Top events and athletes of 2011
WITH THE NEW Year comes an age-long tradition at the Fulcrum where we acknowledge the top athletes events of the fall season. There were plenty of people and games eligible for our Cavalry Awards this year, and it was a challenge to decide who made the cut. Curious? Read on to discover who the Fulcrum chose in our semi-annual review of Garnet and Grey.
Most Memorable Moment: Women’s Soccer CIS Semifinals
While the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) women’s soccer semifinals in Montreal resulted in a heartbreaking 1-0 loss to Queen’s University, the matchup was not a disappointment. In what could be considered the most frustrating and nail-biting game of the year, the Garnet and Grey held their own against an opponent they hadn’t yet beat, giving up only one goal in a penalty shootout after double overtime. Considering that the Golden Gaels have been CIS champions for two years running, our Gee-Gees performed most admirably.
They returned in full strength the next day for the bronze medal game, determined to get on that podium—and they succeeded with a 2-1 win over the McGill Martlets.
So why did the semifinal match win most memorable moment while the bronze medal winning game didn’t? Simply because the game never seemed to end. Both teams were evenly matched in terms of skill, endurance, and confidence. No one was going to surrender the opportunity to go for gold.
Shootouts are basically determined by luck, whether or not the goaltender jumps to the right or to the left. That is why the women’s soccer CIS semifinals is tied for the Cavalry Award of most disappointing moment—the game itself is deserving of most memorable mention, but in the Fulcrum’s eyes, the team ought to have won silver or gold. Oh well, maybe next year.
Finalists: Fourth years Jenna Pelham and Liliane Pagé’s gold-medal win in lightweight women’s double in the OUA rowing championships; men’s football team season-opener win against the University of Guelph.
—Katherine DeClerq
Top Male Athlete: Simon Le Marquand, football
Featured in Le Droit and the Ottawa Citizen, this third-year receiver helped the Gees through their regular season with his speed, strength, and good sense of self. While his season was cut short in the first game of the playoffs, Simon Le Marquand had an incredible run over the last semester. Second only to receiver Michael Dicroce from the McMaster University Marauders in Canadian Interuniversity Sport list of top receivers, Le Marquand ran 867 yards in 2011. He was also named to the Second Ontario University Athletics All-Stars team.
Unable to play last year due to an injury, Le Marquand returned to the field this yearhoping to prove he was ready to be part of the starting lineup. And he did just that, finishing the season with a total of six touchdowns and an average of 108.4 yards per game on a total 57 receptions. Le Marquand isn’t one to absorbed by individual stats, and can often be heard boasting about his teammates. This nonchalant attitude toward his own talent proves this receiver is in it simply to play the game—to do the best he can and help the Garnet and Grey win as many games as possible. There is no doubt that he will return next year stronger and faster than ever, and will probably be on the short list for top male athlete for the following year.
Finalists: Warren Ward (men’s basketball); Dominic Jalbert (men’s hockey); Brendan Gillanders (men’s football).
—Katherine DeClerq
Top Female Athlete: Gilliam Baggott, women’s soccer
After spending the summer in China playing for Team Canada in the International University Sports Federation tournament, fourth-year defender and team captain of the women’s soccer team Gillian Baggott is most deserving of the Cavalry Award of top female athlete.
Besides being a three-time Ontario University Athletic All-Star, she was most recently named to the 2011 Canadian Interuniversity Sports (CIS) along with U of O rookie Pilar Khoury. She was also named a Second Team CIS All-Canadian after the first day of the women’s soccer CIS championship.
If all her awards weren’t impressive enough, all you would have to do is take a look at Baggott’s performance over the last few months to know that she warrants receiving this award. Baggott has led the Gees’ defensive core into an incredibly successful season. While the team itself possessed many hard-hitting strikers, it was the defence that held the scores to their high numbers, not letting the ball anywhere near their net.
The defence allowed the Garnet and Grey to gather the lowest goals against average in the province, with only seven goals scored against them in 16 games. In the CIS semifinal game, Baggott was named Most Valuable Player for her defensive efforts. There isn’t much more the Fulcrum can say about this athlete, other than we were privileged to have her in Garnet and Grey.
Finalists: Elisabeth Wong (women’s soccer); Hannah Sunley-Paisley (women’s basketball); Myriam English (women’s volleyball).
—Katherine DeClerq
Top Competitive Club: Rowing Team
The University of Ottawa rowing team proved they belong among the varsity heavyweights this semester. The completely self-sufficient and student-run program earned a record number of medals at this year’s Ontario University Athletics (OUA) championships in St. Catharines, winning a total of six individual medals, the highest medal count in the U of O’s rowing history. An exceptional performance saw the women’s team place fourth overall, achieving the team’s goal to place in the top four in this year’s OUA championships, while the men’s team placed seventh overall.
Nov. 5 and 6 saw the team travel to London, Ont. to compete at the 2011 Canadian University Rowing Championships (CURC), where they went head to head with 16 universities. They placed sixth overall in the women’s division and seventh in the men’s, despite only three male athletes competing.
Fourth-year psychology student Kate Goodfellow, who won gold at last year’s Canadian University Rowing Championships in Victoria, B.C., and held a world champion title in the Under 23 category, was nominated for female athlete of the year, along with lightweight men’s double rower and fifth-year U of O student Andrew Todd, who was nominated for best male athlete of the year. Both athletes competed in the 2011 RBC National Rowing Championships, which showcases Canada’s top rowing athletes, including the Canadian rowing team.
The U of O rowing team has done a lot over the past semester, continuously working to train their athletes for future competitions. Their individual athletes have shown dedication and tenacity for success. They hope to gain varsity status in the new year in order to increase funding and concentrate more effort on their performances.
Finalists: Men’s soccer team; ringette team; ultimate Frisbee.
—Michelle Ferguson
Best Head Coach: Steve Johnson, women’s soccer
Steve Johnson, the founder and head coach of the University of Ottawa’s women’s soccer program, has led his team to an incredible 11 Canadian Interuniversity Sports (CIS) tournaments since 1994, with the most recent coming this year.
After their previous season saw the Gees capture an Ontario University Athletics (OUA) bronze medal but fail to advance to the CIS tournament, Johnson and the team were eager to improve their results this year.
Under Johnson’s guidance, the women’s soccer team cruised to a 12-3-1 regular season record this year, nabbing another OUA bronze medal with a 4-0 victory over the McMaster Marauders on Nov. 6. The Gees then advanced to the CIS tournament in Montreal, where the team’s quarter-final win and semifinal loss secured them a spot in the bronze medal match.
On Nov. 13, the U of O squad faced off against the host team, the McGill Martlets, and with exceptional play by the team’s strikers and a shut out from goaltender Cynthia Leblanc, the Gee-Gees managed to secure a bronze-medal win with a 2-0 victory.
Johnson’s Gees were a golden squad for University of Ottawa athletic fans this year, as the team was the only one at the U of O to earn either an OUA or a CIS medal. The women’s soccer team hopes to add another CIS medal to their impressive collection next year, and with a strong group of veterans and Johnson as coach, the Fulcrum has high hopes that they do just that.
Finalists: Réal Paiement (men’s hockey); Lionel Woods (women’s volleyball).
—Keeton Wilcock
Most Disappointing moment: Football playoff season
With the women’s soccer Canadian Interuniversity Sport semifinals as the winner of most memorable moment, the men’s football team’s playoff season will be featured as the co-winner of most disappointing moment. After finishing a solid regular season with a record of 5-3, Gee-Gees’ fans were convinced their team would carry themselves to the final rounds of the playoffs, but that assumption was proven wrong by an unlucky loss in their opening game. On Oct. 29, the University of Ottawa men’s football team lost to the University of Windsor 50-33 in the Ontario University Athletic quarter-finals.
The loss wasn’t for lack of effort. The Gees fought valiantly against the Lancers, but allowed too many opportunities for the other team to score, leading to a 34-10 lead by halftime. Fourth-year quarterback Aaron Colbon paired up with second-year receiver Justene Edwards to gain five touchdowns, but it wasn’t enough—the game ended, and with it the playoff season for the Garnet and Grey.
The young team, consisting of a new quarterback, a series of rookies, and a new defensive coordinator, was unable to create the chemistry and consistency needed to compete against the teams who had for the playoff season. This year was about learning to adjust to new defensive strategies and working together as a team.
While these Gees will always remain number one in our hearts, the biggest sports disappointment was seeing them lose the opportunity to try their hand at the Vanier Cup.
Finalists: Women’s soccer loss in the CIS semifinals (tied with football playoff season); attendance turnout to Gee-Gees games.
—Katherine DeClerq
Top Male Rookie: Michael L’Africain, men’s basketball
After watching the men’s basketball home opener on Nov. 18, it was clear rookie point guard Michael L’Africain was going to be a significant factor in the Gees’ success this season. He ran onto the court with a calm, concentrated face, and proceeded to score the points needed for the first win at home.
It was head coach James Derouin that said if L’Africain took more than 10 shots in a game, the Garnet and Grey would be undefeated. In one of his recent games against the University of Guelph on Nov. 26, L’Africain garnered 16 points for the Gees, as well as six rebounds.
The atmosphere on the court changes when L’Africain steps on to it—the team transforms around him. The Gees become more controlled, determined, and organized. And his modesty knows no bounds—everything he does he attributes to his team and coach.
For someone who is still learning the ropes of varsity basketball, the Fulcrum would say he is well on his way to being a top player. With the Capital Hoops Classic coming up, let’s hope L’Africain can step up to the plate and pull another win together.
Finalists: Russell Abbot (men’s hockey); Sekou Kaba (track, men’s hurdles).
—Katherine DeClerq
Top Female Rookie: Cynthia Leblanc, women’s soccer
It is no surprise that national first-year goaltender Cynthia Leblanc would be the winner of the top female rookie Cavalry award of the 2011 fall season. Leblanc has represented Canada on 20 separate occasions as starting goaltender. She has won a bronze medal at the 2008 Women’s Under-17 Championship in Trinidad and Tobago, helped Canada to the quarter-finals at the 2008 FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup in New Zealand, contributed to a 2-3 Canadian record at the 2010 Women’s Under-20 Championship in Guatemala, and represented Canada in the 2011 International University Sports Federation tournament in China—and this was all before she put on the Garnet and Grey uniform.
Leblanc easily bonded with the Gees in September, never taking attention away from her teammates, regardless of her national standing. After a game she could be heard giving credit to the team, explaining the squad usually doesn’t let the ball near her to begin with. That is why she loves playing against teams like Queen’s University, who are well-matched with the Gees—that way she gets to see some action.
Thanks to Leblanc, the Gees hold a new personal record of lowest goals scored against. With her in goal, the Gees were unstoppable, and made it all the way to the Canadian Interuniversity championships. Let’s hope she can beat that record in the following season!
Finalists: Kellie Ring (women’s basketball); Sherry Patel (swimming).
—Katherine DeClerq
Top magical sport turned global: Quidditch
THE POPULARITY OF this Harry Potter-inspired sport has truly soared at the U of O. Over the past year the competitive team has been steadily gaining the interest of the student population. What started off as a team of seven in early September has grown to a hefty quidditch community of 50 participants.
In October, the team participated in the first ever Canadian Quidditch Cup and placed third, giving them a ranking of 28th in the world and qualifying for a spot in the Quidditch World Cup. The team trained hard before travelling to Randall’s Island, New York City, in November, practicing up to 15 hours a week.
The tournament gathered over 100 teams from all over the world, including Finland, New Zealand, and Argentina. The University of Ottawa lost their pool to the University of Florida, but put forth a valiant effort, most games ending in tight battles.
As the days get colder, the team continues to maintain a high level of hard work and dedication, preparing itself for a season of snow quidditch starting with the Ives Pond Invitational Tournament on Jan. 26. The sport of quidditch has evolved extensively over the past year, becoming a well-known and competitive game across the country and the world.
