Gryphon Weekend Wrap (Jan. 19-21, 2024)

GUELPH, Ont. – A total of eleven Gryphon varsity teams are featured in the latest edition of the ‘Gryphon Weekend Wrap’ for the period covering January 19 to 21, 2024.
 

One of the Gryphon teams competing this past weekend was the Gryphon curling team, who was in St. Catharines for the Brock Invitational. The U of G women had an excellent showing, going 3-0-1 with wins over U of T, Ontatio Tech, and Brock. The team received strong performances from skip Jillian Uniakcke and rookie Abby Parkinson, who helped the Gryphons to the top of their pool. On the men’s side, the Gryphons posted a record of 2-2 with wins over Ontario Tech and McMaster and falling to U of T and Brock. With the OUA curling regular season now completed, both teams will begin preparation for the OUA Championships in two weeks time (Feb. 2-4) which will take place at the Guelph Curling Club. 

The U SPORTS No. 2 and No. 3-ranked Gryphon track & field teams were back in action this past weekend, with athletes spread out across the province at the U of T Fred Foote Classic, the Don Wright Invitational, and the Ottawa Winter Classic. At the Fred Foote Classic in Toronto, the weekend was highlighted by a fantastic showing from Jennifer Elizarov in the women’s pole vault. Elizarov, a third-year student-athlete and the reigning U SPORTS pole vault champion, set new University of Guelph record with a jump of 4.15, breaking her own record she had previously set. Elizarov’s mark was well past the auto qualification standard and moves her to the top of the U SPORTS women’s pole vault rankings. 

Also in Toronto this past weekend was the Gryphon swimming team who took part in the U of T Varsity Invitational Sunday after being in Hamilton on Saturday for the McMaster Tri-Meet. The weekend was highlighted by a pair of performances from Kylie Sum and Ethan Rotsaert-Smith who were voted the Gryphon Swimmers of the Meet. Sum, a second-year student-athlete earned personal bests in all of her events while Rotsaert-Smith set season’s best in his events. Both athletes used this pas weekend’s meets as stepping stones to the OUA Championships, which are next up on the schedule for the Gryphons and set to take place Feb. 16-18 in St. Catharines. 

The Guelph Gryphons Athletes Centre saw plenty of competition this past weekend which included hosting the Guelph Open, one of Canada’s most prestigious wrestling events. For the U SPORTS No. 5 and 7-ranked Gryphon wrestling teams the Guelph Open was one of the toughest events they will compete in over the course of the season and provides a great chance for improvement against a high level of competition. Leading the way for the U of G was Tristan Cako and Simon Chaves who placed each placed third in the 57 and 92kg weight classes. The Gryphon wrestling team has just one more event left on their schedule, the Western Open, before heading to Sault Ste. Marie for the OUA Championships. Following the conference tournament the team will return to Guelph which will be home to the 2024 U SPORTS Wrestling Championships on Saturday, March 2. 

On the court, the U SPORTS No. 9-ranked men’s volleyball team took down the U of T Varsity Blues while the U of G women dropped a five-set heartbreaker to Toronto Saturday night. Saturday night the GGAC hosted a basketball doubleheader which saw the Gryphon women’s team dominate defensively, holding the OUA Central-leading TMU Bold to just 12 points after the first quarter to take a convincing win and regain top spot in the OUA West division. 

For the U SPORTS No. 3-ranked University of Guelph women’s hockey team, back-to-back wins over the Western Mustangs improve their record to 18-1-2. The Gryphons are experiencing a dominant season in the OUA and hold a 18-point advantage over the Waterloo Warriors and rest of the conference’s West division. The U of G women’s team is riding a 10 game win streak and have yet to lose in regulation since an October 29, 2023 loss at Waterloo, their only one of the season. This week, the Gryphons will take on the Laurier Golden Hawks Wednesday night before heading to North Bay to face off with the OUA East-leading and No. 7-ranked Nipissing Lakers. 
 

Gryphon Weekend Scoreboard

Saturday, January 20, 2024
 

Sunday, January 21, 2024