DBAC updating its indoor running track following damages from the construction of the Hub and renovations at Pulse Fitness Centre
Beginning Sept. 18, the indoor running track at the David Braley Athletic Centre is to be closed for renovations. Until renovations are complete, users should anticipate intermittent noise and disruptions to third-floor facility access.
The track features a four-lane, 200-metre running track and a 60-metre sprint area, commonly used for casual walks, jogging, and running.
In an email statement to the Silhouette, T. J. Kelly, manager of facilities and events at McMaster University, stated that the renovations will primarily focus on updating the track's surface alongside minor repairs such as drywall patching and a fresh coat of paint.
“The key reason for the refresh came following the construction of the Hub and renovation to the Pulse Fitness Centre as part of the student activity fitness expansion project, as some unexpected damage occurred to the indoor running track, despite efforts to protect the surface during construction,” stated Kelly.
The project, which began in the summer of 2018, had an estimated construction value of $42 million and included the construction of a new four-story student activity building known as The Hub and renovations to the existing DBAC Pulse Fitness Centre.
Kelly noted that sourcing replacement materials for the track was both difficult and expensive, as the current surface, installed when DBAC opened in 2006, was nearing the end of its lifespan after many years of service. "This was an opportunity for us to provide much-needed updates to the facility,” stated Kelly.
Kelly stated that McMaster's Facility Services is coordinating with the project managers and contractors to minimize disruptions, although Kelly acknowledged potential short-term closures of certain areas outside of the track for safety reasons.
Currently, when the repairs will be completed has yet to be determined.
If you’ve ever read Mac Confessions, you’d know that sometimes students can have a tough time balancing their full-time load, but when you add a couple of hours of practice per day, things can get particularly spicy. Not only do student athletes deal with the typical difficulties of being in university, but they also devote large amounts of time and effort to their teams in order to continue performing at high levels.
However, playing sports at a university level isn’t all work and no play; it has its benefits. Being able to access high-level physical training, connect with teammates and develop a social network early on in university are just some of the perks that come with the lifestyle. Being a part of a university sports team can also develop many life skills, such as understanding commitment, organization, time management and teamwork.
However, playing sports at a university level isn’t all work and no play; it has its benefits. Being able to access high-level physical training, connect with teammates and develop a social network early on in university are just some of the perks that come with the lifestyle. Being a part of a university sports team can also develop many life skills, such as understanding commitment, organization, time management and teamwork.
With that being said, no one can understand the student athlete experience more than, well, the athletes themselves. For that reason, we sat down with Holly Connor, a first year student on the women’s water polo team; Andrew Davies, a second year student on the men’s cross country/track team and Brandon Chong, a fourth year student on the men’s baseball team. They shared how their lives are different from regular students, how they deal with their struggles and what they’ve learned from their experiences.
As a first year student, Holly Connor just went through a major transition from high school to university-level sports.
“At the very beginning of the year when everything was so new, it was difficult, but once you get into the groove of it, it worked out better,” said Connor.
Despite the time management struggles, Connor does not regret her decision to play university-level water polo, as it has its upsides.
“Playing the sport itself helped me in so many different ways. I made so many friends through it, some of my best friends. [Waterpolo] helped me in my health because I was initially very concerned about eating habits and my exercise I’d be able to get while transitioning into university, and it really helped me stay on top of it. It was also really nice to have that outlet to go and relax and not have to think about school all the time,” said Connor.
Athletes like Connor love the opportunity to play their sport and work on their craft. They take on the mentality of getting to go to practice, rather than having to go to practice. Practices and games are a release for athletes like her. Not only do they act as breaks, but they help maintain physical health while in the company of teammates and friends. Chong has had a similar experience as Conner.
“You take your mind off school, you get to hang out with your teammates and play baseball. They always like to have fun, so it gave me a place to take my mind off school. A release for me,” said Chong.
One of the most important parts of a team is of course, its teammates. The bond between the players on the roster is so much deeper than just being on the team together. Relationships that stem from these teams can be extremely helpful for new students coming in.
“A lot of my teammates are in the same program that I’m in, and all took the same classes, so it was really nice to be able to get together and do some work together,” said Connor. “It worked really well having that unit, who I not only spent all my time in the pool, but also spent a lot of time outside, getting to know them.”
“A lot of my teammates are in the same program that I’m in, and all took the same classes, so it was really nice to be able to get together and do some work together,” said Connor. “It worked really well having that unit, who I not only spent all my time in the pool, but also spent a lot of time outside, getting to know them.”
Davies also touched on the academic benefits of having teammates, saying, “There’s definitely some people on that team that are good for advice, who have done it before and are really good role models to follow in school and an athletic sense.”
Being a second year student, Davies has picked the brains of upper year students, which made his transition much easier. Despite not being in the same program as his teammates, Davies still experienced significant benefits from the mentorship provided by his teammates. They helped him transition into university sports, assisting him with the ins and outs of time management.
Time management is critical for student athletes.
“We practice three days a week, then weekends are just double headers each day (during the season), so probably about 24 hours a week maybe. Sometimes you just fall behind because it’s a lot of hours. It’s very hard to balance, but it’s doable,” Chong said.
The support system of coaches and fellow teammates helps ease the struggle of time management.
“I would say to know your schedule and your workload and everything,” said Chong. “If you need help, talk to someone, a teammate, talk to a coach, say that you’re stressed out about something. Let him know, he’ll understand. Just make sure you have a good scheduling system for yourself.”
Chong mentioned that being a part of the team significantly improved his leadership and time management, which are critical life-long skills.
The busiest time of the year for these athletes, of course, is the regular season. Currently, all three athletes are in the midst of their off-season, but that doesn’t mean they have it easy. The off-season grind can be as strenuous as the regular season.
“Practices are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday,” said Connor. “We have to keep up with our diets, and make sure we are eating enough. The off-season is from mid-December to June, and it is the same practice schedule. However, we are less focused on skills that would apply right away, rather long-term techniques. It’s still the same amount of practicing, so it still affects me in similar ways that it did previously, but now I have better abilities to cope with that. In the summer, we have workout programs that we are supposed to do on our own, where we focus on strength and cardio training.”
According to Davis, when it comes to the off-season for cross country and track, things get a little different. Davies has to deal with longer seasons, competing during the majority of the school year, so training intensity stays up there fall and winter terms, meaning he does not get to slow down and take a break from his heavy schedule.
“We have both cross country, and track seasons, we are competing almost the whole school year. We train right from the start of the semester, up until near the last few weeks. We have competitions going throughout the year,” Davies said.
All three athletes feel that although student athlete life can be challenging, the positives outweigh the negatives. Being able to make friends through their team, receive advice from upper years and develop life skills are why they would recommend sports to future students.
[thesil_related_posts_sc]Related Posts[/thesil_related_posts_sc]
The 2019 U Sports Championship Cross Country Tournament was held last weekend on Nov. 9. Both the men’s and women’s teams travelled to Kingston for the tournament, which is widely regarded as the most important event of the year for cross country. Both teams put as much as they could into this tournament, knowing how important it was. The men’s team managed to place second overall. The first place seat went to the University of Calgary Dinos, who were the defending champions. The women’s team finished 13th.
Team Captain Caroline Forbes led the pack for the Women’s team achieving 27th overall at the tournament. This was an astounding 47 spots ahead of where she finished last year and was awarded the Pink’s Burgers athlete of the week for her accomplishment. Forbes is only a second-year runner yet is one of the team’s most accomplished athletes, she goes to show how in a year or two the women’s team has a great chance of going the distance and medaling at the U Sports Championship. Having such a young team can certainly be challenging, but the sky is the limit for the women’s team.
Leading up to nationals, men’s team veteran runner Max Turek and head coach Paula Schnurr revealed their preparation for the tournament, as well as some team goals.
“Our goal is not to just podium, but win. We left last year hungry for more, and know we have a really good shot this year. We’re fit and ready to roll and are excited to see what we can throw down,” said Turek.
“Our goal is not to just podium, but win. We left last year hungry for more, and know we have a really good shot this year. We’re fit and ready to roll and are excited to see what we can throw down,” said Turek.
Despite not placing first overall, as the team had hoped, their second and 13th place finishes are impressive. Just a week earlier, the men’s team came second and the women’s team placed fifth at the Ontario University Athletics cross country tournament.
“We went into OUAs hoping for the win, but we just didn’t have it that day. We know what went wrong, and where our weaknesses are, and what needs to be done in the future to capitalize and win a title. We still have a lot of confidence going into [nationals], expecting to be able to improve from our third place last year,” said Turek.
The team seems to have reflected on what went wrong at the OUAs and focused on key areas for improvement going into the U Sports Championships.
“After OUAs, our main focus was to just work as a team and concentrate on bringing home a U Sports national title. We wanted to make sure we were well rested going into championships, and be able to execute better than we did at OUAs,” Turek added.
Turek stressed the importance of a U Sports title, which the team came ever so close to, eventually settling for a second place finish. The U Sports championship is the biggest stage for them, as it is the only opportunity to compete at a national level. The team was looking forward to nationals for the entire year, and their eyes had been on the prize.
The men’s team trained specifically for this event over the past year, with all other competitions acting as lead-up to the U Sports tournament. When coach Schnurr was asked about the team’s training regiment and goals, she offered a similar response to Turek.
“After OUAs, our main focus was to just work as a team and concentrate on bringing home a U Sports national title. We wanted to make sure we were well rested going into championships, and be able to execute better than we did at OUAs,” said Schnurr.
“After OUAs, our main focus was to just work as a team and concentrate on bringing home a U Sports national title. We wanted to make sure we were well rested going into championships, and be able to execute better than we did at OUAs,” said Schnurr.
As good as second place is, the team isn’t satisfied. This year was significant for cross country, as both the men’s and women’s teams improved from their last year finishes at U Sports. Last year, the men’s team placed third, and the women’s team placed 15th.
This year, Turek, Alex Drover and Andrew Davies of the men’s team managed to place in the top ten at nationals, placing fifth, sixth and ninth respectively. McMaster was the only university to have three runners in the top 12. Drover and Turek made the All-Canadian first team, and Davies made the All-Canadian second-team, being chosen out of every runner in the country which is an incredible honour. Making an All-Canadian team means that out of all the qualified runners in the country they pick the very best for the first team and then the next best for the second team and so on.
The Marauders put up a strong fight on their way to finishing second and 13th in the most important cross country tournament of the year. It will be exciting to watch the teams next year as they improve and continue to dominate the track.
[thesil_related_posts_sc]Related Posts[/thesil_related_posts_sc]
Last weekend, the McMaster track team headed to Manitoba for the U Sports Track and Field National Championship. Although the team did not return with any hardware or medals, Mac’s Alex Drover finished in fifth place for the 3,000m event. With McMaster not particularly known for their indoor track season and the intense competition he was up against, this accomplishment got Drover recognized by the Marauders Athletic department.
Drover: Second year of integrated biomedical engineering and health sciences.
D: A big part of why I came to Mac was because of [that] program. My year is the first year it's been offered. It's a pretty special program because it's not something that's offered in a lot of places, due to the combination of engineering and health sciences. Then, from the running aspect, the team was quite similar to what I had done in high school, so it was an easy transition. Lastly, [head coach Paula Schnurr] is one of the best coaches around so I really wanted to run for her.
D: It was a really fun experience. I didn't get to run indoor track last year because of an illness, so this was my first time at an indoor track championship in university. It was a little bit daunting because all of the best athletes were there, though it went relatively well. Going into it, I didn't have huge expectations for myself because I'm one of the younger athletes. So, I wanted to do as well as possible, but I knew it was going to be a challenging race. I ended up finishing fifth in the race, which was exactly where I was ranked going into it, so I was very happy with that finish.
Forward Linnaea Harper and distance runner Alex Drover are the @PitaPitCanada Athletes of the Week after their performances at @usportsca Championships. #GoMacGo
READ ⬇️https://t.co/hRO6YZse6e
— McMaster Marauders (@McMasterSports) March 12, 2019
D: It was pretty cool, and I was quite honoured because I know volleyball had their OUA Championships that same weekend. I know they have a lot of talent on their team so there were a lot of guys that could have been nominated that are equally as well deserving of that award.
D: Right before races, I like to watch movies. There is one in particular called Prefontaine, it’s a running movie and I've watched it several times before races.
D: Placing fourth really left me with the urge for a little bit more being that close to the podium. I know I have a lot left in me especially with a few more years after school so my goals are to grow and medal in the future.
[thesil_related_posts_sc]Related Posts[/thesil_related_posts_sc]
The McMaster swimming team will be heading to the University of British Columbia for the U Sports Swimming Championships on Thursday, Feb. 21 through Saturday, Feb. 23. After competing at the Ontario University Athletic Championships this past weekend, the women’s team finished with 545 points as a group, beating out Western University for second place for the first time since 2007. A large part of the team’s success is thanks to Isabelle Lei’s silver medal in the 200m individual medley and bronze in the 400m freestyle. Lei also helped win three medals in team relays. On the men’s side, Mitch Muizelaar took home the team’s only gold medal, repeating as OUA champion in the 1500m freestyle. The qualified Marauders will be competing during nationals this weekend.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BtwcNp8Bcrf/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=fhlmv9tqo6em
The McMaster wrestling team will be heading to Calgary for the U Sports Wrestling Championships, hosted by the University of Calgary on Feb. 22-23, 2019. The Marauders, who medaled during the OUA championships, will be attending the national competition. On the men’s side, Ameen Aghamirian, who was previously named U Sports Athlete of the Week, was named the OUA's Most Outstanding Male Wrestler, and first-year Trystan Kato took home the men's Rookie of the Year award. While for the women, Ligaya Stinellis and Joelle Vanderslagt each took home a silver medal.
The cross-country team will take their talents indoors this reading week for the OUA Track and Field Championships, which will take place at the Toronto Track & Field Centre on Feb. 22-23. The team completed their outdoor season with great success, and have been competing in indoor meets ever since in preparation for these championships. The medalists of the meet will move on to compete at the national level for the U Sports Championships at the University of Manitoba on March 7-9.
[thesil_related_posts_sc]Related Posts[/thesil_related_posts_sc]
When you are one of seven kids, there are not many activities that are easy for all seven kids to participate. For the Schnurr family, running was the one that worked.
At the age of seven years old, McMaster’s cross-country coach Paula Schnurr found herself in a running club for the first time. Joining the Burlington Running Club, Schnurr soon found out that she was actually quite good at the sport. Fast forward to university, and Schnurr got a spot on McMaster’s cross-country team.
“There's something about running that makes you feel good physically, mentally and emotionally, especially being a part of a team,” said Schnurr. “When I was at McMaster as a varsity athlete, I made lifelong friendships from being part of the team.”
Aside from the forever friends that running gave her, being able to continually challenge herself and the nature of competing is what Schnurr really fell in love with. Her competitive edge led her to make the national team and represent Canada at the 1992 and 1996 Olympics for the 1500m, as well as two World Championships. Schnurr went on to win a silver medal representing Canada at the 1994 Commonwealth Games.
When her time as a runner came to an end, Schnurr turned to coaching. Starting her tenure with McMaster in 2009, her expertise has guided the Marauders to great success. Most recently, the men’s team found success in the 2018 cross-country season, coming in first at the Ontario University Athletics Championship, and third at the U Sports National Championship.
Her team’s triumphs led her to be named the OUA Men's Cross-Country Coach of the Year, making her the first woman to ever win the award, and McMaster’s second recipient of the award ever.
“I was very honoured because it is an award that the coaches vote on,” said Schnurr. “Winning that award is really a reflection of the kind of athletes that are on our team. Because, when your athletes are winning, it makes your coaching look good. So I’m honoured on how lucky we are and that we have a great group of student-athletes.”
The group of men and women she has the honour of coaching are a tight-knit group who often compare themselves to a family rather than a team. For Schnurr and her assistant coach Peter Self, who also happens to be her husband, they can not exactly pinpoint why the student-athletes who join their program all mesh so well together, but they are grateful for a team that enjoys being together on and off the track.
“I guess it's a bit of a reflection on the people that we are. We try to make good decisions on treating people well, and when athletes show up and work well, we're going to reward them by helping them be the best athlete they can be,” said Schnurr. “We feel good that athletes, whether they're winning championships or just making personal times, can walk away after their time here and reflect that they had a great experience while at Mac.”
Although some couples may find it difficult to work together, the two retired professional runners find balance in both their differences and their passion for running.
“I mean, we do disagree on certain things when issues come up, but we have a lot of respect for each other. Pete is very good at making suggestions on how we can change things for the better,” said Schnurr. “He pays attention to more of the details, and I'm more focused on the athletes and managing them. I'm the day-to-day person that they see and interact with, but he's the support.”
Winning such a high honour as Coach of the Year and coming in first provincially and third nationally, the thought of pressure would stay at the back of most people’s minds, but not for Schnurr.
“I don't feel a lot of pressure but I know the men put a lot of the pressure on themselves,” said Schnurr. “ Will there be a bit of pressure next year? Probably, because they are the OUA-defending Champions, but that's okay because the pressure is what makes athletes better.”
Instead of worrying too much about next year, Schnurr and the team’s next focus is the 2019 indoor track season. Unlike the outdoor track season, team goals begin to shift to individual goals. Whether it's running a certain time or making nationals, the men’s team again have top contenders for doing well this season.
“Our women’s team is still young and developing, but it's the men who are looking towards making nationals, as well as our relay teams,” said Schnurr.
Using invitationals like the Don Wright Team Challenge that took place at the Western University this past weekend, and competitions in Michigan and Boston to compete against some of the top American runners, the Marauders are doing whatever it takes to stay sharp. This way, by the end of February for the OUA Championship, and the second week of March for the U Sports National Championships, they will be ready to hit the podium once again.
[thesil_related_posts_sc]Related Posts[/thesil_related_posts_sc]
By: Max Lightstone
In the near future, Hamilton will be blessed with a light rail transit system, spanning the breadth of the city and allowing individuals to travel from McMaster University to Eastgate Square in just over half an hour. While that’s a great move for the city, it’s still lacking something.
Part of the LRT plan is to build an operations maintenance and storage facility at the McMaster Innovation Park. The OMSF would allow for nightly storage and any necessary servicing to the LRT trains, with tracks built along Longwood Road South for the trains to access Main Street West. If you’ve never heard of MIP, it is a large research facility on Longwood Road South beside the Ontario Highway 403.
MIP was proposed by the university in 2005 with the goal of fostering industry collaboration while progressing research and development. Following McMaster’s purchase of an old Westinghouse factory and warehouse on the site, the province announced a $10 million investment to advance development. As well, the federal government moved the CANMET Materials Technology Laboratory to the site.
The park finally opened in 2009, and currently hosts programs, startups and incubators including The Forge and a United Nations University program.
Many of the researchers at MIP are engaged in engineering research, particularly in the materials and automotive fields, but that is quickly changing. Just this year, a $33 million research facility in collaboration with the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology opened, and the university has plans for more expansions including an 80,000 square foot Emerging Technology Center. There is even a hotel in the works!
New buildings lead to more opportunities for people to obtain work. At the MIP, the individuals employed there are often associated with McMaster. The number of people traveling between McMaster’s campus and the MIP for meetings, conferences and classes is already listed as a concern in the park’s master plan, and this number is expected to increase with time.
There are currently only three options to make the trip by public transit: walking across a bridge that is completely exposed to the elements; transfer at King Street West and Longwood Road South to the infrequent Hamilton Street Railway 6-Aberdeen; or taking the route-15 Go Bus from the McMaster Go Terminal, which is also infrequent and expensive.
It is evident that a more convenient transit system is needed to help facilitate the journey between campus and MIP. The city of Hamilton and McMaster have to plan with foresight to ensure that there is capacity in services to meet the demand.
In this particular case, there’s actually an inexpensive and easy answer: use the proposed LRT line on Longwood Road South. Adding occasional service between the MIP on Longwood and the McMaster stop would allow residents of the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area to commute easily on public transit and would vastly ease the trip for those students, faculty and researchers who need to get between Mac and the MIP, some of whom currently need to do so several times a day.
This would also open up the city to out-of-town guests at the future hotel. It wouldn’t even be an expensive plan to implement since the track will already be installed for OMSF access.
A solution like this, however, would require extensive planning, and that's something that hasn’t happened as of yet. McMaster University and the city of Hamilton need to think towards the future when designing and building, and need to work together to make things happen.
[thesil_related_posts_sc]Related Posts[/thesil_related_posts_sc]
By any measure, the McMaster cross-country team had a good outdoor season, consistently placing in the top 10 of the tournaments they attended. They ultimately capped off their season with a fourth-place finish for the men and a seventh-place finish for the women at the U Sports national championship in Victoria, British Columbia. The team now looks to build on that earlier success this coming winter term.
Cross-country is a unique sport in many ways as it toes the line between a team sport and individual competition. In addition to this, there is essentially no offseason. When other sports pack it in and head indoors ahead of worse weather, cross-country athletes head indoors to continue to compete.
This indoor track season began in December with the Bob Vigars Season Opener hosted by Western University, where Mac sent a group of their athletes who all contributed to the Marauders’ trophy case. While the men swept the podium in the 3000m race, the women’s side of the track was led by fourth-year Nursing student Erin Mawhinney who captured gold in the women’s 3000m race.
“It was cool,” said Mawhinney. “I haven’t won a university race before so that was different. A couple of us do that race coming just out of cross-country season just to see what kind of track fitness we have coming from cross-country, a sort of base for the rest of the season.”
In the new year, the Marauders headed to Windsor for the Can Am Classic on Jan. 13, where Mawhinney placed fourth in the women’s 1500m race. Sergio Raez Villanueva’s placed first in the men’s 1500m race as the top-performing Marauder over the weekend.
Mawhinney notes that in terms of training not much changes between seasons, although the team does a lot more speed-oriented workouts. One big difference is in the social aspects of the sport during meets.
“We have a lot more time together with the team at meets,” Mawhinney said. “Instead of in cross-country where there is just one girls event and one boys event, track meets sometime span over two days and so you get to spend those two days with the team. It is a lot more team time, which is fun.”
Consistency breeds success and every athlete has their own set of pre-game rituals and habits that help them attack their day at the best of their ability. Mawhinney, who has been running track since she was 10 years old, recognizes that the actions leading up to a race are just as important as the race itself.
After packing her bag the night before a meet, Mawhinney will spend time with friends or teammates to her take her mind off of the impending competition and stave off nerves before a race, which have lessened over her tenure.
“I think being in fourth year, I don’t get as anxious or worked up before races anymore,” said Mawhinney. “It was a bigger problem for me in first and second year, but you learn how to just stay calm before the race and have more fun with it. I try not to think too much about the race until I’m warming up.”
When it comes to game day, music plays a key part for Mawhinney as for many other athletes.
“I listen to music on my warm-up jog,” explained Mawhinney. “I usually listen to the Tragically Hip on my warm up, and there’s a sprinkle of One Direction in there as well. Usually One Direction closer to the race; they’re a pretty happy bunch.”
After the headphones come off, Mawhinney tries to keep things light on the track and visualize the race that lays ahead of her. In order to stave off any pre-race nerves, Mawhinney likes to keep it loose, cracking jokes with her teammates and even her competition.
“I picture the race ahead of time and keep it light and humorous around the track level when we’re warming up because it just makes it way more fun,” Mawhinney added. “I find I race the best when I’m not nervous and some of my worst races have been when I’m just too nervous before. Racing when you’re really nervous before makes you get lactic faster and it is not pleasant. My best races for sure have been when I’m laid back.”
“I try to keep it pretty causal with the other girls that are racing, keep it pretty humorous and funny. Because it is a kind of funny thing to all congregate and put yourself through so much pain.”
Erin Mawhinney, Cross-country
As she looks ahead to her final year as a Marauder, Mawhinney has mixed feelings.
“It’s really good incentive to give training my all,” said Mawhinney. “I’m so much more used to the training program here now. I go to our strength and conditioning much more frequently than I did in first and second year. So having it be my last year is like an incentive to train really hard since this is sort of it, but it’s also sad because the team is so fun and it will be hard to find another environment that is as fun as them when I’m not here.”
Although it will not be the same, Mawhinney hopes to pursue running following her time as a student-athlete. A lot of Mac alumni tend to stick around the area and will sometimes still practice alongside current members of the team, so she hopes that she will be able to do that as well.
Dedicated and talented runners make up the McMaster cross-country program and are a significant reason why they can maintain their winning groove into the new year. While we maybe stuck in the midst of a brutally cold winter, the track season is only heating up.
[feather_share show="twitter, google_plus, facebook, reddit, tumblr" hide="pinterest, linkedin, mail"]
Men's basketball
There is no doubt that the McMaster Men’s Basketball team was quite a sight to witness this year. They won huge games against Windsor, Ottawa and Brock and were placed in the country’s Top 10 all season long. The team has big dreams and before they look to compete on the national stage for the CIS Championship banner, they need to focus on the match-up they have on Saturday, March 5. They will find out their opponent after Windsor and Laurentian play each other in the preliminary round taking place on March 2. McMaster defeated both Laurentian and Windsor in the regular season at home. This is the last season for three talented veterans — Aaron Redpath, Leon Alexander and Troy Joseph. Look for the usual veteran leadership to help set this team up for greatness. The team is competing to take it all this year. Game time for the OUA quarter-finals is set for 2 p.m. at the Burridge Gym.
Women's basketball
Ending the regular season with a 71-69 win in Guelph this past weekend, the McMaster Women’s Basketball team is preparing to host the OUA quarterfinal playoff game on Saturday, March 5. After a year of personal records and personal battles, the team is looking to see their hard work amount to a chance to claim the OUA banner. With a talented roster of veterans and help from the bench, the McMaster Women’s Basketball team knows that the pieces need to come together for them to win. With a record of 15 wins and four losses for the season, the Marauders will look to defend home court as they face the winner of the first-round playoff game between Queen’s and Laurentian. The Marauders faced both Queen’s and Laurentian during the regular season and walked away from both with victories. The first game of the playoff season will either make or break their dream to compete for the OUA banner. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. in the Burridge Gym.
Men's volleyball
The Marauders have a unique postseason ahead of them. They are hosting both the OUA Final Four and the CIS National Championship. Both the conference and national championships will be played on home floor. The stars appear to be slowly aligning for this McMaster team that has been chasing a national championship for years. With the depth built through the season, the younger unit’s ability should not be underestimated. Look for upperclassmen like Jayson McCarthy, Danny Demyanenko, Andrew Kocur, Stephen Maar, Brandon Koppers and Pawel Jedrzejewski to play some of the best volleyball of their careers. Expect second-year standout Andrew Richards to do the same. These guys have been getting healthy for the biggest moment of their Mac careers and they won’t go down easy.
Women's volleyball
This team is graduating several great players in Alicia Jack, Khira Adams, Taylor Brisebois, Mira Krunic and Lauren Mastroluisi, almost a third of the team. These players have been the core of the team and have also helped bring home an OUA banner in 2014. The team understands that to get closer to winning an OUA banner and making a trip to nationals, they need to beat Toronto in their OUA Final this weekend. The road is not easy, but the team is coming into Final Four weekend with momentum after a huge win over Windsor last Friday. First-years Michelle Chelladurai and Rachel Woock are playing solid and second-year Jill Eisenhauer has been getting more reps at middle. If their best players play lights out against Toronto this weekend, McMaster could be one step closer to their banner dreams.
Track & field
This past weekend, the Track and Field team brought home three bronze medals from the OUA Track and Field Championships hosted by the Windsor Lancers. McMaster’s Jeff Tweedle claimed a bronze medal from the 1000m event and beat the CIS standard with a time of 2:24.13. The men also collected another bronze medal in the 4x800m relays with Tweedle, Connor Darling, Nick Kondrat and Matt Napier as they beat the CIS standard with a time of 7:40.43. The women’s team — Chelsea Mackinnon, Emily Nowak, Kaitlyn Pansegrau and Maddie Benjamin — rounded off the weekend by winning a bronze of their own. The team will enjoy a week away from the track before heading to Toronto to participate in the CIS Championships hosted by York from March 10-12.
Wrestling
It was a medal weekend for the McMaster wrestling team. The men finished second at the 2016 CIS Wrestling Championships and brought home silver for a second consecutive season. The Marauders ended with 52 points, while host Brock won the men’s title with 80 points. Six Marauder wrestlers advanced to medal matches and Omar Ahmed and Joban Phulka won bronze medals. However, the highlight of the weekend was Ahmed Shamiya who finished with a CIS gold for the second year in a row. On the women’s team, Monica Wood had the top performance, finishing fourth in the 48kg class. The Marauders placed 12th overall in the women’s standings.
Photo Credit: Jon White/ Photo Editor
[thesil_related_posts_sc]Related Posts[/thesil_related_posts_sc]
The Marauders track team posted several personal best times at the largest indoor track meet of the year, the McGill Team Challenge.
Several of the Marauders were entered into the fast heats of each race, which helped them run to some incredibly fast times at the half-way point of the season. Taylor Forbes and Blair Morgan both ran to personal best times in the 3000m.
“Blair took the lead, and then Taylor took the lead over from Blair, and at a certain point you could see Taylor getting kind of tired, so Blair went back in the lead, so between the two of them, they kept on pace,” said head coach Paula Schnurr.
With about two laps to go in the race, a runner on the Queen’s team pushed to take the lead and fell. When he got up again, he made another push for first place.
But Forbes and Morgan were able to hold him off, and finish first and second overall in the distance.
Forbes ran a personal best of 8:19, and Morgan ran a personal best of 8:21.
“It’s always going to come down to a kick between (Taylor) Forbes and (Blair) Morgan,” said Schnurr.
The new track rules in place add a conversion factor onto the times ran on banked tracks versus flat tracks.
Because the track at the St. Denis Centre in Montreal is banked, a couple of seconds gets added onto each distance.
This means that although Forbes ran an 8:19 at McGill, with the conversion factor, he actually ran an 8:25.
This time, and Morgan’s time with the conversion factor of 8:27, has both of them ranked sixth and tenth overall in the CIS.
The next day, Forbes and Morgan ran a 1500m, which saw both of them reach new personal best times of 3:54 and 3:55.
Austen Forbes also ran to personal best times in the 3000m with an 8:28 and in the 1500m with 4:00.
Although the Forbes are tearing up the track so far this season, their time training for track will be cut short, as they will be making a trip to Florida in February to compete in their first triathlon of the season.
This means that Taylor Forbes will be missing out on the competitive Valentine Invitational at Boston University.
The track team makes the trip to Boston every year, and only select a couple of athletes that will be able to compete with some of the elite competition that the States has to offer.
“You always wonder the difference there with him doing all the other training…there is still a bit of fatigue there from biking and swimming, because running isn’t his only focus,” said Schnurr.
“But that’s what they want to do…certainly the cross-training is helping them.”
Chelsea Mackinnon also did well on the weekend, having a hard-fought race in the 1000m where she had to make up ground and play catch-up after a runner fell in front of her.
“When that kind of thing happens, you think okay, that’s it the race is over for that person, because they’re out of the race and they spend all this energy and adrenaline to get back in, but she was great and she just kept moving through and closing the gap and kept on working,” said Schnurr.
Despite the obstacles on the track, Mackinnon still ran a very fast time of 2:55, finishing ninth overall out of 55 runners, and is ranked 12th overall in the CIS for the 1000m.
The following day, she ran in the fast section of the very competitive 1500m, and finished fourth overall, running to a personal best time of 4:36.
“That’s one of the best races competitively that she has ran,” said Schnurr.
Mackinnon is ranked 17th overall in the CIS in the 1500m.
Maddie Benjamin also ran to a personal best time in the 1500m, running a 4:45 in the distance.
In the men’s 1000m, Jeff Tweedle had a standout race, finishing sixth overall out of 47 runners and running a 2:27. His time at the flat track at the Don Wright Invitational on Jan. 17 has him ranked 12th in the CIS.
Jeff Mah ran to a personal best time in the 600m, running a 1:22 which put him in 13th place out of 56 runners.
The majority of the Marauders will be gearing up for the York Invitational on Jan. 31, while Blair Morgan, Chelsea Mackinnon and Jeff Tweedle will prepare for the Valentine Invitational at Boston University the following weekend.
Photo Credit: Maxine Gravina