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QUEBEC CITY (CIS) - The University of Guelph Gryphons are 2006 Canadian Interuniversity Sports champions in both women's and men's cross country following dominating performances on the Plains of Abraham on Saturday afternoon.
Individual gold went to University of Toronto third-year junior Megan Brown of Puslinch, Ont., a former Gryphon, and University of Calgary fourth-year senior Geoffrey Kerr of Calgary.
The Gryphons captured both team banners in the same year for the first time in school history. The last school to leave the CIS championships with double gold was the University of Victoria in 1994.
It was a repeat performance for the Guelph women who had claimed the 2005 title in Halifax. They were also crowned in 1997.
The Guelph men had not tasted victory since a four-year title run from 1999-2003. They had also finished first back in 1969.
The Gryphons blew away the field in both the women's and men's events.
In the five-kilometre women's race, Guelph scored 56 points to edge second-place McGill (110) by 54 points and bronze medalist Dalhousie (138) by 82.
The five Gryphon scorers all finished in the top 20 (2, 8, 11, 15, 20) with Laura Moulton of Hamilton leading the way with a time of 17 minutes 58.3 seconds, good for individual silver.
Moulton couldn't keep pace with Brown however, as the Varsity Blue finished with a comfortable 48-second lead (17:10.5). Brown, the second straight UofT runner to win the CIS race after Beth Wightman in 2005, was a second-team all-Canadian (8th) at the 2004 championship as a member of the Gryphons.
University of Windsor's Jacqueline Malette (Windsor, Ont.) rounded out the individual podium with a time of 18:00.9, barely edging McGill's Lauren Whyte of Belleville, Ont. (18:01.0).
The Gryphons were almost as dominant in the 10-kilometre men's event scoring 66 points, 40 less than Toronto (106) and 54 less than Victoria (120).
The three-time defending CIS champion Windsor Lancers also racked up 120 points but had to settle for fourth place as their fifth scorer (40th) finished behind Victoria's (36th).
The Gryphon men did not have single runner in the top eight but, as was the case on the women's side, were rewarded for their consistency as Greg Hutchinson (9th) of Lindsoy, Ont. and Stephen Koziarski (10th) of Mississauga, Ont. led a group of five scorers who all placed between ninth and 18th (9, 10, 12, 17, 18).
Kerr claimed individual gold with a time of 32:29.8, almost nine seconds faster than Sherbrooke rookie Alex Genest (32:38.2) of Lac-aux-Sables, Que. Western Ontario's James Gosselin (32:40.5) of South Porcupine, Ont. completed the podium
Kerr earns his fourth all-Canadian nod after placing on the second CIS team in 2005 (11th), 2004 (13th) and 2002 (14th).
Guelph's Rachel Cliff of Vancouver was named CIS female rookie of the year following her eighth-place finish, while Dalhousie's Janice Ashworth of Dunrobin, Ont., who was sixth in the race, received the Community Service Award.
On the men's side, Genest received top-rookie honours while the Community Service Award was presented to Queen's Justin Hall of London, Ont.
Guelph's Dave Scott-Thomas became the first coach in history to be named CIS women's and men's coach of the year in the same season. He was honoured for the second straight campaign and the third time overall on the women's side, and became the first coach in history to capture five Fred Foot Awards as men's coach of the year.
The University of Victoria will host the 2007 CIS cross country championships on Nov. 10.
For complete results: CISport.ca.
Women Results (5 Km)
Team standings
1. Guelph, 56 points
2. McGill, 110
3. Dalhousie, 138
4. Western Ontario, 140
5. Calgary, 153
6. StFX, 167
7. Toronto, 177
8. Windsor, 182
9. Alberta, 229 *
10. Victoria, 229
11. Saskatchewan, 233
12. Laurentian, 246
13. Queen's, 323
14. Manitoba, 361
15. Concordia, 422
15. Acadia, 459
* Alberta gets tie-break over Victoria with better 5th finisher
Individual honours
Athlete of the year: Meagan Brown, Toronto
Rookie of the year: Rachel Cliff, Guelph
Community Service Award: Janice Ashworth, Dalhousie
Coach of the year: Dave Scott-Thomas, Guelph
First-team all-Canadians (finishers 1-7)
1. Megan Brown, Toronto, 17:10.5
2. Laura Moulton, Guelph, 17:58.3
3. Jacqueline Malette, Windsor, 18:00.9
4. Lauren Whyte, McGill, 18:01.0
5. Heather Sim, Calgary, 18:09.5
6. Janice Ashworth, Dalhousie, 18:15.5
7. Elspeth McGregor, McGill, 18:16.7
Second-team all-Canadians (8-14)
8. Rachel Cliff, Guelph, 18:32.1
9. Leila Angrand, Laurentian, 18:43.3
10. Genny McInnes, Toronto, 18:45.9
11. Julia Beniusis, Guelph, 18:51.6
12. Georgette Mink, Manitoba, 18:52.7
13. Lindsy McNicoll, Laurentian, 18:55.8
14. Kelly-Lynne Spettigue, Waterloo, 18:56.2
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Men Results (10 Km)
Team standings
1. Guelph, 66 points
2. Toronto, 106
3. Victoria, 120 *
4. Windsor, 120
5. Western Ontario, 133
6. Sherbrooke, 185
7. Alberta, 193 *
8. Dalhousie, 193
9. StFX, 202
10. Queen's, 242
11. Calgary, 262
12. Manitoba, 265
13. Laval, 314
14. McGill, 329
15. McMaster, 370
16. Concordia, 526
* Victoria and Alberta get tie-breaks with better 5th finisher
Individual honours
Athlete of the year: Geoffrey Kerr, Calgary
Rookie of the year: Alex Genest, Sherbrooke
Community Service Award: Justin Hall, Queen's
Coach of the year: Dave Scott-Thomas, Guelph
First-team all-Canadians (finishers 1-7)
1. Geoffrey Kerr, Calgary, 32:29.8
2. Alex Genest, Sherbrooke, 32:38.2
3. James Gosselin, Western Ontario, 32.40.5
4. Andrew Coates, Windsor, 33:01.7
5. Joseph Campanelli, Toronto, 33:05.1
6. James Poulin-Cadovius, Sherbrooke, 33:17.3
7. Robert Jewer, Dalhousie, 33:17.5
Second-team all-Canadians (8-14)
8. Geoff Martinson, Victoria, 33:18.3
9. Greg Hutchinson, Guelph, 33:19.5
10. Stephen Koziarski, Guelph, 33:23.2
11. Ian Manyfingers, Alberta, 33:23.8
12. Breandan Hunt, Guelph, 33:25.9
13. Spencer Morrison, Toronto, 33:30.0
14. Russell Christie, Dalhousie, 33:36.8
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