GUELPH, Ont. – The next several weeks are a critical time for four Guelph Gryphon teams seeking glory on both the provincial and national stages. While dedicated Gryphon athletes on the Nordic skiing, figure skating, swimming, and wrestling teams have been putting in the long hours of training all year round, their seasons now boil down to a tight window in which peak performance is the ultimate goal.
 

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Nordic Skiing
They are fixtures on the U of G campus even when the weather is hot and sunny. The Nordic skiing team may just be beginning its season this weekend at the Ontario Cup #3 in Sudbury, ON but the athletes have been putting in grueling hours throughout the summer and fall, using their roller skis to train on walkways and parking lots around the University.
 
The Gryphons tasted success in 2018 with one of their best finishes in recent memory, an OUA silver medal for the women and a strong fifth-place finish for the men. And while the team will have to replace a couple foundational pieces, head coach Matt Underwood is full of optimism with the first race weekend of the season approaching. That's in part because of the strong culture and unity among his athletes.
 

"That definitely shows when you get to this point in the season," Underwood said of the bond among teammates. "They're really cohesive."
 
The Gryphon women were sensational last year and despite the departure of veterans Celeste Noble and Elise Huet, there is no shortage of skiers looking to fill the void. Two of them are fourth-year St. Mary's, ON native Madeline Aarts and second-year Allison Caswell, a Sudbury native, who will be at home on this weekend's Walden Nordic Centre course. Aarts has been building on her strong results from last season and Caswell put in extensive work over the summer so she could be fully prepared for the 2019 schedule.
 
Second-year sprint and middle-distance specialist Graham Daly and decorated rookie Declan Barber are expected to contribute on the men's side this season. And third-year Gryphon Robert Simpson-Spook, who narrowly missed reaching the podium at the OUA Championships last year, anchors a unit determined to improve on its 2018 results.
 
"Robert really blossomed last season and he's looking like he's on the same track this year," Underwood said of the veteran, who has led by example with his emphasis on offseason training. "He'll be an inspiration for both the men and the women. His power, performance and overall leadership within the team on and off the trails is quite evident.
 
"Robert will set the precedent for the team this weekend and the expectation is that he will help motivate them to a great season."
 
2019 ROSTER
2019 SCHEDULE
 

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Figure Skating
Varsity figure skating involves an entirely different dynamic than what many athletes are used to growing up in individual competition. The OUA season therefore requires an adjustment in mentality, which is exactly what the new-look Gryphons are doing as they prepare their first and only competition before the OUA Championship in Kingston, ON next month. Guelph will send a big group to the OUA Winter Invitational in north Toronto later in January and that event will give head coach Janet Gibson some insight on where her rebuilding team is at.
 
"Getting back on the podium is a goal for us," said Gibson, referring to last year's fifth-place finish at the provincial championship. "We were on the podium year after year and then we got knocked off. The incentive is to get them back to where they belong. They have the potential."

 

The Gryphons are particularly strong in team events, including pairs, fours and synchro. Gibson sees that ability to work together as a great sign of cohesion and evidence that the skaters are grasping the team approach at the varsity level. Newcomers like rookie freestyle specialist Keara McDonnell and April Trussler, a competitive synchro skater, could have a major influence on the 21-skater roster.
 
The team will rely on the skills and leadership of second-year Chatham, ON native Olivia Stallaert and third-year Gryphon Andrew McDonald. Stallaert medalled twice at the OUAs last year, taking bronze in the women's gold freeskate and earning another silver as part of the women's pairs fours team. McDonald won gold with Guelph's dance fours team. While Gibson is ecstatic about what the two competitive skaters bring to their work on the ice, it's what they have done off it that has made a significant difference.
 
"They have really helped the team to jell and stay focused," the coach said of the Stallaert and McDonald, both members of the Gryphon Leadership Academy. "They're learning to lead by example and keep the team together, even when they're going through some rough points.
 
"They're doing a good job of building morale and keeping the chemistry at a really good level on the ice every single day."
 
2019 ROSTER
2019 SCHEDULE
 

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Swimming
The Guelph Gryphons swimming team had a relatively narrow focus in what was a transitional year in the program last season. Then rookie head coach Chantique Payne, an All-Canadian in her time swimming for the Gryphons, wanted her athletes to concentrate on performing their best at the OUA Championships. With another year under her belt, and a roster of established and emerging personnel who have thrived throughout this year's schedule, the scope for Payne and her team is expanding.
 
"The whole atmosphere of OUAs brings out the best in all of the athletes," said Payne, who has high expectations about Guelph's prospects at the provincial meet set for Feb. 7-9 in St. Catharines, ON. "Everybody swims their butts off because it's a huge team event and they know their teammates are counting on them. They bring their A game.
 
"I'm also hoping we take a step forward from where we were last year, whether it's scoring more points, qualifying more for U SPORTS, or more people making second swims."

 
There are currently five Gryphons – Samuel Kuntz, Samantha Anderson, Maria Far, Shania Van Herk, and Sasha Kennedy – who have qualified for the U SPORTS Championships in Vancouver, BC, which comes two weeks after the OUAs. Payne believes that list can expand by as many as 10 more by the time the meet arrives but there is business to contend with first. Guelph will have a final tune up at the Toronto Varsity/Club Invitational this weekend where breakout swimmers like Rafael Rozo, co-captain Lucas Liberty, veteran Haylie Burton, and recent Gryphon Female Athlete of the Week Veronica Dietrich will hope to join the contingent that has already qualified for nationals.
 
"Rodrigo has stepped up and really cut a lot of time off his 200m butterfly and 400m free," said Payne. "He's a workhorse, who loves training and it's paying off. Lucas just missed out on qualifying for U SPORTS last year and he's really refined his technique in the breaststroke.
 
"Veronica has just had an outstanding season and is one of our strongest girls. And Haylie, who is in her final year, has worked so hard to push through some injuries and tough times. She's back in great racing shape.
 
"I'm pretty excited."
 
2018/19 ROSTER
2018/19 SCHEDULE
 

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Wrestling
The Guelph Gryphons wrestling team has one of its biggest meets of the grueling season this weekend on home turf. The Guelph Open set for this Sunday at the GGAC is an event with elite competition from both sides of the border. It's also a dress rehearsal for the Gryphons, who will be hosting the OUA Championships on Feb. 2.
 
Head coach Doug Cox believes the two big events on the U of G campus are a boost for his talented roster of wrestlers.
 
"It's definitely a positive," Cox said of the Gryphons' chance to shine at home. "We're in a pretty good position. The athletes who will be able to go to the OUAs and be a top three to move on to nationals are pretty much ready. There's also an opportunity for one or two of the first or second-year kids to make the jump."

 
Guelph returns virtually the same group from that secured 10 OUA medals last season, beginning with an experienced and resilient women's side, who enter the meet at home ranked No. 3 in U SPORTS. The three Gryphons anchors – former national and OUA champion Gracelynn Doogan (82kg), former OUA gold medalist Natassya Lu, (48kg), and U SPORTS bronze medalist and 2018 Guelph Open champ Chelsey Sicard (55kg), are all in their final season with the program so the urgency to end with more hardware is evident. Doogan and Sicard are ranked No. 1 in the country in their respective weight classes and Lu is ranked second in hers.
 
Guelph's two main men are Job Reinhart (100kg) and Alexander Chaves (72kg). Reinhart is an OUA All-star on the varsity football team but he has made a seamless transition to wrestling in the past three years. The local product took a well-deserved gold medal and Most Outstanding Wrestler award at the OUAs in 2018 and this year showed his impressive evolution in dropping a tight 6-5 match to national open champion Richard DesChatelets, who had beaten Reinhart 10-0 the previous year. Fourth-year athlete Chaves is one of the most accomplished wrestlers on the team and the defending Guelph Open champion, while newcomer Josh Rimando has demonstrated both skill and a fantastic work ethic in the 54kg class, a weight that Cox said was difficult to find consistent talent.
 
"Job and Alex leading the guys is huge," the coach said. "One, they're great wrestlers and two, they're absolutely great people. That's just good leadership. The whole team is really close and this year has even been better than years past. The girls especially, we've had some new recruits and they're fitting in well.
 
"Everyone is figuring out that it doesn't matter where you are on the team, you're a pretty important component."
 
2018/19 SCHEDULE
 

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