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Track and fi eld team has strong weekend at provincial championships
THE UNIVERSITY OF Ottawa track and field teams leaped over their previous records at the 2010 Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Track and Field Championships Feb. 26–27 at York University in Toronto as the men’s team ended in fifth place out of 10 universities while the women’s team finished in seventh place.
Ottawa was able to capture multiple medals and set several records over the weekend. Rookie jumper Christopher Greenaway won gold in the men’s long jump with his leap of 7.64 metres and also took the bronze in men’s triple jump. Ottawa’s second gold medal was won in the men’s 600-metre final by Michael Robertson, a third-year sprinter who also placed second in the 300-metre race. Joined by Greenaway and rookies Oluwasegun Makinde and Moussa Sissoko, Robertson also won bronze in the men’s 4x200-metre relay.
Another bronze was awarded to second-year Tyler Fawcett, who broke his previous record in the 60-metre hurdles. Finally, second-year Patrick Arbour won bronze in the pentathlon and qualified for Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) nationals along with the rest of the medaling Gees. Fifth-year Julia Malleck of the women’s team won bronze in the 1,500-metre run.
This competition was the last opportunity for athletes to qualify for the CIS nationals. Seven Gee-Gees will compete in the national meet hosted by the University of Windsor March 11–13. —Ali Schwabe
Men’s soccer team advances to semi-finals in McGill tournament
EMBRACING A RARE opportunity to compete with other amateur clubs, the University of Ottawa men’s soccer team travelled two hours down the road to play in the McGill Indoor Tournament Feb. 20–21. After earning a record of 1-1-1 in round robin play, the Garnet and Grey advanced to the semi-finals before being bested 2-1 by the McGill Alumni at McGill University’s indoor facility.
Ottawa opened the weekend in a clash against the Alumni squad in the round robin, tying them 1-1 with the lone Ottawa marker coming off the foot of fourth-year midfielder and Gee-Gees head coach Marc-André Paulin.
Following a 1-0 victory over the Wolves (a locally-formed amateur squad) and a 1-0 loss to Collège Lionel-Groulx, the Gees were off to the qualifying round.
Goaltender Alex Rassi made sure the Gees’ tournament would not fi nish early, recording consecutive shutouts in Ottawa’s 1-0 win versus the McGill Old Stars and 2-0 victory against the varsity McGill Redbirds in the quarterfinals.
In the semi-fi nal rematch against the Alumni, Chris Austin cashed in for the Gees with his second goal in as many days, but it wasn’t enough as the team fell 2-1.
“It was a great showing by our goalkeeper Alex Rassi and [we] played good defence overall,” Paulin told the Fulcrum.
The Gees will try and build on the momentum at the Carleton Indoor Tournament March 12–14 at the Carleton University Field House. —Serge Lafontaine
