The York University Lions men’s volleyball team recorded a huge 3-1 victory over the Nipissing University Lakers in North Bay, Ont., on Saturday afternoon to earn an important win in the standings and move into second place in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) East Division.
Needing a win over their northern rivals after losing to Nipissing earlier this year, the Lions came out strong and won their fourth straight to improve to 9-3 on the year.
The Lions were propelled to victory by the huge performances of Alex Duncan-Thibault, who recorded 18 kills and 24.5 points, and Robert Thompson, who recorded 10 and 13. More details on the York Lions website.
Track and field Lions compete strong at home, win 14 medals at York Open
The York University Lions track and field team had a strong showing at its home York Open meet, winning 14 medals at the Toronto Track and Field Centre this past weekend.
The women’s team claimed seven of those medals, led by fourth-year runner Mikeisha Bobb, who claimed three. She was the gold medallist in the 60m hurdles with a season-best time of 8.65 seconds, and won the bronze medal in the 300m with a time of 40.66 seconds. She ran the opening leg for the 4x200m relay team that crossed the finish line in second place and was joined on the podium by teammates Shania Payne, Nicolette Witherspoon and Stella Isaac.
The men’s team also finished the meet with seven medals, including three in individual field events. Nicholas Fyffe won the gold in the triple jump with a distance of 14.38 metres, while Mukonka Siakalenge set a new personal best with a distance of 13.49 metres to win the bronze medal and qualify for the OUA championships. More details.
Men’s hockey Lions wrap up road schedule with shootout loss to Lakers
The York University Lions men’s hockey team played its final road game of the regular season on Saturday in North Bay, Ont., and suffered a 3-2 shootout loss to the Nipissing University Lakers at Memorial Gardens.
The first 20 minutes would not provide enough time for either team to light up the scoreboard. It took all the way until 17:54 of the second period for Nipissing’s Colin Campbell to score the first goal of the game. This would be the first and only goal of the first two periods.
It took just over a minute into the third for the Lions’ Colton Vannucci to tie the game at one goal apiece. More details.
As part of their weekend trip to northern Ontario, the Lions also played in Sudbury, Ont., on Friday night and were defeated 3-2 in overtime by the Laurentian University Voyageurs. It took until 17:11 of the first period until a goal was scored, when Greg Milner found the back of the net to give the Lions a 1-0 lead. It was short-lived, however, as Dylan Fitze scored on the power play just four seconds before the end of the period to level the score at 1-1. More details.
Women’s basketball Lions let fourth-quarter lead slip away in loss to No. 8 Rams
The York University Lions women’s basketball team had a chance at an upset win, but ultimately fell by a score of 71-61 to the No. 8 nationally ranked Ryerson University Rams at the Mattamy Athletic Centre on Wednesday evening.
The Lions entered the contest riding a three-game winning streak and carried the momentum from that recent success into the start of this game. The two teams traded baskets early, until the Lions took the lead midway through the first quarter. By the end of the frame they were up 19-14. More details.
On Friday at the University of Toronto, the Lions were defeated 67-57 by the Varsity Blues. The game started out as a defensive, low-scoring affair with the Blues holding a narrow 11-9 advantage after the first quarter of play. The second played out in similar fashion, with the Blues again outscoring the Lions by two, and they held a 26-22 advantage at the half. More details.
Women’s volleyball Lions fall to fourth place in OUA East with loss to Lakers
The York University Lions women’s volleyball team took a trip north to face off against the Nipissing University Lakers for a Saturday afternoon showdown, and were swept in straight sets.
The Lions were fresh off a bye week and were facing a Lakers team that they had previously taken down in straight sets, and on Saturday Nipissing returned the favour to improve to 7-6 on the season and take over sole possession of third place in the OUA East standings. The Lions, meanwhile, fell to fourth place at 6-7 and are tied with the Queen's Gaels with 12 points.
Early on in the opening set, the Lakers jumped out to a 11-5 lead. From this point forward, the Lions were playing a game of catch up and they were not able to completely bridge the gap. More details.
Women’s hockey Lions blanked by Badgers on the road
The York University Lions women’s hockey team was in St. Catharines, Ont., on Saturday night to face off against the Brock University Badgers and suffered a 3-0 defeat at Seymour-Hannah Arena.
This low-scoring contest saw most of its action within the first two periods. In the opening period the Badgers’ Kailey Peirson broke the games deadlock to give the home team a 1-0 lead.
Entering the second period York needed an answer; however, Brock pulled ahead again as the Badgers scored two more times in the period to cap off the game at 3-0. Both goals came from Annie Berg. More details.
Varsity Blues use big third quarter to defeat men’s basketball Lions
The York University Lions men’s basketball team led at the half but was outscored by 18 points in the third quarter en route to a 79-58 loss to the University of Toronto Varsity Blues at the Goldring Centre on Friday afternoon.
The Lions built an 8-2 lead early, but the Varsity Blues came storming back to take a three-point lead at the end of the first, at 18-15. The two teams traded the lead back and forth throughout the second quarter, and when the buzzer sounded on halftime the Lions held a one-point advantage, 31-30. More details.
The Lions were also defeated by a score of 79-53 by the No. 5 nationally ranked Ryerson University Rams on Wednesday night. The defending champion Rams, who now boast a sparkling 14-1 record on the season, were dominant in the first half to put the game out of reach early. A low-scoring first quarter resulted in a 13-6 lead for Ryerson, but they put up 29 points in the second quarter compared to just 10 for the Lions and led 42-16 at the half. More details.