Purple, Black and Gold

SFU jumps ship

Just found this Canadian Press item on our wire service. Wonder how many more CIS schools will jump ship, now that the Canadian university sports federation has issued an all-or-nothing requirement for member schools.

BY THE CANADIAN PRESS

BURNABY, B.C. — Simon Fraser University was approved Friday as the first non-U.S. member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the school said in a release.

Beginning with the 2011-12 season, after a two-year transition period, all of SFU’s Clan varsity teams will compete in the NCAA’s Division II in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.

The Division II membership committee approved SFU’s application during a meeting at NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis.

“This is a first for a Canadian university, and it reflects SFU’s long history of competing in U.S. varsity associations and conferences,’’ SFU president Michael Stevenson said in a release.

“It means a high level of competition and challenge for our athletes.’’

SFU currently has 19 Clan teams competing in the small-college National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics in the U.S. and Canadian Interuniversity Sport.  Men wrestling, now competes in both NAIA and CIS.

The Great Northwest Athletic Conference has nine full-member schools in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana, and four football-only members in Washington, California, Utah and Oregon.

Pair of hotshots WLU bound

SJAM’s Justin Tomas and Taylor Allan have committed to Wilfrid Laurier’s basketball team, the university announced today.

Tomas was named Waterloo Region’s top cager this past season.

For more, see http://www.athletics.wlu.ca/createarticle.php?ID=4125

Who would argue with Hawks' strongmen?

Sorry fellas. Bigger is not better, according to the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks football team.

Don’t believe them?

One of the smallest teams in stature in the Ontario University Athletics conference, the Hawks say they pride themselves on being among the fittest, fastest — and winningest.

For more, see Thursday's print edition of The Record.

Go Green! Go White!

Just back from the Final Four in Detroit.

Amazing spectacle.

An NCAA record-setting 73,000 fans wedged into Ford Field, the majority of whom were decked out in Michigan State green and white.

Seems like the underdog Spartans gave all of Michigan a much-needed shot in the arm.

Lord knows, there hasn’t been many reasons to rejoice in the state that the auto industry built and subsequently dismantled.

But even sworn Spartan enemies, those Michigan Wolverines, had reason to smile after State’s exhilarating win over UConn in the semifinal.

With the vast majority of fans willing a victory over the mighty University of North Carolina Tar Heels in the final, it wasn’t enough.

The ’Heels were that good.

Tough to beat a team that executed with surgical precision and merciless devastation.

North Carolina was a force of nature. And nothing short of chopping down the hoops and gang tackling Tyler Hansbrough would have stopped them.

The Tar Heels built an invincible 21-point lead 10 minutes into the game for heaven’s sake.

Yet, State fans clung to their seats, like they clung to their fading hopes.

Maybe, just maybe, they would witness the greatest comeback in NCAA history.

They gnashed their teeth. They prayed for a miracle.

Me too, and I was just a innocent passerby.

And the day after Michigan State’s wrenching 89-72 loss to UNC, Michiganders trudged back to work, at least those of them who still had jobs, for the long road back.

Curtain calls

It was handshakes and backslaps all around as Wilfrid Laurier’s athletics department handed out the trophies for a job well done.

Here’s the list of winners from Laurier’s athletics banquet, held on Monday night:

Presidents Trophy (most outstanding athletes): Mark Voakes and Andrea Bevan (hockey).

Rookies of the year: Sam Schachter (volleyball) and Amber Hillis (basketball).

Academic achievement awards: Chris Mamo (football) and Hollie Nicol (curling).

Unsung hero: assistant women’s hockey coach Jim Rayburn.

Tuffy Knight Award (outstanding contribution to varsity athletics from person outside the university): Arthur Stephen

Student trainer of the year: Marie Cousineau

Contributing most to athletics: David Hughes and Andrea Elliott

Awards of excellence: Mike Dow, Kristen McWatters and John Myhal

Team MVPs and rookies of the year, respectively: 

Baseball — Scott Mahan, Ryan Panas

Basketball — Jesse MacDonald, Travis Berry; Renata Adamczyk, Amber Hillis

Cheerleaders — Erin Dobson, Carissa Lawther

Cross-country — Duncan Macauley, Brent Meidinger; Dale Findlay, Courtney Brohart

Curling — Paul Arkilander, Shane Konings; Hollie Nicol, Sarah Wilkes

Figure skating — Haley Tyers, Alitsha Burden

Football — Luke Thompson, Courtney Stephen

Golf — Kyle Asselstine, Jeff Colley

Hockey — Mark Voakes, Phil Magistrale; Andrea Bevan, Abby Rainsberry

Lacrosse — Kirsten Gerrie, Hanna Burnett

Rugby — Jeff Cooper, Jeff Pickle; Megan Wiles, Samantha Schmalz

Soccer — Matt Smith, Chris Walker; Heather Malizia, Jessica Carter

Swimming — David Hughes, Wes Phillips; Whitney Rich, Jocelyn Gillespie

Volleyball — Cam Wheelan, Sam Schachter; Teresa Wick, Alex Mingay

And the envelope, please. . .

The University of Waterloo handed out the hardware at its annual athletic banquet on Saturday night.

Here’s the list of winners:

Totzke Trophy (male athlete of the year): squash player Eric Dingle (Calgary), three-time Ontario University Athletics player of the year.

Marsden Trophy (female athlete of the year): golfer Tiffany Terrier (Toronto), individual and team silver medals at OUA championships.

J.O. Hemphill Award and Director’s Award (outstanding administrative contributions): football player Will Oud (Woodstock, Ont.); hockey player Doug Spooner (Toronto); rugby player Lisa Kelly (Ripley, Ont.); swimmer Kristie Irving (Kingston, Jamaica); and track and field team member Jamie Hauseman (Kitchener).

Imprint Coach of the Year Award: badminton’s Chris Erven, who led the Warriors to an OUA silver medal.

FEDS Rookies of the Year: football player Jordan Verdone (Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.) and hockey player Julia Endicott (Toronto).

All-Canadians and major award winners:

Badminton — Andrew Tai-Pow, OUA player of the year; Evan MacDonald, OUA rookie of the year

Football — Jordan Verdone, CIS rookie of the year

Hockey — Kyle Sonnenburg, first-team All-Canadian; Julia Endicott, CIS All-rookie team

Rugby — Richard Lebel, OUA West rookie of the year

Swimming — Keith Beavers, All-Canadian and CIS gold medalist

Squash — Eric Dingle, OUA player of the year

Track and field — Jason Goetz, All-Canadian and CIS silver medalist; Nancy Spreitzer, OUA and CIS community service award

Volleyball — Laura Klein, OUA West rookie of the year

OUA all-stars:

Badminton — Amanda Carruthers, Evan MacDonald, Chris Pyne, Andrew Tai-Pow

Baseball — Jason Diniz-Wood, Mike Glinka, Travis Hendry, Elliot Shrive

Basketball — Kimberley Lee

Cross-country — Chris Hartman, Kelly-Lynne Spettigue

Curling — Lindsay Collie, Rob Fry

Field hockey — Vicky Lounder, Katherine Olsen

Football — Josh Svec

Golf — Katelyn Inlow, Tiffany Terrier, Garrett Rank

Hockey — Chris Ray, Kyle Sonnenburg

Nordic Skiing — Nellie Dow

Rugby — Zack Bentley, Mark Goody, Nick Wray, Nicola Holmes, Caitlin Martin

Soccer — Kelsey Abbott, Catherine Vanderburgh, Mohammad Aborig, Raphael Goldemann

Squash — Eric Dingle

Swimming — Keith Beavers, Oleg Chernukhin, Wesley Greig, Paul Niglas

Tennis — Marlon Coelho

Volleyball — Kate Flanagan, Bojana Josipovic, Tyler Vivian

Warriors team MVPs:

Badminton — Andrew Tai-Pow, Amanda Carruthers

Baseball — Mike Glinka

Basketball — Cam McIntyre, Kimberley Lee

Cheerleading — Theresa Power

Cross-country — Chris Hartmann, Kelly-Lynne Spettigue

Field hockey — Vicky Lounder

Figure skating — Chelsea Lawson

Football — Josh Svec

Golf — Bowie Abbis-Mills, Tiffany Terrier

Hockey — Chris Ray, Kaitlyn MacDonald

Nordic skiing — Kieran Jones, Nellie Dow

Rugby — Zack Bentley, Nicola Holmes

Soccer — Raphael Goldman, Catherine Vandenburgh

Squash — Eric Dingle

Swimming — Oleg Chernukhin, Kristie Irving

Tennis — Marco Agatonovic, Kasia Poplawski

Track and field — Jason Goetz, Julia Malleck

Volleyball — Tyler Vivian, Kate Flanagan

It's all over. . . but the applauding

The varsity season is over and all that's left is the applauding.

Coming soon. . .

Major award winners from the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University.

Stay tuned to PBG for the list of winners.

Shiny, happy people

Why is Waterloo native and University of Waterloo defenceman Kyle Sonnenburg smiling?

The same reason his rivals with the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks, Mark Voakes and J-M Rizk, are.

See Thursday’s print edition of The Record for more.

Nicol's law: more wins

Future lawyer, Wilfrid Laurier’s Hollie Nicol, would like to impose her own version of crime and punishment at this week’s Canadian university curling championships in Montreal.

The offence? Contesting Nicol and her silver medalists from last month’s World University Games in Harbin, China.

The penalty? Losses to all comers.

For more, see Wednesday's print edition of The Record.

Better luck next year, Hawks

Now that the ice has melted in the women’s hockey season, few can debate the outcome of the national final.

In case you missed it, the Big Red Machine that is the McGill Martlets devoured the challengers from Wilfrid Laurier 3-1 in Sunday night’s gold-medal game.

To be sure, McGill is large, well-coached and talented at all positions — and can skate like banshees.

That’s a tough combination.

Try as they may, the smallish Hawks didn’t really have much of a chance.

God love ’em, Laurier was a pleasure to behold, fast, skilled, disciplined and piloted by a coach who is more often than not three steps ahead of his players, many of his contemporaries and even the press — especially the press.

You never can tell what will happen in a one-game final.

But the Martlets were clearly the best team in Canadian women’s university hockey last season and again this year, too.

In fact, their win Sunday capped a perfect 36-0 regular season.

McGill has been so dominant over the past couple of seasons and with some impressive youngsters in their midst like reigning CIS rookie of the year, four-named wonder Marie-Andrée Leclerc-Auger, it’s hard to imagine a time when the Martlets won’t be at the head of the class.

The broadcast crew from The Score on Sunday raised an interesting point, however.

What will the Martlets look like next season when their two best players, goalie Charline Labonté and blueliner Catherine Ward, leave McGill to train full time with Canada’s senior national team in preparation for the Vancouver Olympics?

Of course, the talking heads mentioned Labonté at length. But what of life after Ward?

Laurier’s coach Rick Osborne said after Sunday’s gold-medal game that it was Ward more than any other Martlet, Labonte included, that provided the catalyst for McGill’s engines.

It was all he could do to watch and behold the mastery of Ward, who was appropriately named CIS tourney MVP, in a splendid performance.

Did anyone notice? Did the 22-year-old Montrealer ever leave the ice on Sunday?

Meanwhile, the Hawks graduate team leaders Andrea Bevan and Lauren Barch, along with defender Allison Williams.

“We’ll continue to work to close the gap,” Osborne said of the chasm between his six-time defending Ontario champs and the mighty McGill Martlets.

It’s all they can do.