The John F. Ross track and field team continued to thrive off their momentum throughout the early 1980s. As the team saw the last of the 1970s champions graduate, new athletes were showing promising talent, especially in the sprints. In 1980 the team achieved its first ever OFSAA gold medal in a relay event. The women's 4 × 400 m title was won in a time of 3:57.2, the school's third fastest time to this day. In the following year at the 1981 OFSAA championships the girls defended their title with the same four runners. Their finishing time of 3:56.04 became a school record that still stands as of 2019.