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.
Following the 2020 report, the Black Student Athlete Council provides avenues to foster conversation and encourage McMaster to improve supports for Black athletes
In 2020, a report titled “A Systemic Review of the Black Student-Athlete Experience and the McMaster Athletics Climate” was released, highlighting the issues that Black student athletes, coaches and staff had experienced within the McMaster University Athletics and Recreation department. The report also made recommendations to the department to address these issues, based on numerous interviews with athletes, coaches and staff involved in McMaster Athletics and Recreation.
In October 2020, McMaster released a follow up report titled “Taking Action on the Recommendations In A Systemic Review of the Black Student-Athlete Experience and the McMaster Athletics Climate.” This second report highlighted the main priorities for the university's action plan to address the issues within the department. These priorities included increasing representation within the department, creating a culture of accountability, developing targeted supports, scholarships and advocacy roles as well as mechanisms for training and education.
One of the outlined mechanisms for creating a culture of accountability was the creation of a Black Student Athlete Council. The BSAC is a student-run organization that aims to support student athletes who identify as Black, Indigenous and persons of colour.
"Our main goal is to foster community within the McMaster community and BIPOC athletes. Secondly, and very close to our main goal, is to be the liaison between athletes and the athletics department,” said Osa Olaye, one of BSAC's co-presidents.
Our main goal is to foster community within the McMaster community and BIPOC athletes. Secondly, and very close to our main goal, is to be the liaison between athletes and the athletics department.
Osa Olaye, fourth-year rugby player and co-president of the Black Student-Athlete Council
The council intended to foster discussion between athletes and McMaster, allowing for the needs of BIPOC athletes to be communicated directly to the administration.
As part of this, climate surveys and progress review focus groups have been set up by the athletics department to provide open and updated communication between them and student athletes.
These events and surveys include racialized and non-racialized groups and help any groups that face collective barriers.
“The climate survey and progress review is not just race-focused. It's for any equity deserving group. It asks what are we [the department] doing wrong and what ideas do you [individuals in the focus group] have,” said Olaye.
These avenues for communication seem to allow the university more access to student’s thoughts and needs. They open a discourse for changes to occur before things become too extreme.
“I think that the climate surveys and quality control checks are so important to know where we stand, because at the end of the day, the institution won’t know where we stand until someone tells them there's a problem. Then we can hold them accountable after they know there is a problem,” said Olaye.
I think that the climate surveys and quality control checks are so important to know where we stand, because at the end of the day, the institution won’t know where we stand until someone tells them there's a problem. Then we can hold them accountable after they know there is a problem.
Osa Olaye, fourth-year rugby player and co-president of the Black Student-Athlete Council
As the BSAC continues to support opportunities for conversations with the department of athletics and recreation, more avenues for further change will hopefully follow suit.
Marauders are in seasoned form as swimming, wrestling and volleyball teams all place in U Sports top ten
On Jan. 31, the McMaster University Marauders announced that the men and women’s volleyball, wrestling and swimming teams all placed in the top ten of U Sports sports rankings.
On the women’s team, the Marauders went almost undefeated in the month before a recent sweep by the Gaels, who took both games against McMaster 1-3 on Jan. 26 and 27. The losses moved their Ontario University Athletics record to 13-3, as they stand third overall in the province behind the Badgers, who have only recorded one loss this year, and the Gaels.
The losses moved their Ontario University Athletics record to 13-3, as they stand third overall in the province behind the Badgers, who have only recorded one loss this year, and the Gaels.
The wrestling program also made waves in U Sports rankings, with the men and women climbing to the third and eighth best spots in the country.
Leading the charge for Marauders, standouts Serena Di Benedetto and Gregor McNeil picked up gold medals in their matches at the Guelph Open on Jan. 21.
Both athletes played key roles as rookies on last year’s rosters, with Di Benedetto winning the OUA Most Outstanding Wrestler and Rookie of the Year award and McNeil picking up the U Sports Wrestler of the Week award on Nov. 16, 2022. They will look to make a big impact at the OUA championships competition on Feb. 10 in Sault Ste. Marie.
Both athletes played key roles as rookies on last year’s rosters, with Di Benedetto winning the OUA Most Outstanding Wrestler and Rookie of the Year award and McNeil picking up the U Sports Wrestler of the Week award on Nov. 16, 2022.
Finally, the women and men’s swimming placed ninth and tenth to round out the rest of the Marauders’ rankings.
The swimming teams finished their final OUA invitational at the University of Toronto on Jan. 21. Rookies Hayden Yeung and Kalen Murray brought home four medals for the men, with Yeung winning the races for the 100 and 50 metre breaststroke races and Murray capturing the silver 200m and bronze 100m backstroke medals.
Mikaela Blake collected the 100 metre fly gold medal while Megan Deering, who picked up the McMaster Athlete of the Week award on Nov. 27, 2023 placed first in the 50m breaststroke race. Currently, Blake, Deering and Yeung are set to qualify for the national U Sports Swimming Championships taking place on Mar. 7 to 9 in Montreal.
After a productive season before the winter break, the Marauder's men's volleyball team looks forward to the second half of their season
The McMaster University men’s volleyball team began their season back in September, with a series of preseason exhibition games. The team faced opponents such as Queen’s University, Trinity Western University, and Ohio State University. They picked up a wide array of scores and results, with the team mostly losing their first games of 2023.
As they moved in their Ontario University Athletics season, the team quickly turned these defeats around. Under the guidance of new head coach Brad Douwes, the team has picked up a record of seven wins and two losses.
Under the guidance of new head coach Brad Douwes, the team has picked up a record of seven wins and two losses.
They recorded sweeping wins [again citations needs from these games] against the University of Waterloo, Toronto Metropolitan University and Guelph University to end off 2023. Newer team players have stepped up this season too, including first-year outside hitter Brady Paterson who has recorded 32 kills so far.
As McMaster's winter break commenced, the Marauder’s volleyball team continued to play. They kept in form as they played against the University of Sherbrooke and the University of Montreal on Dec. 29 and Dec. 30 respectively.
Likely fearing a loss of form over the break, the team traveled to these schools looking to keep standards high as they returned to the OUA season. The team won against the University of Sherbrooke and lost against the University of Montreal.
The exhibition games proved successful for the maroon and grey, as they picked up wins in their first two games back from break. McMaster faced Nipissing University, winning their first game with by a score of 3-2 sets and subsequently sweeping the Nipissing Lakers in their second matchup.
The Marauders men's team still has half of their season to play, with ten more games until they reach the OUA playoffs in hopes of claiming their twelfth OUA title.
The Marauders men's team still has half of their season to play, with ten more games until they reach the OUA playoffs.
McMaster will look to book their ticket to this year’s national championships, as they have before in the past year. The team will hope to reach new heights under Douwes' leadership after falling in the previous U Sports championships at the semifinals stage.
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.
McMaster men's curling kicked off their season this past November with many invitationals ahead as they look to win big
The McMaster University men's curling season officially started in Guelph on Nov. 11. The Marauders faced three teams in the University of Guelph invitational in their first competition of the season. In their first game they faced off against Wilfrid Laurier University, the 2022-2023 Ontario University Athletics champions.
This challenge at the start of the season was not the only hardship this team has had to endure so far, with many key players leaving the team in their last offseason.
The team's only two returning players this year are Scott McLellan and Daniel Van Veghel. The graduation of Troy Stoner and Thomas Szasz would leave major gaps in the team that the current roster would have to fill.
It's mostly a new team [this year]. A lot of turnover especially in the back end, so you got to just kind of rebuild the entire team. We had a lot of new players.
Benjamin Winchester, second-year player, Marauders men's curling team
With these changes in roster, the team was left to rebuild mostly from scratch, leading to many of the current challenges they're facing this year.
“We didn’t have the greatest start, score wise, but it's been a steady improvement,” said Winchester.
Coming into this season, the team also welcomed in a new head coach. The team's previous head coach was Lori Eddey, an experienced curler who spent time at the national level as a player.
Eddey was replaced this season by Byron Scott, who spent the last seven years coaching at the University of Guelph before leaving to coach the current McMaster team.
Thus far, Scott has proven to be a great fit for the current Marauders' curling team. He consistently emphasizes mindful habits for the current players, who seem to resonate with them quite well.
“[Scott] is big into sports psychology, so he’ll mention a lot of the time pre-game what to be thinking and he’s tried to instill good habits in us. Instead of getting down if we miss a shot, [Scott says to] think "clean slate and just stay steady,"” said Winchester.
Despite some changes to the team dynamic this season, the Marauders have been able to learn and adapt to both each other and their new head coach. They've learned to play off of one another and have been able to see better results.
“We’ve gotten our communication down now. That was one of the big things with a new team; you don’t know how everyone communicates, with hand signals or other little things," said Winchester.
We’ve gotten our communication down now. That was one of the big things with a new team, you don’t know how everyone communicates, with hand signals or other little things.
Benjamin Winchester, second-year player, Marauders men's curling team
This season, the Marauders will hope to capture an OUA title after just falling short of the finals last year. Their loss to Queen's University ended in a 9-2 score.
“Personally, I’d like us to win [an OUA] quarterfinal game. That’s always been the goal... Always a bit more than that, but a quarterfinal game win would be nice,” said Winchester.
Scott and the team's newcomers will hope to make a big name for themselves as the season comes its peak.
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.
Marauders cap off a huge weekend at provincial rowing championship in St. Catharines with five medals, including two varsity bronze medals
On Oct. 27 and 28, the McMaster University varsity rowing team competed along with 13 other participating schools in the Ontario University Athletics rowing championship at the Royal Canadian Henley Rowing Course in St. Catharines. The Marauders secured two bronze medals in the varsity women’s single and men’s lightweight pairs.
President of the rowing team, Nathalie Hilbert placed second in her women’s single heat on Oct. 27 with a time of 8:26.100 to advance to the event’s finals.
For the men’s team, Jonny Diakopoulos and Trevor Tung competed in the men’s lightweight pair and lightweight double. In the pair event, they placed second with a time of 7:25.000 in order to compete in the next-day A finals. For the doubles race, Diakopoulos and Tung finished in second in their heat to move onto the B finals.
The next day on Oct. 28, Hilbert returned to take on the A finals for the women’s single race, grabbing a spot on the podium with her bronze medal time of 8:53.270. Competing with Sarah Cushnie, Hilbert also placed fifth in the varsity women’s pair A finals.
To round out the Marauders’ wins that weekend, Diakopoulos and Tung picked up the team’s second bronze medal after finishing in third in the varsity men’s lightweight pairs. Their time of 7:37.780 just missed the silver medal spot by a few seconds, with the rowers from Western University narrowly beating out the duo by completing the race in 7:34.030.
To round out the Marauders’ wins that weekend, Diakopoulos and Tung picked up the team’s second bronze medal after finishing in third in the varsity men’s lightweight pairs.
Along with the varsity medalists, McMaster teams also secured three more medals from their junior varsity crews.
Along with the varsity medalists, McMaster teams also secured three more medals from their junior varsity crews.
The maroon and grey team dominated the junior varsity women’s doubles race, with the pair of Brooke McCoy and Olivia Richardson winning the gold medal while Sienna Munro and Hayden Taylor took the silver.
Ben Milone, Eshaan Maneyapanda, Rahul Patel, Matthew Glenn and Shuruthi Sivadas won the bronze medal for McMaster in the men’s coxed fours.
With success from both their varsity and junior varsity rowers, the Marauders finished their season in grand fashion.
