November has been a banner month for University of Guelph athletics, with the football team winning the 104th Yates Cup and playing in the Mitchell Bowl, and the women’s cross-country team winning the national championships.
Football
The Gryphons advanced to the Mitchell Bowl, one of the two semi-final games in Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) football, after winning the 108th Yates Cup Nov. 14. U of G beat the undefeated Western University Mustangs 23-17.
It was the first Ontario University Athletics (OUA) championship win for the Gryphons since 1996. It was U of G’s third trip to the Yates Cup in four seasons.
U of G went 7-1 during the regular season.
The Gryphons historic season ended Nov. 21 when the team lost to the defending national champions, the University of Montreal, 25-10 in the Mitchell Bowl.
The game was played in U of G’s Alumni Stadium. It was the first time in 31 years that Guelph hosted a bowl game.
The Gryphons finished the regular season with a 7-1 record.
Cross-country running
The University of Guelph won the women’s team title at the 2015 Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) cross-country running championships Nov. 14.
The men’s team placed second. The event was held at U of G’s Arboretum.
It’s the 11th straight win for U of G’s women’s squad, and the 18th consecutive year that the men’s team has placed first or second at the national championships.
Gryphon Aaron Hendrikx won the individual men’s gold medal, finishing the 10-kilometre race in 30 minutes, 18.1 seconds.
On the women’s side, Katrina Allison was the top-finishing Gryphon, running the six-kilometre race in 20 minutes, 28.3 seconds to place sixth.
Rugby
U of G’s men’s rugby team won OUA silver on Nov. 15, losing to Queen’s University in the final match 24-23.
It’s the second year in a row that U of G played in the provincial championships. The match was played at U of G.
“We’re a very close team. One game doesn’t define us. We have lots to be proud of,” said Coach Darrell Devine.