McMaster fencing attends celebration of first Canadian Olympic fencing medalist, Marauder women's foilist demonstrates the sport with the history-making athlete
On the evening of Wednesday Nov. 14, 2024, members of the Hamilton community celebrated Hamiltonian and Olympic fencer Eleanor Harvey for making history at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris this past summer.
On the second day of the 2024 Paris Olympics, the 29-year-old foil fencer won the bronze medal in women's individual foil after defeating opponent Alice Volpi of Italy 15-12.
With this, she became the first Canadian in history to win an Olympic medal in fencing. No Canadian before Harvey competing in any of the three disciplines of fencing - foil, épée and sabre - had ever brought home a medal from the Olympics.
No Canadian before Harvey competing in any of the three disciplines of fencing - foil, épée and sabre - had ever brought home a medal from the Olympics.
The celebration of her accomplishment was held in downtown Hamilton in The King John Building at Gore Park. The event was hosted by Hamilton artist Patrick Bermingham.
Over 100 individuals were in attendance, including the Mayor of Hamilton, Andrea Horwath, who briefly spoke at the event and congratulated Harvey on her success. Journalist Steve Paikin attended and interviewed Harvey about her career and what it was like in the heat of the moment just before and after winning her medal in the Grand Palais in Paris.
Also in attendance were some members of McMaster's varsity fencing team, as well as Head Coach Dave O'Donnell and coaches Allan Fein and Vickie Ho-Devine. Before the formal part of the event, several Marauder fencers had the opportunity to meet and speak with Harvey.
Later during the formal celebration, Harvey demonstrated foil fencing to everyone in attendance with Marauder foilist Aurora Boone. The two fenced a bout against one another in the centre of the venue, with all the attendees watching along the side of the room.
During the formal celebration, Harvey demonstrated foil fencing to everyone in attendance with Marauder foilist Aurora Boone.
After the event, Boone spoke to The Silhouette about what it was like to fence with the ground-breaking Olympian. She described the nerves she came into the match with.
"I was definitely nervous. I did end up getting a point on her which I was really happy about so I didn't get totally wiped. But yeah, I was definitely nervous. But once I got into it, I felt like the nerves kind of flew away. We were surrounded by a huge crowd of people and I had pretty much totally forgotten that once we actually started fencing. So I was pretty excited,” said Boone.
Boone also described the high level of skill which Harvey possessed and demonstrated. Boone tried to trick Harvey several times into following a pattern and then catching her off guard by changing that pattern, but Harvey would not fall for it.
“She was incredibly skilled at knowing that I was trying to fool her in that sense, so she didn't fall for it, which definitely showed me a lot of her strength because usually even the strongest of fencers, it's really hard for them to pinpoint those little intricacies,” said Boone.
The event and the match has inspired Boone for the current McMaster fencing season.
“I think it's definitely given me a lot of inspiration and a bit of a fire under me to feel like this is how good you can be when you really put in the work and you do a lot of practice,” said Boone.
Eleanor Harvey's Olympic medal is a moment in history for Canadian fencing. Following her Olympic medal, Harvey has already won another bronze medal at the women's foil world cup in Tunisia and she looks forward to achieving more success in the future.
McMaster rowing heads to nationals after earning medals at OUA championships
For current fifth year student Sarah Cushnie, the rowing team is not where her McMaster athletic career began. Cushnie began as a cross country athlete, but two seasons ago she made the transition to the rowing team, and has since become the captain of the women's team.
“The transition was actually pretty smooth. So the reason I initially switched is because I was having a lot of injuries as a runner. So one of my forms of cross training was to get on the rowing machine on the erg. I really loved it and I also excelled at it,” said Cushnie.
As captain, her focus has been on making the entire rowing program a more cohesive one and bridging the gaps between the novice, junior varsity and varsity teams within the program.
A more cohesive environment seems to have helped the team excel this season. From the novice level to the varsity level, the rowing team achieved great results throughout the regular season, building momentum ahead of the Ontario University Athletics championships.
This year’s OUA championships were hosted in St. Catharines on Oct. 24. And Oct. 25. The competition saw the Marauders women's team capture multiple medals. Sarah Oresnik and Brooke McCoy earned a bronze medal in the lightweight women's pair event. Cushnie and Nathalie Hilbert won a silver medal in the open women's double event.
These impressive results set the Marauders up for a great push at this year’s Canadian University Rowing Championships on Nov 2. and Nov 3. in Victoria, BC. While the event may be a source of pressure, Cushnie sees it as a way to celebrate.
“Nationals is more just a celebration and it's normally like a bonus, but it's about kind of admiring the hard work and using that to appreciate the fun and the joy of the sport in a competitive environment,” said Cushnie.
Nationals is more just a celebration and it's normally like a bonus, but it's about kind of admiring the hard work and, and using that to appreciate the fun and the joy of the sport in a competitive environment
Sarah Cushnie, Women's Team Captain
McMaster Rowing Team.
The exciting weekend at nationals was also a busy one for the team. But despite the busyness of the weekend and the travel, the women's rowing team continued with their mindset of viewing being at nationals as a bonus. Cushnie recalled the gratitude she felt being able to spend her time with her soon-to-be-graduating teammates.
"I was sharing a hotel room with Kate [Panzica] and Natalie [Hilbert] because it was just like the open-weight women in one room and both of them are graduating this year. So for me it was really nice to have that opportunity to really connect with them on a formal trip one last time before they leave," said Cushnie.
As Cushnie took to the first race of the weekend with her partner, she did not fell much external pressure on herself, being already happy with the results of the season. Though with this being Cushnie and Hilbert’s final race weekend, a sense of optimism filled Cushnie.
“It was just like me and Natalie knew that we were fit. We knew that we rowed well together and that we looked at it like it was our last chance to compete because she’s leaving [Hilbert]. But we also kind of treated it more as like we're doing this for us, not for anyone else,” said Cushnie
It was just like me and Natalie knew that we were fit. We knew that we rowed well together and that we looked at it like it was our last chance to compete because she’s leaving [Hilbert]. But we also kind of treated it more as like we're doing this for us, not for anyone else.
Sarah Cushnie, Women's Team Captain
McMaster Rowing Team.
After this race, the 2024 season came to an end for Cushnie and the rest of the rowing team. But the growth of the rowing team is something Cushnie is determined to continue through the off season. She’s aiming to build an eight person boat team to race in competitions.
After a successful season, the growth of the women’s rowing team will be one to keep an eye on. Cushnie’s work will hopefully bring the team to the next level come next season, continuing the team's pattern of success this year.
A look at how a first-year Seth O'Brian helped the Marauders get back to winning, and where he can go from here
Through Nov. 8 to 9, the Marauders men’s volleyball team competed against the Guelph Gryphons back-to-back games in the OUA regular season, picking up wins and improving their record to three wins and three losses.
The Marauders won their first game on Friday Nov. 8, 3-2 against the Gryphons. Their second game was not as close, with the Marauders sweeping the Gryphons 3-0 in a best-out-of-five series.
Through both competitions, it was rookie Seth O’Brien, a first-year commerce student, who stood out with a strong performance. Finishing with a total of 24 kills through the two games, he greatly contributed to the Marauders’ wins.
He also scored the most combined aces, or points of a serve.
“I was really pumped and super excited to be on the court and show my abilities, [but I also] wanted to be on the court to play with my fellow friends and do whatever I could to make this weekend a winning one,” said O’Brien.
I was really pumped and super excited to be on the court and show my abilities, [but I also] wanted to be on the court to play with my fellow friends and do whatever I could to make this weekend a winning one.
Seth O'Brien, first-year commerce student
Marauders Men's Volleyball
O’Brien did not play the first two games of the season against the University of Toronto Varsity Blues. He told the Silhouette he was asked to start after one of the Marauders’ right-side hitters got injured ahead of their game against the Nipissing Lakers.
“I found out I was going to start against Nipissing an hour before the game . . . Right away, I kind of went into this sense of this is an awesome opportunity and this is really what I’ve been looking forward to and a lot of first years do not get that opportunity,” said O’Brien.
After a strong performance against the Lakers, O’Brien was once again named to the starting lineup against the Gryphons. He told the Silhouette the team was looking to get back on track after losing three of their last four games.
“We went into the weekend 1-3, which is where we didn’t want to be. So, the team went in with a lot of motivation," said O'Brien.
O’Brien has been playing volleyball at a competitive level for two years. With the recommendation of his high school coach, O'Brien started playing at a competitive level for a club team.
“When I made that team, I devoted all my spare time to volleyball. My first year was obviously a bit tough, being new to the sport, but I developed a lot in my second year in a short period of time,” said O’Brien.
In the span of two years, O’Brien played for Team Ontario and competed in the Canada Cup where he was named tournament All-Star.
Receiving a sports scholarship for McMaster, O’Brien said he’s loved every minute of being on the team so far.
“Everybody’s been a rookie, so [my teammates] have all been through it. Being a rookie in that locker room - I feel very supported,” said O'Brien.
Everybody’s been a rookie, so [my teammates] have all been through it. Being a rookie in that locker room - I feel very supported.
Seth O'Brien, first-year commerce student
Marauders Men's Volleyball
O’Brien finished by expressing that he is looking forward to playing against the team's upcoming competition. “It’s an awesome experience getting to play against teams at their best, but we still have to show up and keep our winning streak going,” said O’Brien.
The Marauders will take on the Brock Badgers on Nov. 22nd and 23rd in St. Catherines. They will play 10 more OUA regular season games, hoping to make the finals on March 7, 2025.
After losing six games at the start of the season, the men’s basketball team has struggled to find a way to win
The men’s basketball team kicked off their Ontario University Athletics season on Oct. 25 against Ontario Tech University. The Marauders hosted the game, but were not able to to win as they lost with a score of 78 to 88.
After their home opener loss, it would take the Marauders five more losses to find their first win.
After their home opener loss, it would take the Marauders five more losses to find their first win.
On Oct. 27, the Marauders hosted a game against Laurier University. The team lost with a score of 67 to 73. Sixth year guard Mike Demagus led the game in points, scoring 19 in total, but this was still not enough to win.
On Nov. 1. and Nov. 2. the Marauders traveled to Thunder Bay, Ontario to take on the Lakehead University Thunderwolves in back-to-back games. The series saw two more losses added to the Marauder’s record, as they lost the first game with a score of 76 to 91 and the second 73 to 76.
On Nov. 8, the Marauders were unable to win against Western University, finishing the game with a score of 78 to 88. A faceoff against the University of Windsor on Nov. 9 saw the Marauders lose 75 to 95.
However, the Marauders picked up their first win of the OUA season against Nipissing University, finishing 83 to 76. Demagus led the team in points, scoring 17 total. Third-year Anthony Warzeszcz helped in the scoring, putting up 11 total points.
However, after this poor run of form, the Marauders picked up their first win of the OUA season against Nipissing University finishing 83 to 76.
The Marauders will look to turn their season around as they head into the second half. They still have 15 more OUA games to play, with some worthy opponents to face. They will play against USport's seventh placed Carleton University on Nov. 23 and sixth placed Toronto Metropolitan University on Feb. 15, 2025.
Up next, the team faces Laurentian University on Nov. 16 at home in the Burridge gym. This will reveal whether the team has truly improved their game following their first OUA season win.
Theresa Burns reflects on years coaching women’s basketball after her 607 career coaching wins, the second most by a coach in U Sport’s history
Theresa Burns started her coaching career immediately after her career as a student athlete. After four years of playing basketball for the University of Toronto, she began coaching for a university team.
“I was 24. I was coaching the university team. It was crazy. There were lots of moments of thinking, what am I doing? Talk about a steep learning curve,” said Burns.
She kicked off her career coaching the then Ryerson University's, now Toronto Metropolitan University, women’s basketball team, without any prior experience. She was encouraged to pursue the opportunity by her university head coach Michèle Bélanger. Burns detailed how her career began.
“Just towards the end of I think, May, I guess my last year she's like "you know, you should think about coaching," and I had never thought about it. And then, the following year when the Ryerson job came open, she's like, you should apply. And I was like, I'm not ready to do that, like, at all, like, not even close, but when your coach tells you to do something, you do it. It was good advice,” said Burns.
Burns said she went on to coach this team for four years before coming to McMaster in 1992. Still a young coach with little experience, Burns highlighted how McMaster’s then director of athletics and recreation, Therese Quigley, helped her to settle in.
“[I was] just really grateful that she took a chance on a young coach and I think right through those years, those early years, especially that the athletic department was very close and very tight knit and just really good people. As a young employee and a young coach, having that support and that feeling of support around you was really important and I'm really grateful for that,” said Burns.
As Burns began working with the Marauders, she started to learn even more and in the process she began to pick up better results than she had in her previous role. Her first two seasons saw Burns only pick up four wins in total, but this began to change in the 1994-1995 season.
That season saw Burns earn a total of seven wins. The next season was even more of an improvement, with the Marauders winning ten games and capturing the bronze medal in the league. After this, Burns started to win league games more often than not, solidifying her identity as a successful coach.
As Burns has progressed through her time with McMaster, she has continued improving herself as a coach. She has won five total Ontario University Athletics titles and two national level titles in her time with McMaster. She has totaled 607 total wins, making her the coach with the second highest number of women's basketball wins in U Sport history.
With this achievement, Burns sees it as a credit to all who have helped her along the way to make the women's basketball team into what it is today.
“I just wanna say Anne Marie, Ed Andrew Kelly Danny and all the assistant coaches that have been in this program. And many of those names I mentioned were like a decade, two decades with us. These are their victories, you know, you build a village, you have to have all those support networks in place and having those good people are what make our program special. Those coaches coached that long in our program because they were special and they believed in what we were doing,” said Burns.
I just wanna say Anne Marie, Ed Andrew Kelly Danny and all the assistant coaches that have been in this program. And many of those names I mentioned were like a decade, two decades with us. These are their victories.
Theresa Burns, head coach
McMaster Women's Basketball team
As the women’s basketball season continues, Burns will look to add more wins to her total. The team’s next game will take place on Nov. 15. against Nipissing University.
McMaster hosted the first wrestling open of the season, where the Marauders performed outstandingly
The Marauders women’s and men’s wrestling teams dominated their first open on Sunday, Nov. 3. The competition featured 40 teams across Canada, with the Marauders collectively finishing in first place.
The women’s team took home three gold medals while the men secured two bronzes and a silver. Fourth-year engineering student and member of the team, Luken Lawson, praised the team, especially the younger competitors.
“[There] were a lot of new guys on the team, but a lot of our rookies did pretty well. I was impressed with everyone," said Lawson
[There] were a lot of new guys on the team, but a lot of our rookies did pretty well. I was impressed with everyone.
Luken Lawson, fourth-year wrestler
McMaster Wrestling team
On the men’s side, Sarpartap Lally took home the silver while both Lawson and team member Irman Kang won bronze. Lawson’s performance stood out, competing in eight matches throughout the day and winning seven of them, resulting in him being named a Marauder athlete of the week.
“I knew it was going to be a long day . . . but I was pretty impressed with my performance. My coaches were pretty impressed [as well] with how I was moving and I felt really fast,” said Lawson.
Lawson, who is in his fourth year of competition, acknowledged there were still things he wanted to work on. But, he was glad he could go out there and both have fun and take home a medal. After a long day of competition, the exhaustion did not hit him until the next day.
“I was running off of a lot of adrenaline during the day and I was looking forward to the next match. I wasn’t really feeling [tired] until the next morning where I spent a couple extra minutes in bed,” said Lawson.
There will be five more opens ahead of the OUA championships, which will be on Feb. 8. To qualify for the championships, a team must compete in at least two opens, which the Marauders have already done.
According to Lawson, while the team’s performance in these opens does not matter in terms of making it to the OUA championship, it does helps with seeding. If team members place high in the opens, they will not have to face some of the tougher wrestlers early during the OUA tournament.
With their most recent performance, they have a lot to look forward to. The Marauders earned 73 points to place atop the standings. The women won 54 of those points, finishing in first place, while the men contributed 19, finishing in fourth.
Lawson pointed out the increased focus of this year's team and praised the culture of comradery they’ve developed thus far. “Our team is really close this year, especially with the mentality we all share. I found that we are very focused; there’s not much chit-chatter in practice, but after practice we like to joke around,” said Lawson.
Our team is really close this year, especially with the mentality we all share. I found that we are very focused; there’s not much chit-chatter in practice, but after practice we like to joke around.
Luken Lawson, fourth-year wrestler
McMaster Wrestling team
Next, the Marauders will be travelling to Toronto on Saturday, Nov. 16 to participate in York University’s wrestling open.
Following an inspiring 2023-2024 season, McMaster women's volleyball sees continued success this season winning all games as of yet
After the close defeats and heartbreaking eliminations in the 2022-2023 season, McMaster women’s volleyball team has come out on a hot streak this season. The team has won all four of their regular season games.
In their most recent season, the Marauders were one win away from claiming the Ontario University Athletics champion title. They fell short to their rival Brock University in the Quigley Cup Final on Mar. 8, 2023.
Shortly after this loss, the Marauders went on to compete in the U Sport’s National Championship, which they hosted. They suffered another defeat in the first round of this championship, as they fell to the University of British Columbia with a score of one to three.
Though in this competition, the Marauders seemed to turn their early exit into triumph. They went on to beat the Brock Badgers in the U Sport Consolation Semifinal and subsequently won against Saint Mary’s University in the U Sports consolation final, ending their season with their highest ever national placement.
The form in which the Marauders ended their last season has seemingly carried over to the 2024-2025 season. The Marauders women's volleyball team has won each of their first four games, all with the same score, three to zero.
They have so far played against and beat the University of Toronto and the Nipissing Lakers. Key returning players have been crucial to these wins, including fourth year players Sullie Sundara and Chayse Victoria.
Similarly, second year Olivia Julien has been in form as she leads the team in overall kills with 41 total in these first four games.
The Marauders will hope to keep up this win streak as they take on the University of Guelph on Nov. 8. at home in the Burridge Gymnasium.
Marauders' soccer team losses OUA semifinals to Ontario Tech Ridgebacks in a penalty shootout
The Marauders' men's soccer team faced the Ontario Tech University Ridgeback's at the OUA semifinals on Oct. 26. The Marauders had many opportunities to score against the Ridgebacks team that finished in the top five in their division. Despite having several opportunities to score, the Marauders could not get the job done.
Amir Shirazi, captain of the team, thought they did well against the Ridebacks, despite the missed opporrtunites.
“We did a good job against them [The Ridgebacks] throughout the game, but obviously the disappointing thing was the chances that we missed," said Shirazi
We did a good job against them [The Ridgebacks] throughout the game, but obviously the disappointing thing was the chances that we missed.
Amiri Shirazi, Captain
McMaster Soccer team
Shirazi, a fourth-year commerce student, scored a goal to put them up, but it was later deemed offside by the official.
With both teams scoreless, the game went to a shootout.
“We practiced penalties before, as we do before any playoff game. We knew what to expect going in,” said Shirazi
Both teams exchanged goals throughout the shootout. The Ridgebacks’ four straight goals and the key saves made by their keeper secured the win.
Despite the loss, Shirazi and the rest of the team were proud with the way they played.
“We knew they were a dangerous team, but me, the rest of the team and the coaches are proud of the way that we played. We stuck to our gameplan," said Shirazi.
We knew they were a dangerous team, but me, the rest of the team and the coaches are proud of the way that we played. We stuck to our gameplan.
Amiri Shirazi, captain
McMaster Soccer team
Shirazi finished the season with the most goal and assist contributions in the OUA tournament. He also finished second in goals, scoring 10 through 11 regular season games. As a whole, the Marauders were second in their division.
Shirazi told the Silhouette that the team attained their goal of at least making it to the semifinals.
“I had a great season, so when you look at it that way, there was a lot of individual success for me. But honestly, I don’t measure that the same way as playing in the finals," said Shirazi.
Although the Marauders missed a chance to play in the OUA championship, key players like Shirazi will be returning next season. For him, it will be his fifth and final year.
Having won the tournament in the 2021-2022 season, they are hoping to match this prior success next year
After two back to back bronze medals, returning player Audrey Yeung helped McMaster women’s tennis capture silver at this year’s OUA championships
For fourth year player Audrey Yeung, a return to McMaster tennis after a year away from the sport could’ve been a hurdle. Instead, she was able to turn this into an opportunity, being eager to return with the same high form and determination from her past seasons.
“I haven’t played tennis for a really long time, last year I was on hiatus because I was on co-op. So coming back into this I wanted to get back into the rhythm and get back out there and have fun,” said Yeung.
I haven’t played tennis for a really long time, last year I was on hiatus because I was on co-op. So coming back into this I wanted to get back into the rhythm and get back out there and have fun.
Audrey Yeung, Marauders' women's tennis player.
Though, a strong rhythm would seemingly be difficult for Yeung and the Marauders to obtain throughout the regular season. The team lost five of their games, losing by a single set in most of the losses.
Despite the losses, they did serve to emphasize the team’s assistant coaches’ message to the team. In essence, assistant coach Meghan Mazer wanted the team to enjoy their games and play their own way.
“Our coach would emphasize the need to have fun. Our coach Meg wanted us to have fun and not let our opponent's game influence ours,” said Yeung.
So despite the seasons losses, the Marauders were able to go into this year’s Ontario University Athletics championship with a strong mindset. The season's losses so far served as a motivator for the team and specifically Yeung, who had some results she was not happy with.
“I had a tough loss against Waterloo during the season, and we played them on the Saturday [of OUA championships]. So I was very motivated to win and that pushed me to play well on Friday and Saturday,” said Yeung.
I had a tough loss against Waterloo during the season, and we played them on the Saturday (of OUA championships). So I was very motivated to win and that pushed me to play well on Friday and Saturday.
Audrey Yeung, Marauders' women's tennis player.
The team started off their OUA championships on Oct. 11. against Brock University, who the Marauders had previously beaten during the regular season. The game at OUAs would see no difference as the team picked up a comfortable five to two win against the Badgers.
The Marauders then face Waterloo University, one of the teams who beat the Marauders by just one point during the regular season. This time at the championships the Marauder's won six to one against the Waterloo Warriors.
This win secured silver for the Marauders, their best finish at OUAs after two years of consecutive bronze medals. The team would go on to face the number one ranked University of Toronto in their final match of the weekend on Oct. 13. The team fell short to Toronto's Varsity Blues, losing seven to zero.
Though the Marauders fell short against the Varsity Blues in the OUA finals, their journey to capturing silver showcased their team’s resilience and growth throughout the entirety of the season. Yeung and her teammates can reflect proudly on their strong performances which led them to capturing the team’s best result in two years.
Marauders' men’s basketball sees loss in first game of the season but maintains hope for success throughout the year overall
On Friday Oct. 25th, the Marauders' men's basketball team faced the Ontario Tech University's Ridgebacks in their home season opener to kickstart their season.
The match started off fairly evenly, until halfway through the second quarter when the Marauders extended their lead to 8 points; 41-32. However, the Ridgebacks went on a 15-1 run during the second half and in the end won the game 88-78.
The Ridgebacks went on a 15-1 run during the second half and in the end won the game 88-78.
Basketball is a game of runs and this really showed in the third quarter. The Marauders didn’t go down without a fight and managed to keep the score within a one-point difference midway through the third quarter. But after this the Ridgebacks went on a 16-3 run which secured their victory.
The Ridgebacks were not an unfamiliar opponent to the Marauders. Earlier this year on Jan. 13, 2024, the Ridgebacks defeated the Marauders 85 to 72.
Marauders' men's basketball center Brendan Amoyaw, who was injured for the majority of last season, returned to the starting line-up tonight. “I felt like I had a good rhythm going in the first half, but one thing that I could work on is staying out of foul trouble. Overall though, it was a good first game back for me ... Another big personal goal of mine is to stay healthy. I know the numbers will come with solid minutes,” said Amoyaw.
The team seemed to have some trouble executing offensive plays, with the defense from the Ridgebacks forcing many turnovers throughout the game. “We could’ve been better at running the offensive plays,” said Amoyaw.
We could’ve been better at running the offensive plays.
Brendan Amoyaw, player
McMaster Men's Basketball
Although the Marauders lost this, there were many positives to take away from it as the Marauders are setting their sights on reaching the finals this season and bringing home the championship.
For example, the Marauders had 41 rebounds to the Ridgeback's 35 , which led to many second chance points. Amoyaw spoke about his thoughts on the team's chances of success throughout the rest of the year. "I think we definitely have the capacity to win OUAs and U Sports this year. We just need to be more consistent," said Amoyaw.
As the men’s basketball team goes on with their season, the Marauders will need to improve upon what they have learned from their game against the Ridgeback if they do want to win U Sports. If the men's basketball team does win U Sports this year, this would be their first time doing so.
