The Guelph Gryphons had a strong day on the track and on the ice, with their men’s teams claiming silver in track and bronze in hockey during the national competitions.
This marked the eight straight year that the Gryphons men’s Track and Field team has finished on the podium and the sixth straight year they have finished first or second. This year, the placed just nine points behind a strong Windsor team competing at home. The women’s team just missed the podium, finishing fourth overall in the event, five points behind York University.
In track and field, the Gryphons had a number of strong showings, led by long distance runner Ross Proudfoot, who would receive the George Gemer Award as the Most Outstanding Athlete of the Meet, capping his university career with two gold medals (in the 1500 m and the 3000 m).
Day three of the competition saw the men’s 4 x 400 team of Charlie Sutton, Tom Land, Brandon Shirk and Shawn Beaudoin take third in their event.
A number of other Gryphons took gold during the competition, including Sean Cate in the high jump, Jared Skeath in the weight throw, and Leah Robinson in 60 m ambulatory. Silver performances by Samantha Allegro in the pole vault and Ashley Connell in the shot put were complemented by bronzes by Sarah Dougherty in the weight throw and the 4 x 800 m relay team of Tom Land, Brayden Seneca, Christian Gravel and Drew Anderson.
Meanwhile, in Halifax, the Gryphons men’s hockey team won their first medal since 1996, taking bronze in an overtime thriller over UQTR, winning 3-2.
Sophomore forward Kyle Neuber banged a rebound under UQTR goaltender Guillaume Nadeau off a three-on-two rush by the Gryphons about halfway through the overtime session.
The team came together after a tough season of adversity, including Gryphon player Cole Hamblin dying a short time after a cancer diagnosis, while defenseman Thomas Kohler lost his father from the effects of the same disease over Christmas.
They also suffered a number of injuries throughout the year, but finished strong, including a 7-2 record in the OUA playoffs.
Scott Simmonds and Daniel Broussard also scored for Guelph, with goalie Andrew D’Agostini making 21 saves for the win.
Meanwhile, the female Gryphons took fifth in the women’s competition in Calgary, winning 4-1 over Moncton.