A former McMaster varsity athlete and once the men's athlete of the year, Keenan Jeppesen is set to become the new director of Athletics and Recreation
Come Sept. 23, Keenan Jeppesen is set to take the directors seat of the athletics and recreation department. Jeppesen, who is a familiar name within the McMaster community, has already demonstrated himself as a leader in his previous roles in Housing and Conference Services and Athletics, High Performance.
This transition from housing and conference services to athletics and recreation might seem like quite the shift, but Jeppesen was confident that it was the right choice.
"Housing touches so many parts of the institution around McMaster, so it was a great learning experience for me. Coming back to athletics and recreation, it is a different score but there's a lot of familiarity, whether its with the operations of the department or the staff," said Jeppesen
Born into an athletic family, Jeppesen was always determined to leave his mark on the sports world. Over the course of his career, he competed with the varsity basketball team at Brown University, where he was selected for the All-Ivy League Second-Team for the 2005-2006 season.
"I'm a dual citizen of the United States and Canada, so I've spent a good time in both countries. When I graduated high school, I got recruited to play college basketball at Brown University. I spent around three years there, then after graduating I returned to Canada," said Jeppesen
His return to athletics and recreation is particularly meaningful, as he is a former student-athlete at McMaster and won the male athlete of the year award in 2010.
"After a brief stint at Western, I came to McMaster to do my Masters in Business Administration where I also played on the varsity basketball team for a year. We had a pretty successful season, we were ranked third in the country, and personally I've had my best individual year. Unfortunately, the season came to an end prematurely due to my ACL tear," said Jeppesen
Jeppesen's previous personal experience and relationship with athletes over the years means that he will be entering office with expectations to achieve. He aims to communicate effectively with athletes to improve their experience in the school and the department.
"I was in their shoes, but I try not to make too many assumptions about others experiences even though I can relate. For example, a lot has changed since I was last working within the department, so I understand that things may not be the same compared to when I was around. So my objective is, as soon as I enter office, to consult with athletes, coaches and other staff to get their perspectives about various things such as their challenges, what they're excited about and what we can do better to improve their experience at the school," said Jeppesen
Jeppesen's return to athletics and recreation brings an experienced leader back to the department, after a few years spent in other sections of the university. With a varsity background and leadership experience embedded at McMaster, he is set to take office on Sep. 23 with a fresh perspective. While his path forward may present challenges, this leadership change could contribute to positive developments within the department.
A look into Mac student Puisand Lai's journey to competing for Canada at the 2024 Paralympics
A McMaster engineering student, and a rising star in the parasports scene, Puisand Lai is getting ready to compete for Canada in the 2024 Paralympic Games. Lai, who first began playing wheelchair basketball at the age of 13, has come a long way as a player for the women's national wheelchair basketball team.
Lai unexpectedly lost the ability to use her lower body when she was six years old and was diagnosed with transverse myelitis, which causes inflammation of the spinal cord. Despite this, when she was introduced to parasports, her gravitation to physical activity since childhood shined through.
Lai's mother encouraged her to try out wheelchair basketball, wheelchair tennis and sledge hockey. At one point, she was ranked number seven in the International Tennis Federation's World Rankings for girl's wheelchair tennis. In 2017, she was a member of the World Team Cup - the largest international team event in wheelchair tennis, featuring men's, women's, quad, and junior teams from around 50 countries.
Lai wrote in an article that she came to the realization that in order to advance to the next level of competition, she had to hone in on sport. With great difficulty, she decided to let go of tennis and devote herself entirely to wheelchair basketball because she was drawn to the sport's sense of friendship and teamwork. "If I wanted to get serious about playing at the next level, I had to really dial in on one sport," stated Lai.
At the age of seventeen, she became the youngest member of the Canadian Women's Wheelchair Basketball national team in 2018. She has since participated in other high-profile competitions, such as two world titles, two Parapan American Games, and the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo, where Canada placed fifth. The team's goal is to place on the podium in Paris to claim their position as one of the best Paralympic teams, not having won a medal since 2004.
At the age of seventeen, she became the youngest member of the Canadian Women's Wheelchair Basketball national team in 2018. She has since participated in other high-profile competitions, such as two world titles, two Parapan American Games, and the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo, where Canada placed fifth.
Lai has put in a lot of work and dedication to go to the Paralympic Games this year. After training in Quebec City with her colleagues in anticipation of the games, she expressed her excitement about the upcoming games and her confidence in the team’s potential. "I believe that every single one of us is really, really talented. We have the foundation to be a really great team," said Lai in an interview with the Canadian Paralympic Committee.
Lai attended McMaster University for a degree in mechanical engineering where she also excelled in athletics. After returning from Paris, she plans to complete her degree, but also to keep her options open, thinking about opportunities in engineering or picking up basketball again.
Lai attended McMaster University for a degree in mechanical engineering where she also excelled in athletics. After returning from Paris, she plans to complete her degree, but also to keep her options open, thinking about opportunities in engineering or picking up basketball again.
As she prepares to represent Canada abroad, Lai is an example of the power of mental determination. Her career is expected to soar to new heights with the Paralympic Games in Paris, beginning a new chapter in her amazing tale. In the end, her journey serves as a reminder that despite the obstacles we encounter, excellence is achievable with commitment and grit.
McMaster sports teams, including field hockey, women's curling, men's baseball and fencing among others, fundraise to offset team travel costs and upgrade equipment
First announced on Nov. 23., the McMaster University Athletics and Recreation Department advertised an annual event called Giving Tuesday to fundraise for U Sports, Ontario University Athletics and club teams.
In order to raise funds for teams, the department has urged McMaster alumni, members of the community and university sports fans to pitch in and donate to teams.
Prior to the event, each of the Marauders sports teams identified a fundraising goal they hoped to earn through donors. Some teams had high aims, such as men's volleyball and football who aimed to fundraise $5,000, while others such as women's field hockey aimed to fundraise $300.
Participating teams also posted their reasons for fundraising and what they hoped to accomplish with their donations. Numerous OUA teams looked to offset travel costs, such as field hockey, women's curling and figure skating. Several teams also wanted funding for upgrades to equipment, including men's baseball, fencing and Nordic skiing.
Numerous OUA teams looked to offset travel costs, such as field hockey, women's curling and figure skating.
As Giving Tuesday kicked off on Nov. 28., many student athletes took to social media to garner support and awareness toward their cause. Many Marauders reposted an image by McMaster Sports on Instagram to urge the community to donate.
The event ended successfully with an overall fundraising total of $101,655.22 provided by 667 different donors. In addition to base funding, McMaster Athletics and Recreation awarded prizes for reaching certain donation amounts and donor goals.
The event ended successfully with an overall fundraising total of $101,655.22 provided by 667 different donors.
The department gave an extra $500 to teams that reached $1,000 in funding, the team that had the most donors and the team with the highest donation amount. The women's soccer team was able to capture the most donors while the men's water polo team was received the highest donation amount.
The hope is that this funding will help all teams involved in Giving Tuesday to achieve their set of goals and support athletes for the upcoming season.
After a year of rebuilding their team, Marauders women's ultimate frisbee ended their successful season with a national title
The McMaster University women's ultimate frisbee team has just concluded another great season for themselves. For the third season in a row, the team was able to capture the national title, crowning them the number one team in this year's Canadian university tournament.
The Marauders went into this season full of confidence, as they won themselves the national title in the year prior. However, the team had experienced a high level of turnover for the roster with several key players graduating, including captains Jessica Gao and Safeena Shanjani, both of whom had helped lead the team to last year's national title.
The team's offseason rebuild seemed to be productive, with the Marauders welcoming seven rookie players, including new captains, Katie McMullen and Allison Couwenberg.
The team's offseason rebuild seemed to be productive, with the Marauders welcoming seven rookie players.
McMaster was able to secure their bid to the national championship tournament in this year's Eastern tournament on Oct. 2. The team was able to clinch a third-place finish at the tournament, as they beat University of Guelph, Carleton University, University of Waterloo and McGill University.
This year's national championship began on Oct. 14 in Brampton. The Marauders started their national campaign facing off against McGill University. They clinched a close win with a score of ten to eight.
The final game of the tournament was played on Oct. 15, with the Marauders taking the national championship home, per fourth year player Mackinley Szumlanski, the team won 9-8 against Laval University. The Marauders were also able to bring home a major individual accolade with Katie McMullen being named the tournament's most valuable player, ending a great year and captaincy.
The final game of the tournament was played on Oct. 15, with the Marauders taking the national championship home, per fourth year player Mackinley Szumlanski, the team won 9-8 against Laval University.
With a strong roster and three years of national experience, the team will likely believe in themselves to grab a fourth title.
After winning the OUA title last year, the men's volleyball team kicks off the season with a close win at home
Last year, the McMaster University men’s volleyball team finished the regular season with a near perfect 18-2 record. The Marauders went on to win the 2023 Ontario University Athletics provincial championship and place third at the U Sports national championship.
Amidst the success, the men’s volleyball team gained itself a considerable fanbase, documentary series and some big expectations for this year.
On Sept. 4, the Marauders played their first regular season game at home against the University of Toronto with a close win in the fifth set.
The game opened with a 19-25 first set loss against the Varsity Blues. McMaster fought back to win the second set 25-21 and the third set 25-19 with notable efforts from Maxime Gratton, Robbie Fujisawa, and Tyler Pavelic.
The Marauders lost some momentum and began to stumble in the fourth set, losing 15-25. However, McMaster quickly cleaned up their offense to win the fifth set 15-12 following an electrifying final point from Brendan Mills.
However, McMaster quickly cleaned up their offense to win the fifth set 15-12 following an electrifying final point from Brendan Mills.
Despite the graduation of several veterans players from the roster, including Wojciech Kraj, Mateusz Wlodarski and Sam Cooper, the win showcased some of McMaster’s promising new talent.
Despite the graduation of several veterans players from the roster, including Wojciech Kraj, Mateusz Wlodarski and Sam Cooper, the win showcased some of McMaster’s promising new talent.
Brady Paterson, a first-year outside hitter, was introduced into the starting lineup and finished the game with six kills. Another rookie, Jared Kuiken, also made an appearance in the home opener. Third-year player Haben Yohannes earned more minutes and finished with six kills and three blocks.
This was the first regular season game coached by Hamilton local Brad Douwes, who served as the former assistant coach for the Marauders in the 2021-2022 season. This May, Douwes was named head coach following the retirement of three-time National Coach of the Year, Dave Preston.
Despite all these changes, the first game back shows that there is lots more to look forward to for the men’s volleyball team. The Marauders face off against the University of Waterloo Warriors next on Nov. 10, before heading on the road for a game on Nov. 11 against the York University Lions and games on Nov. 17 and 18 against the University of Windsor Lancers.
Deja Vu hits as the basketball team joins the football team as the second McMaster victims to forfeiture
It’s official, the men’s basketball 101-56 blowout win against the Algoma Thunderbirds from Jan. 21 has been overturned as punishment due to the appearance of an ineligible player in the matchup. Their Jan. 18 game against the Brock Badgers also featured the ineligible player, but as a game that was already lost, the result will remain as is.
In a statement from the department of athletics and recreation, it was explained that the player became ineligible due to a “brief course load violation”, but has since been reinstated. The identity of the athlete has remained confidential.
In a statement from the department of athletics and recreation, it was explained that the player became ineligible due to a “brief course load violation”, but has since been reinstated. The identity of the athlete has remained confidential.
This story may sound familiar to some after the department released a similar statement about the football team this past September, who also forfeited two games due to an ineligible player, though with a different ineligibility violation, before narrowly missing the playoffs.
The basketball team was in the midst of a hot streak, having won eight of their last nine. Following the forfeiture of their biggest win of the year and a one point loss to the Windsor Lancers on Saturday night the team has fallen into a slide, losing three of their last five. On the season they now hold a record of 10 wins and eight losses.
McMaster widens recreational class opportunities for students heading into the 2022-2023 school year
As the fall semester takes off, the McMaster University Athletics and Recreation Department is continuing to provide students with new opportunities and classes to take part in. One of the benefits of their recreational classes this year is the extremely wide variety to be offered.
This fall semester, the university is providing 80 different classes for students, from ballet to spin class to belly dancing to fencing and more. Additionally, many of these programs offer different options for distinct levels of skill, providing beginner, intermediate and advanced classes.
The classes hosted by McMaster Athletics and Recreation do not require personnel to be McMaster students, as anyone is allowed to participate so long as they are high school age and up. No membership is required, but McMaster students receive a discount on the classes. To acquire more information on the scheduling for the recreational classes, you can visit the weekly schedule for the fall term here.
To register for the Fall term classes, you can visit the Athletics and Recreation program website here. The pricing for the programs ranges from $23.90 for yoga to $101.77 for Muay Thai, with most of the programs lasting 10 weeks.
It's back to normal for intramural sports at McMaster University this year
By Miguel Sibal, Sports Staff Writer
As the school year begins, McMaster University students can look forward to getting involved in a variety of intramural sports. This year the department of athletics and recreation will provide students with a wide assortment of intramurals, including indoor sports, outdoor sports and e-sports.
Peter McComie, intramural sports coordinator for McMaster’s athletics and recreations department, is expecting a full return to normality, barring any last-minute government announcements. Any occurring changes to health and safety restrictions set by the province will in turn be followed and enforced by the department.
“I know it comes pretty last minute and everybody does not agree . . . It’s catching us off-guard as well and whenever things have to change, we need to take our time to get things into place,” explained McComie.
Back in the fall semester of 2021, the department of athletics and recreation instituted a set of COVID-19 policies for McMaster intramurals following both provincial health guidelines and health and safety policies outlined by the university. Such procedures included the adherence to the university’s COVID-19 vaccination policy and the limiting of intramural leagues to current McMaster students.
Presently, these mandates are paused for the upcoming term and should have no impact on intramurals for the fall.
“As we go along, if things do change, we will update as necessary,” explained McComie.
Per McComie, the department also plans to reintroduce previously offered sports which were unavailable in recent years, such as cricket and flag football, in the fall intramural lineup.
The department [of athletics and recreation] also plans to reintroduce previously offered sports which were unavailable in recent years, such as cricket and flag football, in the fall intramural lineup.
Registration will begin on Sept. 7, and will run until Sept. 14 for all outdoor sports, such as soccer and ultimate frisbee. Registration will begin on Sept. 18 for indoor sports, including water polo, floorball and volleyball.
Intramural sign-up is done through the IMLeagues website. On the site students can sign-up in pre-organized teams or register as free agents to make and receive requests to join teams still in need of members. Based on their interests, participants can select several different leagues and play styles for their intramurals.
Intramural sign-up is done through the IMLeagues website. On the site students can sign-up in pre-organized teams or register as free agents to make and receive requests to join teams still in need of members. Based on their interests, participants can select several different leagues and play styles for their intramurals.
The league options require a team to meet specific gender-based requirements when fulfilling their roster. Students can take part in a men’s league, a women’s league, an open league for students of all genders or a co-rec league with sport-specific gender-based roster requirements. It is however important to note that students will only be able to participate in one gendered league (either the men’s or women’s league) and one other league per sport they are involved with.
On top of these league options, students can play under a PlayFun or PlayCompetitive style. While both options allow for players of varying degrees of skill, PlayFun allows for a more casual dynamic of gameplay while PlayCompetitive play is typically a choice for more sport specific experienced athletics.
Continual updates through the year will be provided through the McMaster intramural website, as well as on their social media pages: Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
By: Ryan Tse
Have you been following McMaster men’s hockey this year? McMaster men’s hockey club coach and general manager Rob Wilkinson would be surprised if you have.
“Nobody really knows about us,” said Wilkinson with a laugh.
Marauder teams have once again enjoyed success across the board this season, highlighted by another provincial championship for the men’s volleyball team. But one sport most students are not aware of is the men’s hockey team, largely because it is a club and does not participate in the Ontario University Athletics. Yet this club of dedicated Mac athletes has been running strong for the past decade.
As a club, the men’s hockey team gets invited to play in six or seven tournaments a season, which roughly spans from October to February.
These tournaments take place at various schools around Ontario and Québec, such as St. Lawrence College, Bishop’s University and Sherbrooke University. Most of these schools are part of the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association.
Beyond tournaments, the team also plays exhibition games against other school teams, including the University of Waterloo, the University of Toronto and Sheridan College.
They do not always have to travel, though — they face off against Mohawk College and Redeemer College a few times a year as well. Recently, the club played Redeemer on April 4 at Chedoke Arena, a local venue.
This is the ninth season behind the bench for coach Wilkinson, who organizes the tournaments for the team on top of his coaching duties. He is helped by his son Blair, a McMaster alumnus, who serves as the assistant coach.
It takes a lot of work for Wilkinson to oversee the club. Still, he enjoys his role on the team and said it is rewarding to find opportunities for McMaster students to play hockey throughout the year.
“We’ve had a lot of kids get involved,” Wilkinson said. “It’s not just about how good you are — it’s how committed you are to helping out and how dedicated you can be.”
Funding and practice time can be a challenge for the McMaster squad, but the players and coaches are willing to make financial and time sacrifices. To the coaches, it is all about the students and making sure that they can play the game they love.
“We’ve had a lot of kids get involved. It’s not just about how good you are — it’s how committed you are to helping out and how dedicated you can be.”
Rob Wilkinson Coach and General Manager Men’s Hockey Club
Wilkinson takes particular pride in noting that the club is heavily involved in OCAA tournaments, despite not being part of the association. Because McMaster is not part of the OCAA loop, there are certain restrictions and fees that must be overcome to allow the club to participate. Nevertheless, the coaches and players find a way to attend several of them.
“Every year, we’ve had more tournament activity than any team that’s a member,” Wilkinson said. “All that means to me is we get more kids more activity.”
The club even has built up some traditions over the years. Wilkinson mentioned an annual weekend trip to Brockville to play in a tournament before heading to Montreal for the night.
In Wilkinson’s time as a coach, he’s seen many different players wear the McMaster uniform on the ice. Despite the low-profile nature of the club, he’s quick to note that there have been some very successful seasons.
“We’ve won quite a few championships,” Wilkinson said. “One year, we won two tournaments in the same weekend. Another year, we won the St. Lawrence College tournament and we won the Queen’s University Challenge cup in one weekend.”
“We won three tournaments one year,” he added.
This year has seen the team attend five tournaments so far. While results are not the most important thing to Wilkinson and the club, McMaster has still done fairly well, coming away with a consolation championship and two semi-final appearances.
Typically, the club holds tryout skates at the beginning of the school year, where any McMaster hockey players are welcome to come skate and join the club. From there, the coaches select players from the large roster to go on tournaments, depending on the availability of the students.
Though McMaster lacks an official varsity men’s team, hockey still lives on through the McMaster men’s hockey club. Over the past decade, coach Wilkinson and the team have traveled all throughout the province, carrying maroon pride with them. So the next time someone mentions men’s hockey at McMaster, remember that Mac does have a presence on the ice.
For the fans who frequent the Marauders website, one name has continued to appear on the front page throughout the school year. No, it is not a point guard, an outside hitter or a quarterback. It is Sergio Raez Villanueva.
Villanueva is a rising star on the cross-country and track team at McMaster, and since arriving at McMaster from McGill following an illness, his name has been hard to miss.
The second-year biology major earned his third Pita Pit Athlete of the Week honours on Jan. 15 following a gold medal at Windsor’s Can-Am meet. There, Villanueva posted a converted time of 3:50.51 in the 1500m event, which is currently Canada’s third fastest time at that event and the fourth-fastest in McMaster history. Villanueva also ranks seventh in Canada in the men’s 3000m track events, the only Marauder to rank nationally in the top 12 in any category.
“I tend to not think much when I’m running,” Villanueva said. “I think it is partly because I do not want to get super nervous. I find my best races have been when I just went and I was like, ‘hey it’s going to be a fun race, I have no expectations, I’m going to give it my best shot’. I’m thinking right now of a 10km race that I did in 30 [minutes] flat, still my best time to this day. That race I was like I got nothing to lose, I’m just going to run and have fun. Turns out it was still one of the best races I have ever run in my life.”
His excellence in the indoor season is really no surprise to anyone as that is Villanueva’s specialty. The bigger change for Villanueva this year was adapting the uneven terrain of outdoor running.
“Sergio is a team leader, very accepting of everyone on the team. A very kind and thoughtful individual — there is no one like him.”
Paula Schnurr Head coach McMaster track team
“I’m more of a track guy since it’s just a flat surface, even ground,” Villanueva said. “I’m more of a top speed person that if it’s even ground, I can grind it out. However, when we started cross-country [coach Paula Shnurr] and I talked, and she said [I] should try focusing [my] off-day runs more on the grass. So that’s the one thing that I really changed this year. Every day I was just going to a park and [running] loops on the grass. And it seems to have done something because that was the best cross-country season I’ve had.”
The statistics back the deception up as Villanueva earned himself a Second Team All-Canadian distinction after running the 10km event in 31:43.42 at the U Sports Championships, good enough to place him eighth overall in the country. The drive to win starts at practice and is not lost on the team’s coaching staff.
“Sergio is very driven and focused but more importantly he just loves to run and race,” said Schnurr. “He is very talented and works hard in practice — at times I have to encourage him to slow down. Sergio is not afraid to lead races and make the pace tough for his competitors. He is fearless. His goal is to run faster than the last race and he is always looking to make each race his best.”
Villanueva has always said he prefers the longer distances, like 8km and 10km, with the 1500m being the shortest he likes to run. So it only makes sense he took a long road to get here. Despite his winding path to Hamilton, McMaster always managed to stay on Villanueva’s mind.
“Even before I went to McGill I was always between McMaster and McGill,” Villanueva said. “It’s funny because the summer before I went to McGill I had this placement at McMaster and I contacted Paula like, ‘Hey, I’m around so maybe I could join some practices’. To me this resonated from the very beginning — Paula was just so welcoming from the very beginning and the team was a so accepting, even though they knew that I was going to McGill at that point, they were just so accepting to have me that summer and train with them. I went to McGill and then that whole nonsense happened I recovered and contacted Paula, got back into training because I had a whole year before I started school. That year Paula got me in shape and I managed to do a track race on 10km, and I went to Poland for the World Juniors. So what I’d like to say is that it’s thanks to Paula and the team really — they were so welcoming. It was great being around those guys and we all work together and prosper together and get better together. Who I am now as a runner is thanks to them.”
The change in venue for Villanueva was never a rocky experience for the young runner.
“The only disappointment for Sergio was that he had to sit out a year before he could compete for Mac,” added Schnurr.
The fact that he could ease into the community coming from another program is a testament to the track team, and the university community at large.
“The McMaster community is great,” Villanueva said. “Not only the team but just the community in general honestly. The bumpy stuff was just like you know the paperwork for transferring.Once I got in and it was kind of smooth sailing. I don’t know what else to say to be honest. McMaster is a very welcoming community. I had no problems adapting or starting again at McMaster. So I’m very grateful.”
Villanueva grew up in Peru where he spent most of his time playing tennis. It was only in Grade 8 when his family moved to Canada that he discovered cross-country running. He began to seriously train after joining a club in high school and the rest is history. He even represented Ontario in the Canada Summer Games where he got to meet athletes from all sports.
While Villanueva has his sights set on making the U Sports Championships, he is focusing on improving in the 3000m race right now in addition to the 1500m. While he will focus on statistical improvements during practice, Villanueva also brings the intangibles to every training session.
“Sergio is a real pleasure to coach,” Schnurr said. “When he is absent from practice it is noticeable.He always has a smile on his face and is happy to be at practice. He is extremely supportive of his teammates and in general makes people feel at ease when he is around them.”
The team has only two more competitions to get their reps in before the provincial and national championship meets. When they hit the road towards Boston and then Toronto, the team will only continue to improve.
“The future’s pretty bright,” said Villanueva. “We’re really eager for the next coming years as the team’s progressing very, very well. We came fourth at U Sports as a team in cross-country recently, and we are really excited to try to get to the podium soon.”
Yet regardless of the results, the track team has proven with star athletes like Villanueva that they have a program that is welcoming to all new athletes, and they are successful because of it. In the seasons ahead, Villanueva will continue to be a mainstay on the Marauders home page.
