York student-athletes earn OUA recognition

yorku-letters FEATURED image for new YFile format

Four York University student-athletes have been recognized by Ontario University Athletics (OUA) with awards and honours.

Prince Kamunga OUA All-star
Prince Kamunga has been named an OUA second team all-star

York University Lions men’s basketball guard Prince Kamunga has been named an OUA second team all-star after his team-leading offensive campaign put him amongst the best in the conference.

Kamunga, a fourth-year information technology major, had 21.1 points per game for a team lead, far over any of his Lions counterparts, and good enough for sixth in the OUA. He was also fourth in the OUA in steals (34), fourth in points (337) and second in blocks (33).

His season also featured plenty of individual performances that were notable, earning him athlete of the week honours for obtaining the second-highest single-game point total in program history – 45 points – in a 114-110 win over Queen’s during the period ending March 7. 

The Lions may not be the only stop of Kamunga’s career. He was drafted in the second round (11th overall) by the Edmonton Stingers in the 2020 CEBL U SPORTS draft. 

Kamunga is the first Lion to make the second team since Nick Tufegdzich earned the honours in 2013-14.

 Lauren Golding has been named a second team all-star, and Kiara Leveridge taking home the rookie of the year award
Lauren Golding has been named a second team all-star, and Kiara Leveridge taking home the rookie of the year award

Two members of the York University Lions women’s basketball team are taking home some end of year conference hardware, after being announced as award winners and all-stars. Lauren Golding has been named a second team all-star, and Kiara Leveridge taking home the rookie of the year award.

Leveridge is the first Lion to take a rookie of the year award since the 2004-05 season when Laura MacCallum won the award. York players have taken the award five times dating back to 1988.

This is Golding’s second season in a row getting a second team all-star nomination, dating back to her nod in 2019-20. Aside from Golding, 22 other Lions have been named second-team all-stars dating back to 1981.

Leveridge enjoyed a breakout season in her first as a Lion, registering as some of the most prolific offensive statistics amongst her peers. She led all York rookies in points per game (11.2) and rebounds per game (6.6), making her presence felt after joining the team out of Canletes High School.

Golding has been an asset to the Lions in her four years as a forward for the team, this season was a continuation of her important role offensively. She led the team in points per game with 12.1 and rebounds per game with 9.9 – coming just short of averaging a double double over the course of the 2021-22 campaign.

Lions men's hockey defender Conner Senken has earned a place on the OUA's 2021-22 all-rookie team
Lions men’s hockey defender Conner Senken has earned a place on the OUA’s 2021-22 all-rookie team

After a successful first year in the league, York University Lions men’s hockey defender Conner Senken has earned a place on the OUA’s 2021-22 all-rookie team.

Senken, a first-year rear guard from Kanata, Ont., earned three assists in 12 games played over the course of the 2021-22 campaign. He registered his first career OUA point Nov. 6 in a game at Lakehead – the second contest of the Lions’ season. Both of his other two assists came in the same game, Feb. 24 when York hosted the Brock Badgers.

The 22-year-old business and society major joined York from the USHL’s Des Moines Buccaneers, where he played his final two seasons of junior hockey. He registered 21 points (eight goals, 13 assists) over the course of 106 games in Iowa’s state capital.

Senken is the first Lion since 2018-19 to find his way onto the OUA West all-rookie squad, since Bradley Forrest did it. Mack Shields, a standout five-year Lions netminder, was placed on the 2016-17 all-rookie team. In total, 11 Lions have been selected as all-rookies.