Justin Dunk

The Blackberry Torch, a new season of Survivor, and a new NHL season are all fresh and exciting. For the Gryphon cross country team winning and dominating the field is nothing new at all, winning is getting to be a good old habit.

The Gryphon runners took home the men’s and women’s titles in the season opening Vic Matthews Invitational on Sept. 18, both teams looking to be in great early season form.
The old reliable team veterans, Kyle Boorsma, Allan Brett, and Nigel Wray steal many of the headlines for the for time defending CIS champion men’s team, as the three returning All-Canadians should.

The ‘drive for five’ as the team is calling it, or the men’s quest to win five consecutive CIS cross country titles has gotten off to a blazing start.

While giving their star runners a week off to rest this past weekend, a young rookie stole the headlines and showed the depth of this talented men’s team.

True Freshmen Ross Proudfoot made his Gryphon debut one he will not soon forget.
“We know [Proudfoot’s] a stud. He is a talented guy,” said Gryphons cross-country head coach Dave Scott-Thomas. “He has had some glimmers and some workouts of being able to run with our top guys who are the best in the CIS.”

Proudfoot won the Western International Cross Country Invitational this past Saturday in London.

“The composure he showed in that race was outstanding. He stayed cool, he played it really well, his tactics were brilliant,” said Scott-Thomas.

The first year Gryphon was the first rookie to win in the 36-year history of the Western Invitational race. Proudfoot laid down one of the top 10 times ever posted on the cross-country course at Western.

The first CIS cross country top 10 poll came out on Tuesday with the Gryphons holding the number one ranking by one and a half points over their rivals from Windsor.

“You never want to get complacent about [the number one ranking], but we would be a little cranky if we weren’t ranked number one to be honest,” said Scott-Thomas.

The biggest challenge for the team this year will come from the number two ranked Windsor Lancers, who are right on the Gryphons heels in the top ten poll.
“[Windsor’s] pretty vocal about coming after us,” said Scott-Thomas. “I love that stuff. Bring it on.”

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