“I’m mostly still full of gratitude for this sport, all who pour into us as athletes, and that I get to be a Gee-Gee.”
Women’s Soccer advances to OUA Semifinals; Cassandra Provost named MVP for second straight year
It took just two minutes for the Gees to find the back of the net in their opening playoff game against Toronto. And of course, it was none other than Cassandra Provost putting the ball in the back of the net off a cross from Jenna Matsukubo.
The Gees would take the game 3-0, with Provost adding another tally in the second half. The win earned them a berth in the OUA semifinals, where they would welcome McMaster to Matt Anthony Field on Nov. 1.
Earlier on Nov. 1, the OUA announced Provost as the OUA East’s Most Valuable Player, for the second straight season. Provost’s 23 goals eclipsed the Gee-Gee’s previous program record, set by Provost last season.
Provost, Nibo Dlamini, and Maya Smith were all selected to the OUA’s First All-Star Team. Jenna Matsukubo and Adriane Devlin picked up second-team honours.
Gee-Gees Softball takes home bronze medal at OUS Championships
The Gee-Gees softball team travelled to Waterloo the weekend of Oct. 21 to participate in the Ontario University Softball (OUS) Provincial Championships. Saturday saw the team take down Laurier by a score of 14-8, and Western, in a 2-1 game that went to extra innings.
Sunday wasn’t as good for the Gees, as they lost to the U of T 6-3. They still earned a berth in the semi-finals, which doubled as a bronze medal game, where they would face off with Western once again. The team competed hard in another close game, but this time the Mustangs had the final say, as they took the game 6-5.
The team batted .320 over the weekend, which includes monster weekends from Amy Schmit, Amber Weese, Jordy Hartley, and Addy Kane. Schmit had a staggering six hits and five walks in just 16 plate appearances; Weese went 8-16 and added 7 RBIs; Hartley went 7-15 with 5 RBIs; and Kane went 5-13 with 5 RBIs.
Hartley had a good weekend pitching as well, racking up 11 strikeouts in 13.2 innings while leaving 18 runners on base. Sophie Desy added six K’s of her own in 13.1 innings while allowing just 7 earned runs.
Alie-Lamarche named Second Team All-Star after OUA Cross Country Championships
Fourth-year André Alie-Lamarche took home Second-Team All-Star honours for his performance at the OUA Cross Country Championships, which took place Oct. 28 in Waterloo. Alie-Lamarche finished eighth in the eight-kilometre race — his best finish of the year. Although he was in fourth place heading into the final two kilometres of the race, the top-ten ending was still good enough to be the best finish of his OUA career.
Alie-Lamarche credits consistency for the recognition: “It feels great to be recognized for the OUA All-Star Team and was tough to get back in the mix since I had a two-year layoff right before COVID started” the runner said. “I’m really happy to get back at it with the guys again. And just would like to thank the coaches and the teams for the support over the years.”
Kennedy Burrows named OUA Rower of the Year
Third-year Kennedy Burrows was named the Female Rower of the Year by the OUA after her performance on Oct. 20 and Oct. 21 at the Royal Canadian Henley Rowing Course in St. Catherines.
“I’m honoured to have been recognized as OUA Rowing’s female athlete of the year and to have taken home these two golds for our team,” said the Parry Sound native. “However, I’m mostly still full of gratitude for this sport, all who pour into us as athletes, and that I get to be a Gee-Gee.”
Burrows competed in both the Women’s Heavyweight and the Women’s Lightweight divisions and took home gold in both disciplines. Kennedy says she was also told it was the first time any male or female had won both events.
“Without another female lightweight teammate, my coach, Zak Lewis, decided to have me try out the heavyweight single to get an additional race in and gain more experience in the single. Working with him and Alex Kunkel, I was able to refine some of my technique to prepare for a variety of conditions that we may face on race day.”
Burrows, an International Development and Globalization major, credited her faith as a huge reason for the victory. “It was a tough fight in both races that required that I set aside distractions and dial in on the race I was in. As a Christian, I don’t believe I could have overcome the doubt, put forward that effort with each stroke, or be so blessed by my community of coaches, teammates, and loved ones without God’s provision.”
Burrows will compete at the Canadian University Championships in Burnaby, B.C., which will take place from Nov. 10 to Nov. 12. Last year, she brought home a silver medal at the event. For more information about the event, see here.
Gee-Gees ringette team takes home gold medal from Oshawa tournament
The Gee-Gees ringette team took home top honours from a tournament in Oshawa over reading week. The team cruised through the round-robin, and faced off against Laurier in the semi-finals, who they took down 4-1. In the finals, they dominated Nipissing and came away with a 10-1 victory.
Last March, the team took home a bronze medal from the provincial championships hosted by Ringette Ontario. This saw wins over Guelph, Nipissing, McMaster, and Carleton in the round robin, and Guelph again in the bronze medal game.
The team’s leading scorers from those provincials: Elizabeth Plamondon, Jessica Glass, and Mariève Vandervoort, all returned to the Gee-Gees – so look for this team to go on another run at provincials this season.
