Gryphons Race Hard in North Bay

Same article has been sent to athletics:

The Guelph Gryphon’s Nordic ski team had a strong showing at the first OUA qualifier this past weekend in North Bay. Both the men’s and women’s team proved with their results that a solid fall training season is beginning to pay off.

Saturday’s races took place at the North Bay Nordic Center, located just outside the city of North Bay. These races consisted of the skate technique, which were individual starts, and distances of 15km and 10km for the men and women, respectively. On the men’s side, Matti Little demonstrated that he is quickly regaining race form after a year off, by placing 6th in a field of 60. In the women’s race, it was a tight affair between several Gryphon racers, with Laura Hewitt, Analee Winter, and Vesta Mather finishing 5th, 6th, and 7th, respectively, all in a span of 23 seconds.

Sunday’s races were held at Nipissing University, on trails located behind the campus’ student centre. The races were classic technique, and also individual starts that were 9km for the men, and 6km for the women. Although there were initial questions about which type of wax to use, the Gryphon coaching staff led by Richard Lay made an accurate decision and provide racers with good grip and glide for the races. On the men’s side, Matti Little had another strong showing, finishing 8th, but was closely followed by Ian Ritchie (13th) and Erin Purdon (15th), who both had a good day on the trails. For the women, Vesta Mather had an exceptional race, finishing in 9th, but again was closely followed by Kyla Vanderzwet, Lindsey Chapman, and Analee Winter.

Gryphon Men’s results:
15km Skate
6. Matti Little 45:52.3
11. Ian Ritchie 47:18.4
13. Scott Weersink 47:32.3
16. Erin Purdon 48:09.1
18. Mike Weersink 48:29.1
22. Patrick Twohig 49:48.7
27. Jordan Forsyth 51:18.2

9km Classic
8. Matti Little 32:51
13. Ian Ritchie 33:22
15. Erin Purdon 33:33
25. Patrick Twohig 35:46
26. Jordan Forsyth 35:47
27. Mike Weersink 36:00
29. Scott Weersink 36:54

Gryphon Women’s results:
10km Skate
5. Laura Hewitt 34:54.0
6. Analee Winter 34:56.4
7. Vesta Mather 35:17.5
10. Kyla Vanderzwet 35:43.0
13. Lindsey Chapman 36:06.0
25. Jennie Hissa 39:45.4
32. Laura Campbell 41:26.7
36. Jessica Blenkarn 42:42.0
37. Gillian Rockwell 43:03.8

6km Classic
9. Vesta Mather 26:29
10. Kyla Vanderzwet 26:33
11. Lindsey Chapman 26:38
12. Analee Winter 26:39
18. Laura Hewitt 27:25
22. Jennie Hissa 28:39
28. Laura Campbell 30:16
31. Jessica Blenkarn 30:30
39. Gillian Rockwell 32:57

Complete results can be found at www.zone4.ca