CIS cross country championship preview: Gryphons looking for 7th heaven at 50th anniversary event
OTTAWA (CIS) – The University of Guelph Gryphons will look to resume their domination on Saturday when CIS celebrates 50 years of cross-country running in London, Ont.
Western University hosts the 2012 CIS championships at the Thames Valley Golf Course. 125 athletes from 25 schools are set to compete in the women’s five-kilometre race at noon, while 129 runners from 24 institutions are scheduled to take the start of the 10-kilometre men’s event at 1 p.m.
Saturday will mark the 50th anniversary of the first CIS men’s race. In 1963 in Guelph, Ont., Canadian Olympian Bruce Kidd, then competing for the University of Toronto, claimed the inaugural individual gold medal, while McMaster captured the first team banner.
Female runners would have to wait until 1980 to make their CIS debut, also in Guelph.
Bob Vigars knows a thing or two about CIS cross country. A member of the 2012 organizing committee, Vigars is the longest serving coach - all sports included - in Western history with 45 seasons as head coach of the men’s cross country team and 40 at the helm of the women’s program. He has guided the Mustangs to 11 national team titles over the years.
“We’re recognizing the very first CIS champions this weekend, the McMaster team from 1963,” Vigars said. “We have the stats of that team from back then. They’d still be one of the top four or five teams in the country.”
One program the 1963 McMaster squad might have problems keeping up with these days is the Guelph Gryphons.
To say that Guelph has dominated CIS cross country in recent years would be a major understatement. The Gryphons have captured the last seven national titles in women’s competition and have won six consecutive men’s championships, both record streaks. Their male runners have also claimed individual gold at the last four CIS meets, including Andrew Dixon a year ago, while on the women’s side, Geneviève Lalonde made it a clean sweep for Guelph in 2011.
The Gryphons are overwhelming favourites to take the team titles once again on Saturday. In individual competition, Guelph swept the men’s podium at the OUA championships two weeks ago, with Nixon taking bronze behind teammates Ross Proudfoot (gold) and Yves Sikubwabo (silver), and placed four runners in the top five in the women’s race, including a gold-medal performance from Lalonde.
“I’m confident in our team. We are extremely fit and sharp and are peaking at exactly the right time. Last night was our final hard session and both teams looked brilliant,” Guelph head coach Dave Scott Thomas said earlier this week. “We’ve got a history of nailing our peak and both teams are stronger than last year, with full intentions of extending our CIS title winning streaks. These are tough, talented athletes in superb shape and we’re ready to fly."
In the other CIS conferences, St. Francis Xavier swept the 2012 AUS team banners, while the McGill women and Laval men repeated as RSEQ champions.
Individually, UNB’s Frida Aspnaes and StFX’s Connor McGuire claimed AUS gold, while McGill’s Jessica Porfilio and Laval’s Charles Philibert-Thiboutot prevailed in Quebec.
“I am extremely proud of both the men’s and women’s teams,” said StFX head coach Bernie Chisholm. “The women dug deep and turned out an outstanding performance for the championship win and our men’s team ran a tremendous race, running in a pack staying strong through to the finish.”
“Seven of the top nine finishers, the team and individual titles, it would have been hard to ask for much more. We’re improving with each competition and hopefully we can keep it up at the national championships,” Laval coach Félix-Antoine Lapointe said of his men’s squad. “Our women’s team is very young, we have a lot of first and second-year runners. But like our men, they’re getting better with every race, so I think we can hope for a top-10 finish in London.”
There are no cross country championships in Canada West. Results at the CIS meet determine the conference’s individual and team champions. A year ago, the Victoria Vikes finished second in the CIS women’s standings and third on the men’s side.
CIS CROSS-COUNTRY TEAM CHAMPIONS
Women
2011 Guelph (at Laval)
2010 Guelph (at Sherbrooke)
2009 Guelph (at Queen’s)
2008 Guelph (at Laval)
2007 Guelph (at Victoria)
2006 Guelph (at Laval)
2005 Guelph (at Dalhousie)
2004 Dalhousie (at Guelph)
2003 Calgary (at Moncton)
2002 Toronto (at Western)
2001 Victoria (at Sherbrooke)
2000 Victoria (at Toronto)
1999 Victoria (at RMC / Queen’s)
1998 Victoria (at Waterloo)
1997 Guelph (at Western)
1996 Waterloo (at McGill)
1995 Windsor (at Western)
1994 Victoria (at Western)
1993 Calgary (at Dalhousie)
1992 Calgary (at McGill)
1991 Toronto (at Victoria)
1990 Western (at Ottawa)
1989 Western (at UBC)
1988 Western (at Laval)
1987 Victoria (at Victoria)
1986 Victoria (at Western)
1985 Victoria (at Sherbrooke)
1984 Western (at Guelph)
1983 Western (at Laurentian)
1982 Western (at Laurentian)
1981 Western (at Lethbridge)
1980 Victoria (at Guelph)
Men
2011 Guelph (at Laval)
2010 Guelph (at Sherbrooke)
2009 Guelph (at Queen’s)
2008 Guelph (at Laval)
2007 Guelph (at Victoria)
2006 Guelph (at Laval)
2005 Windsor (at Dalhousie)
2004 Windsor (at Guelph)
2003 Windsor (at Moncton)
2002 Guelph (at Western)
2001 Guelph (at Sherbrooke)
2000 Guelph (at Toronto)
1999 Guelph (at RMC / Queen's)
1998 Windsor (at Waterloo)
1997 Victoria (at Western)
1996 Victoria (at McGill)
1995 Victoria (at Western)
1994 Victoria (at Western)
1993 UBC (at Dalhousie)
1992 Sherbrooke (at McGill)
1991 Toronto (at Victoria)
1990 Ottawa (at Ottawa)
1989 Manitoba (at UBC)
1988 Manitoba (at Laval)
1987 Ottawa (at Victoria)
1986 Ottawa (at Western)
1985 Western (at Sherbrooke)
1984 Queen's (at Guelph)
1983 Queen's (at Laurentian)
1982 Toronto (at Laurentian)
1981 Queen's (at Lethbridge)
1980 Alberta (at Guelph)
1979 Queen's (at Toronto)
1978 Toronto (at Toronto)
1977 Toronto (at Queen's)
1976 Western (at Guelph)
1975 Toronto (at Victoria)
1974 Toronto (at Guelph)
1973 OUAA All-Stars (at RMC / Queen's)
1972 OUAA All-Stars (at RMC)
1971 Western (at UNB)
1970 Western (at UBC)
1969 Guelph (at MacDonald)
1968 Saskatchewan (at Dalhousie)
1967 Toronto (at Guelph)
1966 Toronto (at Guelph)
1965 Toronto (at Guelph)
1964 Manitoba (at Guelph)
1963 McMaster (at Guelph)
CIS CROSS-COUNTRY INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONS
Women
2011 Geneviève Lalonde, Guelph
2010 Jessica Pearo, McMaster
2009 Megan Brown, Toronto
2008 Megan Brown, Toronto
2007 Lindsay Carson, Guelph
2006 Megan Brown, Toronto
2005 Beth Wightman, Toronto
2004 Kristina Rody, Guelph
2003 Beth Wightman, Queen’s
2002 Sarah Dillabaugh, Ottawa
2001 Beth Wightman, Queen's
2000 Debbie Buhlers, Waterloo
1999 Teresa Duck, Western
1998 Nathalie Côté, Ottawa
1997 Nathalie Côté, Ottawa
1996 Nathalie Côté, Ottawa
1995 Missy McCleary, Windsor
1994 Linda Thyer, McGill
1993 Lisa Harvey, Calgary
1992 Lisa Harvey, Calgary
1991 Anna Gunasekera, Victoria
1990 Anna Gunasekera, Victoria
1989 Lucy Smith, Dalhousie
1988 Lucy Smith, Dalhousie
1987 Brenda Shackleton, Victoria
1986 Brenda Shackleton, Victoria
1985 Brenda Shackleton, Victoria
1984 Jill Purola, Western
1983 Sylvia Ruegger, Guelph
1982 Nancy Rooks, York
1981 Anne-Marie Malone, Queen’s
1980 Sylvia Ruegger, Guelph
Men
2011 Andrew Nixon, Guelph
2010 Kyle Boorsma, Guelph
2009 Matt Brunsting, Guelph
2008 Matt Brunsting, Guelph
2007 Alex Genest, Sherbrooke
2006 Geoffrey Kerr, Calgary
2005 Cristiano Mauricio, Windsor
2004 Cristiano Mauricio, Windsor
2003 Eric Gillis, StFX
2002 Jamie Epp, Saskatchewan
2001 Jerry Ziak, Victoria
2000 Jamie Epp, Saskatchewan
1999 Graham Cocksedge, Victoria
1998 Jeremy Deere, Calgary
1997 Guy Schultz, Western
1996 Éric Jobin, Sherbrooke
1995 Jeff Schiebler, UBC
1994 Joël Bourgeois, Moncton
1993 Brendan Matthias, Toronto
1992 Graeme Fell, UBC
1991 Brendan Matthias, Toronto
1990 John Halvorsen, Ottawa
1989 Richard Charrette, Ottawa
1988 John Halvorsen, Ottawa
1987 John Halvorsen, Ottawa
1986 John Halvorsen, Ottawa
1985 Bob Rice, Ottawa
1984 Paul McCloy, Memorial
1983 Paul McCloy, Memorial
1982 Brian Rhodes, Alberta
1981 Paul McCloy, Memorial
1980 Paul Williams, Toronto
1979 Peter Butler, Calgary
1978 Paul Williams, Toronto
1977 Paul Williams, Guelph
1976 Brian Stride, Brock
1975 Joe Sax, Western
1974 John Sharp, Toronto
1973 John Sharp, Toronto
1972 Rick Munro, Dalhousie
1971 Grant McLaren, Western
1970 Dave Smith, York
1969 Grant McLaren, Guelph
1968 Dave Smith, York
1967 David Bailey, Toronto
1966 David Bailey, Toronto
1965 Jerome Drayton, Toronto
1964 Chris Williamson, UNB
1963 Bruce Kidd, Toronto
