Lion Chris Kolankowski signs with hometown Toronto Argos

Lions football player
Lions football player

kolankowskYork University Lions football player Chris Kolankowski has signed a professional contract in the Canadian Football League (CFL) with his hometown Toronto Argonauts.

A 6-foot-2, 292-pound offensive lineman from Etobicoke, Ont., Kolankowski was selected by the Argos in the sixth round (49th overall) of the 2016 CFL draft and participated in training camp and two pre-season games last year before returning to the Lions for his fifth and final season.

Kolankowski played in 33 games over his five-year career, starting as a back-up lineman and blossoming into the team’s starting centre. He also played several games at guard. In 2015 he earned the team’s Mike Benevides Lineman of the Year Award, and in 2013 he received York’s Tom Arnott Yeoman of the Year Award for Hard Work and Character.

Kolankowski is studying law & society at York.

With the Argos, he joins former Lions teammate and fellow offensive lineman Jamal Campbell, who was also drafted last season and made the team out of training camp, going on to participate in eight games in the regular season.

Also with the Argos are former York football players Andre Durie and Ricky Foley, who have both had illustrious CFL careers that have lasted more than 10 seasons.

Lion Chris Kolankowski signs with hometown Toronto Argos

kolankowsk
Chris Kolankowski

York University Lions football player Chris Kolankowski has signed a professional contract in the Canadian Football League (CFL) with his hometown Toronto Argonauts.

A 6-foot-2, 292-pound offensive lineman from Etobicoke, Ont., Kolankowski was selected by the Argos in the sixth round (49th overall) of the 2016 CFL draft and participated in training camp and two pre-season games last year before returning to the Lions for his fifth and final season.

Kolankowski played in 33 games over his five-year career, starting as a back-up lineman and blossoming into the team’s starting centre. He also played several games at guard. In 2015 he earned the team’s Mike Benevides Lineman of the Year Award, and in 2013 he received York’s Tom Arnott Yeoman of the Year Award for Hard Work and Character.

Kolankowski is studying law & society at York University.

With the Argos, he joins former Lions teammate and fellow offensive lineman Jamal Campbell, who was also drafted last season and made the team out of training camp, going on to participate in eight games in the regular season.

Also with the Argos are former York Lions football players Andre Durie and Ricky Foley, who have both had illustrious CFL careers that have lasted more than 10 seasons.

Men’s wrestling team ranks nationally for first time

wrestlingFor the first time since the wrestling program returned to varsity status, the York University Lions men’s wrestling team has a place in the national rankings.

The Lions were announced at No. 10 in U Sports as part of the weekly rankings on Dec. 6.

Under the guidance of head coach Eamonn Dorgan, the Lions have made tremendous strides since 2012. In each of the last four years the Lions have had a wrestler reach the podium at the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) championships – including a gold medal by Ali Koca in the 120kg weight class in 2015 – and represent York at the U Sports championships.

This year is poised to be the team’s best yet under Dorgan, with several student-athletes capable of medaling at the OUA and U Sports championships later in the season.

York had a dominant wrestling program in the late 1980s, including winning a national championship in 1989 and OUA titles in 1987 and 1989.

The Lions are off until the new year and will return to action on Saturday, Jan. 14 when they travel to St. Catharines, Ont., for the Brock Open.

Men’s wrestling team ranks nationally for first time

wrestlingFor the first time since the wrestling program returned to varsity status, the York University Lions men’s wrestling team has a place in the national rankings.

The Lions were announced at No. 10 in U Sports as part of the weekly rankings on Dec. 6.

Under the guidance of head coach Eamonn Dorgan, the Lions have made tremendous strides since 2012. In each of the last four years the Lions have had a wrestler reach the podium at the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) championships – including a gold medal by Ali Koca in the 120kg weight class in 2015 – and represent York at the U Sports championships.

This year is poised to be the team’s best yet under Dorgan, with several student-athletes capable of medaling at the OUA and U Sports championships later in the season.

York had a dominant wrestling program in the late 1980s, including winning a national championship in 1989 and OUA titles in 1987 and 1989.

The Lions are off until the new year and will return to action on Saturday, Jan. 14 when they travel to St. Catharines, Ont., for the Brock Open.

Weekend wrap: Women’s basketball Lions secure win over Thunderbirds

The York University Lions women’s basketball team etched its first tick in the win column on Friday night with a 59-52 victory over the Algoma University Thunderbirds at the Tait McKenzie Centre.

Fans in attendance were treated to some superb individual performances. Ishanaa Seupersadsingh headlined the night with her team-leading 14 points to help the Lions end their four-game winless streak.

The Lions’ victory could perhaps be solely credited to their fast start in the opening quarter. The Lions came out of the gate ready to throw the first punch and knock out the early. Six different Lions got involved and posted the team’s 20 points in the first quarter, outscoring the Thunderbirds by 11. More details on the York Lions website.

The next night against the University of Guelph Gryphons, the Lions rallied in the fourth quarter but came up short in a 71-62 loss.

The Gryphons led by as many as 16 in the fourth quarter but the Lions rallied to close the gap to just five with 1:22 remaining. With time winding down the Lions were forced to foul the Gryphons, and Megan Brenkel made four free throws to seal the win. More details. 

Men’s hockey Lions explode for six goals in win over Warriors

The York University Lions men’s hockey team equaled a season high with six goals on Saturday night in a 6-2 triumph over the University of Waterloo Warriors at Canlan Ice Sports in their final home game of the 2016 season.

The Lions enter the December break with an 11-5-2 record and in second place in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) West standings, while the Warriors fell to 5-8-3 and are currently ninth in the division.

It didn’t take long for the Lions to get on the board in the contest as rookie Daniel Nikandrov found the back of the net just 58 seconds into the game for an early 1-0 lead. More details.

In their other game of the weekend, the Lions gave up four goals in one game for the first time since opening weekend in a 4-0 loss to the Carleton University Ravens on Friday night.

The Lions outshot the Ravens 10-7 in the first period, but it was Carleton that took the early lead, scoring a pair of goals in the opening period for a 2-0 advantage after one. OUA scoring leader Michael McNamee netted the first goal at 9:41 and Corey Durocher added another at 11:21. More details.

Men’s basketball Lions fall to Gryphons in last game of 2016

The York University Lions men’s basketball team suffered an 87-65 loss to the University of Guelph Gryphons in their final game of 2016 at the W. F. Mitchell Athletics Centre in Guelph, Ont., on Saturday night.

The Gryphons used a dominant first half to pull away from the Lions, outscoring them 18-12 in the first quarter and 24-12 in the second for a commanding 42-24 advantage at the half. The Lions played a much better third quarter, putting up 19 points to the Gryphons’ 18, but it wasn’t nearly enough to close the gap and the Gryphons went on to the lopsided victory. More details.

On Friday, the Lions looked like they were going to pick up their third win of the season against the Algoma University Thunderbirds, but the Thunderbirds late-game rally cut down a big lead by the Lions as they outscored the home team 30-18 in the final frame to come back and steal the victory.

In terms of the first quarter, the Lions flat out dominated. Ammar Hassan opened up the game by scoring York’s first five points. The Lions played aggressively at the boards to create mosecond-chancence scoring opportunities for themselves and this helped the Lions shut out the quarter leading 18-14. More details.

York wrestler takes gold at provincial championships

Wrestling image
Wrestling image

York University Lions wrestler Shady El-Nahas won the gold medal in the 97kg weight class at the Ontario senior provincial championships on Nov. 26 in St. Catharines, Ont.

shady-2The rookie wrestler from Toronto continued his impressive season with another dominant showing against some of the best wrestlers in the province.

He opened the tournament with a victory over Scott MacLellan from the Hamilton Wrestling Club, and followed that up with another win over Kyle Bonk-Dann of the Western Mustangs in the semifinals to set up a gold-medal bout against Ameen Aghamirian, also from Hamilton.

In the final, El-Nahas cruised to a big 15-4 win to put himself at the top of the podium. He is now 15-0 on the season and has 12 pins among his victories while picking up gold medals at the Concordia Open, the McMaster Open and the York Open.

Also wrestling at the provincial championships was Lions teammate Sebastian Galzote (Thornhill, Ont.). He finished in sixth place in the men’s 65kg weight class, falling to Erik Joy from Hamilton in the fifth-place match.

Weekend wrap: Men’s hockey Lions erase two-goal deficit to defeat Lancers in double OT

York Lions Logo

The York University Lions men’s hockey team came back from a two-goal deficit to defeat the University of Windsor Lancers 3-2 in double overtime at Canlan Ice Sports on Saturday night.

Third-year defenceman Derek Sheppard scored 2:11 into the second extra frame to give the Lions their third win in a row and improve their record to 10-4-2 on the season. Fourth-year forward Greg Milner forced overtime with a power-play marker 10:40 into the third period to even the score at 2-2. More details on the York Lions website.

The triumph was the team’s second of the weekend as the Lions also earned a big 5-1 win over the University of Toronto Varsity Blues on Friday night. The Lions used quick starts in each of the first two periods to take a commanding lead they would not relinquish.

Milner opened the scoring just 2:27 into the contest with his ninth goal of the year, and less than five minutes later Kyle Campbell found the back of the net to give the Lions a 2-0 lead after the first period. More details.

Women’s hockey Lions pick up third win of the season against Rams

York University Lions women’s hockey goaltender Eva Hall stood on her head on Thursday night to lead her team to a 4-3 victory over the Ryerson University Rams at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.

The Rams fired 43 shots on Hall, including 17 each in the second and third periods, but the three goals she allowed were not enough for the Rams to claim the win. The Lions controlled most of the first period, outshooting the Rams 11-9 and scoring the period’s only goal, a power-play tally by rookie defender Taylor Davison at 14:23 of the frame to give her team a 1-0 lead. More details.

Also this past weekend, the Lions came back from two goals down but then fell in a shootout to the University of Toronto Varsity Blues by a 4-3 score. The Varsity Blues scored three unanswered goals in a 12-minute span in the second period to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 3-1 advantage. But the Lions got one back before the period was over and another in the third to push the game past regulation. More details.

Men’s volleyball Lions win fifth straight with victory over Paladins

The York University Lions men’s volleyball team won its fifth straight match on Sunday afternoon with a 3-1 victory over the Royal Military College (RMC) Paladins at the Tait McKenzie Centre.

The Lions’ recent streak has moved them into a three-way tie for second place in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) East standings with 10 points and they will carry their 5-2 record into the long December break.

The Lions won the first set with ease, taking it 25-15, but the Paladins put up some resistance in the second before the Lions finally put it away at 25-23 to take a 2-0 lead in the match. More details.

One day earlier the Lions recorded a huge 3-1 win over the Queen’s University Gaels. Alex Duncan-Thibault continued his tremendous season with a remarkable 27 points in just four sets, picked up on 24 kills, two blocks and one service ace.

The match was a close one from start to finish, with all four sets being decided by four points or less. The Lions raced out to a big lead from the opening whistle and led 24-19 late in the opening set, but the Gaels chipped away with three straight points before the Lions put the set away at 25-22. More details.

Women’s volleyball Lions come back to defeat Gaels in five sets

The York University Lions women’s volleyball team rallied from a 2-1 deficit to defeat the visiting Queen’s University Gaels in five sets in their battle at the Tait McKenzie Centre on Saturday afternoon.

After winning the first set, the Lions dropped the next two before rallying in the fourth and fifth for their fourth victory of the season. The Lions dominated early in the first set, racing to a 7-0 lead that swelled to 16-8 at the technical timeout. They continued to pile on points and won the opening set 25-11. More details.

On Sunday, the Lions swept the Royal Military College (RMC) Paladins in straight sets to head into the December break on a three-game winning streak.

The result of the match was never in doubt as the Lions won each set by at least eight points en route to their fifth victory of the year. The Lions dominated the first set. They scored the first three points and did not look back, taking it 25-8 for an early lead. More details.

Thunderwolves hold on in fourth to edge men’s basketball Lions

The York University Lions men’s basketball team dropped a tough one on Saturday night to the Lakehead University Thunderwolves by a score of 79-75. The Thunderwolves edged out the Lions late in the fourth quarter to steal the win at the Thunderdome in Thunder Bay, Ont.

In the opening quarter of the game, the Lions hit four three-pointers from three different players. Jayden Frederick hit two while Nidun Chandrakumar and Nana Adu-Poku hit one each. The deep ball has continued to be a successful shot for the Lions early on in the season and, after some successful shot selection and great defensive play, the Lions entered the second quarter with a one-point lead as the scoreboard read 16-15. More details.

Women’s basketball Lions defeated by Thunderwolves

The York University Lions women’s basketball team suffered its fourth loss of the season on Saturday night after they travelled to Thunder Bay, Ont., to battle the Lakehead University Thunderwolves. The Lions took the loss by a score of 65-47.

The Lions’ best quarters of play came in the first and the third as they scored 15 points in both. In the opening period of play, Taylor McAlpine scored all six of her points to help the Lions offensive effort. After the first 10 minutes passed, the Thunderwolves led by five as the score read 20-15. More details.

Weekend wrap: Men’s soccer Lions finish sixth at U Sports championships

York Lions Logo

The York University Lions men’s soccer team fell by a score of 2-1 to the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds in the consolation final at the U Sports championships in Guelph, Ont., on Saturday evening.

The game was a battle between the last two national champions in a contest neither expected to be in when the tournament started on Thursday. It was a tale of two halves, as the Lions dominated the first and the Thunderbirds controlled the second. The two squads finished with 10 shots apiece, with York recording seven of theirs in the first half and UBC nine in the second half. More details on the York Lions website.

The Lions ended up in the consolation side of the draw after a 2-0 loss to the University of Alberta Golden Bears in the quarter-finals on Thursday.

The Lions had several scoring chances throughout the match but could not capitalize when they got the ball in close, and on the other end of the pitch the Bears converted two free kicks into goals to claim the victory. More details.

As part of the tournament, the Lions also earned a 4-1 win over the University of Toronto Varsity Blues in the consolation semifinals on Friday.

The win marked the second time in as many weeks the Lions have knocked off their cross-town rivals after last week’s 1-0 Ontario University Athletics (OUA) semifinal win. Midfielder Ryan Telfer was named York’s player of the match after scoring two goals. He was also the player of the match in Thursday’s quarter-final. More details.

Duncan-Thibault leads men’s volleyball Lions in five-set thriller over Blues

Alex Duncan-Thibault scored a remarkable 30 points to lead the York University Lions men’s volleyball team to a thrilling 3-2 victory over the rival University of Toronto Varsity Blues at the Goldring Centre on Sunday afternoon.

The two squads traded sets throughout the match. The first set was the most lopsided, with the Lions taking it 25-18, but the Blues came back to win the second 25-21. The Lions took the third and the Blues came back to take the fourth by matching 25-23 scores, and then the Lions finally put it away in the fifth at 15-10. More details.

One day earlier, the Lions picked up their first win of the season with a straight-sets victory over the Ryerson University Rams at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.

In the first set, it took until the technical timeout for either team to pull ahead by more than two points, and the Lions led 16-13. They continued to roll from there, eventually taking the first set 25-19. More details.

Milner scores in double OT for thrilling men’s hockey win over Patriotes

Greg Milner scored 55 seconds into the second overtime period to lead the York University Lions men’s hockey team to a thrilling 3-2 victory over the defending champion Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR) Patriotes at Canlan Ice Sports on Friday night.

The final goal capped a wild finish to a game that saw only one goal scored through the first two and a half periods, and then three in a six-minute span to close out the contest. More details.

One night later, the No. 6 nationally ranked Concordia University Stingers edged the Lions by a score of 3-2 at Canlan Ice Sports.

York seemed comfortable from the very second the puck dropped as they moved the puck into Concordia’s end swiftly and often to create opportunities to score. The pressing paid off early in the period as Nathan Larson scored at 5:12. The goal was set up when Steven Janes received a pass from Connor Hale and fired it to Larson, who was just waiting in the near slot to poke the puck in. Time eventually expired and the Lions entered into the second period with a 1-0 lead. More details.

Frederick’s career game leads men’s basketball Lions over Gaels

Jayden Frederick scored a career-high 27 points to lead the York University Lions men’s basketball team to an 83-74 victory over the Queen’s University Gaels in their season opener at the Tait McKenzie Centre on Friday night.

Fans adorned in red crammed into the stands to watch their Lions, many of whom are fresh faces, set out on their 2016-17 campaign.

The Gaels won the opening tip-off but surely would not win the opening quarter. The Lions seemed to be in a league of their own behind the arc as they peppered a Gaels defence that dared them to take shots from deep. More details.

Women’s basketball Lions begin season with loss to No. 6 Gaels

The York University Lions women’s basketball team opened the 2016-17 season at home with an 85-54 loss to the No. 6 nationally ranked Queen’s University Gaels at the Tait McKenzie Centre on Friday night.

The opening tip turned the keys to ignite the new season and the Lions were eager to see where their ride would take them. They were in tough against a talented Queen’s squad that opened the season in the national rankings, and the Gaels displayed great ball movement and aggressiveness for second chance points in all four quarters. The first quarter would end with a score of 18-15 in favour of the Gaels. More details.

Lancers double up on women’s hockey Lions

The York University Lions women’s hockey team suffered a 4-2 defeat to the University of Windsor Lancers in a Saturday afternoon affair at South Windsor Arena in Windsor, Ont.

The Lancers jumped out to an early 3-0 lead after the first period of play, including scoring twice in the first 3:01 of the game on goals by Taylor Conte and Emily Bowman. Their third goal of the frame came at 15:55, by Erinn Noseworthy on a power play.

It didn’t take long for the Lions to get back into the game in the second as defender Taylor Davison scored just 1:52 into the period also on a power play, with assists to Jenna Gray and Avery Reeves. More details.

Defending champs take down women’s volleyball Lions in straight sets

The York University Lions women’s volleyball team was defeated in straight sets by the defending OUA and CIS champion and No. 3 nationally ranked University of Toronto Varsity Blues on Sunday afternoon at the Goldring Centre.

The Lions kept each set close but could not find a way to get past the dominant Blues. Toronto won the sets 25-23, 25-19, 25-23. Second-year outside hitter Sarah Williams led the Lions with 13 points on 10 kills, two service aces and one block. More details.

As part of their weekend schedule, the Lions were also swept in straight sets by the Ryerson University Rams. The match was a lopsided affair through the first two sets as the Rams won 25-10 and 25-11 for a quick two-set lead.

The Lions rebounded in the third set, however, with a much stronger showing. They came back from being down 5-2 and 16-14 to be tied at 26-26. But the Rams won back-to-back points from there, on a pair of kills, to take the set 28-26 and win the match. More details.

Lions looking for rare three-peat at national championships

The York University Lions men’s soccer team is on the hunt for its third straight national title this weekend as the CIS championships kick off at the University of Guelph on Thursday morning (Nov. 10).

The eight-team competition, hosted in Guelph, Ont., for the first time since 1992 and the third time ever, runs from Thursday to Sunday, with the gold-medal final set for 2pm at Alumni Stadium. All 11 games will be webcast live on SportsCanada.tv.

The Lions are the two-time defending national champions, defeating the UNB Varsity Reds 2-0 on home turf last year and the rival McMaster Marauders in Charlottetown in 2014. York is looking for a rare three-peat this weekend, a feat that has only been accomplished twice since men’s soccer competition began in 1970, both times by the UBC Thunderbirds. They won three titles in a row from 1984-86 and four straight from 1989-92.

The Lions, who saw their run of three straight OUA championships come to an end on Sunday with a loss to the Guelph Gryphons in the conference final, will begin the title hunt in the first quarter-final on Thursday morning at 11am against the Canada West champion Alberta Golden Bears.

“We are preparing for this championship the way we do for every game, by focusing only on what we have to do to beat our next opponent,” said head coach Carmine Isacco. “The best eight teams are here this week and we have a challenging first round matchup, but by the time you get to nationals every opponent is tough. We need to play the way I know we are capable of and if we do that, hopefully we can be there again on Sunday.”

Their quarter-final match will be followed by the AUS champion Cape Breton Capers against the Toronto Varsity Blues, who won the OUA bronze medal, the RSEQ champion UQAM Citadins against the Canada West silver medal-winning Thunderbirds and the host Gryphons versus the AUS finalist Acadia Axemen.

In addition to the Lions, who have won five national banners in program history, three other participating teams have hoisted the Sam Davidson Memorial Trophy before. UBC leads the way with 13 championships, including back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013; Alberta has won four, most recently in 2006; and the Varsity Blues captured their lone national title in 1988.

Arguably the two best teams in the tournament have to face each other in the first round when the Lions take on the Golden Bears on Thursday morning. The two squads took turns being ranked No. 1 in the country throughout the season, with the Lions holding down the top spot for seven weeks and the Golden Bears for the other three weeks. The two teams have never met at the national tournament.

The Lions went undefeated in the regular season for the third time in five years with a 14-0-2 record and, including Sunday’s defeat to Guelph, have lost just twice in three seasons. They finished atop the OUA West Division for the 10th straight year, have won medals at seven straight OUA Final Four Championships and have reached the national tournament seven times since 2007, including their current run of four consecutive appearances.

The winner of Thursday’s first quarter-final will advance to the championship semifinal on Saturday morning at 11am against either Cape Breton or Toronto, while the loser will fall to the consolation side of the draw and will play again on Friday.

Lions settle for OUA silver after loss to Gryphons

The York University Lions men’s soccer team came up just short in its bid for a fourth straight Ontario University Athletics (OUA) title, falling to the Guelph Gryphons by a score of 3-1 in the conference final on Sunday evening (Nov. 6) at Birchmount Stadium.

The defeat ended York’s run of three straight OUA banners, but the silver medal is the team’s seventh straight top-three finish in the conference. For the Gryphons, Sunday’s victory marks their first OUA championship in 26 years. The result also marked their first win over the Lions in at least 10 years. Going back to 2006, the Lions had compiled a 21-0-2 record against the Gryphons, including two regular season victories this year and a quarter-final triumph in the 2015 playoffs.

The Lions jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the ninth minute as rookie striker Milan Beader knocked in a loose ball after a corner kick for his second goal in as many days. But, that was the only ball they could get past Guelph goalkeeper Benjamin Caranci in the game.

The lead did not last long, as 14 minutes later the Gryphons equalled the score on a goal by Jace Kotsopoulos.

The Gryphons added to their lead just before the end of the half when a shot by rookie Alex Zis somehow eluded York goalkeeper Andrew D’Souza and bounced in off the left post.

Zis added his second of the game in the 55th minute to make it 3-1.

The Lions looked like they might go down 4-1 in the second half when Guelph was awarded a penalty kick, but D’Souza guessed right and came up with the huge save to keep the deficit at two. In the end it didn’t matter, however, as the Lions got many chances late but could not find the back of the net.

The two teams are now off to the national championships, which will be hosted by Guelph beginning on Thursday morning. The University of Toronto Varsity Blues have also qualified after defeating the host Ryerson Rams 2-1 in the bronze medal match earlier in the day.