Britt Benn spent five years at the University of Guelph --- studying sociology and competing for the Gryphons women’s rugby team from 2008-to-2012.  In that time, the native of Napanee, ON put together one of the most decorated athletic careers in Gryphon history!
 
As a Gryphon, she was a 5-time OUA champion, a national champion in 2011 (one of just two national titles in the history of our women’s rugby program at U of G) and a 4x All-Canadian. By her senior season at Guelph --- she was named U of G’s Female Athlete of the Year and the OUA’s Female Athlete of the Year (from across all sports)!
 
In life after Guelph --- Britt Benn has gone on to represent Canada at the highest level in women’s rugby, which has taken her all over the globe. She has helped transform the Canadian women’s rugby 7’s program into one the best in the world. The former Gryphon chats with us in Episode 5 about all things related to her standout career with Rugby Canada, including her experience at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, where she helped lead Canada to Olympic bronze. Episode 5 is set to be released on July 23, the exact day that would have marked the opening of the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo, where Britt would have officially earned the title of two-time Olympian after successfully helping Canada qualify for Tokyo. Now, she and her teammates will have to wait until 2021 with the Olympics pushed back a year due to the coronavirus. Britt also talks about her life outside of rugby, which includes a promising career as a firefighter!

Back on June 8, 2020, the OUA and U SPORTS offices announced the cancellation of all sanctioned sport programming and championships up to December 31st, 2020. For Episode 4 of our Gryph Nation Radio podcast, we chat with one of the key figures in University sport in our country in Gord Grace, President and CEO of Ontario University Athletics.

Gord provides some insight into what went into the difficult decision to cancel Fall sports and programming due to COVID-19, and also weighs into what a potential return to sport might look like come 2021 and beyond.

Gord's unique perspective on university sport is aided by his diverse background, which includes time not only as an administrator, but also as a former head coach (Mount Allison football), athletic director (University of Windsor) and student-athlete (Waterloo Warriors).

Episode 4, which comes out on Thursday, July 16, is available across all major platforms and wherever you get your podcasts!

From the University of Guelph to the NFL in less than five years, NFL pro scouts Chris Rossetti (Miami Dolphins) and Curtis Rukavina (Buffalo Bills) stop by the Gryph Nation Radio podcast to chat about their impressive rise through the ranks of pro football scouting.

Former teammates with the Gryphon football program, both reflect fondly on their time as Gryphons, as well as their time working within CFL player personnel, helping set them up for their current careers in the NFL.

Chris Rossetti was a quarterback for the Gryphons from 2008-2011, while Curtis Rukavina suited up at linebacker for the Gryphs from 2009-2012.

For Episode No. 2 of Gryph Nation Radio, we're joined by the University of Guelph Female and Male Athletes of the Year for the 2019-20 season, Zoe Sherar and Job Reinhart.

Zoe chats with us on her outstanding third season as a Gryphon, in which the Toronto native racked up six gold medals at championship meets (3 at OUA's, 3 at U SPORTS) en route to leading the Gryphs to a third straight national title in women's Track and Field, while Job Reinhart, a two-sport star with the Gryphons (football and wrestling), reflects on his standout, five-year career at U of G.

Our chat also dives into future aspirations for these two Gryphons, including Zoe's Olympic dreams as well as the next steps in Job's post-varsity journey, which has the Guelph native applying to join the Guelph Police Service. Both of these student-athletes have dominated athletically during their time at U of G, but both have also served as tremendous ambassadors for the Gryphon community.

For our very first guest, we are proud to joined by one of the most recognizable Gryphons ever in Cassie Campbell-Pascall.

A former Gryphons women’s hockey player from 1992-97, and a national icon who has three Olympic medals to her name (2 gold, 1 silver), Cassie chats with us about everything from her playing days with Team Canada, to her trailblazing broadcasting career on Hockey Night in Canada, and of course, we take a look back on her formative and memorable time as a Gryphon!