Yves Sikubwabo, a member of the U of Gâs cross country team trains with the team on Friday November 1, 2013 in Guelph. Sikubwabo is originally from Rwanda who tragically lost both his parents during the Rwandan genocide before he managed to flee to Canada where he has managed to put together a new life.GLENN LOWSON/The Globe and Mail
When it comes to running long distance, nobody does it better than the athletes at the University of Guelph.
For the eighth consecutive year, the Gryphons men's and women's cross-country teams claimed the titles at the 2013 Canadian Interuniversity Sport cross-country championships on Saturday at London's Thames Valley Golf Course.
It was the ninth consecutive national banner performance for the Guelph women and the eighth straight for the men. The Gryphons have now racked up 23 team titles in their prestigious history, also a CIS mark, 10 more than Victoria.
Queen's University's Julie-Anne Staehli (20:51.4) captured the women's gold medal, completing the six-kilometre event in 20 minutes, 51.4 seconds while Aaron Hendrikx (30:49.3) of Guelph took top spot in the men's 10-kilometre race.
In the women's race, the Gryphons placed seven runners in the top 14 and finished with 31 points. The Gryphons' top finisher was Carise Thompson (21:08.8), who finished in second position.
On the men's side, Guelph runners took first and second, placed three runners in the top four and had six in the top 13 to finish with 22 points.
Yves Sikubwabo, who escaped a life of poverty and danger in his native Rwanda to build a new life for himself in Canada, finished eighth overall (31:51.9) in the men's event. The University of Windsor placed second overall with 87 points, led by Nick Falk (31:48.8), who finished ninth overall.