The York University sport teams will take a break in the month of December. The only team competing in the next three weeks is the Lions track and field team. York will host the Sixth Annual Christmas Open on Saturday at the Toronto Track and Field Centre.
The York Lions women’s basketball team enters the December break in first place in the OUA East Division with a record of 8-1. The Lions recorded a pair of road victories last weekend in Ottawa. On Friday, Laura MacCallum scored a game-high 15 points as York defeated the Carleton Ravens 66-53. Kim Gibbs added 14 points, five rebounds and four steals.
Right: Brenan Rurak
Brenan Rurak recorded a game-high 17 points in Saturday’s 60-37 win over the Ottawa Gee-Gees. Gibbs added 10 points, three rebounds and three steals. The Lions’ next league action is on Jan. 6 at the University of Western Ontario.
The men’s basketball team lost both games in Ottawa to the undefeated Ravens and Gee-Gees. The two losses drop the Lions below the .500 mark for the first time this season as they enter the December break with a 4-5 record. In Friday’s 80-67 loss to the number one ranked and three-time defending national champion Carleton Ravens, Tut Ruach scored a game-high 21 points, while Santiago Tascon tallied 15 points. In Saturday’s 84-57 loss to Ottawa, Ruach scored a game-high 24 points. The Lions will compete at the UBC Tournament in Vancouver Dec. 28-30 before resuming league play at the University of Western Ontario on Jan. 6.
The women’s hockey team concluded the first half of the season with a 3-3 tie against the Brock Badgers on Friday at the Ice Gardens. The Lions’ Mandy Cole scored the game-tying goal early in the final period to go along with an assist. Kaylee Black also scored once and picked up a helper, while Dorothy Aniuk had the other York goal. The Lions, undefeated in their last three games, host Manhattenville in an exhibition contest on Jan. 6 before returning to league play on Jan. 15 at Toronto.
The women’s volleyball team had its six-game winning streak and home undefeated record snapped with a straight-set loss to Toronto on Friday. Nicole Carleton-Burnham led the Lions with nine kills, while Ainsley Martinez added six kills. Rookie Meghan O’Doherty recorded a team-high 13 digs. York will compete at the National Invitational Tournament at Toronto Jan. 6-8. Next league action is against Ryerson on Jan.12 at the Tait McKenzie Centre on York’s Keele campus.
The men’s volleyball team lost 3-1 to Toronto on Friday. Paul Podstawka led the Lions with a team-high 18 kills, while also leading in digs with seven. Ryan Anderson added 11 kills and James Battiston had a team-high four blocks. The Lions will host the Excalibur Classic Tournament on Jan. 6-8 before returning to league action against Ryerson on Jan.12.