Weekend wrap: Lions reach podium 21 times at three meets

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York U Lions

The York University Lions track and field team had a huge medal haul over the weekend, racking up 21 medals including 10 gold medals, eight silver medals and three bronze medals at three separate meets.

The biggest contingent for the Lions competed at the Ottawa Winter National Invitational meet, where the team brought home 14 of their 21 medals. The men’s team led the way with nine medals, with gold medals going to Kayden Johnson in the 60m hurdles (8.47s), Xavier Jehovah in the 300m (34.55s), the 4x200m relay team of Demari Grant, Xavier Joseph, Tohma Van Bergen and Quinn Charles (1:30.36), and the 4x400m relay team of Jehovah, Mark Hutchinson, Daniele Orsini and Joshua Ching (3:21.82). Jehovah’s time in the 300m was a new personal best and finds him now ranked in the top eight in U SPORTS, while Johnson’s time in the 60m hurdles ranks him sixth in the nation. More details on the York Lions website.

Lions post big 3-1 victory over Lakers

The York University Lions men’s volleyball team beat the Nipissing University Lakers in a thrilling 3-1 game on Friday, Jan. 18 at the Tait McKenzie Centre, winning their first game of the second half of their 2018-19 season.

The Lions were off to an early lead in the first set of the game with setter Logan Mend serving the first ball. By the technical timeout, the Lions were leading 16-10 against the Lakers.

York’s Andrew Tauhid provided the Lions with their 22nd point of the set, which was followed by another point on a serve by Mend. The last point of the set occurred as a result of an out of bounds serve from the Lakers, giving the Lions their first set win with a final score of 25-18. More details.

Lions sweep Lakers 3-0 in convincing win

The York University Lions women’s volleyball team beat the Nippising University Lakers on Friday, Jan. 18 for their sixth win of the 2018-19 season. The Lions beat the Lakers in a 3-0 sweep during their first home game since the new year in front of a packed crowd.

The Lions took the first set 25-17 against the Lakers, who they also beat during their first game of the season by a score of 3-0. The first set saw great plays from the Lions, especially from York’s Cadence Currie who was all over the court for the Lions and had a number of key kills. More details.

No. 9 Gryphons too much for Lions on Wednesday night

The York University Lions women’s hockey team lost 4-1 to the University of Guelph Gryphons in an away game on Wednesday, Jan. 16. The Lions got off to a great start as they scored the first goal of the game in the first period. At 16:15, York’s Courtney Gardiner secured the Lions sole goal with an assist from Tegan Duncan.

In the second period, neither teams scored. However, the Lions controlled the play, as they were able to get 11 shots on goal compared to Gryphons’ five. More details.

Two days later, the Lions lost 1-0 to the Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks in Waterloo on Friday, Jan. 18, their second loss in as many road games this week.

Though both teams had six shots on goal in the first period, neither team was able to get the puck past Eva Hall and Cohen Myers, the respective goalkeepers for the Lions and the Golden Hawks. The first period of the game ended 0-0 for both teams. More details.

York falls to No. 1 Carleton

The York University men’s basketball team were defeated 100-54 against the Carleton University Ravens on Saturday evening at the Raven’s Nest in Ottawa.

The Lions were up against tough competition in Ottawa this weekend, playing against the No. 1 team in the country. The Ravens are also first place in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) East standings with a perfect 16-0 record this season.

The Lions opened the game with Chevon Brown nailing a three-pointer after the Ravens got five points on the scoreboard. Despite keeping the game close at the start of the quarter, the Ravens added 22 points total to lead the Lions 22-13. More details.

A day earlier, the Lions were defeated by the No. 7 University of Ottawa Gee-Gees 92-58 at Montpetit Hall in Ottawa.

The Lions were up against tough competition facing the No. 7-ranked team in the country and the third-place team in the OUA East standings. The Gee-Gees were consistent through all four quarters and maintained a large lead on the Lions after a solid opening quarter.

The Lions kept the game close through the first period and trailed 15-12 with two minutes remaining. In the final two minutes, the Gee-Gees added seven more points to lead the Lions 22-12. In the second quarter, the Gee-Gees extended their lead to end the half by a score of 47-27. More details.

Lions end up on wrong end of high-scoring game, fall 7-6 to Rams

On Saturday, Jan. 19, the York University Lions men’s hockey team lost 7-6 against the Ryerson University Rams in a high-scoring game during York’s first away Subway Series game of the year at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.

In the first period of the game, the Rams were able to get on the scoreboard with a goal with just over a minute to spare, at 18:45, to give Ryerson the first goal of the game. The Rams’ offence provided the home team with 16 shots on goal and all but one was saved by York goaltender Mack Shields. The Lions, on their end, were able to get six shots on goal during the first period, but none were able to find the back of Ryerson’s net. More details.

On Friday evening, the Lions faced a tough 5-3 loss against the Western Mustangs at Canlan Ice Sports.

In the previous Lions vs. Mustangs matchup just six days prior, the Mustangs topped the Lions 2-1, scoring the game winner in the final minute of play. With one point separating the two teams in the OUA West standings, the Mustangs earned a big win to maintain their third-place spot. More details.

Lions fall to No. 5 Gee-Gees

The York University women’s basketball team faced the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees, who are ranked fifth in the country, and fell 88-58 on Friday evening at Montpetit Hall in Ottawa.

The Lions were up against tough competition playing against the Gee-Gees, who are also tied for first place in the OUA East standings with the Ryerson Rams. Despite the loss, the Lions are sitting in fifth place and are looking to end the second half of the season strong to earn a playoff spot.

The Lions kept the game close throughout the start of the first quarter and trailed by only three points, 12-9, midway through the quarter. The Gee-Gees picked up a bigger lead in the final minutes of the quarter and ended it by a score of 27-13. More details.

The following night, the Lions were defeated 71-50 by the Carleton University Ravens on Saturday evening at the Raven’s Nest in Ottawa.

The Lions had two tough matchups against top teams in the country this weekend in Ottawa. Sunday’s matchup against the Ottawa Gee-Gees ended in an 88-58 loss for the Lions. Unlike their previous game against the Gee-Gees, the Lions had a strong first half, making it difficult for the Ravens to pick up a large lead. More details.