impressed with the way his team ran on Saturday. "Our top five runners showed today that they can run with the best in Canada and I'm excited about our results, given that we lost one of our displacers on the final lap."
Windsor will carry the OUA title to the CIS Championship at the University of Guelph on November 13.
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