Fourth-year York University Lions jumper Holly Pitters set a new school record in the long jump on Saturday to win the gold medal in the event at the Can Am Classic in Windsor, Ont.
Pitters recorded a new personal-best distance of 6.11 metres to finish in first place by more than 40 centimetres over the rest of the field. The mark was also good enough to surpass the automatic qualifying standard for the upcoming U SPORTS championships later this season.
Also reaching the podium at the Can Am Classic was Mikeisha Bobb, who raced to bronze in the 60m hurdles with a time of 8.73 seconds. Bobb also had another top-five finish at the meet with a fifth-place showing in the 300m in a time of 40.69 seconds. More details on the York Lions website.
Women’s hockey Lions explode for six goals in victory over Ridgebacks
The York University Lions women’s hockey team travelled to the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) to face off in a Sunday afternoon battle and leaned on a huge first period where three goals were scored to coast to a huge 6-2-road win over the Ridgebacks.
Just over two minutes into the opening period, the Lions drew first blood. First-year forward Christina Chin scored a goal at 2:03 with the assists credited to Kelsey McHolm and Jenna Gray. Only two minutes later, the Ridgebacks got on the board themselves, but at 12:21 of the frame Chin beat the goaltender for the second time in the period. More details.
The win came one day after a heartbreaking defeat to the University of Toronto Varsity Blues in which the Blues scored with only 29 seconds remaining for a 2-1 victory. Third-year York forward Chelsea Tucker scored her first of the season at 16:44 of the final period to equal the score at 1-1. Just when it looked as though the game would go to overtime, Becki Bowering found the back of the net to steal the win for the Blues. More details.
Men’s basketball Lions get back into win column with victory over Blues
Two streaks came to an end on Friday afternoon as the York University Lions men’s basketball team earned a big 79-68 victory over the cross-town rival University of Toronto Varsity Blues at the Tait McKenzie Centre.
The result snapped both a six-game losing skid by the Lions and a four-game winning streak the Blues carried into the contest. The Lions improved to 3-6 on the year and stole an important two points from their Ontario University Athletics (OUA) East Division rivals, while the Blues dropped to 7-4 this season.
The Lions led from wire-to-wire and wasted no time pulling ahead, scoring the first seven points of the contest and leading 19-13 after the first quarter. The home team continued to pull ahead in the second, outscoring the Blues 29-14, and carried a commanding 48-27 advantage into halftime. More details.
The next day, the Lions led at the half but were ultimately defeated 69-52 by the No. 3 nationally ranked Ryerson University Rams. In the first quarter, second-year guard Jayden Frederick worked fast to get comfortable behind the arc as he hit two three-point shots in the opening three minutes of the game. The baskets added six points to the Lions’ 10-point quarter. More details.
Women’s volleyball Lions sweep Excalibur for sixth win of the season
The York University Lions women’s volleyball team hit the court on Sunday afternoon and recorded a straight sets victory over the Trent University Excalibur at the Tait McKenzie Centre.
The first set of the match set the tone for what would be a quick and efficient game for the Lions. York’s power hitting was on full display by Sarah Williams. She tallied five kills in just the first set and would finish the game with 12. One great play after another, the Lions hit 25 points with only 12 scored on them. More details.
On Saturday, the Lions let a 2-1 advantage slip away on Saturday afternoon with a 3-2 loss to the Ryerson University Rams at the Tait McKenzie Centre. The Rams took the first set 25-21 and led early in the second set, but the Lions came roaring back to take the set 25-23 and level the match. More details.
Men’s volleyball Lions defeat Excalibur in straight sets
The York University Lions men’s volleyball team knocked off the Trent University Excalibur on Sunday afternoon in straight sets at the Tait McKenzie Centre.
The sweeping victory gave the Lions their sixth win of the season and highlighted many great individual performances. The Lions had a quick start in the game and jumped up on the Excalibur to gain a significant lead that they would not relinquish.
With Trent’s six errors in the first set, the Lions road became much easier. Logan Mend set seven of York’s 10 kills in the first set and recorded an impressive 18 assists in the game. After a quick run to 25, the Lions took the set by a score of 25-12. More details.
On Saturday, the Lions had their five-game winning streak snapped by the Ryerson University Rams in a five-set loss on home court. The match was a tight affair that saw three of the five sets go past the end in order to determine a winner.
The Rams raced out to a big lead early in the first set and were up 16-10 at the technical timeout, but the Lions came all the way back to level the score at 23-23 and they stole the set by a score of 27-25. More details.
Lancers edge men’s hockey Lions in low-scoring affair
The York University Lions men’s hockey team was narrowly defeated by a score of 1-0 by the University of Windsor Lancers at South Windsor Arena on Saturday night.
The Lions dominated for much of the game, controlling possession and getting numerous scoring opportunities, but they could not get the puck past Windsor goaltender Kris Joyce. He made 37 saves, including 16 in the third period alone when the Lions desperately tried to find the back of the net. More details.
No. 6 Rams use big first half to defeat women’s basketball Lions
The York University Lions women’s basketball team returned to the court on Saturday night to square off against the No. 6 nationallyranked Ryerson University Rams, and after four quarters of play the Lions fell in defeat by a score of 64-51.
The Rams struck fast out of the gate and jumped up to an early 9-0 lead. York’s Nina Guzina recorded four points in the opening quarter as she hit two free throws and a jump shot. However, the Rams played exceptional defence and ended the quarter with a 21-12 lead. More details.
On Friday, the University of Toronto Varsity Blues defeated the Lions by a score of 78-48 in York’s inaugural school day game with hundreds of local children in attendance.
The atmosphere was electric as the cross-town rivals battled it out on the court. The first quarter was a tight affair in which neither team pulled ahead by more than three points, and Toronto led by just one point, 12-11, at the end of the frame. More details.
El-Nahas wins bronze at Brock Open
York University Lions wrestler Mohab El-Nahas won the bronze medal in the men’s 90kg weight class at the Brock Open in St. Catharines, Ont., on Saturday.
El-Nahas defeated former U SPORTS bronze medallist Clayton Pye from the Brock Badgers in the bronze-medal match to put himself on the podium. The victory also avenged an earlier loss to Pye in their first match of the tournament. More details.