October 9, 2001 Release #6

GRYPHON ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

FEMALE
Rugby captain and Ontario Provincial Under-21 representative, Nat Bendavid, is often an unsung hero on the Gryphon squad, leading by example with her mobility around the field, but on Friday she turned the game around with the opening try which proved to be the game winner as Guelph overcame a dogged Queen's team 12-0 in Kingston. In addition to scoring her crucial try, Nat was a key factor in keeping the team focused throughout the game.

MALE
Some players would be happy to score 5 tries in a career, but Men's Rugby winger, Sebastian Salole, a 4th year B.A. student, went on a tear against the visiting Toronto Varsity Blues in last week's must-win game, claiming a handful with his devastating pace and setting a new Gryphon high for touchdowns in a game.

Catch the Athletes of the Week on Sports Zone (Rogers Television) Wednesday evenings 8:00 - 9:00 p.m.


GRYPHON ROUNDUP

Thursday night, the Field Hockey Gryphons took to the pitch against the number #3 ranked team in the country, the Waterloo Warriors. Although Waterloo constantly pressed, the Gryphons played excellent defense and created their offensive attack from the back. At the 13-minute mark, the explosive Warriors scored but Guelph retaliated a minute before the halftime break as veteran, Kim Barham, scored on a penalty corner. Down the stretch, the Gryphons were starting to tire and Waterloo capitalized with 8 minutes on the clock. Shannon Baskin put on an impressive display of goaltending holding the Warriors to a mere two goals. It was an all out team effort with the Gryphs falling short 2-1. Less than 14 hours later, Guelph traveled to Lamport to take on the Trent Excalibur (coached by former Gryphon, Helen Parker). On a very soggy turf field, the Gryphons found the net on 3 occasions as rookie, Kristy Hamilton, connected for 2 and rookie, Kristin Buckley, added a single.

Wednesday night, the Gryphon swimmers got a head start on Thanksgiving with a pair of wins at Waterloo. The Women showed some gutsy racing with a solid 147-118 victory. Although Waterloo took more first place finishes, 10-7, the Gryphons dominated the scoring positions. In both relays, Guelph came out on top but the final one was the most satisfying, eking out a 3/100 second victory in an incredible come from behind performance. Rookies, Rhian Stephenson and Michelle Howard, won their first university events in the 400 Individual Medley and the 200 Butterfly respectively while veterans, Jocelyn Sitland, Danielle Sprague and Ashley Aimone, continued their winning ways of last season.

The male swimmers not only won the meet 165 to 111 but made their mark in the victory column with 11 gold medals to Waterloo's 6. In his debut as a Gryphon, Bryan McMillan earned a couple of back-to-back longer events. His 200m Butterfly victory came less than 10 minutes after his 400m Freestyle win. Veterans, Andrew Slot and John Eddolls, captured the 200IM and 50 Butterfly and the 100 Freestyle and 100 Butterfly respectively. Adam Nicholson, Dan Lindquist and Brian O'Neill also had individual victories.

The Women's Hockey Gryphons played host to last year's West Division champion, Laurier Golden Hawks, on Tuesday evening. For many of the rookies, the game was the first opportunity these athletes have had to play at this level of hockey. Guelph was held scoreless for the first 40 minutes as nerves played a huge role in a shaky start while Laurier capitalized with 5 goals. However, by the third period, the Gryphs made a turnaround and tied this session 3-3. The final result was 8-3 in Laurier's favour. Scoring for the Gryphons were Kerri-Anne Rudaniecki and rookies, Katie Ennis and Amanda Pilot. On Saturday, Guelph dropped a 6-0 result to Ottawa. Rookie goaltender, Jen Aprile, turned aside 21 shots in the first half of the game. Lianne Foti put in a solid performance on defense. In Guelph's match up on Sunday, Rachel Harrison scored the Gryphs lone goal on an assist from Julianne Smith and Renay Taylor as they lost 3-1 to the Junior Capitals. Jodie Wight turned away 23 shots.

In their first exhibition contest, the Men's Hockey Gryphons faced off against Laurier at home Tuesday evening. Late in the third period, the Gryphons scored on a power play goal to close the gap but were unable to tie it up and fell short 5-4 to the Golden Hawks. Darrell Cowan and Jason Begley grabbed a goal and an assist each while Mark Arbour and Will Gunn netted singles. At the Steel Blade Tournament in Thorold, the Gryphons captured the consolation final in a 9-2 decision over the Conestoga Condors. Forward, Chad Schwartzentruber, finished the game with five points (2 goals, 3 assists). In the first round of the tournament, Guelph lost to Ryerson 5-3.

With the majority of the top Gryphs holding off until the Pre-NCAA meet in Greenville, SC next week, it was a small squad that headed down to Western's Mustang Open on Thursday. This lower-key, under distance (4km women, 6km men) meet serves as a good testing ground for new strategies and blowing the carbon out for the athletes who need it. The emphasis here is on individual, not team, performances and the U of G squad was bang on. In a reversal of the norm, the men competed first. Ace Gryphons, Steve Bendo and Reid Coolsaet, worked together to bring the leaders back and moved to the front by the 3km mark. They grabbed a sizable lead and the only question was which of the 2 teammates and friends would take the finishing kick. Sprinting like school kids and swapping the lead several times in the last 200m, Bendo won by a nose, both athletes moving into the top 10 all-time performances on the course (5th and 6th best ever, respectively). The women took off moments after the men crossed the line and again, the pace was like lightning. Despite missing the majority of the traditional point-scorers, the Gryphs moved well and most established seasonal and course-bests. Finishing 3rd overall, narrowly missing runner up, McMaster, was a testament to the quality of running put out by a relatively young and inexperienced squad. Rookie, Caroline Tucker, seized the day as she charged home in first place; fellow rookie, Danielle Rowlands, was dynamite as she peeled 80 seconds off her personal best in a time of 15:36, an astounding improvement. Sophomore, Kim Bowerman, in her first race back after some down-time, stayed in control and moved well to score valuable points in 10th place.

A very rainy Friday afternoon saw the Guelph Gryphon Women's Soccer Team have a pre-Thanksgiving nibble on the Brock Badgers. On a drenched pitch, the Gryphons struggled to gain momentum for almost 20 minutes. Before the end of the first half, rookie, Tania Facchina, buried a Sarah Neff corner kick with conviction. Though the goal proved to be the only one of the game, both teams played with a very heavy waterlogged ball to create opportunities. A late scare came when Brock built up an attack that resulted in a Gryphon defensive clearance off a crossbar's resounding "ting". A wet and weary Gryphon squad persevered and maintained the single goal lead to clinch a playoff position.

On a very wet and dreary day in St Catharines, the Men's soccer team had an important 1-0 win against division rivals, Brock Badgers. The score was deadlocked at 0 at the half but Guelph showed the same patience and determination that they have shown all season and battled to a well-deserved victory. The winning goal came in the 85th minute when Jamie Carroll chipped the ball over the sprawling Brock goaltender. Carroll and Mike MacKinnon had both hit the cross bar earlier in the game. Andrew Popowych recorded the shut out. The win puts Guelph in first place in their division with 12 points and a 4-2 record.

The Men's Rugby team went on a scoring spree in their game against Toronto, running in 91 unanswered points, an all time record, as they sought to establish a place in the playoffs. Winger, Sebastian Salole, had 5 tries and kickers James O'Shea and replacement, Gavin Coverdale, were both good for 4 conversions in the win. The Gryphons sit in second place going into the Thanksgiving break. However, Western, Waterloo and Trent all have a game in hand and a chance at edging the Gryphs out of a playoff spot. A win against struggling York on Saturday would set Guelph up for a potentially crucial final game against currently unbeaten league leaders, Queen's.

The Women's Rugby squad continued their winning ways, closing out their regular season with a tough 12-0 win in the mud and rain over Queen's in Kingston. The team finished with a 5-0 record for top spot in the Russell Division and home advantage in the playoffs. Although they pressed hard in the first half, the visiting Gryphs were unable to turn field position into points and it took a try by captain, Nat Bendavid, in the 10th minute of the second half to put Guelph deservedly ahead. Lauren Smithson added the convert for a 7-0 lead. Queen's battled back but a 70 yard kick and chase by centre, Brooke Hilditch, led to the clinching touchdown, her 12th try in 5 games. Laurier's win over Toronto in the final game of the season earned them a visit to Guelph in the quarter final next weekend, day and time to be confirmed.

Saturday, October 6th, marked the first time the Football Gryphons were victorious over Waterloo since the 1996 Yates Cup Game. At the half, the Gryphons were down 11-0. Fortunately, in the third quarter, Waterloo was inundated by penalties. Guelph took the lead TD passes from Tyson Beach to Mike Palmer and Jonathan Bohnert for 24 and 30 yard passes respectively and the Gryphs prevailed 17-12. Sitting in 6th spot with a 3-3 record on the season, Guelph's next action is Saturday at 2:00 p.m. as they take on the McMaster Marauders for the CH TV Game of the Week. Game admission will be increased by $1.00 with the proceeds supporting the United Way Campaign.

It was a blustery day and the sky threatened rain on two of the Gryphon Women's crews as they arrived on Center Island for the University of Toronto Sprints. The Varsity Women's crew, composed of Lisa Gainer, Jasmin Frickleton, Paula Mackie, Sarah McCans and coxswain, Meg Brison, was actually a foursome derived from the Varsity Lightweight Eight. For these women, the race marked the third time ever being in a small boat together, and they faced their competition with poise and perseverance. The Toronto Regatta posed the first time that any of the Novice Women had competed in a short-course race. Entered in both the Varsity Women's Heavyweight Eight race and in their Novice category race, the crew was looking forward to gaining some sprinting experience. With coach, Joe Bell, in the coxing seat for the Varsity race, the Eight demonstrated unbelievable technical ability and strength throughout their race and was in fourth place at the finish line. This was an amazing accomplishment for and encouragement to the entire crew, consisting of: Lauren Wells, Julie Catania, Katherine De Guerre, Katie Mountjoy, Sara Kalechstein, Karen Hough, Annie Davies and stroke, Tanya Kozlovic. High winds eventually forced an early end to the regatta and the Novice Eight's second race to be coxed by Melissa Koshmider was cancelled.

The Golf team participated in The Challenge Cup at the Elmira Golf Club on October 4th. Rather than the normal stroke play format, a form of match play was used to give the players a bit of a break. It was not an official tournament but it was still useful for the coaches in picking their teams for the OUA Championships. Based on match play, Guelph finished fourth. There were only five shots separating all five teams. Interestingly, the Gryphs could have placed second to McMaster based on normal stroke play. Ryan Kahro and Chad Post were low scorers for Guelph with a 71 and a 73 respectively.

GRYPHON OF THE WEEK NOMINEES

FEMALE:

Thursday, rookie runner, Caroline Tucker, took the OUA by surprise with a win at the Western Mustang Open. Sitting well off the lead group during the first half of the 4km race, Caroline ran with veteran poise as she steadily reeled the leaders in. In the last 1000m, she made a dominant move from 5th to 1st and kicked in to win. Remarkably, the field she bested consisted of 4 All-Canadians and 5 conference All-Stars from last year! To control an experienced field so well has to be considered one of the most exciting rookie performances in Gryphon history.

Field Hockey goalkeeper, Shannon Baskin, showcased her talents in last week's contest against the #3 ranked Waterloo Warriors, despite a 2-1 loss. Her speed and aggression allowed her to come up with some big clears and she was instrumental in forcing Junior National players to shoot wide on numerous occasions. Friday, she recorded a 3-0 shutout against Trent.

Second year Soccer midfielder, Jenny Black, had another solid game in a Gryphon uniform in a 1-0 victory over Brock. In a slow team start, Jenny was able to set and maintain her own pace. From 18 to 18, she played the ball forward and recovered defensively. The second half saw Jenny with a dangerous attacking head ball off a corner kick that barely missed the top corner of the Badger net. In addition, she sent a few penetrating passes and created some offensive opportunities on a heavy, wet pitch.

Hockey Gryphon, Lianne Foti, played solidly in both exhibition contests in Ottawa this past weekend providing strong defensive play and really stepped up to fill in for our injury-depleted lineup. She led the way on the penalty kill and showed great poise as a leader. Lianne showed great focus this weekend while emerging as one of the leaders of this young team.

MALE:

Cross Country Gryphon, Steve Bendo, is back in form! After suffering a rolled ankle and missing the first race of the season (cancelled due to weather), the 4th year BLA student from Elora has had a later start than normal to the 2001 campaign. The 6km of grass and trails at London's Gibbons Park was to be his first real chance to air things out and air it out he did, sitting cautiously amid the large field in the early stages and then running classic Bendo - stronger every step, relaxed and in control and setting up one of the most lethal kicks in the CIS. This time the shoot-out was to be against teammate and training buddy, Reid Coolsaet, also one of the CIS's most dominant distance fiends. The duo pushed to a furious pace over the back end of the course to oust several big gun runners from the All-time top 10 list of performances
on this course.

At the Steel Blade Hockey Tournament in Thorold, Chad Schwartzentruber, collected six points in two contests. The centre netted his first goal in a 5-3 loss to Ryerson and then added 2 goals and 3 assists in the Gryphons' consolation final 9-2 win over Conestoga.

GRYPHON SCOREBOARD

FIELD HOCKEY

Oct. 4 Guelph 1 Waterloo 2
5 Guelph 3 Trent 0

FOOTBALL

Oct. 6 Guelph 17 Waterloo 12

HOCKEY
MEN

Oct. 2 Guelph 4 Laurier 5
Brock Tournament
5 Guelph 3 Ryerson 5
Consolation Final
6 Guelph 9 Conestoga 2

WOMEN
Oct. 2 Guelph 3 Laurier 8
6 Guelph 0 Ottawa 6
7 Guelph 1 Jr. Capitals 3

RUGBY
MEN

Oct. 3 Guelph 91 Toronto 0

WOMEN

Oct. 5 Guelph 12 Queen's 0

SOCCER
MEN

Oct. 5 Guelph 1 Brock 0

WOMEN

Oct. 5 Guelph 1 Brock 0

SWIMMING
MEN

Oct. 3 Guelph 165 Waterloo 111

WOMEN

Oct. 3 Guelph 147 Waterloo 118

VOLLEYBALL
WOMEN

Winnipeg Tournament
Oct. 5 Guelph 1 Western 3
(14-25, 25-18, 20-25, 15-25)
Guelph 1 Winnipeg 3
(20-25, 14-25, 25-20, 19-25)
Guelph 1 Alberta 3
(25-20, 16-25, 20-25, 18-25)
6 Guelph 0 Regina 3
(16-25, 20-25, 11-25)
Guelph 3 Brock 1
(26-24, 25-20, 23-25, 25-16)
Guelph 0 Ryerson 3
(17-25, 23-25, 22-25)

THIS WEEK IN GRYPHON ACTION

BASKETBALL
MEN
Friday, October 12 Trinity Western At Guelph 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, October 13 Ottawa At Guelph 8:00 p.m.

WOMEN
Friday, October 12 to 14 Ryerson Tournament

CROSS COUNTRY
Saturday, October 13 Pre NCAA at Greenville, SC 1:00 p.m.

FIELD HOCKEY
Wednesday, October 10 Guelph At Western 6:30 p.m.
Sunday, October 14 Guelph At Western 12:00 p.m.

FOOTBALL
Saturday, October 13 McMaster At Guelph 2:00 p.m.

GOLF
Thursday, October 11 Western Open at St. Thomas Country Club
Sunday, October 14 to 16 OUA Championship at St. Andrews Valley

HOCKEY
MEN
Friday, October 12 Guelph At Waterloo 4:00 p.m.
Saturday, October 13 Guelph At Waterloo 7:30 p.m.

WOMEN
Wednesday, October 10 Guelph At Laurier 7:20 p.m.

LACROSSE
MEN
Saturday, October 13 Brock At Guelph 1:00 p.m.

WOMEN
Saturday, October 13 Guelph Vs Western 12:00 p.m.
Guelph Vs Queen's 3:00 p.m.
Sunday, October 14 Guelph At Laurier 9:30 a.m.
Guelph Vs McMaster 11:15 a.m.

ROWING
Saturday, October 13 Brock Invitational at Martindale Pond

RUGBY
MEN
Saturday, October 13 York At Guelph 1:00 p.m.

WOMEN
¼ Final
Saturday, October 13 Laurier At Guelph 3:00 p.m.

SOCCER
MEN
Saturday, October 13 Guelph At Ryerson 3:00 p.m.
Sunday, October 14 Waterloo At Guelph 3:00 p.m.

WOMEN
Saturday, October 13 Guelph At Ryerson 1:00 p.m.
Sunday, October 14 Waterloo At Guelph 1:00 p.m.

SWIMMING
Friday, October 12 OUA Relays at Guelph 4:30 p.m.
Saturday, October 13 Queen's At Guelph 9:00 a.m.

VOLLEYBALL
MEN
Thursday, October 11 Guelph At McMaster 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, October 13 UNB At Guelph 10:00 a.m.
Ryerson At Guelph 1:00 p.m.