U SPORTS Top 10 (Jan. 16, 2024): Gryphons Track & Field Debut at No. 2 & 3 in First Rankings of the Season

TORONTO, Ont. – On Tuesday, January 16, 2024 the U SPORTS office released its latest national rankings for the 2023-24 season. Six University of Guelph varsity teams were ranked, with the Gryphon track & field teams debuting at No. 2 (men’s) and No. 3 (women’s) in the first edition of the U SPORTS track & field rankings. Also featured was the Gryphons women’s hockey team, who moved up two spots to No. 3, along with the men’s volleyball team which is up one to No, 9. Finally, the U of G wrestling teams sit at No. 5 (women’s) and No. 7 (men’s) in the first rankings for wrestling in the new year. 
 

Gryphon Team Ranked Nationally (Jan. 16, 2024)

Gryphons Track & Field – No. 2 & 3

In the first edition of the U SPORTS Top 10 track & field rankings, the Guelph Gryphons debut with both men’s and women’s teams featured within the top three teams in the country. The U of G men’s track & field team kicks off the rankings at No. 2 after a fantastic start to the season, while the Gryphon women are ranked at No. 3 following their strong start. This past weekend the Gryphons were in Windsor and Ann Arbor, Michigan for the Windsor Can-Am Classic and the Wolverine Invitational. In Windsor, the Gryphons earned 15 podium finishes, highlighted by performances from Max Davies (1st, men’s 1000m), Julia Agostinelli (1st, women’s 1000m), and Nicholas Bannon (1st, 3000m). South of the border, performances from Milenne Habash (1st, women’s long jump), and Marcus Penaloza-Abankwah (1st, men’s 300m) led the Gryphons to 7 podium finishes.

Gryphon Women’s Hockey – No. 3

After another impressive weekend, the Guelph Gryphons women’s hockey team moves up two spots to No. 3 in the country, the highest the team has been ranked since November 4, 2019. The Gryphons captured back-to-back shutout wins over the Brock Badgers and TMU Bold, improving their record  on the season to 16-1-2 (wins-losses-OTL) to help their lead atop the OUA West Division grow, with the next closes team 16 points back of the Gryphons. The Gryphons outscored the Badgers and Bold by a combined total of 7-0 while only allowing a total of 19 shots in six periods. The back-to-back wins also extends the Gryphons current win streak to eight games. The Gryphons return to the ice this week, with a home-and-home matchup against their OUA West rival, the Western Mustangs, beginning Thursday night in London.  

Gryphons Wrestling – No. 5 & 7

In the first U SPORTS wrestling rankings of 2024, the Gryphons women’s wrestling team has moved up two positions to No. 5 while the U of G men’s team remains as the No. 7-ranked team in the nation. The Gryphons jump up to No. 5 in the latest rankings comes after a strong weekend at the Brock Open in St. Catharines. The Gryphons women’s wrestling team narrowly missed a top 3 finish but received a trio of 4th-place finishes from Kelyn Young, Emily Younghans, and Mary Adarkwa. On the men’s side the Gryphons received impressive performances from Tristan Cako and Nathan Hunyady, who each earned 1st-place finishes in their respective weight classes. The Gryphons will look to continue their strong season this weekend (Jan. 21) when they host one of the most prestigious wrestling meets in the country, with the 2024 Guelph Open set to take place on Sunday, Jan. 21 at the Guelph Gryphons Athletics Centre.

Gryphons Men’s Volleyball – No. 9

The Gryphons men’s volleyball team moved up from No. 10 to No. 9 in the latest rankings after a perfect weekend saw the U of G team improve to 11-2 on the season thanks to back-to-back straight-sets victories over the RMC Paladins. The Gryphons now hold a single-game advantage over the OUA, with the Brock Badgers (10-2) and No. 3-ranked McMaster Marauders (9-3) trailing closely behind in a tightly-contested top of the conference standings. The Gryphons back-to-back road wins this past weekend also extended the U of G winning streak to four games, the second longest streak in the conference. The Gryphons will now host the University of Toronto Varsity Blues, who they previously defeated on January 4 to open the new year, this Friday (Jan. 19) in their lone match of the weekend. 
 

U SPORTS Men’s Track & Field

U SPORTS Women’s Track & Field

U SPORTS Women’s Hockey

U SPORTS Women’s Wrestling

U SPORTS Men’s Wrestling

U SPORTS Men’s Volleyball

Dropped out: Winnipeg (7)