Sixth-seeded Bishop’s Gaiters force overtime at the CIS Final 8 in Toronto Photo credit: Jesse Colautti The Gee-Gees men’s basketball team had an eventful first two days at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) Final 8 hosted by Ryerson University. On Wednesday night, Fifth-year senior Johnny Berhanemeskel became the first Gee-Gee basketball player ever named CIS …
Six athletes from the University of Ottawa were part of the U23 national ultimate team’s first tournament of the year on the weekend of Feb. 28.
The second-year Gee-Gees pentathlon and decathlon athlete launched his own startup business called One Track Mind in September 2013.
Meet Nicholas Wagman, captain of the men’s fencing foil team. This first-year master’s of physiotherapy student is a veteran of the sport, having fenced for 17 years. He has accumulated numerous accolades and awards, including an Ontario University Athletics all-star selection this season, and is currently the national university champion for men’s foil.
The Wilson Cup Final Four transformed Montpetit Hall into an energetic decked-out environment, as hopes of securing a second trophy filled the air. That excitement was diminished as Windsor out-rebounded and overpowered the Gee-Gees, stealing an 85-80 win from the top-ranked team.
Before the Gees got their rhythm they fell by a 26-point margin, with a final score of 73-47, ending their season in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) quarterfinal.
The win was also perhaps point guard Mike L’Africain’s best all season, as he amassed a total of 20 points, four assists, four steals, and three rebounds. The game was not only big for him, but it also solidified the schedule for the OUA Wilson Cup Final Four to be hosted by the Gee-Gees at Montpetit Hall March 6–7.
The McGill Martlets took down the Gee-Gees for the second time in a row to end Ottawa’s season during the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) semifinals.
The weekend wrapped up with the Gee-Gees finishing sixth in the women’s team standings and seventh in the men’s. Ottawa will now move forward to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport championships March 12–14 at the University of Windsor.
The Gee-Gees finished the championship with style, as the win over UBC marked their first victory over a Canada West team since beating the University of Manitoba Bisons back in 2007.
The OUA playoffs will take place on Feb. 28 at Montpetit Hall. Provided the Gees fend off the rest of their competition, they will look to compete for the number-one seed in the CIS Final Eight in Toronto starting in March.
The women’s basketball team had extra motivation to play hard at the Shoot for the Cure fundraiser game this year. Each season, the Gee-Gees take part in hosting a staple in Canadian University Sport (CIS), the Shoot for the Cure fundraiser for breast cancer awareness and research.
Ottawa led for the beginning of the first set, taking advantage of Toronto’s mistakes at the net. But it was Toronto’s attackers that made the difference in the long run, which the Gee-Gees couldn’t respond to consistently. Ottawa went on to win the next two sets, only to fall to Toronto in the final two.
Marc Schryburt wants sports to bring people together on campus. It’s been his dream for 20 years, and as a longtime football coach and sports program manager, he’s finally become the new Gee-Gees director of Sports Services.
The hard work from all ten Gee-Gees paid off during the championships, as they excelled and performed well at the national level. The swim team will now enter into their off season training until next October.
The Gee-Gee swimming teams had an exceptional weekend Feb. 5–7 at the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) championships, where the men finished fourth and the women in fifth.
The University of Ottawa’s track team has had a busy few weeks with invitational tournaments in Montreal, New York City, and here in Ottawa.
“Our best kids were not our best kids at the half, and we put a little on the line at halftime,” said head coach Andy Sparks. “We really talked about accountability, and how players have to step up in this situation, and I really thought in the second half they did.”
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The Gees then easily dismantled the RMC Paladins, ending with a 14-3 regular season record. The perennially stronger Gee-Gees were able to capitalize, despite a third set charge from RMC.
The Gee-Gees won with a score of 4-2 over Montréal on Feb. 1, increasing their consistency with each game before the playoffs.
The Gee-Gees found their zone and began pulling away, before ultimately pushing their lead over 20 points to cruise to a comfortable 91-63 win. The Gee-Gees were led by Johnny Berhanemeskel with 19 points, and the bench was anchored by a strong 12-point performance from Matt Plunkett.
“He left a good legacy and better than when he found it,” said Sparks. “From an athletic perspective, he accomplished a lot.”
The nation’s number-one ranked team has been on an absolute tear since first stepping on the court this season.
Their stampede over Ontario University Athletics (OUA) competition slowed but didn’t stop during one of the longest road trips of any team in the conference.
Shorthanded women’s b-ball falls to Canada’s top team The Gee-Gees women’s basketball team had a strong win against the Western University Mustangs in London on Jan. 23 with a 79-43 win, followed by 76-47 loss 24 hours later in Windsor. “Going into the weekend with only nine players, we had a good win against Western, …
