The York University Lions football team is at home in Week 3 and welcomes the University of Windsor Lancers to campus on Saturday afternoon (Sept. 10) for its FanFest game.
Kick-off is set for 1pm at Alumni Field and the game can also be seen live online on OUA.tv.
Saturday’s contest pits a pair of 1-1 teams who have had similar showings to start the season. The Lions began with a huge win over the University of Waterloo Warriors but suffered a lopsided loss in Week 2 to the No. 9 nationally ranked Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks, while the Lancers also have a big loss and a win on their record.
The last time the Lions were on home turf, they posted a huge 57-13 victory over the Waterloo Warriors in their season opener two weeks ago, thanks in large part to the strong play of starting quarterback Brett Hunchak. The second-year pivot threw for 331 yards and five touchdowns en route to being named the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) and Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) offensive football player of the week.
Overall, the Lions racked up 550 yards of offence and found the end zone eight times in that contest. They had a tougher time last week, falling by a 74-3 score to the Golden Hawks in a game that was within one score until late in the first half before Laurier poured it on in the second.
The Lancers, meanwhile, have also given up 70-plus points once this season, going down by a score of 78-6 to the nationally ranked Western University Mustangs on the road in their opener. However, they rebounded in a big way on Monday afternoon, posting arguably the biggest upset of the young season by defeating the defending Yates Cup champion, the University of Guelph Gryphons, 33-29 at home.
The two squads did not meet last year other than an exhibition contest in August. Their most recent OUA match came in 2014, when the Lancers earned a 35-3 victory over the Lions also at York.
The Lions will rely on the strong play of Hunchak and also his brother, receiver Colton Hunchak, in order to move the ball against the Lancers. He has amassed 188 yards on nine catches, ranking fifth in the OUA in total receiving yards, and also has a pair of touchdowns on the year.
Windsor’s offence has been led by running back Tarrence Crawford, who ranks fifth in the OUA with 177 yards on 34 carries and has scored one touchdown.
The Lancers will also count on linebacker Frank Renaud, who is the current OUA defensive player of the week after picking up 10.5 tackles and a forced fumble against Guelph.
In addition to the exciting action on the field, there will be plenty happening for the fans as well, including several contests and giveaways, inflatables and more. Tickets can be purchased online at yorkulions.ca/ticketing or at the gate on arrival.
Soccer Lions look to continue winning streaks in Saturday’s home openers
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The York University Lions men’s and women’s soccer teams will play host to the Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks in their home openers on Saturday afternoon (Sept. 3).
The women will kick off the action at 1pm and the men will follow at 3:15pm. Both games will be played at Alumni Field (formerly York Stadium) and admission is free for all fans. The matches can also be seen live online on OUA.tv.
The women have not lost an Ontario University Athletics (OUA) regular season contest since Oct. 19, 2014 – a span of 18 games in which they have a 17-0-1 record. They have outscored their opponents 72-7 in that stretch and are coming off a season in which they finished in first place in the OUA West Division for the first time since 2009.
The Lions started the year with a pair of blowout victories over the Algoma University Thunderbirds, winning 8-0 in the season opener on Saturday and 11-0 the following day. Fifth-year striker Nour Ghoneim, the reigning Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) player of the year, tallied six goals over the two games, including five in the first 21 minutes of Sunday’s match.
The Lions will face one of their fiercest rivals in the Golden Hawks, who are perennial contenders in the conference and finished in second place behind the Lions last year. Last weekend they got off to a slow start by their standards, earning a pair of draws against the University of Guelph Gryphons and the University of Waterloo Warriors.
For the men, Saturday’s contest marks the first time the hometown fans can see their team since witnessing the squad capture the national championship on home turf last November. That CIS title, their second in a row, capped another remarkable season in which the Lions lost just once and finished atop the OUA West for the ninth straight year.
They also began the season with a pair of shutout wins over Algoma, winning 7-0 this past Saturday and 4-0 on Sunday. Ryan Telfer, a second-year forward making his first career starts for the Lions, netted three goals over the two games to lead all players.
The Lions and Golden Hawks men’s teams also have a strong rivalry. Last year, Laurier was one of only two teams to earn a point against the Lions in the regular season, earning a 1-1 draw in the first match-up, and from 2012-14 the two teams met in the first round of the playoffs each time, with the Lions winning all three games.
Lions charge past Warriors for opening day victory
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Second-year quarterback Brett Hunchak threw five touchdown passes to lead the York University Lions football team to a big 57-13 opening day win over the Waterloo Warriors at Alumni Field on Sunday (Aug. 28).
The starting pivot from Calgary went 17-for-25 for 331 yards and also threw one interception.
Two of his touchdown passes were to his brother, Colton Hunchak (Calgary), who finished with 149 yards on three receptions. His first touchdown was a beautiful 77-yard catch and run play up the sideline on the first play of the drive that made it 22-3 for the Lions, while his second came early in the third quarter and stretched York’s lead to 29-13.
Rookie receiver D’Saun Greenaway (Brampton, Ont.) also recorded two touchdowns on the afternoon. He caught his first on the final play of the opening quarter for a 32-yard score, and added a second in the fourth quarter for the final points of the game from back-up quarterback Matt Krason (Brantford, Ont.).
Krason, a rookie playing in his first game, added a pair of one-yard rushing touchdowns in the game, including the first score late in the opening quarter.
Jahmari Bennett (Mississauga, Ont.) and Nikola Kalinic (Mississauga, Ont.) also had touchdowns in the game.
Reigning OUA rookie of the year Jesse Amankwaa (Etobicoke, Ont.) was dominant to start the game, picking up 64 rushing yards on 12 carries and adding another 35 on three catches. Overall, seven different players rushed the ball for the Lions, with rookie running back Kayden Johnson (Kerrobert, Sask.) leading the team with 75 yards on nine carries.
The game remained scoreless for most of the first quarter, until Brett Hunchak led his team down to the one-yard line and Krason punched it in for a 7-0 lead. They added another score right at the end of the quarter to make it 14-0.
After a rouge on a kick-off by Nick Naylor (Abbotsford, B.C.), Waterloo got on the board with a field goal by Caleb Girard (Waterford, Ont.) to make it 15-3, but less than one minute later the Hunchaks connected for a 22-3 lead.
The Warriors got their first major score with two minutes remaining in the half on a touchdown pass by Mitch Kernick (Elmira, Ont.), and nearly added another right before the end of the frame but had to settle for another Girard field goal, and the Lions led 22-13 at the break.
The Lions dominated after coming out of the locker room for the second half, scoring three touchdowns in the third quarter and another two in the fourth to round out the scoring. They finished with 546 yards and 30 first downs, while Waterloo amassed 414 yards and 23 first downs. The Warriors also benefited from some mistimed penalties from the Lions, getting seven first downs as a result.
Waterloo quarterback Lucas McConnell (Waterford, Ont.) finished 17-of-40 for 283 yards, with one touchdown and one interception.
The Lions will be on the road in Week 2 when they travel to Waterloo, Ont., to face the Laurier Golden Hawks on Monday, Sept. 5 at 7:30pm. The Warriors, meanwhile, play their home opener against the Ottawa Gee-Gees on Monday at 1pm.
Lions ready to roar against Waterloo in season opener
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The 2016 Ontario University Athletics (OUA) campaign officially gets underway on Sunday, Aug. 28 when the York University Lions football team hosts the Waterloo Warriors in the season opener for both teams.
Kick-off is set for 1pm at Alumni Field (previously York Stadium) and the game can also be seen live online on OUA.tv.
It’s a big match-up right off the bat for both programs as they will look to begin the year 1-0 against a familiar opponent. The two squads have played a number of thrilling games in recent years, including last season when the Lions earned a 23-14 victory over the Warriors on the road in Waterloo, Ont. Before that, the last three contests all ended within two points or less: York pulled off a 20-18 overtime win in 2011, while in 2012 and 2014 the Warriors won by a single point.
For the Lions, Sunday’s game is a chance to show the hometown fans how far they’ve come this off-season. A second straight impressive recruiting class and significant improvement by the team’s young veterans have a lot of people talking, and expectations are higher than they have been in years. The last time they played at home was in the 2015 season finale, when they came within one point of a huge upset victory over nationally ranked Queen’s, and the Lions will be looking to put forth a similar strong showing against Waterloo.
Quarterback Brett Hunchak (Calgary) and receiver Colton Hunchak (Calgary), both now sophomores, were tremendous in that game against the Gaels, with Brett going 34-of-49 for 381 yards and Colton catching 13 balls for 135 yards. Along with OUA rookie of the year Jesse Amankwaa (Etobicoke, Ont.), who amassed 689 yards on 137 rushes, they were a big reason why the Lions averaged nearly 100 more yards per game than they had in 2014 and that kind of production will be required again to lead the offence down the field.
The offence will operate under a new coach this year after the hiring of former Vanier Cup-winning quarterback Kyle Quinlan as the team’s offensive coordinator.
The defence was marginally better last season compared to 2014, but promises to be vastly improved this season and head coach Warren Craney, also the team’s defensive coordinator, believes this year’s unit is the best he’s ever coached at York. An already strong secondary, led by fifth-year defensive back Josh Small (Pickering, Ont.), has been augmented with some new size on the defensive line and a trio of talented rookie linebackers and the improvements should make a big difference on the scoreboard.
The Warriors, meanwhile, are also rebuilding under second-year head coach Chris Bertoia and are seeking a victory to start the year after going winless last season. They played a preseason game against Windsor last weekend, falling 39-18 on the road.
Tickets can be purchased online at yorkulions.ca/ticketing in advance, or at the gate on game day.
Crew gives #Rio2016 her best ‘shot’
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York University Lions track and field athlete Brittany Crew finished in 18th place in the women’s shot put at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
For Crew, an East York, Ont. native who has competed for the Lions for three seasons and is the two-time reigning female athlete of the year, it was a strong performance at her first Games after coming into the event ranked 27th.
Her best toss of the day came in her third and final attempt, a 17.45m result that did not surpass the automatic qualifying mark of 18.40m or put her into the top 12, thus ending her competition. But despite that, the 22-year-old gained plenty of experience on the international scene and is well poised for future success as only four of the 36 athletes in the field were younger than her.
Former and current York University athletes will compete on Team Canada during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, taking place Aug. 5 to 21.
Brittany CrewDaniel Nestor
Named to Team Canada are Lions thrower Brittany Crew, Lions boxer Arthur Biyarslanov, former Lions sprinter Khamica Bingham, former Lions taekwondo competitor Melissa Pagnotta and honorary degree recipient and tennis player Daniel Nestor.
The athletes were among the 65 athletes nominated by the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) and Athletics Canada to represent Team Canada at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
Khamica BinghamArthur Biyarslanov
Crew and Bingham earned their spots at the Canadian Championships and Rio Selection Trials, which took place July 7 to 10 at Foote Field in Edmonton.
“Following a very competitive trials in Edmonton, we have nominated a versatile and focused group of athletes who will be ready to perform on-demand in Rio,” said Peter Eriksson, head coach of Athletics Canada. “The team is comprised of veterans who have already experienced international success and up-and-coming athletes who are ready to take the next step.”
Biyarslanov earned his spot at the 2016 AOB American Olympic Qualification Event, which ran March 11 to 19 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Pagnotta, who will compete in the women’s under-67kg class, was named to the team after an Olympic qualifier in March that took place in Mexico; and Nestor will compete in his sixth Olympic Games after being named to Team Canada in July.
Former and current York University athletes will compete on Team Canada during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, taking place Aug. 5 to 21.
Brittany Crew
Daniel Nestor
Named to Team Canada are Lions thrower Brittany Crew, Lions boxer Arthur Biyarslanov, former Lions sprinter Khamica Bingham, former Lions taekwondo competitor Melissa Pagnotta and honorary degree recipient and tennis player Daniel Nestor.
The athletes were among the 65 athletes nominated by the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) and Athletics Canada to represent Team Canada at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
Khamica Bingham
Arthur Biyarslanov
Crew and Bingham earned their spots at the Canadian Championships and Rio Selection Trials, which took place July 7 to 10 at Foote Field in Edmonton.
“Following a very competitive trials in Edmonton, we have nominated a versatile and focused group of athletes who will be ready to perform on-demand in Rio,” said Peter Eriksson, head coach of Athletics Canada. “The team is comprised of veterans who have already experienced international success and up-and-coming athletes who are ready to take the next step.”
Biyarslanov earned his spot at the 2016 AOB American Olympic Qualification Event, which ran March 11 to 19 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Pagnotta, who will compete in the women’s under-67kg class, was named to the team after an Olympic qualifier in March that took place in Mexico; and Nestor will compete in his sixth Olympic Games after being named to Team Canada in July.
Two York University Lions athletes were recently recognized for their performance – with one earning a bronze medal at the Canada Cup of International Wrestling and another earning a spot on Athletics Canada’s North American, Central American and Caribbean (NACAC) U23 Championships.
Town brings home bronze at Canada Cup
York University Lions women’s wrestler Alexandria Town brought home some hardware last weekend as she won the bronze medal at the Canada Cup of International Wrestling hosted at the Sleeman Centre in Guelph, Ontario.
Competing in the 58kg division, Town (Scarborough, Ont.) had a tough opening round matchup against Jacarra Winchester, a U.S.A. national team member and two-time U.S. national champion. Town dropped the opening round match to Winchester and went on to face 2016 Canadian junior national champion Tianna Kennet in the second round. While leading the match 4-2, Town pinned Kennet to advance to the bronze medal match.
In the bronze medal final, the third-year kinesiology and health science major earned a dominant win over Krystin Paquette of the University of Alberta. Town was technically superior throughout the matchup scoring a 10-0 victory over Paquette, who was the 2016 senior national championships silver medalist at 58kg. Winchester won the gold medal with a 14-3 victory over Emily Schaefer of Brock University.
The Canada Cup bronze medal adds to Town’s list of accomplishments in 2016, which include a bronze medal at both the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) and Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) Championships, and the CIS Student-Athlete Community Service and CIS Fair Play awards for her commitment to sportsmanship, academics and community service pursuits off the mat.
Lions thrower Brittany Crew was named to Athletics Canada’s North American, Central American and Caribbean (NACAC) U23 Championships team, the organization announced on June 23.
The NACAC Championships, which feature the top U23 athletes from across North America, Central America and the Caribbean, will run from July 15 to 17 in San Salvador, El Salvador.
Crew (East York, Ont.) earned her spot on the team by easily meeting the shot put selection standard of 15.20m with performances earlier in the spring. She also met the shot put Olympic standard of 17.75m in May at the Tucson Elite Throwers Classic at the University of Arizona, putting her in strong contention for a spot on the Rio Olympic Team.
Prior to the NACAC U23 Championships, Crew will compete in the Canadian Track & Field Championships in Edmonton on July 7 to 10. The Canadian Championships doubles as the Olympic Trials for selection to the 2016 Olympic team, where a top-three finish will earn Crew a spot on the Olympic Team.
Crew won nearly everything possible this year in the CIS, en route to establishing herself as one of the best throwers in the country. She set personal bests in the weight throw and shot put at the York Open in the middle of the season and swept the gold medals in both events at the OUA and CIS championships. She also set the CIS Championships record in the shot put and earned the OUA and CIS field events athlete of the year awards and was named York’s female athlete of the year for the second consecutive year.
For the full list of athletes who qualified for the NACAC U23 Championships, visit the Athletics Canada website.
York U is getting #PanAmReady
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Dr Shoukri with Olympian Molly Killingbeck
Thursday, May 7 marked a milestone in York University’s Pan Am/Parapan Am journey.
During a small ceremony held in the CIBC Pan Am/Parapan Am Athletics Stadium on the University’s Keele campus, York University President and Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri, Canadian Olympic Athlete and York U alumna Molly Killingbeck, and Allen Vansen, executive vice-president of operations for Toronto 2015, put down the last piece of the stadium’s running surface. The trio were then presented with commemorative pieces of the track.
Above: From left, Allen Vansen, executive vice-president of operations for Toronto 2015, Canadian Olympian Molly Killingbeck and York President and Vice Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri lay the last piece of running surface in a special ceremony held May 7 in the CIBC Pan Am/Parapan Am Athletics Stadium on the University’s Keele campus
The newly built, fully accessible CIBC Pan Am/Parapan Am Athletics Stadium will house 21 track and field events and offer seating for 12,500 spectators.
The track events feature distances from 100 metres to 10,000 metres, with the excitement of hurdles and the steeplechase as well. The field competitions include the throwing events of shot put, discus, javelin and hammer throw, while the jumping events offer pole vault, high jump, long jump and triple jump. Track and field also includes, for men, the legendary decathlon (runs of 100 metres, 400 metres and 1,500 metres; 110-metre high hurdles; throws of javelin and discus; shot put; pole vault; high jump and long jump) and for women, the equally impressive heptathlon (100-metre hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200-metre run, long jump, javelin and 800-metre run).
Above: From left, Allen Vansen, Molly Killingbeck and Mamdouh Shoukri receive commemorative pieces of the running surface from members of the stadium’s construction crew. Construction crew members pictured from left are Andrea Dascidaschini, Marco Bernier and Faccenda Lorenzo.
York University will welcome thousands of athletes from 41 countries in the Americas and the Caribbean this summer. Canada has had the honour of hosting the games twice in the past, but it’s a first for Toronto this year, and a first here at York. The Pan Am and Parapan Am Games are the world’s third largest international multi-sport games, held every four years immediately before the Olympic and Paralympic Summer Games.
In addition to hosting the track and field portion of the games, York University will also host the tennis competition in what is being called the Canadian Tennis Centre, known locally as the Rexall Centre.
Key dates are:
July 10 to 16 for the Pan Am Games tennis competition,
July 21 to 25 for the Pan Am Games track and field competition,
August 10 to 14 for the Parapan Am Games track and field competition.
Visit the York University’s PanAm 2015 website for more information.
York U sprinter Khamica Bingham hopes to compete at Pan Am Games
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Khamica Bingham
The Toronto 2015 Pan American/Parapan American Games are right around the corner. It has been a generation since Canadian summer sport athletes have had the opportunity to compete on home soil before supportive crowds at an event of this magnitude. At least four York University student-athletes are now fighting for their chance to shine this summer as they strive to earn a spot on the national team.
Khamica Bingham. Photo by Stephanie Chunoo
Over the next month, YFile will publish Q&As of the following York University hopefuls – Melissa Humana-Paredes, a beach volleyball player, sprinters Khamica Bingham and Dontae Richards-Kwok and thrower Brittany Crew. Watch for these York student-athletes as they strive for the opportunity to compete for Canada in front of the nation, as friends and family cheer on.
York history alumna Aisan Fazeli (BA ’14), a former member of the Lions women’s rugby team at York, sat down with Bingham to find out more about what motivates this Brampton, Ont., track & field (sprints) athlete and her many accomplishments.
Bingham of the Department of Humanities in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies began her Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) career before coming to York University. She won the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) 60m title in record-breaking time and added the CIS gold. In her first year at York, she made one of the most impressive York Lions debuts in the 2013-14 season, winning nearly every race she entered en route to being named the OUA female athlete of the year. She was also a nominee for the BLG Award, given to the CIS athlete of the year. In that first season with the Lions, Bingham won three gold medals at the CIS championships and two at the OUA championships, earning CIS all-Canadian and OUA all-star honours. She was named the OUA track events most valuable performer and the CIS championship most outstanding performer. She was named York’s female athlete of the year at the conclusion of the season.
She also had a successful 2014-15 season, winning the gold medal in the 60m at the OUA and CIS championships, where she ran a blazing-fast 7.19 seconds, the second fastest time in Canadian history. She also won gold at both meets in the 4x200m relays, and earned first-team OUA and CIS all-Canadian honours.
Bingham has already made a name for herself on the international stage. In 2014, she finished in seventh place in the 100m at the Commonwealth Games at the age of 20. She was the youngest Canadian female to reach the 100m final at the multi-sport event. Bingham also holds the Canadian youth record in the 100m. She competed at the senior world championships in Russia as a teenager in 2013, running the anchor leg on the 4x100m relay team that broke the Canadian record and placed sixth overall.
Khamica Bingham competing third from the left. Photo Steve Kriemadis
What are you taking at York and why?
I’m studying communications but currently taking a combination of business and writing courses because it’s been what is the easiest to manage with my busy schedule since I’m preparing for the Pan Am Games and World Championships this year. Once I graduate from York University, I’m looking to gear towards a career path of either public relations or media journalism. I love free writing, telling stories and always thought that media journalism would be the perfect job for me one day.
Why and when did you start your sport/did you always want to pursue it?
Before I became a sprinter, my dream was to always be an Olympian, but five years ago the dream was in the sport of gymnastics. I was a national gymnast and, unfortunately, my parents struggled financially for years to keep me in the sport. So in the summer of 2010, I had to walk away from that dream. Luckily, a teammate of mine talked to me periodically about how amazing track was and all the interesting places she had travelled to. Conveniently, my dad always wanted me to try track and field as well, since I would always run faster than all the kids in my school! Therefore, I gave sprinting a try in September of 2010. Within my first year of getting used to a new sport, new techniques and a new world, I won double gold at the 2010 OFSAA championships in the 100m and 200m and that’s when a new dream came alive.
What are some of your aspirations athletically?
It is every athlete’s dream to qualify for the Olympic Games and win an Olympic medal. It’s this dream that drives us to train so hard and dedicate all of our time toward. I also aspire to be a professional athlete signed to a large corporation like Nike. Not many Canadians are Olympic medalists and Nike professional athletes, something I hope to say one day.
How do you feel about the Pan Am’s being hosted in Toronto and what does that mean to you?
Competing for Canada is an indescribable feeling and I absolutely love it! The fact that I get to compete on Canadian soil is absolutely perfect. I get to have my friends and family right there supporting me as we get the home-field advantage. I can’t wait to have my name announced at the games and hear the roaring cheers of the crowd. It means the world to me to make my country proud and to put on a great show as I bring home medals!
Who is your biggest inspiration, athletically or otherwise?
My biggest inspiration has always been my dad, Carl Bingham. From the time I was young, my father was the biggest supporter in everything I did. When I was six and in skating, my dad put an ice rink in the backyard so my sister and I could practice. When I was nine and started gymnastics, my dad was the one who taught me back-handsprings on his bed. And now that I’m in track, my parents are both there watching all my meets! My dad has always been the little coach in my head, he is the reason I am an elite athlete. I am living the dream we both had for myself and I’m so blessed to have him in my life.
