Weekend wrap: Track & Field Lions finish 5th and 6th at provincial championships

The York University Lions men’s track and field team finished in fifth place at the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) championships on Friday at the University of Windsor, while the women ended up in sixth place.

The Lions won seven medals at the championships, including four on day one and three on day two. View full results here.

David_McKayDavid McKay

Leading the way on the second day of competition was second-year pole vaulter David McKay, who defended his title in his event with his second straight gold. He didn’t check into the competition until the bar was at 4.71 metres, and he cleared both that height and 4.86 metres on the first try to win the gold medal.  More details on York Lions website.

Men’s volleyball Lions fall to Marauders in OUA semifinal

The York University Lions men’s volleyball team was defeated in straight sets by the McMaster University Marauders in their Ontario University Athletics (OUA) semifinal match on Friday night at Burridge Gymnasium.

The contest was a rematch of the regular-season finale, which the Lions won 3-0 to hand McMaster its only loss of the year. This time, the No. 2 nationally-ranked Marauders dominated from the start and never looked back, winning 25-17, 25-15 and 25-20.

The Marauders raced out to a quick lead in the first set and controlled play throughout to earn the early 1-0 lead in the match. The Lions got off to better starts in both the second and third sets, but it wasn’t long before the experience of the Marauders enabled them to pull ahead each time, and in the end they won the match convincingly.  More details.

Rams down men’s basketball Lions in OUA East playoff action

The York University Lions men’s basketball team was defeated by the Ryerson University Rams by a score of 83-77 in the first round of the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) playoffs on Wednesday night at Mattamy Athletic Centre.

The win moved the third-seeded Rams into the OUA quarter-finals, and they will face the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees on the road on Saturday night. The sixth-seeded Lions, meanwhile, had their season end with the loss.

The only difference in the game was Ryerson’s play in the third quarter, as the Rams outscored the Lions 22-16 to take the biggest lead of the game. Other than that frame the two squads played extremely tight, as the Rams held a three-point lead after the first quarter (20-17) but the Lions erased it in the second to even the game at 35-35 at the half.  More details.

Blues top women’s basketball Lions in OUA East quarter-final

The York University Lions women’s basketball team was defeated by the University of Toronto Varsity Blues by a score of 88-52 in Ontario University Athletics (OUA) East quarter-final action on Wednesday night at the Athletic Centre Sports Gym.

With the win, the third-seeded Varsity Blues head to Ottawa for an East semifinal versus the second-place and No. 7 nationally-ranked Carleton University Ravens on Saturday, while the sixth-seeded Lions see their season come to an end.

Toronto knocked down a season-high 88 points, shooting 47 per cent (37-78) from the floor, while going 11-for-14 from the free throw line. The Lions, meanwhile, struggled with their shooting all night and finished with a shooting percentage of 23.3 (15-64).  More details.