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| Friday, September 26 2008 - Speed River Mentioned In Toronto Sun |
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Head Coach Dave Scott-Thomas and the Speed River Track Club were mentioned in an article in the Toronto Sun. The article discuss Canadian Marathon Champion Nicole Stevenson and the professionalization of marathoning in Canada. |
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| Thursday, September 25 2008 - Rollin' With The River- Season 2- Episode 4- To The Max |
The University of Guelph Women's Cross Country completes their first interval session of the year. The workout consists of five 1200 meter repeats with 4 minutes recovery.
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| Sunday, September 21 2008 - Brunch With The Olympians Video |
The third Sunday of every month the Guelph running community gathers for a brunch at Shakespeare Arms Restaurant. This month with a special edition of the brunch as Olympians Eric Gillis and Taylor Milne spoke about their Olympic experiences.
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| Friday, September 19 2008 - Dave Scott-Thomas On The Future Of Speed River |
Dave Scott-Thomas talks about Speed River's group goal setting and some of the long term goals for the group and how their recent success has helped them in attracting sponsors.
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| Thursday, September 18 2008 - Rollin' With The River- Season 2- Episode 3- New Balance Gryphon Open |
Video Highlights of Saturday's New Balance Gryphon Open.
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| Saturday, September 13 2008 - Falling Leaves Trail Run and New Balance Gryphon Open Results |
The defending CIS champions University of Guelph Gryphons men's and women's cross country teams kicked off the defense of their titles Saturday morning at the New Balance Gryphon Open in the University of Guelph Arboretum. The Gryphon women dominated the race with five of the top seven finishers, paced by second year women Laura McIvor and Lindsay Furtado. The Gryphon Men also brought home the title with five in the top 12 lead by freshman Rob Jackson.
More Information To Come.
The New Balance Gryphon Open highlights a packed morning of racing, that also included the Falling Leaves Trail Run and over fifty kids in the New Balance kids race.
Falling Leaves Trail Run Results
New Balance Gryphon Open Results |
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| Thursday, September 11 2008 - Rollin' With The River- Season II- Episode II- Headwaters of the River |
In the second episode of season two, Speed River Head Coach Dave Scott-Thomas talks about the origins of Speed River.
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| Thursday, September 11 2008 - University of Guelph Women's Cross Country Preview |
On Friday September 20th , the University of Guelph Athletics Department will introduce its Hall of Fame Class for 2008. This year’s team inductee will be the 1997 Women’s Cross Country Team, which captured Guelph’s first ever women’s CIS title in any sport. It is a fitting tribute to that team that this fall, the University of Guelph Women’s Cross Country squad will be looking to make history of their own by equalling the CIS record for most consecutive titles, by winning their fourth in a row.
Last year, Gryphon Head Coach Dave Scott-Thomas appeared to have a rebuilding project on his hands. Gone to graduation was the back bone of the 2005 and 2006 National title teams, in the form of All-Canadians Laura Moulton, Erin Sask and Julia Benisus. However, Scott-Thomas and the Gryphons did not rebuild, they simply reloaded. In came Lindsay Carson (Cambridge, Ontario), arguably the most highly touted recruit in Gryphon cross country history, and the strongest and deepest recruiting class in recent CIS memory.
The class did not disappoint as Carson captured Rookie of the Year and MVP honours in leading the Gryphons to their third straight national title as they dismantled the field winning by nearly forty points. Joining Carson as first team All-Canadian was 2006 CIS Rookie of The Year Rachel Cliff (Vancouver, British Columbia), while third year runner Shantelle Novak (Regina, Saskatchewan) and surprise rookie sensation Jess Vanhie (Alisa Craig, Ontario) both garnered second team honours. Fellow rookie Lindsay Furtado (Brampton, Ontario) added OUA all-star honours to an incredible season for the Gryphons as the they had five rookies among their top eight runners.
“The 2007 season really was magical,” Scott-Thomas says, “You could feel the energy brewing up through the winter as each of the recruits committed. We knew we had a physically gifted team, but they’re even more strong emotionally and as friends.”
If last year could have been considering a reloading year, this season the Gryphons will be a team that might be fully stocked. The team did not graduate a single athlete and remarkably does not have a single impact runner in their final year of eligibility. Despite the depth of the team, Scott-Thomas has not reseted on his laurels, adding to the mix another strong recruiting class headlined by Caitlyn Rennie (Mississauga, Ontario). Rennie, was an outstanding 11th at last year’s AGSI Canadian Junior Cross Country Championships, narrowly missing a spot on the Canadian Junior National Team. Joining Rennie will be New Brunswick bronze medalist Nadine Frost (St. Andrews, New Brunswick) and her twin sister Lydia, who was fifth at the New Brunswick Championships as well as Ontario athletes Gabrielle Foran (Woodstock, Ontario), Samantha Beattie (Hamilton, Ontario) and Robyn Mildren (Hamilton, Ontario) all of whom have top 20 performances at the Ontario High School Championships to their credit.
Scott-Thomas will also look for improvement from within. Courtney Laurie (Toronto, Ontario) is expected to build on an exceptional summer, while 2004 Olympic Trials Steeplechase Champion Haley Digel (Calgary, Alberta) has fully adjusted since joining the Gryphons last fall after transferring from University of Calgary. Second year athletes Karoline Hoy (Thunder Bay, Ontario), Laura McIvor (Burnaby, British Columbia) and Steph Muise (London, Ontario) are also all expected to play larger roles this fall.
“We’re deeper, stronger, more experienced, and in better shape this year than last” says Scott-Thomas. “Our vets have all grown and we’ve had another great recruiting year. This is saying something, but overall this the most focused and disciplined group we’ve had. My concern might have been that we’d become too serious, but there’s a great deal of playfulness and simple love of running amongst the women. I’m tremendously impressed with the character of this team.”
The Gryphons will open their season Saturday in their only home meet of the season, the New Balance Gryphon Open at the University of Guelph Arboretum. They will then head to Western next weekend for the annual Western International, an important measuring stick against OUA and CIS competitors. Following an off week, the Gryphons will wrap up their regular season with two competitions against top NCAA teams first at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania on October 4th and then at Penn State on October 17th . The OUA Championships will be held October 24th at Fort Henry in Kingston where the Gryphon women will be looking for their record fifth consecutive OUA title, while the CIS Championships will be held two weeks later November 9th at the Plaines D'abraham in Quebec City, with the team shooting for that record setting fourth consecutive title. |
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| Thursday, September 11 2008 - New Balance Gryphon Open Preview |
The defending CIS champions University of Guelph Gryphons men's and women's
cross country teams will kick off the defense of their titles Saturday
morning at the New Balance Gryphon Open in the University of Guelph
Arboretum. The Gryphon women are hoping to make history this fall by winning
their record fourth consecutive National title, while the men are seeking
their third consecutive National title.
The New Balance Gryphon Open highlights a packed morning of racing. Also
included on the busy schedule is the Falling Leaves Trail Run at 9:30 am and
new this year a Free Kids 1 km Race at 11 am. "One of the great things
about this competition and cross country in general is that it is the type
of event in which the whole family can participate. Our hope with this meet
is that a family can come and mom and/or dad will run the Falling Leaves,
the kids will run in the free kids race and then the whole family will stick
around to watch some of Canada's finest distance runners compete in the
Gryphon Open" commented co-meet director Chris Moulton. "One of our goals
for this race is to create a carnival type atmosphere. New Balance will have
some of their newest shoes on hand for people to test out, Olympian Taylor
Milne will be signing autographs, the four CIS National trophies that the
Gryphons' won for cross-country and track last year will be on display and
there will be outstanding racing."
Headlining the Men's race will be the debut in the red and gold of former
Centennial star Rob Jackson. Jackson, one of the top recruits in North
America, is the odds on favourite for CIS Rookie of the Year. Joining
Jackson in leading the Gryphons will be Cody Murray. Last summer, Murray
was involved in a horrific car accident that left him with a broken back.
After a year of pain staking rehab Murray will be running his first cross
country race since the accident.
One of the most exciting aspects of the Gryphon Open is the annual challenge
between the alumni and current varsity teams. This may be the year, the
men's alumni squad takes the title from the varsity as they are lead by host
of recent graduates including former All-Canadians Greg Hutchinson, Steve
Koziarski and Kyle Desormeaux.
The field for the women's race also includes strong squads from the
University of Guelph and the University of Guelph Alumni. The varsity team
will be led by last year's rookie sensation and second team All-Canadian
Jess Vanhie. Vanhie along with teammates Laura McIvor, Lindsay Furtado and
Karoline Hoy will be looking to make it two individual titles in the row for
the Gryphons after Lindsay Carson's win last year. Former Gryphon Athlete
of The Year Laura Moulton will be carrying the alumni teams hopes. Moulton,
one of the most decorated athletes in the history of Gryphon Athletics has
never won the Gryphon Open title. Last year's runner up Donna Mae Robbins
of North Bay will be looking to spoil a Gryphon victory.
The New Balance Gryphon Open women's race will be run at 11:30 am, with the
men following them at 12:15 pm. The race will be held in the University of
Guelph Arboretum, starting on the back fields of campus just off Arboretum
Road. |
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| Wednesday, September 10 2008 - Rollin' With The River- Schedule Adjustment |
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Rollin' With The River will move to a new day, Thursday. So tune in tomorrow for our new video, which will also now be available on Flotrack. |
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| Tuesday, September 9 2008 - University of Guelph Men's Cross Country Preview |
Thirty one years ago, University of Guelph runner Paul Williams captured the CIS Men’s Cross Country Championship. Williams became the second Gryphon to accomplish the feat, following in the footsteps of fellow Olympian Grant McLaren. Since that race the Gryphons have enjoyed a great deal of success including an incredible six national team championships and four runner-up finishes in the past ten seasons, and have positioned themselves as the strongest cross country program in the country. Head Coach Dave Scott-Thomas’ teams have accomplished almost everything imaginable in CIS competition; however, one thing, the individual title, has eluded the Gryphon men.
There have been close calls: multiple All-Canadians Reid Coolsaet and Steve Bendo both finished third; and last fall Matt Brunsting (Stirling, Ontario) made a bold move at the 8 kilometer mark of the 10 kilometer championship race in an attempt to capture the title, only to be reeled in over the last kilometer and finish fourth.
Many believe this fall could bring an end to the streak for the Gryphons. Defending OUA champion and Centennial grad Kyle Boorsma is coming off an incredible summer season which saw him place fifth in the 1500 meters at the Olympic Trials behind Olympians Taylor Milne, Nate Brannen and Kevin Sullivan. Teammate Matt Brunsting is fully healthy after battling injuries this summer and is looking to finish what he started last fall. Both are among a handful of individuals who can legitimately say they are contenders for the title.
In addition to Boorsma and Brunsting the Gryphons are blessed with several other athletes who could contend for All-Canadian honours and will hope to lead the squad to their third consecutive national title. Brunsting’s twin brother Joe was tenth at last year’s championships and with at least three athletes in front of him graduating he will be targeting first team All-Canadian honors. Fifth year men Derek Snider (Lindsay, Ontario) and Josh Roundell (Ottawa, Ontario) are both gearing up for their final seasons and look to finish their careers with their first All-Canadian honours in cross country.
With the loss of All-Canadian Andre-Paul Baillargeon-Smith and team stalwart Angus Macaulay, Scott-Thomas has added three recruits who are expected to make a substantial impact. Leading the class is Villanova transfer Allan Brett (Ottawa, Ontario). Two years ago Brett was one of the most widely recruited athletes in North America, after recording the equivalent of a 4:05 mile in high school. After spending one season at Villanova he moved to Guelph last fall and spent the past year training with the team before becoming eligible this season.
Joining Brett will be local high school star Rob Jackson. Widely regarded as the preseason favourite for CIS Rookie of The Year honours, the Centennial grad comes in with the strongest track credentials of any first year male athlete in Gryphon history. Jackson who has represented Canada internationally on multiple occasions, will need to adjust to the longer distance of university cross country but if he is capable of doing that All-Canadian honours are a definite possibility.
Rounding out an outstanding class is Andrew Cliff (Vancouver, British Columbia), younger brother of women’s star Rachel Cliff. Andy comes to the Gryphons having played a wide variety of sports in high school while still excelling at cross country, having placed fourth and fifth at the past two BC High School Championships. With this year being his first dedicated completely towards running, Cliff's growth as an athlete could be exciting to watch over the coming years.
The feel good story of the year on the men’s team could be third year runner Cody Murray (Sydenham, Ontario). Last summer, Murray was involved in a horrific car accident which left him with a broken back. Last fall Murray was able to assist Scott-Thomas in a managerial capacity and has slowly build his way back into running a full volume and is now in the best shape of his life. Murray along with John Parrot (Newmarket, Ontario), Adam Lewandowski (Ottawa, Ontario), Rob Koziarski (Mississauga, Ontario) and Jordan Cote (Sarnia, Ontario) all provide much needed depth on this strong and experienced squad.
"Our men are a really balanced team," Scott-Thomas says, "We've got a great blend of rookies and vets; guys who've been there and who will teach our next generation. If we keep everyone healthy we've got firepower up front and a strong support cast to cover our 4-5 scorers and 6-7 displacers. The guys have done their work over the summer and are exactly where we'd like
them to be at this time of the year - healthy and focused with a great capacity to ramp it up."
The Gryphons will open their season Saturday in their only home meet of the season, the New Balance Gryphon Open in the University of Guelph Arboretum. They will then head to Western for the annual Western International, an important measuring stick against OUA and CIS competitors. Following an off week, the Gryphons will wrap up their regular season with two competitions against top NCAA teams first at Lehigh on October 4th and then at Penn State on October 17th . The OUA Championships will be held October 24th at Fort Henry in Kingston where the Gryphon men will be looking for their fourth consecutive OUA title, while the CIS Championships will be held two weeks later November 9th at the Plaines D'abraham in Quebec City, with the team shooting for their third National title in a row.
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| Wednesday, September 3 2008 - Rollin' With The River Is Back! Season 2 Episode 1 |
The second season of Rollin' With The River debuts with a glimpse into the University of Guelph Training Camp in the Ottawa Valley.
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| Tuesday, September 2 2008 - New Balance Gryphon Open |
Date: Saturday September 13th, 2008
 Times:
- 11:00 AM Free Kids Run
- 11:30 AM Women's Race
- 12:15 PM Men's Race
Distances: Women- 4km, Men- 7.4 km
Course: The race is run on the University of Guelph Campus. It starts on a large playing field and then heads into the University’s Arboretum. It is mostly flat and is run on crushed gravel, grass and dirt paths.
Entries: Please pay by cash or cheque at registration (payable to the University of Guelph). Entries by fax, e-mail or mail are acceptable.
Pre-registration- $10.00 per runner, to a maximum of $250 per team. Unlimited number of runners per team. (Entries must be received by 12pm on Friday, September 12th)
Race-day- $15.00 per runner, team maximum does not apply.
Facilities: Lockers and showers will be available at the University of Guelph Athletics Center (300 meters from race site)
Awards: New Balance provided awards will be presented on-site at the conclusion of the meet, refreshments will also be available.
Parking: Ample on-site is available adjacent to start area.
To Register Contact:
Dave Scott-Thomas dscottth@uoguelph.ca or
Chris Moulton cmoulton@uoguelph.ca |
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| Monday, September 1 2008 - Updates |
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We have been working hard over the past few weeks to make some cosmetic changes to Guelphrunning. As you can see we have added some new tabs which will make it easier to follow the Rollin' With The River videos and to find information on our growing youth and junior programs. You will notice a few holes in certain areas of the site, we will be updating these areas over the next few days. Thank you for your patience. |
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