After a competitive two-day tournament at the OUA golf championships, McMaster's Kavith Ranchagoda wins silver with an impressive individual score
The OUA men's golf tournament began on Oct. 5 and the Marauders men’s team finished fifth place. Kavith Ranchagoda, however, stood out with an exceptional scores of -2 on day one and +3 on day two and tied for second place overall.
“I just wanted to go out there and prove to myself that I could still compete at a really high level. I haven’t been competing much in the past two years, so it was great to get that competitive bug out of me” said Ranchagoda.
Ranchagoda, a fourth-year software engineering student, won the OUA championship with the Marauders in 2022. Although he did not compete in 2023, he felt confident going into this year.
“Right before the tournament, I knew where my game was at - it was at a really solid spot in my mind,” said Ranchagoda.
Despite the Marauder men’s team not finishing in the top three, he was glad he could share the green with a familiar face from a previous season, Nicholas Dessureault.
“Coming into this season, we had one member of the old championship team left, Nicolas Dessureault. My first thought was "I’d love to get one last ride with him and get our team in a good spot,"" said Ranchagoda.
“Coming into this season, we had one member of the old championship team left, Nicolas Dessureault. My first thought was "I’d love to get one last ride with him and get our team in a good spot.""
Kavith Ranchagoda, fourth-year software engineering student Marauder's men's golf team
Ranchagoda said it was his father who introduced the sport to him. Even at a young age, he was often at the driving range. “We didn’t really have babysitting, so bringing me to the course was my babysitting,” said Ranchagoda.
He still remembers his first tournament, in which he competed at six years old. “I still remember finishing dead last and seeing the young kids laughing at my score. As a young kid seeing that, it added fuel to the fire,” said Ranchagoda.
Ranchagoda noted that while his first few years of competition were rough, he stayed confident and persistent and the results paid off. He won his first medal at eight years old and he’s been on a roll since then.
Looking for inspiration, Ranchagoda often reflects on golfers like Rory McIlroy. Mcllroy, who isn’t the tallest guy on the green, makes up for his size by being one of the longest hitters in the game. “I’m not a tall guy myself, but to see a guy who isn't the tallest but still can whack it a mile is pretty cool,” said Ranchagoda.
Once he graduates, Ranchagoda has his sights set on coaching golf, having already done so since the pandemic. But more than anything, Ranchagoda will always be a competitor at heart. “I love winning not as much as I hate losing … that’s that competitive bug in me ... I’m always going to continue competing throughout my career,” said Ranchagoda
Following a strong start to their season, the women's water polo team hopes to conquer the NCWP Championship tournament for the second year in a row
Beginning their season on Sept. 29, the McMaster University women's water polo team knew they had big shoes to fill; the previous women's water polo team was able to finish in third place in last year's National Collegiate Water Polo championships.
The team has been able to record some great scores thus far. The Marauders won a close 6-4 game against McGill University on Sept. 30 and nabbed an outstanding victory against the University of Guelph on Nov. 12 with a score of 8-1.
The team is made up of predominately first-year players as well as some from other years who are joining for their first season.
“For a large portion of the team, it’s our first year playing on the team. So it's been a harsh adjustment at the beginning. But taking that into consideration, I think we’ve done super well getting to know each other and working as a team to build our offensive and defensive game,” said first-year player Karima Al-Aoussi.
For a large portion of the team, it’s our first year playing on the team. So it's been a harsh adjustment at the beginning. But taking that into consideration, I think we’ve done super well getting to know each other and working as a team to build our offensive and defensive game.
Karima Al-Aoussi, first-year player, women's water polo team
The team also has a new coaching staff this year. Former players Jordan Brydges and Nicola Colterjohn have come back to McMaster to fill the recently vacated coaching position left by Quinn Fairley.
Fairley was a long time coach with the Marauders' water polo program and left a strong legacy after his 26 years coaching the team. He was key part of the Marauders' last NCWP run, helping them win a bronze medal and showing strong support for the women's team.
“We have a new coach as two graduated players, Nicola and Jordan, are coaches now. So it's nice to have players who have played on the team who know how it is and what the other teams are like,” said Al-Aoussi.
Even with these changes, the team is looking to compete in a big way in the upcoming NCWP championship, which will be hosted by the University of Ottawa from Nov. 24 to Nov. 26. Per Al-Aoussi, the team is working to improve their weaknesses, particularly on the offensive end in front of goal.
“I think one of our biggest struggles is our offense. We get the opportunities and we do the work, but we don’t always get that finishing goal,” said Al-Aoussi.
In preparation for the upcoming championships, the Marauders have worked hard in practices to make themselves a stronger unit.
"I think that looking at past games and how we’ve practiced, in the upcoming tournament [the team will] have good results," said Al-Aoussi.
I think that looking at past games and how we’ve practiced, in the upcoming tournament [the team will] have good results," said Al Aoussi.
Karima Al-Aoussi, first year player, women's water polo team
As the season comes to a close, the team along with their coaches hope to finish their season with a strong finish in Ottawa.
After a whirlwind season, the McMaster University men's baseball team earned seven all-star awards signifying the programs growth and bright future
In the 2022 season, the Marauders struggled to find form. The season saw them win only four games while losing ten.
As the team geared up for the 2023 season, they looked to improve their previous year's record and find better form. During the regular season of play, the Marauders were able to see improvements, though they had a wide variety of results. The team was able to finish the season with seven wins and nine losses, a much better record compared to the year prior.
During the regular season of play, the Marauders were able to see improvements, though they had a wide variety of results.
After an improved regular season, the playoffs were where the team also put their skills on full display. In the Ontario University Athletics West regionals, the team was able to pick up big wins over Brock University and University of Guelph.
Unfortunately, the team was unable to push their season further as they fell to the University of Toronto in the OUA semifinals, with a score of 1-6. Despite an early playoff exit, the Marauders were able to walk away with numerous OUA all-star honours to commemorate a solid season.
The team collected seven all-star awards in total. Kayan Alazem, a first-year outfielder, and Matt Underwood, a third-year catcher, achieved OUA first-team honours.
The team collected seven all-star awards in total.
Outfielder Justin Meade, first baseman Ethan Seymour, and infielder Maclean Van Raay were able to earn OUA second team honours. Shortstops Anthony Polowick and Nicolas Velocci also received OUA second team honours.
These all star honours highlights the success this team has had over this year's season, and signifies a season well done. For head coach Adam Strongman and the players who received these awards, they can be proud of the season they've had.
With Polowick and Seymour in the McMaster' 2024 graduating class, the team will likely look to fill these spots in the coming year. As they enter the offseason, the baseball team will have plenty of achievements to celebrate with lots of opportunity to grow.
The McMaster baseball team won this year's regional qualifiers, giving them the chance to compete for the OUA Championship title
McMaster University’s men's baseball team had a rocky start to the fall season. The team had four losses before their first win of the season against the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees on Sept. 16.
As the season has progressed, it seems as though the Marauders were able to their team together. After their first win against Ottawa, the team brought in more wins and any losses tended to be closer in score.
The team picked up big victories against Waterloo University and Queen's University. Waterloo beat the Marauders in their first meeting of the season, but the Marauders proved themselves in winning the second meeting. With Queen’s being last year’s Ontario University Athletics champions, a win against the team proved the Marauder’s high calibre of play. Key players stepped up, such as Matt Underwood, who batted a great game against the Ottawa Gee-Gees and gave the team a great offensive opportunity.
Key players stepped up, such as Matt Underwood, who batted a great game against the Ottawa Gee-Gees and gave the team a great offensive opportunity.
After the regular season concluded on Oct. 1, the Marauders finished with a record of seven wins and nine losses. The teamhosted the OUA West Regional Qualifiers at Bernie Arbour Memorial Stadium on Oct. 6 and 7.
McMaster competed against the Brock University Badgers to start the weekend and narrowly lost with a score of 10-12. The second game of the competition saw the Marauders beat University of Guelph to automatically place the team into the competition’s finals. They took on the Badgers for a second time in the finals, finding a 8-2 win on route to being crowned OUA West champions.
They took on the Badgers for a second time in the finals, finding a 8-2 win on route to being crowned OUA West champions.
The Marauders’ win sent the team through to the OUA championship semifinals. They took on the University of Toronto Varsity Blues on Oct. 13, but unfortunately, the Marauders could not find the win ending the game with a score of 1-6.
The team will compete for the OUA Championship bronze medal on Oct. 14. They will play against Carleton University, with the Marauders likely hoping to bring home one last piece of hardware for the season.
New leadership for the Marauders as Tristan Joyce takes over as interim head coach for the 2023-2024 season
On Feb. 7, McMaster University announced that assistant coach and former Marauders goalkeeper Tristan Joyce would be named the new interim head coach for the men’s soccer program. Chris Markou, who was the team’s interim head coach this past season, will not return to the staff next year as the team continues to search for a permanent replacement.
A former player and inductee into the McMaster Athletics Hall of Fame, Markou entered the position of interim head coach in May 2022 after previously serving in an assistant role. Replacing long-time head coach Dino Perri, Markou was originally viewed as a candidate to permanently take over the team after the 2022-2023 campaign.
A former player and inductee into the McMaster Athletics Hall of Fame, Markou entered the position of interim head coach in May 2022 after previously serving in an assistant role. Replacing long-time head coach Dino Perri, Markou was originally viewed as a candidate to permanently take over the team after the 2022-2023 campaign.
"Chris is a McMaster Soccer legend who exemplifies Marauder values and has the leadership, empathy and technical knowhow to lead through this transition. . . We are excited to include him in the national search for a permanent head coach that will commence immediately after the 2022 season,” said Keenan Jeppesen, associate director of High Performance, in a statement on Markou’s hiring released on the Marauders website on May 5, 2022.
This past season, Markou helped to steer the men’s team to their first provincial championship title since 2012 following a one to nothing victory over the Toronto Metropolitan University Bold on Nov. 5, 2022. With a record of eight wins, three losses and one tie, Markou brought the Marauders to second overall in the western Ontario University Athletics conference.
Following their victory at the OUAs, the Marauders suffered a tough shootout loss to the eventual champion Thompson Rivers University Wolfpack at the U Sports quarterfinals in Kamloops, British Columbia on Nov. 10, 2022. The team’s season concluded after dropping their consolation semifinal five to nothing against the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières Patriotes.
“With a lot of the veterans graduating from previous year, new coaching staff getting shuffled in, I think [Markou] did everything he needed to do and you got to give a lot of credit to the guy for being able to come in in his first year as a U Sports coach and win [the OUAs] overall,” said Ahmed Mansour, team captain.
Since his departure in February, Markou has taken on a new position as the director of operations and community engagement for the Ancaster Legacy Football Club and their high performance program. Markou is also the owner and acting program director for Futbol Plus, a performance and developmental program in Hamilton for soccer players aged 10 to16.
When the Silhouette reached out to Markou for an interview, he declined to comment.
Filling in Markou’s vacancy, Joyce steps into the position just two years removed from his time as goalkeeper on the men’s roster. Joyce played as goalkeeper for four years with the team, being named an OUA Central Division all-star for the Marauders in 2021, where he recorded three shutouts and a save percentage of 73.5 per cent that season.
Joyce returned to the team for the 2022-2023 season as a goalkeeping coach in Markou’s staff, gaining his lone season of university coaching experience.
"The belief that last year was a one-off just can’t be instilled in people’s minds. Last year was an amazing championship and we want to do it again,” said Joyce.
The belief that last year was a one-off just can’t be instilled in people’s minds. Last year was an amazing championship and we want to do it again
Tristan Joyce, interim head coach, Marauders men's soccer
Joyce will be looking to repeat this past season’s success and help the team defend their provincial title under his leadership once they return in the fall.
After a very successful season, the Marauders finish their campaign off with a bronze medal win at the U Sport national championship on their home court
After a long season full of successes and long undefeated streaks, the Marauders have ended their mesmerizing season with a bronze in the U Sports national championship in Hamilton. The journey was a long one, having played a total of 34 games this season. There have been many ups and downs, with the main highlight being the astonishing 18 game winning streak in the Ontario University Athletics regular season.
In their final game of the season, the bronze medal game, the Marauders came out on top of the University of Alberta Golden Bears in a three set sweep, which brought their first national medal in years. The podium finish would have been impressive on it’s own, but the fact that it game against the first seeded team nationally made it that much sweeter.
“For me, coming into this program and seeing it already getting done before I came here, and seeing that the legacy has been continued, it’s something that I really wanted to be a part of. It’s been a goal for us, attaining a medal in the end knowing that we had home support,” said Sam Cooper, a fourth-year veteran player on the team and 2023 championship tournament all-star.
The game was a huge one for the Marauders; not only was this game the last one of the season, and for a medal in front of a hometown McMaster crowd, but it was also Dave Preston's last game as the head coach, after an astonishing 20 season career that featured all 12 of McMaster’s provincial titles.
“Leaving with hardware is a really good feeling. Although there were expectations of the colours being a bit different, we will still take it. . .Hats off to Alberta, they’re one of the best volleyball teams in Canada and to win against them for third place is a huge achievement. To have the medal is also a great honor for me that I’ll carry for the rest of my life,” explained Preston.
The preluding semifinal ended up in a disappointing three to one loss to the Trinity Western University Spartans, which is the game that sent McMaster to the bronze medal round. Breakout star Brendan Mills did not have the best game in the semifinal, having been subbed off for the injured Maxime Gratton after two sets, and started the game against Alberta with a couple of mistakes yet again. Fortunately, Mills quickly turned around by the end of the game, becoming an x-factor in having secured their third-place finish.
“My year started with a rough patch, so this set of games was not something that I was not used to. My whole year was full of ups and downs, and I feel that near the end of the season I managed to put the pieces together. In particular, in the OUA playoffs and nationals my performances got better. Yesterday (against TWU) was not my best game. The start today was not my best either, but I managed to get it together during the game, which I feel is better than getting myself together over a longer period, so I’m happy with that,” said Mills.
The Marauders have once again had an unforgettable season. There were many highlights to behold, such as the 18-game winning streak, or the OUA semifinals and finals sweeps against York and Windsor for their eleventh title in 15 years.
Although there may be regrets over falling short of the long-awaited gold medal in the nationals, the team can be absolutely delighted with the show of character and mesmerizing display over the season.
Deja Vu hits as the basketball team joins the football team as the second McMaster victims to forfeiture
It’s official, the men’s basketball 101-56 blowout win against the Algoma Thunderbirds from Jan. 21 has been overturned as punishment due to the appearance of an ineligible player in the matchup. Their Jan. 18 game against the Brock Badgers also featured the ineligible player, but as a game that was already lost, the result will remain as is.
In a statement from the department of athletics and recreation, it was explained that the player became ineligible due to a “brief course load violation”, but has since been reinstated. The identity of the athlete has remained confidential.
In a statement from the department of athletics and recreation, it was explained that the player became ineligible due to a “brief course load violation”, but has since been reinstated. The identity of the athlete has remained confidential.
This story may sound familiar to some after the department released a similar statement about the football team this past September, who also forfeited two games due to an ineligible player, though with a different ineligibility violation, before narrowly missing the playoffs.
The basketball team was in the midst of a hot streak, having won eight of their last nine. Following the forfeiture of their biggest win of the year and a one point loss to the Windsor Lancers on Saturday night the team has fallen into a slide, losing three of their last five. On the season they now hold a record of 10 wins and eight losses.
McMaster wins four straight meets in preparation for their upcoming playoff stretch
The McMaster University wrestling team remains undefeated after consecutive team victories at four meets to open their season. Displaying the deep depth of talent across their roster, the Marauders picked up 16 gold medals to rank nationally as the third and sixth best men and women’s teams respectively.
At the McMaster Invitational in November, their first meet of the year, the Marauders placed first overall. Combining for 13 medals and 85 points, both the men and women’s teams put forward dominant efforts to defend home territory and started the year off strong.
The team went on to top their meets at the Toronto Metropolitan University Invitational and the York Open, both of which took place in November. Of their 22 medals from both events, 10 came from members of this year’s recruitment class, who have quickly impressed thus far with their ability to compete with university talent.
First year sensation Gregor McNeil earned the title of U Sports men’s wrestling athlete of the week on Nov. 16 following a three match sweep at TMU. In the 61kg finals, McNeil earned the win 10 to zero against Brock veteran Garette Saunders, a former U Sports silver medalist in the 54kg and 57kg events.
A similar standout on the women’s side, rookie Serena Di Benedetto collected three gold medals in her matches at McMaster, TMU and York. Having gone undefeated at these invitationals, Di Bennedetto was awarded the U Sports women’s wrestling athlete of the week on Nov. 23.
In their last event of 2022, the team also competed at the Hamilton Wrestling Club for the Ontario Senior Open at Brock University. Wrestling at Canada Games Park, the Marauders were outstanding, finishing 18 points above the silver medaling London-Western WC in a dazzling collective performance.
“Although wrestling is an individual sport, there’s also a really big team aspect because you have to keep each other accountable . . . I think our team is just extremely strong this year, better than any team we’ve had previous,” said Di Bennedetto.
Gold medalists for the meet include Di Bennedetto (53kg), Olivia Lichti (59kg) and Karanveer Mahil (125kg), all of whom are newlyrecruited to McMaster’s flourishing wrestling program this year.
Following their showing at the Ontario Senior Open, the maroon and grey team continued their stretch of appearances inside the U Sports power rankings. The men’s team is currently placed third with 40 points behind the Alberta Golden Bears and Brock Badgers. The women’s team is ranked sixth in the country with 26 points.
“All the other athletes are very inviting. That’s the main [reason] why I chose this school over the other ones. The family that they have going on is really good . . . Just this first year’s been fun so far,” said Mahil.
Individually, Di Bennedetto, McNeil and Mahil are ranked first in the women’s 53kg and men’s 61kg and 125kg weight classes respectively. Other notable Marauders include third place ranking athletes Macy Malysiak (59kg), Similoluwa Jayeoba (72kg), Howard Moffatt (90kg) and Omogbai Asekomhe (100kg).
Up next, the team will travel to St. Catharines to compete at the Brock Invitational on Jan. 14. The Marauders will then take the mats at the Guelph Open on Jan. 22 before finishing the campaign in London for the Junior Provincials and the Western Open on Jan. 28 and 29.
Their success so far this season sets McMaster up to improve upon last year’s silver medal finish at the Ontario University Athletics playoffs on Feb. 11.
Photo by Cindy Cui / Photo Editor
As local businesses, schools and social gatherings face cancellations in response to the COVID-10 pandemic, major sports organizations have also been braving turbulent changes.
The four major national sports in North America — basketball, baseball, hockey and football — have all been greatly affected by the virus. The original plan was to have games continue, but not allow fans or unnecessary personnel near games.
In theory, this was a great idea; it would have allowed for play to continue and the multi-billion dollar industry to continue creating some revenue, such as through television ads. However, when the first pro athlete, Rudy Gobert, the center for the Utah Jazz, contracted the virus, this idea went out the window along with any hope of play to continue. After the NBA cancelled games, the rest of the sports world soon followed suit.
As the days progress, more professional athletes are testing positive for COVID-19. This has been attributed to athletes' consistent travels from city to city for games and practices, which makes them more susceptible to contracting the virus and spreading it.
It has been suggested that the best way to mitigate exposure and transmission of the virus is for athletes to restrict travel and self-quarantine.
When I read the reports of the National Basketball Association postponing its season for a minimum of 30 days, subject to change depending on the future state of the virus, and the National College Athletics Association ending all of its national tournaments for the year, I wondered how this may affect Canadian university sports. As updates and articles shared information about major sports leagues, the Ontario University Athletics and U Sports had yet to release statements on how they were going to factor the coronavirus into their decision-making.
University and college cancellations across Ontario began on March 12 and 13 with Western University, McMaster University, Mohawk College and others cancelling in-person classes and student events for the remainder of the semester. The U Sports association then followed suit, cancelling that weekends’ scheduled national championships in volleyball and hockey, but continuing with the curling championships.
U Sports’ championships require competing varsity teams to travel to chosen host locations. The volleyball championship was set to take place in Winnipeg and Calgary over the weekend of March 14 to 16 and the hockey championships to take place in Halifax and Charlottetown over that same weekend.
Both of these tournaments were expecting teams from across the country to attend, from British Columbia to Prince Edward Island. This potentially heightened the risk of spreading the virus. To limit the spread of COVID-19, Canadians have been advised to avoid international non-essential travel; while the travel measures announced on March 16 did not include domestic flights, the situation is continuously changing from day to day. Recently, airlines such as Air Canada began suspending domestic flights.
This begs the question of why the U Sports National Championships for curling were not cancelled. This tournament involved universities from all over the country such as McMaster University, University of Dalhousie and the University of Alberta, and took place the very same weekend as the aforementioned volleyball and hockey tournaments.
At the time of writing this article, U Sports had yet to post any material on their social media to answer those questions or comment on why they made contradictory decisions to cancel volleyball and hockey tournaments, while continuing the curling championships.
After having reached out to U Sports for a statement, John Bower of U Sports stated that the curling championships had been in line with government regulations at the time.
“The total number of participants in the Curling championship was inferior to the 250 established by the Government of Manitoba on Thursday and therefore was allowed by the Province to continue and had begun prior to the cancellation of the hockey and volleyball championships,” said Bower.
It is important to keep in mind that the volleyball championships, which were also planned to take place in Manitoba, and the hockey championships in Prince Edward Island were cancelled.
The following was the response to my questions about their tournament handlings:
As stated by Bower from U Sports.
While these precautions seemed to be adequate at the time of the curling tournament’s start date on March 10, the tournament would go on to see play for another five days. All the players and potential companions travelled in and out of the province over this time.
The representative from U Sports said that Curling Canada was able to guarantee a safe and secure environment for the curling championships to take place. As we have seen the pandemic continue to spread, it seems that it would have been very difficult to guarantee anything. The tournament should have been shut down.
The U Sports national championships was not alone in the building. The event coincided with the Senior Men’s and Women’s Championships, the Canad Inns Canadian Mixed Doubles Championships and the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA)/Curling Canada Championships.
The amount of people at any given time in the arena might have been under the mandated 250 person limit, but this limit became quickly outdated as the Centre for Disease Control lowered the limit to no more than 50 people just one day after the tournament finished on March 16. Considering the curling teams, general fans and family members that were in attendance, it is unlikely that this limit was adhered to during the tournament.
The first red flag was that this tournament was continued while the other national tournaments were cancelled. The second red flag was that there was no postponing or cancelling as the tournament progressed. Just as COVID-19 spread across the country, the red flags spread across this event.
Ahmed Shamiya is one of McMaster’s newest head coaches, taking the reins of the wrestling team from Nick Cipriano. Mac’s long-time former coach was a staple of the wrestling program for the past 35 years and was recently inducted into the Wrestling Canada Hall of Fame in January.
Shamiya is one of McMaster’s most decorated wrestling alumni, having helped the team win the Ontario University Athletics Championships in 2015, with many more individual accolades in his decorated career. Still competing, Shamiya most recently placed silver in the 86-kilogram category at the Canadian Senior National Championship in March.
Shamiya knows the inner workings of the program and will apply this knowledge to how he runs things, and it will allow him to make the necessary changes to get to the next step.
“I know a lot of the things our program did really well,” Shamiya said “We’re not here just for performance but we’re here to build great people, great student-athletes and a great experience. That’s the ultimate goal. I want to continue that legacy and then just minor tweaks here and there that I think will improve the program or help the student-athletes.”
Cipriano left big shoes to fill after being named the national Coach of the Year four times, and won Mac multiple national championships, but Shamiya’s experience in Mac’s wrestling program means he shouldn’t have any issues taking over.
“It’s a little overwhelming, they’re definitely big shoes to fill, the man is a gentleman and a scholar, and he's done a lot for the program and the school in general,” Shamiya said. “The fact that I’m following him are definitely big shoes to fill, but the fact that he trusts me with the program after all that he's done gives me a lot of confidence.”
Coaching wasn’t always something on Shamiya’s mind, but is something he naturally has the capabilities to excel at because he’s always been a strong leader who was helpful to his teammates. His knowledge of the challenges student-athletes can face is going to be especially beneficial for the wrestling team going forward.
“I’ve always just had a knack for wanting to help others on the team, and I’ve always been passionate about leadership,” Shamiya said. “To be honest, I didn’t really pursue it, the opportunity just sort of fell into place. I feel like it was right place right time…You know what they say, luck is when preparation meets opportunity.”
Even though he is young, Shamiya has been mentored by Cipriano for years, transitioning from one of his athletes to his assistant coach. Although being recognized for his capabilities and earning the head coaching job has presented itself with its challenges, Shamiya is facing all of them head-on.
“It’s such a specific job with such a specific niche that having a mentor is great and Nick has been the best mentor ever, he’s helped me a lot,” Shamiya said. “It’s still a lot to adjust to all at once, although I’ve been enjoying it and embracing it, I think the fact that it all happened kind of overnight and not a slow transition into it was a good challenge.”
Passion and love for what he is doing is not something that Shamiya is short on. His love for wrestling is definitely something that will help the Marauders reach their potential during his tenure as head coach.
“It doesn’t feel like work at all, I’m spending my time doing exactly what I love, helping people that are in a great position in their lives where they’re student-athletes,” said Shamiya. “They have the opportunity to build themselves into something really good over the next few years. It doesn’t feel like work. I’m really enjoying this and it’s the job of my dreams basically.”
Shamiya may be young, but he will no doubt carry on the tremendous legacy that has preceded McMaster’s wrestling team as he himself was on many winning teams. His capabilities as a leader and knowledge of not only the program, but how wrestling itself works, will certainly lead the team on a path to gold next year.
