The York University track and field team traveled locally and abroad for two meets this weekend, as they competed at the Sharon Anderson Memorial Meet at U of T and the Armory Collegiate Invitational at the New Balance Track and Field Centre in New York, N.Y.
Facing off against athletes from all across the United States, an all-star squad of Lions traveled across the border to face some of the best competition the NCAA has to offer. As a team, the Lions more than held their own with several athletes excelling against their U.S. counterparts.
Holly Pitters established a new personal best and met the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) standard in the women’s long jump as she brought home the silver medal with a 6.02m leap. Pitters broke the six-metre barrier for the first time in her career, and just missed breaking York’s school record of 6.09m. More details on York Lions website.
Women’s hockey Lions score clutch comeback win over Warriors
On Sunday afternoon, the York University women’s hockey team triumphed with a 3-2 victory over the University of Waterloo Warriors at Canlan Ice Sports Arena.
After being down a goal late in the third period, Chelsea Tucker and Stephanie Dovaston were able to score two clutch goals just 24 seconds apart to complete a big comeback and secure the Lions a victory. More details.
A day before, the Lions fell to the CIS number one ranked University of Guelph Gryphons by a score of 3-0 on Saturday afternoon at Canlan Ice Sports Arena.
The Lions were in tough against the current top dog in the nation, as the Gryphons managed the game extraordinarily well resulting in virtually mistake-free hockey.
With a 1-0 lead going into the third period, the Gryphons shut down the middle of the ice and there were minimal passing lanes for either side. The Lions pulled goalie Megan Lee with three minutes remaining in the third which resulted in two quick Gryphon tallies, sealing the game for the Gryphons. More details.
Men’s hockey Lions win 1-0 in shootout over Badgers
The York University Lions men’s hockey team won in dramatic fashion defeating the Brock University Badgers in a shootout 1-0 on Saturday night at Canlan Ice Sports.
Through 60 minutes of play, neither team could put the puck in the back of the net, and after four-on-four and three-on-three overtime, the game was sent into the skills competition to decide the winner.
Although the Lions didn’t crack the score sheet in regulation they dominated play in both regulation and overtime and had a bountiful amount of scoring chances throughout. The stellar play of Brock goalie Real Cormier was a sight to be seen. Cormier turned aside 58 Lion shots in the loss, and was far and away the Badgers best player on the night. More details.
On Friday night, after a hard-fought game on home ice, the Lions dropped a 4-3 decision in overtime against the Ryerson Rams on Friday night at Canlan Ice Sports.
The Rams Brandon Devlin was the hero of the night, scoring the game-winning goal on the power play at 0:33 with Kyle Blanely and Michael Fine assisting on the winner. Despite the loss the Lions remain at the top of the Ontario University Athletics West standings, while the Rams hold the seventh position. More details.
Women’s volleyball Lions fall to Mustangs on the road
The York University Lions women’s volleyball team was swept in straight sets by the University of Western Mustangs on Saturday afternoon in London, Ont.
The 13-2 Mustangs came out of the gates strong on Saturday as they took the first set, surrendering only 13 Lion points. The Mustangs were led by Aja Gyimah, who finished with an impressive stat line of 13.5 points and 12 kills. More details.
The next day, the Lions (5-11) went ahead early but came away with a 3-2 loss against the Windsor Lancers (10-5) at St. Denis Centre in Windsor, Ont.
For the Lions, Celeste Witzell led the team with 18.5 points from 14 kills, two service aces, and two blocks. Heather Setka followed behind her with 15 points and totaled 11 kills and two service aces. Sarah Williams also put up 12 points on the board with 12 kills. More details.
Mustangs pull out close match over men’s volleyball Lions
The York University Lions men’s volleyball team was defeated by the University of Western Mustangs three sets to one on Saturday afternoon at the Alumni Hall in London.
The Lions and Mustangs were neck-and-neck in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) standings coming into Saturday’s matchup, as they sported nearly identical records through 16 matches this season. The similarities between the two teams resulted in a well-balanced and competitive match, as each set could have gone in either direction.
In the fourth and deciding set, the Lions offence went cold and the Mustangs capitalized taking the set 25-17. The Mustangs are now 8-7 on the season and are climbing in the OUA standings, on the other side of the net the Lions now fall to 7-10. More details.
A day later, the Lions fell 3-2 to the University of Windsor Lancers at the St. Denis Centre on Sunday afternoon.
The two teams were tied at 2-2 after the Lions took the first set 25-20 and the fourth set 25-23, while the Lancers took the second set with a 25-14 score, and the third set with a close 26-24 score. The fifth set finished at 15-11 in favour of the home team. More details.
Women’s basketball Lions drop eight game to Thunderwolves
The York University Lions women’s basketball team fell to their western Ontario counterpart, the Lakehead University Thunderwolves, by a score of 81-73 on Friday evening at the Tait Mackenzie Centre.
The Lions cut the lead to seven at the seven-minute mark of the fourth quarter, thanks to a deep three from Taylor McAlpine which kick-started a late Lions comeback. From that point on, the Lions and Thunderwolves exchanged buckets until Soulias knocked down key free throws in the dying moments to put the game out of reach. More details.
The following evening, the Lions lost to the University of Guelph Gryphons by a score of 75-56 at the Tait McKenzie Centre.
The Gryphons pulled away in the second half and had a 65-44 lead by the end of the third quarter. Nina Guzina did her best to keep the Lions in the game with eight points in the frame. In the fourth quarter, the Gryphons stayed in control and were able to put the Lions away, finishing the match with a 75-56 victory. More details.
Men’s basketball Lions narrowly defeated by Gryphons in high scoring affair
The York University men’s basketball team dropped a close 102-98 game to the University Guelph Gryphons on Saturday night at the Tait McKenzie Centre.
The fourth quarter was a nail-biter as the Lions nearly squeezed out a win in the last three minutes of play. Phillip Gillen, Nathan Culbreath, Tommy Hobbs, and the rest of the Lions made it 98-96 with only seconds left on the clock, but two free throws made each by Wallace and Boer secured the Gryphons the win. More details.
A day earlier, the Lions came up short on Friday night as they lost by a score of 78-63 to the Lakehead University Thunderwolves at the Tait Mackenzie Centre.
The action in the first half was back and forth between the Lion and Wolves, ending with Lakehead up by a 36-34 score at half time. The Lions received an offensive boost throughout the game from Gene Spagnuolo, who came off of the bench and made an instant impact totaling a game-high 19 points.
The Thunderwolves’ big man and reigning CIS male athlete of the week Bacarius Dinkins owned the paint on Friday evening, as he muscled his way down low for 14 points and 10 rebounds, five of which were offensive. More details.