VICTORIA – The University of Calgary Dinos rode a two-try first half to a U Sports bronze medal on Sunday, powering past the Guelph Gryphons by a score of 24-12 at Centennial Stadium in Victoria.
 
It was a spectacular finish to the first-ever appearance by the Dinos at the national tournament, capping off a year that saw them win the first Canada West banner in program history.  

Following the championship game, won by St. FX, a pair of Dinos were named to the all-tournament team: Emily Tuttosi and Vanessa Graham.
 
"For us it's our first trip to nationals, so it was all about digging deep and asking whether we were willing to settle or if we still had something to play for," said Dinos head coach Simon Chi, the 2016 U Sports Coach of the Year. "We have some graduating players and it's about sending them off in the right way. I was very happy with our effort."
 
The Guelph Gryphons finished off the podium after dominating the OUA this season. After a gritty 33-27 victory in their opener, the Gryphons seemed to lose momentum and were challenged by slow starts in their last two matches.
 
Dinos fullback Elysa Sandron opened the scoring with a try and a conversion in the 16^th minute, followed by a try from teammate Kaselle Menin in the 20^th minute. By the time half came around, the Gryphons were down 12-0 and looking to regroup.
 
For the Dinos, the great start confirmed that their game plan was on the right track. The team that went undefeated in the Canada West regular season was able to find their confidence again after losing to Ottawa in the semifinals on Friday night.
 
"It was about executing our game plan," said Chi. "We were a bit nervous on Friday and made some basic errors, today we played with a lot more confidence and did what we needed to do so I'm very happy with that."
 
Calgary added a pair of tries in the second half from Natasha Loucks and Taejah Thompson. While the Gryphons were able to respond thanks to Madison Brattan and Devon Stober, they weren't able to muster a comeback when it mattered most.
 
"We had a great season, the credit goes to a larger group," said Chi. "We have a great support staff with our athletic therapists and strength and condition coaches.
 
"They all support a great group of athletes that believe in what we are doing and everybody works their hardest."

The Dinos will head into the off-season to prepare for the defence of their Canada West title, which they'll get to do on home field: Calgary hosts the 2017 conference championship tournament next October.
 
SCORING ?
CGY: 12-12: 24
GUE: 0-12: 12
 
SCORING SUMMARY ?
16' CGY Try – Elysa Sandron (Elysa Sandron convert) – 7-0
20' CGY Try – Kasselle Menin (convert missed) – 12-0
 
HALF?
54' CGY Try – Natasha Loucks (Elysa Sandron convert) – 19-0
72' GUE Try – Madison Brattan (convert missed) – 19-5
76' CGY Try – Taejah Thompson (convert missed) – 24-5
80' GUE Try – Devon Stober (Alexandra King convert) – 24-12
 
Players of the Game ?
CGY #2 – Emily Tuttosi
GUE #10 – Julia Schell