RAISE YOUR HAND if you can name the biggest upset in university sports this year. What’s that you say? York University (6-16) besting Carleton University (20-2) in men’s basketball Feb. 5? Guess again. How about the University of St. Francis Xavier (11-12-4) spoiling the University of New Brunswick’s (26-1) bid for a perfect season in men’s hockey Feb. 12? Not even close. On Feb. 7 in Kingston, the Royal Military College (RMC) Paladins women’s volleyball team defeated the Windsor Lancers...

I ARRIVED AT the Ravens’ Nest early on March 6 to find a media spot for that night’s Ontario University Athletics (OUA) East men’s baksetball final. Scores of red- and black-clad fans were already waiting in line to get tickets for the much-anticipated game between the Carleton Ravens and the Ottawa Gee-Gees. As I saw them, I was slightly worried that everyone in attendance would be die-hard Ravens fans and that the Gees’ men’s team would be overwhelmed by boos...

U of O contributed to Alexandre Bilodeau’s historic achievement

HISTORY WAS MADE Feb. 14 at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics when freestyle skier Alexandre Bilodeau of Montreal won gold in the men’s moguls event. He became the first Canadian athlete on home soil after three Olympics to win a gold medal. Less celebrated than his...

Women’s basketball team advances to OUA finals

FOR THE SECOND year in a row, the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees (12-10) waited until it mattered before beating the Carleton Ravens (18-4) in women’s basketball. After losing three games over the course of the season to the Ravens (twice during the regular season and...

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...

THE UNIVERSITY OF Ottawa men’s basketball team knew that a duel with the archrival Carleton Ravens for top spot in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) East awaited them. But to confirm their attendance, the Gee-Gees had to fi rst take care of business at home Feb. 27 against the Queen’s Gaels (11-11). The second-seeded Gees (18-4) accomplished their mission with a well-deserved 77-61 victory against the fourth-seeded Gaels in OUA East semifinal playoff action. In a game in which they...

LSU trip highlights dramatic disparity between Canadian and American university sports

AS I WALKED toward the centre of the Louisiana State University (LSU) campus on Feb. 20 (during a reading week trip), a mammoth building came into view, commanding all my attention. This was Tiger Stadium, home of the LSU Tigers football team. At fi rst...

Watch that scene at their 2010 showcase on March 7

IF YOU’VE NEVER heard of the University of Ottawa dance team, you’re probably not alone. Dominic Andersen, now a fifth-year arts student and four-year veteran of the squad, wasn’t even aware the competitive club existed until after her first year at the U of O....

WHILE CLASSES WERE set to pause for students over reading week, the hoops post-season stayed in play for the University of Ottawa women’s basketball team. As the fourth seed in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) East, the Gee-Gees (12-10) hosted the fifth-place Laurentian Lady Vees (12-10) at Montpetit Hall Feb. 17. The quarterfinal contest was relatively close until the Gees lifted the anchor in the second half and sailed away to a 77-67 win. The victory sent Ottawa to Toronto...