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.
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By: Griffin Marsh
The Ontario University Athletics’ wrestling season is a grueling affair. Opportunities present themselves through October, November and January, eventually building to the OUA Championships in February.
For McMaster wrestler Benjamin Zahra, the season has certainly been taxing, but has resulted in a rewarding season that is worth writing home about.
As Mac Wrestling heads into the OUA Championships this weekend, Zahra is coming off of an OUA Male Athlete of the Week Award at the end of January, and a perfect performance at the Ontario Junior Championships.
Zahra’s performance at the Junior Championships led to a gold medal in the 79 kg category, posting three clean performances, as he did not give up a point all weekend long.
This performance was even more impressive as it was not Zahra’s first gold medal on the season, adding to his 86 kg Senior Championships gold medal in November. Zahra has already established himself as a top athlete, performing at the top of his game in two weight categories, against two different age categories. He is a wrestler who begs more attention.
However, Zahra is not about to rest on his accomplishments anytime soon. There are still key challenges ahead this season and Zahra treats each practice as an opportunity to work on his technique and continually improve.
“My motivation this season has just been to focus on pushing myself as hard as I can in practice to get better,” said Zahra. “I have been able to push aside all the season’s distractions and really focus on trying to get the best performance out of myself in every practice so that I can be in the best condition for competitions.”
Zahra’s athletic ideology reflects a mindset that was also echoed by head wrestling coach, Cleo Ncube.
Coach Ncube, in his first season at McMaster, brings the mentality of the former Olympian he is, instituting a strict and demanding schedule that challenged many members of the team in the early stages of this season.
Zahra took this challenge and ran with it, still constantly checking in with his motivations and drives.
“It’s a sport that forces you to push yourself harder than you ever thought you could push yourself, which can be very hard,” Zahra said. “This makes the flashes of success throughout the season that much more enjoyable.”
“The motivation for me is the joy I get from the sport,” Zahra added. “It’s important for me to find enjoyment in wrestling because in the big picture, that’s why I have always wrestled.”
Even with what Zahra has accomplished up to this point, he is still looking for more, looking beyond this weekend to the National Championships. Still, one of Zahra’s strongest traits seems to be his poise and focus. He clearly has lofty ambitions, but they are all kept in perspective with clear attention being paid to the small things.
“At the start of the year my main goal was to win the junior national championships at the end of year,” said Zahra. “Although I think this is a goal I am capable of achieving, I have really tried not to focus on it too much throughout the season. Instead, I have set goals for myself in practice that I know if I follow will give me the best chance of becoming a national champion.”
This mindset is one strongly advocated for by Ncube. The wrestling team’s head coach regularly emphasizes the importance of personal growth and consistent effort, not simply a focus on results.
Coach Ncube added that this mentality has been paying off dividends in his eyes, having seen dramatic improvements throughout the roster.
“Up to this point the season has been good,” Zahra added, reflecting on the season. “I have had a chance to compete in many of the university open tournaments along with both the senior and junior provincial championships. I have not had much of a chance to reflect on the season because of the busy tournament schedule, but overall I am happy.”
Looking ahead, the OUA Championships are on Feb. 11 and Zahra is focused on another key performance.
“For this upcoming OUA championships my goal is to compete the best I can and hopefully have an excellent performance,” said Zahra. “This is the same goal I have going into every tournament because it is the one thing I am in complete control of.”
This idea of complete control is something that runs through of Zahra’s competitions. It feels like at this stage in his young career he is in control — in control of his regime, in control of his preparation and in control of his game. Week in and week out, he is in charge. This is a McMaster athlete to keep your eye on, this weekend and beyond.
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School may have officially started for McMaster University students on Jan. 4, but for the McMaster women’s basketball team, the second half of their regular season started on Dec. 30 with a win over the York University Lions.
Since then the Marauders have remain undefeated, beating both the Windsor Lancers and the Brock Badgers. The team now sits at third place in the Ontario University Athletics West Division with an 8-4 overall record.
Although all three games were great wins, the most impressive of the three was the 75-44 victory over the Badgers. The victory was witnessed by many supporters thanks to the “Pack the House” initiative arranged by McMaster Athletics.
Different from any other home game, the first 100 McMaster students who filed into the gym received a free t-shirt courtesy of the McMaster Students Union Maroons and McMaster Athletics. There was also a contest rewarding the residence with the most students in attendance with a free pizza party, courtesy of Pizza Pizza.
The game started off slow for the Badgers in the first quarter, as Mac only allowed four points. That is exactly what the Marauders hoped for going into the game.
“Our game plan usually against teams is mostly defensive,” said second-year player Julia Hanaka. “We try to really get up and start the tempo early because we want them to be the ones following us instead of vice versa.”
The Marauders applied a lot of pressure early on, making it difficult for Brock to score as they finished the game 0 of 13 from three. Though for head coach Theresa Burns, she knew that their team was capable of more.
“We didn't have a great start, however it is going to happen,” said Burns. “I thought we turned things around in the second quarter and we started to play at the pace we wanted to play at.”
Leading the team in points, Lexie Spadafora scored 18 points, while Linnaea Harper was right behind her with 17 points. For their third straight win, the women’s team attributes both winter break scrimmages against top teams in the University of Saskatchewan Huskies and Queen’s University’s Gaels and the “Pack the House” turnout as the reason why the team played so well.
“When you challenge yourself against the top teams in the country, it can only make you better and it is such a great learning tool,” said Burns. “It gets you going again after the winter break and brings you back to that intensity level that you need to be at and get everyone on the same page.”
As for the large amount of support, it created an atmosphere that any player would love to play in. For Hanaka, a huge reason why she and other players chose to come to Mac was because they have seen first hand the amount of support that comes out during initiatives like “Pack the House”.
“When the whole crowd goes crazy, everybody on the bench gets fired up and we get more into [the game] because of how much support we see,” said Hanaka.
Being able to work on their transition game, apply different defences and just continue to get better as a whole over the break has surely paid off so far for the Marauders. With the next game at the University of Waterloo to face the 1-11 Warriors, Mac will have no problem building off of their momentum and keeping their winning streak alive.
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The days of the one-dimensional athlete are far behind us as a growing number of professional athletes are publicly discussing their passion for things outside of the world of sports. For many, that is a passion for fashion.
Whether it is the National Basketball Association’s “King of Fashion”, Russell Westbrook, or the suave styling of Canada’s very own National Hockey League defenceman P.K. Subban, who is RW & Co’s newest collaborator, these trendsetters are challenging the stereotypical definition of what it means to be an athlete.
Many athletes are putting in that extra effort to look sharp so that they can feel great and, in turn, play well in their sport. Although they are not trying to reach the same style level as the professional athletes mentioned above. I decided to explore what McMaster athletes were bringing to the growing trend of athletes in style. These five Marauders exhibit style not only on the court (and ice rink), but off it in their own unique way.
A mash up of Dallas Wings’ Skylar Diggins-Smith and pop-star sensation Selena Gomez is the best way Hanaka would describe her everyday style.
A lover for fall fashion and sucker for a good knit sweater, you can often catch Hanaka in leggings, a simple t-shirt and a nice cardigan, bringing just enough style to her relaxed look. For the second-year player, basketball is a huge part of her life, but being able to express herself in other ways is just as important. She believes that confidence you feel when you make that extra effort to look good can translate into your game, and it has been working for her. Hanaka and the women’s team are currently in second place in the Ontario University Athletics West division and ninth place in the U Sports top 10 ranking.
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The former Carleton Raven may not hit the court for McMaster until Fall 2018, but McIntosh has sure made his presence known at Mac. Drawing style inspiration from NBA players like Russell Westbrook, Steph Curry, Paul George and James Harden, McIntosh knows what he likes and how to make it work. It is clear that McIntosh is not afraid to push himself out of his comfort zone and dress it up sometimes. As for on the court, you can always catch him rocking his signature headband. He started off by imitating former Toronto Raptor Vince Carter when he was younger and has been wearing the headband ever since. Most importantly for McIntosh, having his own unique sense of style allows him to go against the status quo of what it means to be an athlete.
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Now that the sailing season is over, the first-year dual athlete has traded water for ice and wet suits for hockey jerseys. For Webster, how she dresses for the rink is reflected off of it too. Often rocking hockey sweaters with a pair of leggings, her style is sporty but far from sloppy. Naming her older sister as her biggest style inspiration, Webster is big on finding the right balance between comfort and style. Thanks to Victoria Secret’s sport collection and singing sensation Beyoncé’s Ivy Park, the athleisure trend is on the rise more than ever before. Webster is one of many women living in comfort and rocking stylish gym wear in their everyday lives.
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Another athlete you cannot miss walking around campus is 6’ 8” business student and basketball player Matt Quiring. Over the last three years of playing basketball for McMaster, Quiring has made an impression both on and off the court. Whether he’s rocking a thrift store buy or a cool find from his dad’s closet, to him, the best way to describe his style is American Apparel basic. Even though the word “basic” often has a negative connotation, he manages to make his off the court “basic” appearance look trendy yet effortless. For Quiring, it is important for athletes to have a passion for things beyond their sport to keep life interesting. Whether it is through fashion or another interest, Quiring loves the fact that there is more to life than basketball for him to explore.
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Off the court this athlete may not know exactly how to describe his sense of style but he is well-known for being able to put a look together. For the second-year volleyball player, his outfit style is based on how he feels. From wool cardigans, flannels, classic jeans and a pair of boots to bomber jackets, slim fit joggers and sneakers, one thing is for sure: Romero Marshall is not afraid to switch it up and look good while doing so. Although he does not conform to a certain style, he knows that if you believe you look good you will carry a confidence that ultimately can help you get through a tough day or focus on the positives in life.
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The McMaster Marauders men’s rugby team was among the six Canadian universities invited to the inaugural Canadian University Men’s Rugby Championship this past weekend in Guelph.
Just a week before, the Marauders defended their Ontario University Athletics bronze title in a close match-up against the up-and-coming Laurier Golden Hawks. Their 26-19 win secured their spot in the national championship this past weekend.
“We knew it was going to be a tight game,” said Marauders head coach Dan Pletch. “We lost to Laurier by one point earlier in the season and they play a similar style to us, so we really tried to focus on our defence.”
Although proud of every Mac victory, winning every match is not coach Pletch’s main goal, who is a former Marauder and three-time OUA champion himself.
“My goals are not around wins, losses and championships,” said Pletch. “My goals are always process driven. If you focus on all the processes and things that make for successful teams and successful individuals, the wins and losses take care of themselves.”
Running a player-centric system, the Marauders coaching staff sits down with the players throughout the season and they construct a training plan for the week. Players share what they think their strengths are and what they need to work on.
“Winning or losing the game isn't always within your control,” Pletch said. “But you can control your preparation, your review and your recovery.”
This includes making sure that their first years are taken care of academically and a mentorship program where upper-year players take care of the younger players. As well as a networking program through their alumni to help upper-year players with their career planning and post-university lives. All of this is done in an effort to develop well-rounded student-athletes.
Five of these well-rounded student-athletes, Connor Byrne, Will Kelly, Jack McRogers, Mitch Richardson and Mike Smith, were recently named OUA 2017 Men’s Rugby All-Stars. The group of All-Stars are made up of both dominant players and success stories.
“We have our top guys, like Kelly and McRogers that want to play for Canada at the highest level,” explained Pletch. “And then we have other guys who come to us and are not very athletic, with a limited skill set. But if they work hard and take advantage of everything that we and the athletic department have to offer, they too can be successful.”
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One of the All-Star Marauders, Richardson, has been a standout player over the last few years and even had the opportunity to play for a national development team of a few weeks this season. He has continued to be a strong player for the Marauders all season long.
While Smith, who started his career as a Marauder with limited rugby experience, continued to work hard and was able to become the best tight prop in the league, and one of the best young props in the country.
Then there is Byrne, who played on the Marauders’ development team, the junior varsity team, for the past four years and now has become a starter in his fifth year.
“He really worked hard over the last four years and remained extremely positive,” Pletch said. “Now he is one of the very best players in the league.”
With five All-Stars and the OUA bronze title, the Marauders were more than excited heading into the first university national championships. For Pletch, getting to compete against the top Canadian teams is a great opportunity that forces everyone to get better and raise the standard of their game.
He also believes that the universities is where Rugby Ontario and Rugby Canada should be focusing their development of young rugby players.
“You're dealing with players in the 18-22 age group which is a real vital time for their development,” said Pletch. “I think the national championship will really highlight that and allow players from across the country to be seen to be selected for national teams.”
The Marauders were able to start off the national championship weekend with a crushing 38-11 win against the Concordia Stingers, but unfortunately fell short 6-31 to the University of British Columbia’s Thunderbirds.
This set the Marauders up for another meeting with the Guelph Gryphons in a bronze medal match, who they had lost to twice in the regular season. This time, the Marauders came out strong and had a dominant and remarkable performance, winning 28-3.
Since the Marauders play club rugby in the offseason, they have been playing for seven months straight. So the team will now take the opportunity to go into a much needed recovery mode. They will shut down completely for two weeks and use the remainder of the year to relax and finish off their academic year as strong as their rugby season.
After the much needed winter break, they will officially start back up in Jan. The coaching staff will sit down with each player in an exit interview to review and set goals for the offseason, and elect what offseason program they want to do. Then come next April, when they are starting their club season, the Marauders will be as prepared as they can be to continue their dominance on the pitch.
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The term “sport” has been questioned lately as the definition is increasingly expanded to include many competitive physical activities that were never thought of as sports before. Where a sport begins and a game or hobby ends is often scrutinized by fans, with non-traditional sports often being excluded. However, the tide is changing.
In Dec. 2016, cheerleading was granted provisional status as an Olympic event, along with Muay Thai. Both sports will have until 2019 to show the International Olympic Committee they have what it takes to make it to the worldwide event.
For a relatively young sport that continues to evolve, cheerleading offers an exciting opportunity for the Olympics to gain a whole new demographic of fans tuning in to the festivities. For cheerleading itself, it gives the dedicated athletes involved in the sport a new way to show the world how cheerleading is a sport — and a tough one at that.
Christa Kocha, head coach of the McMaster cheerleading team, has been involved in the sport since 1998 and has seen it rapidly evolve since her time cheering for the Marauders.
“A lot has changed since I was a cheerleader at Mac,” Kocha said. “The rules and how competitions are run have become very complicated, and they reflect the complications of the sports.”
As explained by Kocha, cheerleading has come a long way from the old days of a group of students standing on the sidelines and leading cheers. Yet, as the sport has evolved, the name has remained the same. The name of the sport can be misleading as most cheerleaders do much more than just lead cheers.
There are basically two major styles of cheerleading: collegiate cheerleading and all-star cheerleading. All-star cheerleading, which according to Kocha is the future of the sport, is primarily focused on competitions that feature a lot of aerobic stunts including jumps, tumbling, dancing and flips. This is all choreographed into a two and a half minute routine and is marked not only on their difficulty and ability to perform it, but also the stylistic choices of the routine.
Collegiate cheerleading also incorporates all of these stunts, but the cheerleaders on a university team also have to make sure they maintain and promote school spirit.
“There is a huge difference between collegiate cheerleading and all-star cheerleading,” Kocha explained. “Collegiate cheerleading involves our team being out there on the field and leading cheers, getting school spirit going which isn’t always easy for a lot of all-star cheerleaders. They have to learn how to lead cheers in a crowd, which doesn’t seem like it is a big deal, but is hard because you have to be on for four hours, smiling and trying to get the crowd engaged, while also performing highly athletic stunts and tricks.”
Nicole Parker, a second-year McMaster cheerleader, is one of many who now come into collegiate cheerleading from an all-star cheerleading gym. Parker also got involved in cheerleading in high school but decided to pursue it beyond that.
“I always thought that it was something I was supposed to do when I went to high school,” said Parker, who has been cheerleading for six years. “When I would watch all of the movies I was like, ‘oh cheerleaders are the coolest’. When I did high school cheer, someone on the team did all-star cheerleading and said that I was really good and should consider doing it.”
One of the most difficult challenges for collegiate cheerleaders is being able to balance the two styles, since the Marauders compete at all-star competitions during the year against other collegiate teams, like Western and Laurier, in addition to cheering along the sidelines. The team also attends extra events like the McMaster Children’s Hospital employee appreciation day or events surrounding the 53rd Vanier Cup. Not to mention the regular academic pressures on any other student-athlete.
“The toughest part is trying to balance everything and not bringing my stress from school or personal life to cheer practice,” said Parker. “I have two hours to practice and get everything done and not let my emotions get in the way with it.”
Keeping the crowd energized during a game is extremely important for any team, as any athlete can tell you. If a home crowd is quiet and disinterested, the whole idea of a home team advantage disappears. Athletes feed off of the cheers and applause of the crowd and sometimes the fans need a little help from the sidelines.
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In addition to the demands on the team off the field, the physical skill that is required to cheer is evident to anyone who has ever seen a cheer routine.
“It requires you be physically fit and it’s hard,” said Parker. “You are lifting up people, and it is high intensity for two and a half minutes. You are running all over the place, flipping and stuff like that. It’s hard. Because there is a performance factor and looking nice is a factor, they think it should not be a sport because you are marked on if you’re smiling or not.”
Cheerleading is currently classified as a club rather than a varsity team. In addition to public perceptions of cheerleading being considered a sport, there is currently no fully established governing body to help advocate its position. While one is in the works and starting to gain traction in the community, it has yet to fully take hold. This is due to the newness of the sport, especially in Canada. It is well on its way to joining the ranks of the traditional sports.
“I always think it should be considered a varsity sport,” Kocha said. “I understand it is hard because we don’t have the proper governing bodies. There is a tight hold over varsity teams as I suppose there should be. You want to make sure the kids are safe and regulations are being followed and the brand is being represented properly.”
Yet, not being considered a varsity sport also has its benefits and freedoms.
“There are also a lot of benefits to it…. It’s hard,” Kocha added. “There are a lot of things I probably don’t understand with how things are run. And I know that a lot of other university teams that are club teams find a lot more freedom in what they want to do. That’s not necessarily what I want for our team, but I think it is a really complicated situation. I think that is partly our job and our challenge as coaches and members in the community who are we going to do this and make this an actual sport.”
Regardless of their classification, the team still competes regularly against other collegiate teams in level six categories. Level six cheerleading is the highest category of all-star cheerleading, featuring the most complex routines and challenging stunts. Mac’s program offers their athletes the opportunity to compete among the best in Canadian collegiate cheerleading while also allowing them time to focus on their life as a student.
“It is a high-level team,” said Parker. “Level six is pretty difficult, but the good thing about Mac is that they balance your schooling. You are a student first so the competitions don’t interfere with midterms or exams. They give us breaks when exams are coming up and stuff like that.”
To finish off the month, The Marauders will be competing in the Power Cheerleading Athletics Collegiate National Championship. Mac is coming off a fifth place finish last year in the small co-ed division, but this year will be competing in the larger all-girl category that features 10 teams.
“We feel very prepared this year,” Kocha said. “It is always a challenge trying to create a really difficult routine in less than three months. Level six is hard because you are doing a lot of free flipping. So you want to make sure that it is safe for them, but it is challenging at the same time and they can do it. I think we put together a pretty good routine that way this year.”
“We feel pretty confident and I’m proud of the team this year,” Kocha added. “They’ve worked really hard through everything and I think it just shows in their routine. I hope we have a lot of fans there this year that would be great. We try to put on a really good show.”
Whatever position the team places in, Kocha is proud of how well the team has integrated with the school community in recent years and represented school spirit in any setting.
“I’m really happy how we have come together with the school community and I hope it continues that way,” Kocha said. “I really like having them at the games. I think it is really fun for them. I hope the school responds to it and joins in on the fun too.”
At the end of the day, classifications become meaningless. It is not about what word you can point to in a dictionary that defines a sport. A sport is made up of the hard work, sweat and tears that are put into every hour spent preparing for each competition or game. It is defined by the teamwork displayed on the field, court or mat in front of a rowdy cheering crowd. And ultimately, it is one of the few things that works to bring humanity together for one common goal. So whether you are watching or competing, just enjoy it.
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By: Griffin Marsh
The McMaster men’s volleyball team showed grit, resiliency and power while taking both matches of the North American Challenge against two-time National Collegiate Athletic Association champions, the Ohio State Buckeyes.
World-class volleyball returned to the Burridge Gym last weekend as the men’s volleyball team hosted Ohio State for a two-game series, a preseason tune-up that has become synonymous with sold out crowds, hard hits and tremendous volleyball.
But to understand what this game means for this team, we must reverse the clocks a couple of weeks to this team’s preseason trip to Poland over reading week. While in Poland, the men were exposed to professional-level volleyball and have worked to reflect on that experience leading into this past weekend against Ohio State.
The opportunity to face some of Poland’s best and the NCAA’s best in the lead up to your U Sports regular season is a very unique reality, and something that is not lost on head coach Dave Preston.
“We have to do our student-athlete experience in our own way,” said Preston. “I am really happy with what we are able to provide our students in terms of their volleyball experience,”
An important learning experience in Poland and a firm belief in the McMaster process from the head coach down set the stage for a two-match series against Ohio State this past weekend. The team was able to apply what they had learned in their offseason.
Remembering that the North American Challenge is a preseason friendly for both these teams was easy to forget when entering the packed, noisy gymnasium on both Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. The first set on Saturday was close and intense, with McMaster squeaking out a 29-27 victory, much to the enjoyment of the roaring crowd.
The rest of Saturday’s match was an up-and-down affair, with the Buckeyes taking the next two sets, including a third set that McMaster controlled throughout but lost after a few unlucky bounces near the end. The resiliency was expressed in the last two sets as McMaster settled in, flipped the momentum and took the first match on a dominant fifth set, 15-8.
Sunday was exciting, as a completely different set of players took the court, featuring some young McMaster players and backups. The outcome was impressive though, as McMaster swept the Buckeyes 3-0.
Throughout this preseason refinement period, and even through the excitement and energy that was associated with a thrilling North American Challenge, coach Preston is firm in his emphasis that the U Sports season is where their focus lies.
"We have to do our student-athlete experience in our own way. I am really happy with what we are able to provide our students in terms of their volleyball experience,"
Dave Preston
Head Coach
Men's Volleyball Team
“The trip to Poland, as good as it was, and the Ohio State matches, as good as they [were], won’t be near as good as what we will experience in league play,” said Preston. “The whole purpose of all of that is to just get us ready for our league play.”
Preparatory or not, Preston will have a lot of positives to take from the North American Challenge, both on an individual and team level. On a team level, the strength and composure to battle back from down a set on Saturday night is definitely a bright spot for coach Preston.
On an individual level, the stars with third-year outside hitter, Matt Passalent, and fifth-year outside hitter, Brandon Koppers. Together they combined for 38 kills and four aces, a dominating performance from both of them on Saturday.
Asked before these matches about the individual talent on this team, coach Preston was excited about what both these players could deliver this year. Passalent is developing into the break-out player, with two seasons under his belt, and Koppers finds himself on the team’s leadership council, already actively working to create a positive and productive culture within the team room, according to coach Preston.
While there has been clear improvement from many individual players on this team, this offseason’s improvement was also supported by a few players’ involvement with varying levels of Canada’s national volleyball team.
Passalent, and second year libero Jordan Piereira spent time with the Junior National Team this summer. Koppers, on the other hand, found a role with the National B Team in a starting role. The energy of the program was also buoyed by recent graduates Jayson McCarthy and Danny Demyanenko finding positions with the National Team in different capacities.
For Preston, this success outside of McMaster just cements the message he is trying to express.
“These are great statements of what we do here, how we are built, and what our day to day delivery model is,” said Preston. “I think in the team room it really helps because the guys know that if we put in what is designed every day, those are some potential outcomes.”
Whatever the message may be, it seems to be lighting up the locker room. Coming off of Poland and a statement performance against Ohio State, energy is high even if this team looks different than last year.
“One of the beauties of collegiate sport is the cyclical nature,” said Preston. “You only got guys for five years, whether you want them for more or not, so it’s turning over. From a team perspective it is really exciting and it is really interesting to see how, even with the core guys being back, what the different chemistry and culture is on each team.”
The culture and chemistry seem to be blending in an exciting way, and this has the men’s volleyball team excited for the year ahead, which leads directly to the U Sports National Championships in our own Burridge Gym in March of next year.
For now, the team looks ahead to the upcoming Ontario University Athletics season. The first game is Oct. 27 at home against the Ryerson Rams, and judging by this past weekend, you will want to be watching.
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By: Ryan Tse
The McMaster women’s soccer team has not had the smoothest season. This year’s squad has fought their way to a 2-6-5 record to put them in eighth place in the West conference through 13 games. Three pivotal games remain in the 2017 regular season.
Their record tells the story of an up-and-down season filled with adversity. However, new coach Joe Valvasori sees growth and potential in this team. Valvasori believes that the difficulties are largely due to a learning curve for the players as they adjust to new systems.
“I don’t think our record necessarily reflects the quality of the team or the quality of our play of the squad,” Valvasori said. “It’s funny, you know — new coach, new team, new season. We’re putting in a new system and a new style of play so there’s always growing pains that go along with that.”
The team’s victories over fourth-place Waterloo and second-place Guelph perhaps suggest a stronger team than their record shows. They certainly hint at the squad’s talent and their ability to square off with any team. Coach Valvasori sees a lot of strengths in the group that can form the foundation of a successful team.
“We have a very technical midfield who are very much able to play and are still learning how to play through the midfield. We got great speed out on the flanks, and they are trying to learn how to capitalize.”
McMaster currently sits eighth in the West conference of Ontario University Athletics. Coming off an 8-6-2 season and a fifth-place finish last year, this team has struggled more in comparison, scoring just 14 goals through 13 games while allowing 21.
Yet in terms of qualifying for the playoffs, the team holds their destiny in their own hands. If the players can pull together three wins in the last three games, they will very likely leapfrog both Brock and York to finish in the sixth spot.
The schedule may do them a favour in this respect, as they play last-place Algoma University twice to close out the season. Algoma has gone winless thus far this season, allowing 58 goals while scoring three themselves. Valvasori is confident about the team’s playoff prospects, and once they are in he believes they can do some damage.
“We need three wins in the next three matches,” said Valvasori. “We’re very capable of doing so, and I think if we do what we’re capable of, and if we can get all cylinders firing at the same time, we can compete with any team in our conference heading into the playoffs.”
Despite the tough losses throughout the season, Valvasori is encouraged by the overall improvements of the team. According to him, the team has become much more organized, both on the offensive and defensive sides of the pitch.
The coach has also been impressed by the general positivity of the team. “They’re all positive, they’re all buying in, and they’re all putting in the work, so I have great confidence in their future success,” said Valvasori. “They’re a very cohesive group — no locker room issues, no cliques. They’re all very friendly with each other and they all want to see each other do well.”
As coach Valvasori has implemented new systems and become familiar with the players, he has seen how the key veterans each play different roles in leading the squad and pushing the team forward.
“They’ve all brought different things,” coach Valvasori said. “Mary [Craig] and Ally [Riganelli] are two of our most consistent players. Faye [Stavropolous] and Jessie [Faber] are really good at creating. Cass [Davis] and Steph [Roberts] are good at keeping the squad organized, so everybody is contributing in their own way.”
Valvasori sees a lot to be excited about with this team, both now and in the future. Many older players are expected to return next year, so more growth from the upper end of the team can be expected. Add that to six freshman rookies, and the team’s outlook is quite promising for the rest of this this season and the seasons ahead. As the team continues to develop and learns to maximize on their talent in a well-defined system, the wins will start to come.
“A lot of the older players are only third years, so they still have a couple seasons left,” Valvasori said. “On top of having some good pieces that have come in and I’m sure lots more recruits will come in next year, it’s a pretty solid core to take to the next few seasons.”
For now, the team looks to stay positive and close out the season strong. Based on their progress so far, they appear more than capable to do just that.
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On Oct. 13, the McMaster University Cross Country team hosted their first annual Marauder Bayfront Open. The 7 km invitational was an overall team success, as the men's team came in first overall with a score of 24 points, and the women's team came in third overall with a total of 60 points.
Going into the meet, both the men's and the women's team were ranked within the U Sports Top 10. The men's team ranking fourth in the nation while the women's team sat in tenth.
The Bayfront Open was the first time the Marauders had the opportunity to race on their own stomping grounds. Supported by family, friends and the Hamilton cross country community, the team was more than pleased with the way the event turned out.
"It's always nice to be able to host, especially because the athletes can run in front of their family and friends," said head coach Paula Schnurr. "They raced on a course that we've been able to train on, so the end result was very successful and I think all of that plays a big part in their individual success and their success as a team".
One of the Marauders who really took the opportunity to succeed was fifth-year veteran Jeff Tweedle who placed first in the men's title with a time of 20 minutes and 45 seconds.
"I feel really happy with my performance, it was basically perfectly executed to what I wanted today," said Tweedle. "Overall, our team ran really well too and we saw some great performance today. I am really excited for our team moving forward into the Ontario University Athletics championships".
The men's team’s top five all placed within the first 10 runners. Among the five was newcomer Max Turek, who placed fifth overall and was the third Marauder to cross the finish line for his team.
Although he is a lot younger than most of the top male athletes, the first-year engineering student has been adjusting to cross country at the university level just fine.
"It's a lot harder and a lot faster but I really enjoy the competition," said Turek. "I like to push myself especially with the older guys and run up with them, and so far I've been able to keep up and race really well."
Leading the Marauders’ women's team was Melissa Caruso, a former member of the University of Western Ontario's cross country team, who came in fifth with a time of 24:48. The OUA championship is up next for the Marauders and the former Mustang is confident in the ability of her new teammates.
"I think that a lot of our girls will run well over the long distance and I'm excited to see what we do," said Caruso.
"I think at the OUA championships, the extra kilometre will do our girls well because we are more on the distance side," added veteran Emily Nowak, who placed eighth overall with a time of 25:03. "I think that we can potentially place third, so we'll be trying our best to medal"
Though several Marauders ran extremely well, the tough task of choosing which seven of both men and women will represent Mac at the championships is left in the hands of the coaches. Thankfully, based off the good season so far and the results from the Bayfront Open, they know that whoever they will pick will be putting their best foot forward.
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The McMaster University golf team was in Ottawa last weekend for the Ontario University Athletics Golf Championships at Loch March Golf & Country Club.
The two-day event is the only tournament that is officially recognized by the OUA, but universities hosted invitationals thought the year determine if teams meet the qualifying standards in order to be eligible to play in the OUA championships.
“Typically over a four-week snapshot the players are playing 14 tournament rounds,” explained McMaster head coach John Najev. “It’s fairly condensed, and it varies from us traveling to Ottawa with Carleton, down through Kingston with Queen’s, University of Ontario Institute of Technology in Oshawa and the London area for Western.”
Their last tournaments before the championships included Mac’s very own invitational on Sept. 28 and the University of Toronto’s Invitational on Oct. 6.
The 2017 season is Najev’s first as head coach. Last year, he was brought in to co-coach the team fairly late, so the team missed several events and was unable to truly get things organized. His main goal for this year was to bring the team up to standard.
“This year we finally have it structured to where I think a true team needs to be,” said Najev. “We have the proper apparel and we are playing a full schedule, which all helps our representation out there.”
Throughout the season, events hosted by different universities allow individual players to come, but not necessarily every player on the team. So when coach Najev has the opportunity to send everybody to an event he does.
“We have a great young squad and the team has bonded really well,” Najev said. “So although nine players are only eligible to play in the OUA championships, we’re taking the entire team because I look at it as being an entire team event.”
Though the competition in the OUA is tough, Najev believes the team will use this year as well as the next few years to grow to hopefully become a top calibre team.
“We’re not quite there yet, but I can see us being there in the next year or two,” said Najev. “We’ve had a third-place finish so far this year on the men’s side as well as the women’s side. And the women have had a couple fourth-place finishes, so we have been very competitive this season.”
It was not too long ago that McMaster’s women’s team was a one-woman team when Katie Schmidt was the women’s team first member. During her time at Mac, she was able make an immediate impact on the province, winning the OUA women’s individual golf title in 2002 as well as in 2003. Fast forward 14 years later and the Marauders women’s team currently has five women on it.
“Last year we only had two ladies and they had to compete as individuals,” said Najev. “The way the ladies’ competition works is that you send four players and the best three count. So now they are able to compete as a team.”
As for the men’s team, there are five returnees and six new players this year. Some notable returnees are Ethan Hurst, a third-year player and team captain, John McPherson, who is also in his third year, and Andrew Pearson who individually finished in sixth place in last year’s OUA Championship.
“It’s been a transition and learning experiences for a lot of the guys,” said Najev. “We’ve gone through some coaching and some fundamentals changes within their mechanics of their golf game, as well as their golf swings, to try to build and progress as we move forward for spring and the following years.”
This year, the Toronto Varsity Blues and the Western Mustangs dominated the OUA championships. Toronto’s Laura Upenieks won the women’s individual title while Charles Fitzsimmons of Western took home the men’s individual title. As for the team events, Western’s men brought home the team title, while U of T’s women won the women’s title.
Although the Marauders were not able to take home any trophies this year, they hope to take the team down south to get in some more playing time in the offseason.
“We’re looking to do some things in the springtime, like possibly going away somewhere in the sunny south during reading week,” said Najev.
Hopefully, with the lessons learned from this year’s championships, and experience from the invitationals in the U.S, they will be more than equipped to take on the OUA championships next year.
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