New coaches, new alumni donations, and new victories
Women’s Rugby
MAY: The U of O names Duncan McNaughton as the head coach of the women’s rugby team. The appointment came after an internal review of the program, which led to the exit of former coach Jen Boyd. The university did not comment further, apart from saying a new safe sport program will be put in place for this season. McNaughton comes from the Canadian Women’s team and has been an assistant coach for the program since he left the Gee-Gees back in 2017.
JULY: Outgoing Gee-Gee Claire Gallagher makes her debut for the Canadian Women’s 15s side in July at TD Place. The World Rugby Pacific Four Series packed the stadium, selling 10,000 tickets for their loss against New Zealand, and 4,000 for their win against Australia. It was in this win that Gallagher scored her first international try. The games were televised on TSN.
Men’s Football
MAY: Former Gee-Gee Youcef Lekadir donates $175,000 to the Football team at the U of O. Youcef, a managing partner at Lekadir LLP, played for the team from 2007-10 while attending the Telfer School of Management. The donation provides extra help to students with rent, tuition, and books. It also provides each Gee-Gee player with a new pair of cleats to start the season. In addition, Lekadir started a scholarship fund for any Gee-Gee who is studying accounting at Telfer.
Men’s Basketball
JUNE: Former Gee-Gee and reigning CEBL Canadian player of the year Caleb Agada signs with the Ottawa BlackJacks for the remainder of the summer. Agada is best known for representing Nigeria at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, where he led the team to a win in an exhibition game over a powerhouse USA squad featuring Kevin Durant and Damien Lillard. Agada won the USPORTS Defensive Player of the Year award twice while at the U of O, and currently plays for Prometey of the Latvian-Estonian Basketball League.
AUGUST: The Gees take down Harvard in an exhibition game, 65-52. The game was part of Harvard’s tour of Canada, where they started in Montreal, and finished in Toronto, via Ottawa. The Crimson finished .500 on the trip, losing against the U of T, and taking down Carleton and McGill. Cole Newton led the way with 14 points and went 4-of-7 from deep. Brock Newton racked up 6 points, 5 steals, and 5 rebounds. Kevin Otoo chipped in with 12 points and 7 rebounds.
Women’s Hockey
JULY: The U of O announces Stefanie McKeough as the new head coach of the Women’s Hockey team, the seventh in team history. McKeough has served as the assistant coach since the 2020-21 season. The move comes after former head coach Chelsea Grills stepped down following a 16-7-2 season. The Fulcrum had a chance to sit down with Stefanie and talk about the upcoming season, which you can read here.
Men’s Rugby
AUGUST: The U of O is selected as the hosts of the 2024 Canadian University Men’s Rugby Championship (CUMRC). The Championship will be hosted at Matt Anthony Field, and will feature 8 teams from across the country, including the Gee-Gees, who receive automatic entry as host. The 2023 edition will be hosted by Trinity Western University in Langley, BC from November 15 – 19.
