The York University Lions women’s basketball team extended its winning streak to five games on Saturday evening with a lopsided 75-48 victory over the Laurentian University Voyageurs at the Tait McKenzie Centre.

The Lions came out strong in the first half and dominated the Voyageurs. Lauren Golding led the team with 10 points, followed by Megan MacLeod with eight to close the half with 31-22 lead.

The second half kicked off with a great steal from Megan Stewart, which ended in a three-pointer from Emma Jonas. More details on the York Lions website.

One day earlier, and in front of hundreds of school children, the Lions picked up an 84-70 win over the Nipissing University Lakers. Third-year forward Lauren Golding recorded her fifth consecutive double-double, this time with a game-high 28 points and 13 rebounds. More details.

Men’s hockey Lions snap skid with OT win over Badgers

Nik Coric’s goal just 90 seconds into overtime snapped the York University Lions men’s hockey team’s losing streak and gave them a 5-4 victory over the Brock University Badgers at the Seymour-Hannah Centre on Thursday night.

The home team outshot the visitors 19-10 in the first period but it was the Lions who emerged with a 2-0 lead thanks to a pair of goals 19 seconds apart. Tyler Higgins opened the scoring at 13:37 and Xavier Pouliot potted the second at 13:56, the only two goals of the frame. More details.

The Lions also earned a point against the University of Guelph Gryphons in their home game on Friday night, falling by a score of 4-3 also in overtime.

The first period started active with both teams going full tilt to the net and creating a lot of good chances. It was the Gryphons who got on the scoreboard first with a wrister from Mikkel Aagaard. Later in the period, the Lions gained a power play and were looking to use the extra man to their advantage but could not capitalize. More details.

Women’s hockey Lions post sixth shutout of the season in victory over Badgers

Lauren Dubie recorded her fourth shutout of the season and the No. 8 nationally ranked York University Lions women’s hockey team earned its sixth overall in a 3-0 victory over the visiting Brock University Badgers at Canlan Ice Sports on Saturday afternoon.

The Lions wasted little time getting on the scoreboard as Caroline Eagles potted the first goal of the game just 2:16 in for an early 1-0 advantage. More details.

Earlier in the week, the Lions were defeated by a score of 3-1 by the University of Guelph Gryphons on the road. Though the first period saw a total of nine shots from the Gryphons and five from the Lions, the period remained scoreless for both teams.

It was in the second period of the game when Guelph’s Miranda Lantz scored the first goal of the contest within the first five minutes of the period, in what would be the only goal of the frame. The second period ended 1-0 for the home team. More details.

Wrestling Lions win team provincial title at Ontario junior championships

The York University Lions wrestling team was crowned Ontario provincial champions this past weekend after three members of the women’s team won medals at the junior championships in London, Ont.

Mary Adarkwa, Bailey Agard and Brea Rodgers finished with a combined 29 points to finish at the top of the field of 24 teams.

Adarkwa won the gold medal in the 72kg weight class in impressive fashion, outscoring her opponents 32-0. The result was never really in doubt as she won her first match 12-0, her semifinal match-up 10-0 and then cruised to another 10-0 score in the championship bout. More details.

Men’s basketball Lions hang close but end up on wrong end of result against Voyageurs

The York University Lions men’s basketball team put up a fight at the end but were ultimately defeated by a score of 84-76 by the Laurentian University Voyageurs at the Tait McKenzie Centre on Saturday night.

In the first quarter the Voyageurs gained an early lead, but the Lions were beginning to close in. A three-pointer from Prince Kamunga helped the Lions close the gap, but the Voyageurs had the upper hand in the first as they outscored the Lions 17-11. More details.

On Friday, the Lions fell to the Nipissing Lakers by a score of 82-67. The two squads were deadlocked at 19 apiece after the opening quarter, but the Lakers wasted little time taking the lead in the second and, by the end of the frame, were up by eight at 43-35. More details.

Track and field Lions finish second, seventh in team standings at McGill Team Challenge

The York University Lions track and field team had an incredible weekend at the McGill Team Challenge in Montreal, as the women’s team finished on the podium in second place after amassing 112 points and the men were seventh with 47 points.

The women were strong all around, garnering 10 personal bests and 15 season’s bests.

The 4x400m women’s team, consisting of Nicolette Witherspoon, Simone Da Silva, Marvelous Agbonwaneten and Zakiya Tavernier, went from not being on the U SPORTS rankings to running the third fastest time in the nation with a season’s best of 3:51.14, which also placed them on top of the podium with the gold medal at the meet. More details.

 

In what was a thriller of a mid-season finale, the York University Lions women’s hockey team defeated the No. 7 nationally ranked Nipissing University Lakers 6-3 at home on Saturday night (Nov. 30) in front of a packed crowd during the Annual Varsity Holiday Social.

The Lions vibrant presence was most evident in the final period of the game when there were a total of six goals scored between both the Lions and the Lakers. The Lions were leading 2-1 by the beginning of the frame before both teams loaded up on the offensive ends. More details on the York Lions website.

After a couple of tough weekends, the Lions bounced back in dominating fashion to drop the Laurentian University Voyageurs 4-0 at Canlan Ice Sports the night before.

Following a scoreless first period, Lions forward Kara Washer got the Lions on the board on the power play after a cross checking penalty. The goal was assisted by Brooke Anderson and Caroline Eagles. Five minutes later, the home team doubled their lead thanks to Tayler Murphy after a quick pass from Washer, putting the Lions up 2-0 at the end of the second.  More details.

Straight sets sweep gives men’s volleyball Lions fourth win of the season over Paladins

On Friday, the York University Lions men’s volleyball team defeated the Royal Military College (RMC) Paladins in a 3-0 sweep to end their final game of calendar year at the Tait McKenzie Centre.

In the first set, the Lions came out with a service ace from Aleksander Grzegorczyk. They continued to widen their lead with a kill from Andriy Sozanskyy, followed by a kill from Andrew Shotbolt. The Paladins got a kill of their own from Justin Benoit, but the Lions answered back with another kill, this time from Andrew Tauhid. Dan Everton scored an excellent service ace to widen the lead, followed by a quick kill from Shotbolt and a kill from Tauhid to close the first set 25-16.  More details.

Women’s volleyball Lions end fall schedule with 3-0 sweep over Paladins

On Friday, the York University Lions women’s volleyball team swept the Royal Military College (RMC) Paladins 3-0 at home at the Tait McKenzie Centre.

The Lions came out hard in the first set as they dominated the scoreboard early with a block from Ottawa native Wesley-Ann Bailey followed by back-to-back service aces from Tara Leithead and led for the majority. Sarah Williams scored a quick kill against the Paladins, closing the first set 25-12. More details.

25-point margin gives women’s basketball Lions win over Thunderwolves

The York University Lions women’s basketball team beat the Lakehead University Thunderwolves 82-57 on Saturday night to finish off their final game of 2019.

York’s Megan MacLeod had a stellar game, matching her season-high with 20 points against the Thunderwolves. Two of her teammates were also able to score in the double-digit range, Katrina Collins-Samuels with 19 points and Lauren Golding with 14. More details.

The Lions faced the Thunderwolves twice on the weekend. The first game did not go in their favour as they fell by one point, 67-66 at CJ Sanders Fieldhouse.

The Lions came out aggressive in the opening frame, with three pointers from MacLeod and Megan Stewart to give the visitors an early 13-9 lead. Golding scored six straight points to open the second quarter. Stewart and MacLeod continued to pour in shots, only extending the Lions lead in the frame going into halftime up 33-26. More details.

Track and field Lions win five medals at Xmas Open meet

The York University Lions track and field team won five medals at its annual Xmas Open meet at the Toronto Track and Field Centre on Saturday.

Leading the way was Lions newcomer Holly Taylor, who spent two seasons in the NCAA before transferring to York. She won gold medals in both throwing events, finishing first in the weight throw with a distance of 16.30m and in the shot put with a throw of 12.19m. She is currently ranked No. 1 in the weight throw in U SPORTS.

Also claiming a gold medal was rookie middle distance runner Abdullahi Abdullahi, who crossed the finish line first in the 1000m with a time of 2:47.1. More details.

Late goals lift Warriors over men’s hockey Lions on the road

The York University Lions men’s hockey team suffered a narrow 4-3 loss to the University of Waterloo Warriors at Columbia Ice Fields on Friday night.

It was an action-packed first period that featured four goals overall with 10 different players registering points. The Lions got off to an early lead with back-to-back goals in the first half of the opening frame. Dylan Riley got the visitors going early with an early goal assisted by Morgan Messenger and David D’Agostino. 9:55 into the frame, Braydon Buziak doubled their lead thanks to quick passes from D’Agostino and Riley.

The Warriors answered back with two goals in the span of two minutes, with the second coming just thirty seconds shy of the intermission to knot the score at 2-2. More details.

On Thursday night, the Lions fell on the road to the Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks by a 5-2 score in Waterloo, Ont. The Golden Hawks opened the scoring early with an unassisted goal by Danny Hanlon less than two minutes into the opening period. York would equalize before the first intermission off a power-play goal from Buziak assisted by Alex Mowbray and Jeremy Lucchini to make the score 1-1. More details.

Late free throws clinch game as men’s basketball Lions fall to Thunderwolves on the road

It was a tight battle in Thunder Bay, Ont., as the York University Lions men’s basketball team fell to the No. 6 nationally ranked Lakehead University Thunderwolves 85-83 at the CJ Sanders Fieldhouse on Friday night.

The first quarter was a neck-and-neck battle with both sides fighting for an early lead. A pair of guards in MJ Forbes and Alex Thielen kept the Lions in the fight early on with late baskets and crucial rebounds closing out the quarter down 18-17. More details.

The following night the two squads faced off again, with the Thunderwolves rolling to a 91-63 victory. The Thunderwolves raced to an early lead against the Lions 16-8 in the first quarter, but the Lions began to find their footing as the second progressed. After a pair of jump shots from Nick Russell, the Lions cut the deficit to five with the score at 24-19.  More details.

On Saturday, Nov. 16, the York University Lions women’s basketball team defeated the No. 5 nationally ranked Ryerson University Rams at the Tait McKenzie Centre 67-52, giving them a three-game win streak.

The first quarter was off to a good start, but the game didn’t pick up until the second with the Lions up 12-10. The Lions defence began to falter with the Rams gaining the lead for the first time in the game by just a basket. More details on the York Lions website.

One day earlier, and after a hard-fought battle in downtown Toronto, the Lions came away with a 52-47 win over the University of Toronto Varsity Blues at the Goldring Centre in their Friday matinee.

With minutes left in the fourth quarter, the score remained tied 47-47 but that would be the limit of the Blues scoring as the Lions went on a five-point run to close out the match. Driving past her defender at the top of the key, Katrina Collins-Samuels drew two Blues defenders on to her dribble and found a wide open Cyanna King in the paint who put her side up by two. More details.

Wrestlers Nguyen, Agard win silver medals at York Open

York University Lions wrestlers Paul Nguyen and Bailey Agard won silver medals in their weight classes at the annual York Open at the Tait McKenzie Centre on Sunday, Nov. 17.

Agard’s podium finish in the 51kg division helped the Lions finish in third place among OUA schools in the team standings, while the men finished in fourth place thanks in large part to the strong showing by Nguyen in the 57kg weight class. More details.

Second straight sweep gives women’s volleyball Lions third win of the season

The York University Lions women’s volleyball team picked up their third win of the season as they beat the Trent University Excalibur 3-0 Saturday evening.

The Lions swept all three sets. They took the first set with a score of 25-7 and a total of 10 kills. The Excalibur were able to add a little bit more pressure to their game in the second set as they added eight more points than their first set; however, the Lions were still able to take the 25-15 win. In the third and final set of the game the Lions once again finished ahead of the home team, beating them 25-14. More details.

On Friday, the Lions got back into the win column with a 3-0 sweep over the McMaster University Marauders at the Tait McKenzie Centre.

In the first set, the Lions came out strong and took control early gaining five points in a row. Two kills from Sarah Williams, a kill from Olivia Kim, followed by a Marauders service error and an attack error helped the Lions pull away with the lead. More details.

Men’s volleyball Lions drop Excalibur 3-1 on the road

The York University Lions men’s volleyball team beat the Trent University Excalibur 3-1 on Saturday evening.

The game started off with the Lions taking the first set to a close 25-21 win. The Excalibur redeemed themselves in the second as they beat York by two points, taking the 25-23 win and tying the series 1-1. However, York was able to pick up where they started and took the final sets; the third with a 25-17 score and the fourth and final with a 25-19 win. More details.

The day before, the Lions suffered a loss to the No. 4 nationally ranked McMaster University Marauders in straight sets. In the first set the Marauders opened the scoring with a series of eight points and continued by matching the Lions point-for-point thereafter, taking the first set 25-12. More details.

Comeback falls short for men’s hockey Lions after 3-2 loss to No. 6 Blues

The comeback fell short for the York University Lions men’s hockey team as they fell to the No. 6 nationally ranked University of Toronto Varsity Blues 3-2 during their Thursday matinee on the road.

Scoring came early for the Blues after forward Joey Manchurek capitalized on a power play only 7:44 into the first period to put the home side up 1-0. Manchurek would double his scoring and Toronto’s lead seven minutes later, tipping teammate Riley Bruce’s point shot past Lions goaltender Mack Shields to head into the first intermission up 2-0. More details.

On Saturday, Jeremy Lucchini netted a hat trick but it was not enough in a 6-3 defeat to the University of Guelph Gryphons. The Gryphons opened up the first period scoring two back-to-back goals just under the first three minutes of the game. Lucchini scored an unassisted goal on a power play to give the Lions their first goal of the game. The Lions finished the period one goal behind the Gryphons, who led 2-1. More details.

Women’s hockey Lions suffer loss to Warriors, snapping seven-game win streak

The No. 6 nationally ranked York University Lions women’s hockey team fell to the University of Waterloo Warriors 4-1 at home on Friday night, snapping their seven-game win streak.

The Warriors got on the board early in the second period after a quiet first. Selena Dirven broke the deadlock off an assist from Warriors forward Brooklyn Cole. The Lions, however, had plenty of chances of their own on shot attempts from fourth-year Taylor Davison and forward Courtney Gardiner, but the Warriors managed to keep their lead. More details.

The Lions dropped both of their weekend games, also falling to the University of Windsor Lancers by a 5-1 score on Sunday. The Lancers started off attacking the Lions’ net as soon as the puck dropped, which resulted in them getting their first goal 10 seconds into the game. The Lions then attempted to answer their opponent’s opening goal throughout the period firing a total of 11 shots on goal. More details.

Men’s basketball Lions fall to Rams at home

On Saturday, the York University Lions men’s basketball team suffered a 93-63 defeat against the Ryerson University Rams at the Tait McKenzie Centre.

The Lions came out hard in the first two periods as they kept the score neck and neck with the Rams for the majority until Lions Liam Rietschin scored two free throws to give his side the lead at the end of the first quarter 17-16. More details.

As part of their weekend schedule, the Lions also fell to the University of Toronto Varsity Blues on Friday afternoon 95-81 at the Goldring Centre.

The Lions started off hot, leading 10-5 four minutes into the first quarter. Centre Dusan Prelo got his side going, followed by a pair of Prince Kamunga free-throws and back-to-back layups from DeAndrae Pierre. The two sides exchanged baskets for much of the first, but the Blues would take an early lead off of four made three-pointers, to end the quarter 32-21. More details.

An goal in minute 84 by Jon Alec Duenas was all the York University Lions men’s soccer team needed to record a 1-0 victory over the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds in the fifth-place match at the 2019 U SPORTS Men’s Soccer Championships in Montreal.

Duenas’ goal came at the end of a pretty passing play that began with Merci Yuma. He passed the ball to his right to Gianfranco Gileppo, who then sent it towards the front of the net. The ball just missed the foot of Milan Beader right in front of the goalkeeper, but Duenas was coming up the far side and easily tapped it in for the lone goal of the game. More details on the York Lions website.

A day earlier, three goals in an 18-minute span was just enough for the men’s soccer team to defeat the University of Calgary Dinos by a 3-2 score in their consolation semifinal match.

Trailing 1-0 at the half, the Lions began applying significant pressure when the second half began and controlled play for large stretches of time. They were finally rewarded in the 61st minute. More details.

On Thursday night, the Université de Montréal Carabins took their first step towards defending their national title with a 2-0 victory over the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) finalist men’s soccer team in front of more than 1,500 boisterous fans.

The Lions dropped to the consolation side of the draw for the fourth straight year while the Carabins were still in the running for their second straight banner. More details.

Women’s soccer Lions fall to Carabins 2-0 in consolation semifinal

The York University Lions women’s soccer team fell to the Université de Montréal Carabins 2-0 on Friday in their consolation semifinal at the 2019 U SPORTS championship in Victoria.

The first half featured plenty of back-and-forth action between the two sides. The Lions’ best attempt in the frame came in the 39th minute off a trademark Jotam Chouhan free-kick that was desperately saved by Carabins keeper Catherine Langelier. More details.

On Thursday morning, the Lions fell to the Acadia University Axewomen 2-1 in their U SPORTS championship quarter-final matchup in Victoria.

Kendra Saxton got the scoring going early for the Lions after she tapped in a beautiful through pass from midfielder Vanessa Salvaggio that cut through the defence in the ninth minute. Despite the lead, the first half remained tense with the Axewomen refusing to go away, but the Lions headed into halftime up 1-0. More details.

Cross country Lions close out season with tough conditions at U SPORTS championship

The York University Lions cross country team battled tough conditions, as well as the nation’s best, as they competed at the 2019 U SPORTS championship in Kingston, Ont., on Saturday morning.

It was the first national appearance for the squad in 15 seasons, and on the heels of their top-10 finish at the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) championship, the team looked poised to add more success to their year.

First-year Lions runner Carmen Krawczynski Gonzalez led the way for her squad as she has all season, placing 89th overall in the 8km distance running 31:10. She finished 13th among all U SPORTS rookies, as well as 36th against OUA competitors – better than her 39th place finish at the OUA championship, all while dropping her personal best by 16 seconds. More details.

Women’s hockey Lions win seventh straight game with 4-2 victory over Mustangs

On Saturday, the No. 7 nationally ranked York University Lion’s Women’s hockey team defeated the Western Mustangs with a score of 4-2 at the Canlan Ice Arena.

The Lions came out strong, playing incredible offence and even better defence. In the first five minutes of the game, Tayler Murphy had a fantastic wrist shot that just went wide of the net – followed by an incredible defensive play by Kelsey McHolm. Mustangs’ forward Sydnee Baker went on a breakaway that was swiftly stopped by Lauren Dubie. More details.

On Thursday, the women’s hockey team beat the Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks by a massive 4-1 margin at the Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex.

Murphy opened the game with a goal assisted by captain Erin Locke and Caroline Eagles. Their first goal was soon followed by a second, this time from third-year forward Ellen Donaldson, assisted by Leah Hibbert and Madison Davey. Laurier was then able to get a goal with minutes remaining in the first period, giving the Lions a 2-1 lead at the end of the first period. More details.

Women’s basketball Lions triumph over Warriors 84-72 for third win of season

On Sunday, the York University Lions women’s basketball team picked up their third win of the season against the University of Waterloo Warriors 84-72 at the Tait McKenzie Centre.

The Lions came out hard in the first quarter, causing a lot of turnovers and gaining fouls. The Lions saw even scoring from their line-up – Katrina Collins-Samuels led the team with five points in the quarter, while Cyanna King poured in four of her own. Megan Stewart and Jada Codrington each dropped a three-pointer ending the first 19-17 for the Lions. More details.

On Wednesday night, the Lions were narrowly defeated by the Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks 52-51, at home.

In the final minute of the game, both teams jostled for the win, but a Lions’ foul allowed the Golden Hawks to take the game with two free throws in the dying minutes.

In the first quarter, the Lions came out roaring scoring six points in a row from Emma Jonas, Collins-Samuels and Alysha Pinck. They took control of the game early, keeping the Golden Hawks at bay, finishing the first quarter up 14-6. More details.

Men’s volleyball Lions defeat Badgers in five sets

The York University Lions men’s volleyball team beat the Brock University Badgers 3-2 on Saturday afternoon, giving the Lions their second win of the season.

It was the fifth set that secured the win for the Lions. The Badgers opened up with four points in a row, taking an early 4-0 lead. York’s Andrew Shotbolt shot down the Badgers’ streak by throwing down a kill, finally putting the Lions on the scoreboard. By the mid-way point, the Badgers were leading 8-6. More details.

Come back falls short for men’s basketball Lions in loss against Waterloo

On Sunday, the York University Lions men’s basketball team suffered a narrow loss to the University of Waterloo Warriors 70-69 at the Tait McKenzie Centre.

Both teams came out hard playing strong, resulting in a tie score early in the quarter. Prince Kamunga blocked, forced a turnover and scored a basket to help the Lions take an early lead, ending the first 21-13. More details.

On Wednesday night, the men’s basketball team fell to the No. 7 nationally ranked Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks 92-84 at Tait McKenzie Centre.

The Lions came out strong, gaining the lead early over the Golden Hawks with points from DeAndrae Pierre, Kamunga and Somto Dimanochie. The Golden Hawks were quick on their tails, scoring baskets of their own from Kemel Archer and a three-pointer from Ali Sow to take the lead. The teams were neck and neck in the first quarter and ended it tied 23-23. More details.

Women’s volleyball Lions fall to No. 7 Badgers after hard-fought game

The York University Lions women’s volleyball team lost 3-1 to the No. 7 nationally ranked Brock University Badgers on Saturday afternoon after a hard-fought game.

The Lions started off very strong, taking the first set of the game. It was York’s Kayla Clennon who provided the Lions with their first point of the game after the Badgers garnered their first point as a result of a service error. This would be the first of 22.5 points for Clennon throughout the game. More details.

Men’s hockey Lions fall 4-3 on the road to RMC

The York University Lions men’s hockey team lost 4-3 to the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) Paladins on Friday night in Kingston, Ont.

It was just after the first minute of play when the Paladins were able to score a goal on the Lions during a power play. They then followed their goal with a second one to take an early 2-0 lead on the Lions in the early stages of the first period.

It was all Lions in the second half of the period with Alex Mowbray scoring York’s first goal, assisted by Brandon Yeamans and Justin Bean. York captain Scott Feser picked up the Lions second, assisted by Xavier Pouliot and Jeremy Lucchini, which tied the game 2-2 for the teams by the end of the first. More details.