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Track & Field Lions win seven medals, finish sixth at U SPORTS championships

York Lions Track & Field

The York University Lions track and field team won seven medals, and both the men’s and women’s squads finished in sixth place in the team standings at the U SPORTS championships in Windsor, Ont., this past weekend.

Among the seven medals were a pair of golds, courtesy of Holly Pitters and Kayden Johnson.

York University Lions women's track & field team
Members of the York University Lions women’s track & field team

Pitters finished her career by winning the U SPORTS title in the triple jump on the final day of competition. She put up a distance of 12.33m to edge out Guelph’s Jordan Bates for the gold, winning the second national gold medal of her career after picking up the long jump title last season.

This year, she just missed out on a double-gold performance and won the silver medal in the event on Day 2 of the meet. She recorded a distance of 5.85m on her second attempt of the day that stood through the rest of the competition to put her on the podium.

Johnson, who is also a member of the Lions football team, won the gold medal in the 60m hurdles, the first national medal of his career. The third-year standout, who was ranked No. 1 in the event in the country all season long, lived up to his top-seeded billing by clocking a 7.97-second time in the final, 0.14 seconds ahead of the rest of the field. He also ran an even faster time of 7.90 seconds in the semis and was the only athlete to record a time below eight seconds this year.

Like Pitters, Nicholas Fyffe also had a strong showing in the final meet of his career. He began the competition with a fifth-place finish in the long jump and then returned on the last day with a silver-medal performance in the triple jump, the same spot he finished one year ago. He faulted on his first two attempts and needed a big performance on his third to qualify for the final. He came through in the clutch, recording a jump of 15.02m on his third attempt to move into second place with what proved to be his best jump of the day.

The biggest surprise of the weekend was the second-place finish by Kaitlin Brooks in the shot put. She entered the competition ranked seventh in the country, but threw a huge personal best of 13.75m in the second round to vault herself into medal contention. Other than winner Sarah Mitton, none of her competitors were able to surpass the mark and she walked away with the silver medal.

The Lions also won a pair of bronze medals on Day 3 courtesy of Samuel Adams in the pole vault, as well as the women’s 4x400m relay team.

Adams didn’t even check in until several of his competitors had already been eliminated. He cleared 4.75m on his first attempt and then ultimately cleared 5.00m, which was good enough to finish in third place and earn a national medal for the first time in his career.

In the final women’s race of the day, Nicolette Witherspoon, Christy Ihunaegbo, Marvelous Agbonwaneten and Courtney Dwyer came together to win the bronze medal in the 4x400m relay in a time of 3:46.82 to round out the competition.

The sixth-place finishes by both teams were significant improvements from last year. The men’s team moved up nine spots from 15th one season ago, and the women’s team climbed seven places from last year’s 13th-place result.

Weekend wrap: Men’s hockey Lions fall to Badgers in deciding game of OUA semifinal series

lions men's hockey York University

The York University Lions men’s hockey team suffered a heartbreaking 3-2 defeat to the Brock University Badgers in the deciding game of their Ontario University Athletics (OUA) semifinal series on Saturday night at Canlan Ice Sports. 

The Lions dominated play for most of the contest, spending large portions of time in the Brock end of the rink and outshooting the Badgers 53-20. But, goaltender Clint Windsor stood on his head to make 51 saves, and the Badgers never gave up despite falling behind by a pair of goals early. 

The Lions wasted no time reminding the Badgers whose ice they were playing on. At 45 seconds into the game, Colton Vannucci scored with the assistance of Nick Zottl to put the Lions onto the scoreboard early on. More details on the York Lions website. 

The Lions forced the series to a third game after a thrilling 4-3 comeback victory in overtime in Game 2 on the road. Rookie forward Adam Marsh scored on a beautiful wrist-shot eight minutes into the first overtime period to give the Lions the win. 

They had suffered a disheartening 6-2 loss to the Badgers in Game 1 of the series on Wednesday and had to make up for it on Friday in order to stay in the playoffs. It didn’t look good early as they trailed by two goals in the second period, but the Lions came all the way back and found a way to win. More details.  

In Wednesday’s opener, the game did not start off well for the Lions as the Badgers wasted little time getting on the scoreboard. An early penalty allowed Sammy Banga to score less than two minutes into the game for a quick 1-0 lead.  

The Lions battled hard following this goal, and their efforts paid off. Trevor Petersen scored four minutes later with the assistance of Morgan Messenger and Colton Vannucci to level the score at 1-1. This was not the end of the action for the period, however, as the Badgers quickly restored their lead and then built a significant advantage. More details. 

Despite strong opening set, men’s volleyball Lions upset by Lancers in OUA quarters 

The York University Lions men’s volleyball team hosted the University of Windsor Lancers Saturday afternoon in OUA quarter-final action and, despite a strong opening set, could not overtake the Lancers in any other set and lost the match 3-1. 

The first set remained so close it had to exceed the 25-point mark. At the technical timeout, the Lions trailed just behind their opponent, at 16-14. The Lancers continued to maintain the advantage and had multiple set points at 24-22. But the Lions rallied to tie it at 24-24 and then the two teams traded points until it got to 27-26. On the next point, the Lancers could not control a final serve from Logan Mend, which put the Lions the two points ahead they needed to claim the set in a final 28-26. More details. 

Women’s volleyball Lions bested by Marauders in OUA quarter-final match 

The York University Lions women’s volleyball team travelled to Hamilton, Ont., for a Saturday evening quarter-final match against the McMaster Marauders and lost in straight sets to the team seeded at the top of the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) West Division. 

The first set was tough for the Lions, who were defeated 25-16. McMaster led 16-10 at the technical timeout and continued to carry that momentum through to the end. The second set was the Lions best. After a small Lions lead of 16-15 at the technical timeout, the Marauders came back to win by four points at 25-21. More details. 

Lions host Lancers in OUA quarterfinals at Tait McKenzie, March 3

The York University Lions men’s volleyball team will host the Windsor Lancers in an Ontario University Athletics (OUA) quarter-final match on Saturday afternoon with a berth at the Final Four Championships on the line.

The first serve is set for 4pm at the Tait McKenzie Centre and the game can also be seen live online on OUA.tv.

The Lions earned the second seed in the OUA East Division thanks to a 12-6 record and will face the 10-7 Lancers, the OUA West’s third seeds who posted their best record since finishing with 11 wins during the 2011-12 season. The Lions won the lone regular-season meeting between the two squads in a thrilling five-setter, coming back from two sets down to take the victory on the road. They also faced off three times in non-conference action throughout the year, with Windsor winning each of the contests.

The Lions are looking to avenge an upset loss in the quarter-finals last year, where they were the top seeds in the OUA East but were defeated in four sets by the Waterloo Warriors. They are seeking a Final Four berth for the first time since 2015, where they finished as the bronze medallists after defeating the Lancers in the third-place match that also sent the Lions to the national tournament. That year also represents the last time the Lancers reached the semifinals.

After winning six of their first seven matches before the December break, the Lions were less consistent in the second half but closed with a pair of victories over Trent and Toronto to generate some momentum heading into the playoffs. The Lancers, meanwhile, lost their last two contests, to Waterloo and Guelph, but before that recorded a big victory over the second-place Western Mustangs.

The Lions will rely on team scoring leader Andrew Shotbolt, an outside hitter who had a breakout campaign this season to tie for 10th in OUA scoring with 3.8 points per set. Starting setter Logan Mend, one of the best at his position in the conference and an OUA all-star last year, will use his experience and talent to lead the squad. He was seventh in the OUA in assists per set (9.18) while also scoring 1.6 points per set, the most of any setter in the conference.

Windsor had two players rank among the OUA’s top 10 in scoring in outside hitters Pierce Johnson and Brad Gyemi, who were sixth and seventh, respectively, in the conference with 4.2 and 4.1 points per game.

The winner of Saturday’s quarter-final match will advance to the Final Four Championships next weekend and face the winner of the contest between the nationally ranked McMaster Marauders and the Nipissing Lakers. As the team with the best record in the regular season, the five-time defending OUA titlist Marauders will host the championships should they win their match on Saturday.

Lions to face Badgers with a spot at U SPORTS championships on the line

The York University Lions men’s hockey team has a chance to qualify for the U SPORTS championships for the second straight year this week when they face off against the Brock Badgers in their Ontario University Athletics (OUA) semifinal best-of-three series.

The second-seeded Lions, who are ranked No. 9 nationally this week, will have home ice in the series against the fifth-seeded and No. 10 Badgers and will host the opening game on Wednesday night at Canlan Ice Sports. Game 2 is set for the Seymour-Hannah Centre in St. Catharines, Ont., on Friday night, and if a third game is necessary it will take place back at Canlan on Saturday.

While the Lions are in familiar territory as OUA semifinalists following last year’s run to the Queen’s Cup championship, the Badgers are making a surprise appearance after a big upset victory over the top-seeded and nationally-ranked Guelph Gryphons in the quarter-finals last week. The Badgers swept that series, winning both contests in overtime, to eliminate the favourites and put themselves in position to compete for an OUA title.

The Lions are also coming off a series sweep, defeating the Ryerson Rams in back-to-back games by scores of 6-3 and 3-2. They needed three games to get through their opening round match-up against the Lakehead Thunderwolves after losing the first contest, while the Badgers are undefeated in the playoffs – they defeated Laurier in two games in the first round – and overall have won six straight dating back to the regular season.

The Lions got the best of the Badgers in the regular season in winning two of three games, including a 3-0 victory on home ice in their most recent meeting. They also won a 4-3 shootout decision on opening weekend and lost 4-2 in early January, with both of those games happening on the road.

The match-up promises to be a tight one as the two squads have very similar numbers to this point in the playoffs. The Lions lead the OUA in giving up only 1.89 goals per game and the Badgers are just behind them at 1.9. The Lions also rank second in scoring with four goals per game and the Badgers are fourth with 3.5 per game.

The Lions have five players averaging at least one point per game in the playoffs, led by forwards Trevor Petersen and Morgan Messenger with six points apiece. Petersen, a two-time OUA all-star, has three goals in the post-season and scored both game winners against Ryerson. The Badgers also have five players with the same point-per-game average and are led by Ayden MacDonald’s six points.

The winner of this best-of-three series will host the Queen’s Cup championship game on Saturday, March 10 and will also earn a spot at the U SPORTS national tournament taking place March 15-18 at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton. The loser will get one more chance to qualify through the OUA bronze-medal game that will take place next week.

Weekend wrap: Town wins silver at U SPORTS championships, York’s best ever finish

York University Lions wrestler Alexandria Town continued to put her name into the history books this past weekend with a second-place finish at the U SPORTS championships, the best ever result for a York women’s wrestler in program history.

The third-year student-athlete, who returned in impressive fashion this year after missing all of last season with an injury, won her second national medal after claiming bronze in the 55kg weight class in 2016. She is the only York wrestler to win a U SPORTS medal.

Alexandria Town Lions wrestling York U
York University Lions wrestler Alexandria Town (left) earned the the best ever result for a York women’s wrestler in program history

This year, competing at 59kg, she had a bye in the first round and then won both of her round-robin matches by tech fall over Krystin Paquette from the Alberta Pandas and Mackenzie Alexson from the Saskatchewan Huskies, including registering the fastest tech fall of the entire competition in just 36 seconds against Alexson. More details on the York Lions website.

Track and field Lions finish fourth, fifth in team standings at OUA championships

The York University Lions men’s and women’s track and field teams finished in fourth and fifth place, respectively, at the 2018 Ontario University Athletics (OUA) championships hosted by the University of Windsor at the St. Denis Centre in Windsor, Ont.

The Lions picked up six podium finishes on day 2, including three gold medals. The men’s team missed out on the bronze medal by half a point, scoring 99 points to the 99.5 by the host Lancers.

The day began in record-breaking fashion for the Lions as Nicholas Fyffe won his fourth straight OUA triple jump title with a new conference mark of 15.17m, surpassing the previous best distance of 15.13m that former York great Marlon Nangle recorded in 2007. It was his second medal of the meet as he also won the bronze in the long jump on Friday.

Also winning her second medal, and first gold, was Holly Pitters, who finished first in the women’s triple jump with a personal-best mark of 12.52m, her first title in the event. The result was a tremendous one for the fifth-year athlete, who was the favourite to repeat as champion in the long jump on day 1 but came up just short, finishing two cms behind the champion to take the silver medal.

The third gold of the day for the Lions came in the 60m, where Xavier Joseph ran 6.86 seconds to shock the field and cross the finish line in first place. More details.

On Friday, the Lions opened the championships with six medals. The most impressive performance of the day came in the men’s 60m hurdles, where Kayden Johnson ran a blazing fast 7.92 seconds to win the gold medal. The third-year athlete, also a running back on the Lions football team, already had the fastest time in the country heading into the meet and he lowered it by 0.19 seconds. More details.

Men’s hockey Lions sweep Rams in OUA quarter-finals with 3-2 win in Game 2

The York University Lions men’s hockey team eliminated the Ryerson University Rams from the playoffs on Saturday night with a 3-2 victory at the Mattamy Athletic Centre to sweep their OUA quarter-final best-of-three series.

The first period saw strong offensive efforts on both sides, with the Rams making 12 shots on net and the Lions just behind at 10. However, defensive efforts were equally as strong, as neither team were able to score. The period ended in a 0-0 tie. More details.

Game 1 was much more intense as the Lions bounced back from a two-goal deficit after two periods with five unanswered goals in the third to record a 6-3 victory. After falling behind by two goals in a lopsided second period, the Lions came out flying in the third, levelling the score less than 90 seconds in and then adding another two quick goals later in the third to secure the win.

Derek Sheppard wasted little time getting the scoring started, finding the back of the net for the first goal of the game just a minute and a half into the first period. More details.

Women’s basketball Lions fall short in first-round playoff match-up

The York University Lions women’s basketball team was eliminated from the post-season in the first round by the Ryerson University Rams on Wednesday night by a score of 66-61 at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.

The stands were filled with hundreds of Lions fans as tonight’s game was part of the Subway Series, and the support paid off in the first quarter when the Lions took an early lead at 8-4, which later grew to 16-6. The quarter rounded out with the Lions still in the lead 16-10.

Things took a different direction in the second quarter, however, as the Rams made some big plays and slowly but surely closed the gap, going on to take a small lead of 31-29 by the end of the quarter. More details.

Men’s volleyball Lions pick up straight sets win over Blues in final regular-season match

The York University Lions men’s volleyball team closed the regular season with a straight-sets win over the Toronto Varsity Blues at the Tait McKenzie Centre on Sunday afternoon.

The Lions had already clinched the second seed in the OUA East Division with a 12-6 record regardless of how Sunday’s match finished, and the Blues had already been eliminated from the playoffs.

Like the women’s team did earlier in the day, the Varsity Blues got off to a strong start, earning three points before the Lions earned their first on a Varsity Blues’ service error. Logan Mend followed this up with a service ace to put the Lions just behind at 3-2. The Lions continued to bounce back and forth between leading and trailing. At the technical timeout they were leading 16-14. More details.

Women’s volleyball Lions nearly complete comeback in loss to Blues to close regular season

The York University Lions women’s volleyball team forced a fifth set after dropping the first two in an eventual 3-2 loss to the University of Toronto Varsity Blues in the regular-season finale for both teams at the Tait McKenzie Centre on Sunday afternoon.

Despite the loss, the Lions finished 8-11 and clinched the fourth and final seed in the OUA East Division playoff race after the Nipissing University Lakers lost to the Ryerson University Rams earlier in the day. The Varsity Blues will be the second seed in the division after completing a 15-4 regular season.

The first set got off to a rough start for the Lions when the Varsity Blues raced ahead with four points before Heather Setka could get the Lions onto the scoreboard. By the time the technical timeout came around, the Varsity Blues had a huge 16-2 lead and they carried that through to a 25-8 win. More details.

Weekend wrap: Men’s hockey Lions crush Thunderwolves, advance to next round

Men's Lions hockey

The York University Lions men’s hockey team hosted Game 3 of the first round of Ontario University Athletics (OUA) playoffs against the Lakehead University Thunderwolves Sunday night and pulled out all the stops for a big home ice win by a score of 5-1 at Canlan Ice Sports.

The Lions started the game off incredibly strong, scoring two goals in the first four minutes of the opening period. Less than two minutes into the first, Ben Verrall scored with the assistance of Daniel Nikandrov and Nik Coric. Exactly two minutes later, Morgan Messenger added his second goal of the series with help from teammates Trevor Petersen and Kyle Campbell.

As a result of their efforts, the Lions took an early 2-0 lead over their opponents. More details on the York Lions website.

The series got to Game 3 after York and Lakehead split the first two contests earlier in the week. In the opener, the Thunderwolves won 3-2 in triple overtime on home ice in Thunder Bay, Ont. After twice coming back from a goal down in the game, the Thunderwolves finally ended it in the middle of the third overtime period on a goal by Dylan Butler.

The 50:07 of overtime was the third-longest U SPORTS men’s hockey game in history and second overall in the OUA. The game time was just six seconds shorter than the OUA’s longest game, ironically another Lakehead-York match-up on Feb. 14, 2007 that ended with the same winner and by the same score. The record for the longest U SPORTS game belongs to UNB and Acadia, also by a 3-2 score in 61:03 total extra time. More details.

Needing a win on home ice in Game 2 to extend the series, the Lions pulled through with a 4-2 victory. The Lions battled hard in the first period and their efforts paid off 14 minutes in when Messenger was able to score, giving the Lions a 1-0 lead. He was assisted by Colton Vannucci and Justin Bean.

This excitement was short-lived, however, as the Thunderwolves’ Scott Gall scored unassisted just two minutes later, tying the score 1-1. The score remained this way for the rest of the period. More details.

Women’s hockey Lions wrap up season with second straight 3-1 victory

The York University Lions women’s hockey wrapped up the 2017-18 campaign on Saturday afternoon with a 3-1 victory over the Brock University Badgers at Seymour-Hannah Centre in St. Catharines, Ont.

It was the hometown Badgers who opened the scoring as Amanda Ieradi found the back of the net just seven minutes into the first period for a 1-0 lead. Near the end of the frame the Lions levelled the score thanks to Erin Locke, who tallied on the power play at 16:38. The score remained tied at 1-1 heading into the first intermission. More details.

Earlier in the weekend, the Lions ended the home portion of their schedule with a 3-1 victory over the University of Toronto Varsity Blues. Christina Chin scored the lone goal of the first period at 14:54 to give the Lions a 1-0 lead after one. The second period played out in a similar fashion, with the Lions once again scoring the only tally of the game, this one courtesy of Chelsea Tucker that made the sore 2-0. More details.

Women’s basketball Lions finish fifth in OUA East after loss to Gee-Gees

The York University Lions women’s basketball team was defeated by a score of 65-55 by the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees in the regular-season finale for both teams in Ottawa on Saturday night.

The Lions finished with an 11-12 record and in fifth place in the OUA East standings thanks to holding the tiebreaker over the Toronto Varsity Blues, who also ended up at 11-12.

The Lions slipped away from the Gee-Gees early in the first quarter and were forced to play catch-up for the remainder of the game. The Lions eventually came within a point of their opponents at the end of the first, which ended 19-18. More details.

Also in the nation’s capital, the Lions flirted with an upset before falling to the No. 1 nationally ranked and undefeated Carleton University Ravens by a score of 54-45. The Lions held the lead at 45-44 with just over four minutes remaining in the game, but the talented Ravens put together a run to close out the final frame and maintain their perfect season. More details.

Women’s volleyball Lions stay in playoff hunt with straight-sets sweep of Lakers

The York University Lions women’s volleyball team needed a victory over the Nipissing University Lakers to stay in the playoff hunt in the OUA East Division and they got it done, winning in straight sets in their Friday night contest at the Tait McKenzie Centre.

The victory moved the Lions into a tie with the Lakers in the OUA East standings with matching 8-9 records, but the Lions hold the tiebreaker thanks to their two head-to-head wins this season.

The first set was a nail-biter and it was actually the Lakers who maintained a three-point lead down the stretch. The Lions narrowed the gap but the Lakers got to set point first with a 24-23 point advantage. However, kills by Kayla Clennon and Rachel Adams changed the momentum and gave the Lions a set-point of their own, and they capitalized on the next point after an attack error by Nipissing to take the first set 26-24. More details.

On Sunday afternoon, the Lions were defeated in four sets by the Trent University Excalibur in their last road match of the season. The first set made the match look promising for the Lions when they won the set 25-20 to take a 1-0 lead overall, but things took a turn in the second set when the Excalibur won 25-21 to tie the match score 1-1.  More details.

Men’s volleyball Lions back into win column with 3-1 win over Excalibur

The York University Lions men’s volleyball team paid a visit to the Trent University Excalibur on Sunday afternoon in the Lions’ second last game of the regular season and broke their two-game losing streak with a 3-1 victory.

The first set was a closely fought battle that had to go past match point to determine the winner. It was ultimately the Excalibur who came out on top with a 28-26 victory to take an early lead in the match with a score of 1-0. More details.

On Friday night, the Lions lost in straight sets to the visiting Nipissing University Lakers at home. Playing without their leading scorer and, arguably, the best setter in OUA, the Lions were not able to generate enough offence to take down the Lakers, who are in a battle for one of the last two playoff spots in the OUA East Division.

The Lakers won all three sets in convincing fashion, taking the first 25-20, the second 25-18 and the third 25-15. More details.

Men’s basketball Lions end season with loss to Gee-Gees on the road

The York University Lions men’s basketball team played its final game of the season on Saturday night in the nation’s capital and was defeated 82-54 by the No. 10 nationally ranked University of Ottawa Gee-Gees.

The Gee-Gees consistently outscored the Lions in each quarter. The Lions quickly fell behind in the first quarter, only scoring half of what the Gee-Gees put in as the quarter ended 24-12. This big deficit proved to be too difficult to bounce back from, as the Lions trailed the remainder of the game. More details.

The Lions also lost to the No. 1 and undefeated Carleton University Ravens 87-57 as part of their weekend schedule. The first quarter was a tight affair in which the Ravens led by just five after 10 minutes of play. But they turned it on in the second quarter, outscoring the Lions 24-8 to take an insurmountable 44-23 lead at the half. More details.

Track and field Lions take advantage of last chance meets and post big results

The York University Lions track and field team participated in their last chance meets at the University of Toronto and University of Guelph this past weekend. These were the athletes’ final opportunities to improve their individual and team rankings before the OUA championships next weekend.

At U of T Friday night, the Lions recorded many impressive finishes. The Lions swept the podium in the women’s 60m dash, with Monique Simon-Tucker, Georgia Campbell and Diana Boa finishing first through third, respectively. This podium sweep was almost repeated in the men’s 60m dash, where Quinn Charles and Sodiq Ibrahim finished first and third, respectively.

The Lions saw more success in the men’s 300m, where Daniele Orsini won the event and Zeon Bass finished third, while Heniesha Christie finished third in the 60m hurdles with a season’s best performance of 9.37 seconds. More details.

Football awards night celebrates athletic and academic accomplishments

The York University Lions football team handed out its major team awards on Thursday night at the program’s annual year-end awards gala.

Football coach Warren Craney (centre) with the award recipients

The top award, the Frank Cosentino Team MVP Trophy, was awarded to receiver Adam Adeboboye, who capped his five-year career at York as one of the best receivers in program history.

The Toronto native finished fifth in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) in total receptions (40) despite missing most of two games with an injury. He was also 12th in receiving yards (489) and scored a pair of touchdowns, both against the Toronto Varsity Blues in the Red & Blue Bowl as part of a 14-catch, 140-yard performance. He also played on special teams, recording two tackles.

Adeboboye is also the recipient of the York Lions Warrior Award, which is presented to a graduating player for his dedication and commitment to the football team and for embodying the characteristics of perseverance, honour, integrity and passion. Adeboboye arrived at York as an unheralded running back and finished his career among York’s top 10 in career receptions and receiving yards. He will graduate with a degree in kinesiology and health science.

The Gridiron Scholar Award for Academic Excellence was earned by defensive lineman Jeffrey Chen. He earned U SPORTS academic all-Canadian honours in his rookie season last year with a 7.82 grade point average while studying nursing.

Defensive end Rossini Sandjong-Djabome was the recipient of the Nobby Wirkowski Defensive MVP Trophy after earning OUA second-team all-star honours for the first time. He was third in the OUA in tackles for loss (12) for an OUA-leading 68 yards lost and he also tied for ninth with four sacks. He had two fumble recoveries, including one for a touchdown, and was second on the Lions in total tackles (37).

On the other side of the ball, the Leonard Jean-Pierre W21 Offensive MVP Award was given to receiver Colton Hunchak, who made a remarkable recovery from a supposed season-ending injury in the preseason to make major contributions down the stretch. Despite playing in only three games, he ranked second in the OUA with six touchdowns and his 109.7 yards per game was the third-best mark in the conference.

Also handed out on Tuesday night were the Andre Durie Special Teams MVP Trophy to receiver Nikola Kalinic and the Mike Benevides Lineman of the Year Award to offensive lineman Anthony DiNardo.

Kalinic was an OUA second-team all-star receiver this season for his tremendous versatility as a tight end, and he was also crucial to York’s special teams success as a blocker, including making five tackles. DiNardo, meanwhile, started all eight games on the offensive line at centre and was a leader for a young unit that had three rookies out of the five starters.

The Jeff Johnson Rookie of the Year Award was presented to defensive back Daniel Loggale, who earned OUA all-rookie team honours after taking over the starting job in Week 2. He led the Lions with two interceptions and was seventh on the team in total tackles (21.5).

The Tom Arnott Yeoman of the Year Award for Hard Work and Character went to fourth-year defensive back Ian Lawrence and the Academic Grit Award for Study Hall Excellence was presented to second-year defensive lineman Jamian Rush.

Weekend wrap: Town, Lans win medals at OUA wrestling championships

York University Lions women’s wrestlers Alexandria Town and Christelle Lans both won medals at the 2018 Ontario University Athletics (OUA) championships hosted by Brock University in St. Catharines, Ont., on Sunday.

Town won her third career OUA medal with a silver-medal result in the 59kg weight class, and Lans, a rookie, was the bronze medallist in the 72kg division. Town was the first York women’s wrestler to win an OUA medal with her first in 2015, and Lans became the second this year.

The men’s team had its best result under head coach Eamonn Dorgan, finishing in fourth place thanks to four wrestlers reaching their bronze-medal bouts.

Kevin Vuong in the 54kg weight class, Shevonne Witter-Watts in the 57kg division, Mustafa Shah at 76kg and Peter Tsarev in the 120kg weight class all finished in fourth place. More details on the York Lions website.

Men’s hockey Lions dominate Blues in final game, finish second in OUA West

The York University Lions men’s hockey team posted a dominant 6-1 victory over the rival University of Toronto Varsity Blues on Saturday night at Canlan Ice Sports in their final regular-season home game to finish in second place in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) West Division standings.

The win tied the Lions with the Ryerson Rams with 35 points apiece, but the Lions earn second place thanks to their 17 wins on the season, compared to 16 by the Rams. The Lions finished with a 17-10-1 record and the Rams 16-9-3.

After allowing the opening goal just 5:23 into the first period, which was scored by Dean Klomp, the Lions scored six unanswered goals to win convincingly. More details.

Clarke’s career day leads women’s basketball Lions over Rams

Chante Clarke had a career day to lead the York University Lions women’s basketball team to a huge win over the Ryerson University Rams by a score of 79-75 in the second annual School Day Game at the Tait McKenzie Centre on Wednesday afternoon.

The Lions had a strong opening quarter and held a seven-point lead after 10 minutes of play, but the Rams turned the tables in the second and pulled ahead by five points with just over one minute remaining. However, the Lions closed the frame with four straight points and the Rams led 41-40 at the half.

After the Rams built up a six-point lead with 2:42 remaining in the third quarter, the Lions went on a thrilling 14-0 run to take an eight-point advantage into the final frame. More details.

In their final regular-season home game on Saturday night, the Lions were edged by the University of Toronto Varsity Blues by a score of 59-57. The Lions raced out to an early 18-9 lead after the first quarter of play, but the Blues outscored the Lions in each of the next three quarters to come back and win the game.

The contest was tied at 53-53 with 3:45 remaining after rookie Lauren Golding sank a three-pointer, but the Blues then scored four unanswered points to regain the lead. More details.

Men’s volleyball Lions bounce back with four-set win over Badgers

The York University Lions men’s volleyball team welcomed the Brock University Badgers to home court Friday night. After a loss in the first set, the Lions bounced back to win three in a row, defeating the Badgers 3-1 at the Tait McKenzie Centre.

In the opening set, the Badgers picked up a 27-25 win over the Lions. The Lions came back to defeat the Badgers 25-20 in the second set. The Lions got off to an early lead, making it impossible for the Badgers to catch up. This win for the Lions tied the match score at 1-1. More details.

On Sunday afternoon, the Lions welcomed the No. 8 nationally ranked McMaster University Marauders to home court Sunday afternoon and, after a tough match for both sides, it was ultimately the Marauders who came out victorious, winning the match 3-1.

Andrew Tauhid got the ball rolling with an ace on the first serve of the set. This was immediately followed by a point for the Marauders, which foreshadowed the rest of the set. The Lions were just behind the Marauders 16-13 at the first set technical time out. However, the Marauders stepped up their game in the second half, earning an additional nine points to the Lions’ four to win the set 25-17. More details.

Track and field Lions with stellar performances on both sides of the border

The York University Lions track and field team divided and conquered this weekend. Some of the team travelled to Windsor, Ont., to compete at the annual Windsor Team Challenge, while the rest went to the SPIRE NCAA Division I Indoor Invitational in Geneva, Ohio. Both sides saw huge successes both on the track and in the field.

In Ohio, Christy Ihunaegbo once again dominated the women’s track events. She finished second in the 300m dash with a season’s best performance of 38.21. Not only did she walk away with a silver medal, but she also set a new school record, surpassing the old one set by former Lion and Olympian Khamica Bingham in 2014. This performance puts her in second place in the U SPORTS rankings.

Kayden Johnson hurdled his way to a bronze medal in a personal best time of 8.11 seconds in the 60m hurdles event and he continues to hold onto first place in the U SPORTS rankings. More details.

Women’s hockey Lions defeated by second-place Mustangs in a shootout

The York University Lions women’s hockey team travelled to London, Ont., to face off with the Western University Mustangs on Friday night at centre ice at the Thompson Arena. Heading into the game, the Mustangs were ranked second in OUA but the Lions played a strong game, holding off the Mustangs until the shootout before falling to them 1-0.

Both teams played ferociously throughout the first three periods. That’s not to say both sides didn’t have ample chances. The Lions outshot the Mustangs 28-20, proving they could compete with their higher ranked opponent.

After three exhausting periods and a period of overtime, in which the shots continued and the Lions had five chances to the Mustangs’ six, the game went to a shootout. Western scored on both of its chances, with goals by April Clark and Megan Taylor, and the Lions were not able to get the puck past Western goalie Carmen Lasis to take the loss. More details.

Women’s volleyball Lions fall to No. 7 Marauders in straight sets

The York University Lions women’s volleyball team took on the No. 7 nationally ranked McMaster University Marauders on Sunday afternoon in home court action and fell by a score of 3-0 at the Tait McKenzie Centre.

The first set did not begin in the Lions’ favour. The Marauders racked up five points before the Lions earned their first. Celeste Witzell gave the Lions their first point of the game, putting them onto the scoreboard, which was followed up by two service aces from Tara Leithead. The Marauders proved to be tough competition, as the first set ended 25-18 in their favour. More details.

The Lions were also defeated by the Brock University Badgers in five sets on Friday night in their annual Dig for the Cure game. The first set was a closely fought battle that saw the score climb past 25 points. The set ended 28-26 in favour of the Badgers.

The Lions bounced back in the second set to a big win over their opponent. The set ended 25-15, bringing the match score to 1-1. However, the score reversed itself in the third set. The Badgers had a big win of their own, defeating the Lions 25-14. They retook the lead in the match at 2-1. More details.

Men’s basketball Lions taken down by Rams in second annual School Day Game

The York University Lions men’s basketball team was defeated by a score of 88-71 by the visiting Ryerson University Rams at the Tait McKenzie Centre on Wednesday afternoon in the second annual School Day Game.

The Rams wasted little time taking control of the game, jumping out to a 22-9 lead after the first quarter of play. The Lions came storming back in the second, outscoring the Rams 22-19 to close the deficit to 41-31 at halftime.

The Lions held the momentum as the third quarter started, but the Rams continued their hot shooting and again outscored the Lions, this time by five to take a 64-49 lead into the final frame. More details.

On Saturday night, the Lions let a big lead slip away late in an 80-75 loss to the University of Toronto Varsity Blues. After a dominant 22-13 opening quarter for the home squad, the Lions continued to pour it on and led by 26 points in the third at 50-28 half way through the frame. But the Blues mounted a furious comeback from there, at one point scoring 14 straight points and coming all the way back to take the lead at 71-70 with 1:38 left in the game. More details.

Basketball Lions host second annual School Day Games Feb. 7

The York University Lions basketball teams will welcome hundreds of school children to the Tait McKenzie Centre on Feb. 7 for the second annual School Day Games.

More than 700 youth will be in attendance as the Lions host the Ryerson University Rams in a pair of Ontario University Athletics (OUA) regular-season games, with the women tipping off at 11am and the men following at 1pm. Both games can also be seen live online on OUA.tv.

Schools, teams and community groups from around Toronto have been invited to these midday games to watch the Lions square off against their cross-town and OUA East Division rivals. There will be a special presentation by local community heroes and York University Lions alumni Jamal Campbell and Chris Kolankowski, both members of the 2017 Grey Cup winning Argos. On the court, there will be an intense rivalry that will play out as the Lions and Rams battle for an important two points in the division standings.

In the women’s game, the Lions (10-9) will be looking for their second win of the season against the perennially strong Rams (10-9) in a potential playoff preview and a battle that may decide who gets home court in the first round. Three weeks ago, the Lions travelled downtown to the Mattamy Athletic Centre and posted a huge 89-78 win, their first over the Rams since 2014.

The victory started a four-game winning streak for the Lions, and despite a loss to second-place Queen’s University last Friday in their most recent contest, the Lions have already clinched a playoff spot and doubled their wins total from last year with four games still remaining. The Rams, meanwhile, have lost five in a row dating back to that defeat against York University, most recently last Friday by a single point to the University of Toronto Varsity Blues.

In the men’s game, the Lions (2-17) will be looking to knock off the two-time defending champion Rams (13-6), who remain a strong team in the powerhouse OUA East. The young Lions, who underwent significant roster overhaul in the off-season under new head coach Nate Philippe and feature just three players from last year’s team, have played many of the top teams tough but have struggled to find the win column.

In the first meeting of the season between the two teams, a game the Rams won 83-70, the Lions had cut an 18-point deficit to just one with 6:24 remaining but were outscored down the stretch. That win for Ryerson was part of a four-game winning streak that was halted by No. 1 Carleton, but the Rams won their most recent contest convincingly, 96-76 over Toronto.

As part of their weekend schedule, the Lions will also face their other city rivals, the Varsity Blues, on Saturday night in their final regular-season home games. The women will tip off at 6pm and the men will follow at 8pm.

Lions defend the den at 47th annual York Open

York Open

The York University Lions track and field team hosted the 47th annual York Open meet this past weekend and had a strong showing at the Toronto Track and Field Centre, earning nine medals.

The women’s team led the way with five medals at the two-day meet. The Lions took home two medals in the triple jump. Holly Pitters won the event with a jump of 11.45m, and teammate Bailey Francis claimed the bronze medal with a best jump of 10.96m.

Rookie Rasheeda Gurley had a busy weekend, earning a bronze medal in the women’s long jump with a distance of 5.22m on Saturday after finishing sixth in the pentathlon the night before with 2945 points.

The women’s team also claimed two medals in the 4x200m relay. The team consisting of Christy Ihunaegbo, Courtney Dwyer, Shania Payne and Marvelous Agbonwaneten won the event with a time of 1:42.09, while another team of Nicolette Witherspoon, Zakiya Tavernier, Diana Boa and Monique Simon-Tucker claimed the bronze medal with a time of 1:43.82.

The men’s team also had an impressive weekend with four medals won, including a pair of golds.

Levar Russell won the men’s 600m dash with a time of 1:21.47, while triple jumper Nicholas Fyffe took home the gold medal in his event with a jump of 14.86m. Samuel Adams soared his way to a silver medal in the pole vault with a jump of 4.91m.

The men’s 4x200m relay team of Xavier Jehovah, Russell, Mark Hutchinson and Daniele Orsini ran their way to a silver medal with a time of 1:29.68.

The Lions will be splitting up next weekend when some of the team will go to Windsor, Ont., to participate in the Windsor Lancers’ annual Team Challenge, and some athletes will travel south of the border to the SPIRE NCAA Division I invitational in Geneva, Ohio.

Story by Emily Goodwin