McMaster women’s curling team wraps up yet another successful season with a win at the OUA championship, places fifth at U Sports Championships
The McMaster University women's curling team just wrapped up another impressive, and perhaps underappreciated, season. Notably, the team won the 2023 Ontario University Athletics Championships and finished fifth at the national U SPORTS Championships.
Hosted by Ontario Tech University, the OUA Curling Championships took place over Feb. 3 to Feb 5. The championships kicked off with a four-game round-robin on Friday morning followed by quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals.
By the end of the round-robin, the Marauders had a record of three wins and one loss. McMaster went on to win against the Western University Mustangs in the quarterfinals with a score of seven to three and the Queens University Gaels in the semifinals, eight to one.
The championship game came down to a close competition between McMaster and the Laurentian University Voyageurs on Sunday afternoon. After some back-and-forth action, McMaster broke the three-to-three tie in the eighth and final end to win the 2023 OUA Championships.
The OUA title is the fourth in McMaster women’s curling program history. A few Mac athletes received recognition with Evelyn Robert named as OUA first team all-star, while Grace Lloyd and Madelyn Warriner were named OUA second team all-stars.
“We won OUAs in 2020 as well and we had a couple of returning players from that year, and we also have some really talented players that just came in for their first year. So we were really excited going into it and were pretty confident that we could do well. We put in a lot of work practicing and training off-ice as well throughout the season,” explained Warriner.
The team training schedule consists of two hours of on-ice training, dry-land training with McMaster’s high-performance centre for athletes and a weekly open league game at the Dundas Valley Golf and Curling Club. Many of the athletes also play on competitive teams outside of McMaster on the weekends.
Following the OUA Championship, team headed to the U Sports Championships in Sudbury, Ontario which took place between Mar. 15 to Mar. 19. The national championships featured teams from Dalhousie University, the University of Alberta and the University of Prince Edward Island.
“It's a bit more of a surprise going into [the U Sports championship] I would say. You're not entirely sure what each specific team is going to bring to the table, but that's kind of what makes it so exciting. You don't really know what to expect and you really just focus on yourself and how you can personally prepare to be the best that you can, so that when you go into it you can perform at your top level,” said Warriner.
The Marauders played a total of seven games at the U Sports Championships. The final record was four losses and three wins against University of Victoria, University of PEI and Toronto Metropolitan University. It’s worth noting that McMaster was unable to clinch a semi-final spot against Laurentian, despite defeating the home team twice in the OUA Championships.
“They had been playing very well all week. We had seen it and it was reflected in their record — they were top of the table. So we knew going into it that we had to play really well if we wanted to beat them and they just had the edge on us that day,” explained Warriner.
“They had been playing very well all week. We had seen it and it was reflected in their record — they were top of the table. So we knew going into it that we had to play really well if we wanted to beat them and they just had the edge on us that day,”
Madelyn Warriner, McMaster Women’s Curling Skip
Ultimately, McMaster finished fifth with University of Alberta taking home the 2023 U Sports championships. However, two McMaster athletes earning All-Canadian honours with Evelyn Robert named to the All-Canadian First Team and Grace Lloyd to the All-Canadian Second Team.
Looking ahead, Warriner and the McMaster women’s curling team have two key goals. To defend their OUA Championship title and to improve on their U Sports performance next year.
Everything you need to know before joining the gymnastics and parkour club this term
This year, McMaster University’s former gymnastics club was ratified to encompass both gymnasts and parkour athletes. Despite the official ratification only coming now, the club is no stranger to the sport of parkour. McMaster Gymnastics & Parkour president, André Morin, is one of many parkour athletes that have trained with the club over the last few years.
“[At] my gym back home, gymnastics and parkour were practiced in the same facility. For me it just seemed obvious that the club should merge if we were going to make a parkour club — so that’s what we did,” explained Morin.
The overlap between gymnastics, parkour and other related sports has allowed the club to expand rapidly and was only helped with the return of ClubsFest this past September. McMaster Gymnastics & Parkour now currently consists of around 50 members that attend practices regularly but has reached over 80 students if including those that drop-in from time to time.
“The communities merging have been really exciting. It’s a big community now with lots of camaraderie . . . We have everything from ex-gymnasts all the way to beginners and then we even have some cheerleaders and parkour athletes mixed in, so it’s a really fun crowd,” said Morin.
“The communities merging have been really exciting. It’s a big community now with lots of camaraderie . . . We have everything from ex-gymnasts all the way to beginners and then we even have some cheerleaders and parkour athletes mixed in, so it’s a really fun crowd,”
André Morin, McMaster Gymnastics & Parkour President
The club hosts practices twice a week at World Class Gymnastics at 95 Frid St. Unit 12, a gymnastics facility close to campus. Since the club rents the facility themselves, participants pay an upfront fee for the semester or $10 for two hours of drop-in practice.
Practices times are structured as open gym time where members can practice independently or work with the club's various coaches specialized in women's artistic gymnastics and parkour.
“We try to make this club as inclusive and welcoming as possible, so we have lots of coaches to help with spotting and instructions and making sure people learn safely and effectively,” explained Morin.
Including the club’s coaches, the club has 15 executive members that are usually available to offer pointers or lend a hand. Particularly, beginners are able to communicate their goals with the club for a more tailored plan.
“A lot of people join gymnastics and parkour with the goal of wanting to do like a backflip — that's a very common thing — we can help target that and make them strong enough to do that move first which will keep them motivated and wanting to learn new moves,” explained Morin.
“A lot of people join gymnastics and parkour with the goal of wanting to do like a backflip — that's a very common thing — we can help target that and make them strong enough to do that move first which will keep them motivated and wanting to learn new moves,”
André Morin, McMaster Gymnastics & Parkour President
Within the next year, Morin is interested in organizing possible competitions for the club with neighboring schools. Members would then have the opportunity to train more seriously or to continue training casually.
Beyond this, Morin and the club’s executive team have a number of exciting plans for the club, including team merchandise, fundraising events and social events with neighbouring businesses in Hamilton or other clubs.
McMaster Gymnastics & Parkour practices weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00 to 11:00 p.m. in the winter semester at World Class Gymnastics.
The Marauders lose in five sets to well-matched Long Beach State opponent in North America Challenge exhibition game
The McMaster University men’s volleyball team warms up for the final stretch of their Ontario University Athletics season with two exhibition games against Long Beach State University. McMaster hosted the first game on Jan. 5, which resulted in a tough loss in a nail-biting fifth set.
The visiting Long Beach State University is known for its men’s volleyball program that achieved back-to-back National Collegiate Athletic Association championships in 2018 and 2019. The powerhouse Long Beach team is currently ranked third in America, which made for an exciting match against the second-ranked McMaster team.
The Marauders were unable to match Long Beach State University’s energy in the first set. The Marauders took an early timeout to slow the Long Beach momentum, but the Marauders continued to trail throughout the set. Despite a strong effort from McMaster to close the lead, Long Beach continued their dominant performance to win the first set 23 to 17.
McMaster came into the second set with newfound energy generated in offense by outside hitters, Sam Cooper and Brendan Mills, the latter of which had a true breakout game for McMaster. The two teams went neck and neck throughout the set. Long Beach State used both timeouts late into the set, but McMaster maintained their momentum for a 25 to 23 win.
“I don’t usually start games but my job when I come in is to be a high-flier, kill the ball and bring some energy. So it was really, really exciting to get in [the game] and do that,” said Mills.
“I don’t usually start games but my job when I come in is to be a high-flier, kill the ball and bring some energy. So it was really, really exciting to get in [the game] and do that.”
Brendan Mills, Outside Hitter
The third set closely resembled the first. McMaster was unable to gain early momentum and lost the first couple of determining points. Despite a strong effort on the offensive end from Cooper and Mateusz Wlodarski, McMaster lost the third set by their largest deficit of 25 to 15.
Once again, the Marauders bounced back in the fourth set. McMaster won the set 25 to 19 with several electrifying plays and offensive kills or unreturned attacks. Most notability, several clutch defensive blocks were made by Cooper and setter, Robbie Fujisawa, creating a sense of momentum heading into the next set.
With back-and-forth victories, spectators headed into the unknown as the fifth and final set began. Burridge Gym was buzzing with excitement as the teams tied up 11 to 11. However, McMaster’s defense fell short in the final key moments and the Marauders lost the set 15 to 12.
“There were a couple moments in that fifth set and some moments in earlier sets where we would’ve had opportunities to shift the pendulum and in those moments we didn’t take advantage of that,” explained Mills.
“There were a couple moments in that fifth set and some moments in earlier sets where we would’ve had opportunities to shift the pendulum and in those moments we didn’t take advantage of that.”
Brendan Mills, Outside Hitter
Overall, several Marauders finished with strong performances. Cooper totaled 16 kills and six service aces alone. While Wlodarski and Mills followed with seventeen combined kills.
McMaster tallied 23 total errors, compared to 18 from Long Beach, which was a clear difference maker in the match. With the second game following just two days after the first, the Marauders look to fine-tune their offense and minimize blunders in crucial moments.
“I think we’re going to come out with a newfound confidence because we know we can totally play with these guys. I think everyone is just going to be super, super excited and just dialed in, ready to go,” explained Mills.
Following the two-game set against Long Beach State, the North America Challenge will have completed. McMaster is set to return to their OUA schedule on Jan. 13.
McMaster student Mariam Kourabi has created a growing YouTube channel over the past six months to provide a presence of conversation regarding women’s soccer
Mariam Kourabi, a McMaster University student with a passion in the world of soccer, decided to make use of her knowledge in women’s soccer to create a unique YouTube channel: SHE scores bangers. This channel is dedicated to fostering important discussions about women’s soccer around the world.
“My YouTube channel is essentially all about women’s soccer. It is a project that I launched earlier this summer and so far, it’s been successful. I tend to cover different aspects of women’s soccer, such as the World Cup, major leagues, analysis, injuries among other things,” said Kourabi.
Although the channel is relatively new, Kourabi impresses with her consistent content creation. On the channel’s Twitter page, she keeps up her followers with daily updates on different situations within the soccer world, whether it's through text or media. Her video content is posted on a weekly basis and she has achieved 28,000 views in six months.
“My general goal is to post one to two videos a week onto the YouTube channel. This way, I can provide my audience with more content that they can follow on a weekly basis. Not only that, but I also post daily updates on the channel’s Twitter account. Do I find that sometimes school gets in the way? Of course, during midterm or finals season, I tend to post less but I still want to keep up with providing consistent content. Sometimes when I know that I have a midterm that is coming up next week, I would record extra videos over the weekend so that I have more time to focus on my studies whilst still posting content,” explained Kourabi.
Women’s soccer does not get as much publicity as men’s, evidenced by media coverage over the years, among other aspects such as ticket sales and TV viewership. This has produced a sense of inequality that is visible to all, with most YouTube channels and other media outlets covering mainly men’s soccer, whether it’s the World Cup or the Champions League. Kourabi aims to create more equality thorough conversations regarding women’s soccer, and by creating a presence of attention towards it.
“Generally speaking, there is a lack of conversation when it comes to women’s soccer. Therefore, I created the channel, I want to create more ambition and give more presence to the conversation about the subject and keep it relevant. Over time, I’m hoping that more people will gain interest in the channel, and the message would spread that women’s soccer deserves as much attention as men’s [soccer]. For now, I feel that I am progressing well with the channel and hope that it continues that way,” said Kourabi.
Over time, I’m hoping that more people will gain interest in the channel, and the message would spread that women’s soccer deserves as much attention as men’s [soccer]. For now, I feel that I am progressing well with the channel and hope that it continues that way.
Mariam Kourabi, FOUNDER Of SHE scores bangers
It’s not every day you hear about a student creating a successful YouTube channel that focuses on bringing in an important conversation into the sporting world, but Kourabi defies this expectation. With her stellar rise in popularity over the past few months, her channel is showing great potential and we can expect many more things from SHE scores bangers in the future.
The McMaster men’s baseball and rugby team lead the way in fundraising for men’s health issues
Raising money for men’s health is an annual November initiative for athletes at McMaster University. As the end of this year's Movember campaign nears, Marauder sports teams have quietly raised over $25,000.
The McMaster men’s baseball team and men’s rugby team spearheaded this year’s fundraising efforts, with over $11,900 and $9600 in donations respectively. In addition, the McMaster men’s volleyball team and wrestling teams fundraised over $3600 and $1100 each. Other participating teams include the McMaster rowing team, swimming team and men’s soccer team.
The McMaster teams primarily fundraise through the Movember campaign website. Established in 2003, the international campaign looks to allocate resources to various areas of men’s health such as mental health, testicular cancer and prostate cancer. Over $19 million was donated to men’s health projects in Canada just last year.
Though growing a mustache and fundraising for Movember is a tradition amongst McMaster sports teams, the movement has not lost its meaning to repeat participants such as Marco Dilaudo, Maclean Van Raay, Josh Kalmain and Aiden Muldoon.
“We just want to give back to the community and continue to support those that have been supportive to us as athletes, especially here at McMaster and abroad, while also paying respect to those that are fighting everyday to continue – whether that’s against cancer or mental health,” explained Marco Dilaudo, the first baseman for the McMaster men’s baseball team.
We just want to give back to the community and continue to support those that have been supportive to us as athletes, especially here at McMaster and abroad, while also paying respect to those that are fighting everyday to continue – whether that’s against cancer or mental health.
Marco Dilaudo, the first baseman for the McMaster men’s baseball team
In addition to leading the baseball team’s fundraising efforts with over $2,000 raised individually, Dilaudo plans to bike 300 kilometres over the month of November – an opportunity for Dilaudo to embrace a challenge and support others that are battling illnesses in their day-to-day lives.
“Everyone struggles with mental health in some way. Being an athlete, it becomes really stressful trying to balance school and athletics. The mental health part of it definitely plays a factor [wanting to raise money] as well,” said Maclean Van Raay, third year student and middle infielder for the McMaster men’s baseball team.
For some McMaster athletes, raising money and awareness is especially important because of personal experiences with loved ones. Participating for his fifth in a row, Aiden Muldoon became particularly connected to the cause after experiencing the loss of his father to cancer in 2021.
“It’s nice to know that there’s a movement for something that’s affected me so dearly [and] that it’s a movement that we can progress towards as a team. I know guys are thinking about other [teammates] that have also lost people to different illnesses. When we’re raising money, it’s good to know that it’s with a direction,” explained Muldoon, a fullback for the McMaster men’s rugby team.
It’s nice to know that there’s a movement for something that’s affected me so dearly [and] that it’s a movement that we can progress towards as a team. I know guys are thinking about other [teammates] that have also lost people to different illnesses. When we’re raising money, it’s good to know that it’s with a direction.
Aiden Muldoon, a fullback for the McMaster men’s rugby team
As club captain for the McMaster men’s rugby, Muldoon organizes various fundraising events with other members of the team. The rugby team held a Touch 7s Rugby Tournament that took place earlier this month where all profits from the event were donated to Movember. In the past, the team has also welcomed guest speakers or held raffles to raise money.
“For us, as much as it is a serious issue, we do like to make fun of each other’s mustaches a little bit . . . It’s another way to encourage one another to not only support the cause but also support each other in raising money for a good cause,” said Kalmin, a third year student and pitcher for the baseball team.
Along with raising awareness and fundraising, Movember is a chance for McMaster teams to bond and boost team morale. The competitive aspect that McMaster athletes bring into sport also translates into friendly competition to raise the most money.
To learn more about the Movember movement, visit their website. To donate or keep up with the fundraising teams, visit their Instagram pages or link here.
C/O Steve Moran
Excellent performances by the Marauders lead to podium finishes at the Western Invitational
McMaster’s cross country teams kicked off their season with a dominant outing at the Vigars & Salter Western Invitational. At their first race of the year, the men and women’s teams showed out, finishing first and third respectively at their eight kilometre run events.
Similar to golf, the team with the lowest score in a cross country meet wins. Teams require a minimum of at least five runners in order to be officially scored and corresponding point values are assigned based on their standings. The top seven runners on a team are able to affect a team’s results, with the first five contributing to the total score and the latter two acting as displacers to push back opposing runners’ ranks.
After coming in third at the event in 2021, the men’s team battled their way to claim the top spot in this year’s London showdown.
Max Turek — winner of the OUA bronze medal at last year’s championship eight kilometre race — finished third overall with a time of 24:34. Ending 18 seconds after Turek, Alex Drover placed fifth for the team, allowing both individuals to claim the leading two scores among qualified varsity runners.
Other standouts for the men include Sam Nusselder and Dylan Alick, who grabbed the fifth and eighth best times respectively in the university grouping.
The men’s team completed the meet with a score of 47, beating out the Western Mustangs who managed a total of 69 on their home grounds. Praising their overall performance, Drover viewed the event as a good indication of what the team has in-store for the rest of the season.
“I think we showed that we have a strong, deep team. We had a lot of runners out and everyone was performing well. It is early in the season but I think it was a race that set a good foundation for us to move forward from,” said Drover.
I think we showed that we have a strong, deep team. We had a lot of runners out and everyone was performing well. It is early in the season but I think it was a race that set a good foundation for us to move forward from.
Alex Drover, McMaster Varsity Cross Country Runner
As for the women’s team, they placed third in their run, collecting 69 points at the competition. Leading McMaster with her time of 30:03, Hannah Goodjohn came third among university runners and seventh in the race overall. Sliding into sixth for the varsity group, Rosalyn Barrett completed the race in 30:20 to give the team two top-ten finishers altogether.
“I think going into it we had some really big competition, just some strong teams there. Guelph is a very, very strong team, same with Laval. . . it was a really exciting race,” said Barrett.
I think going into it we had some really big competition, just some strong teams there. Guelph is a very, very strong team, same with Laval. . . it was a really exciting race.
Rosalyn Barrett, McMaster Varsity Cross Country Runner
True to her word, both schools took commanding presences on the leaderboard. Aided by gold and silver finishes from athletes Jade Bérubé and Florence Caron, Laval’s Rouge et Or ended the meet in second with 54 points. Despite their efforts, the Guelph Gryphons managed to pull ahead of the pack, backed by five, top-12 placing runners and a leading score of 44.
The Marauders took on their second meet of the year on Oct. 1 at the Don Mills Open in Waterloo. Primarily featuring runners who have yet to compete this year, both the men and women’s teams rested the majority of athletes who participated at the Western Invitational.
Approximately two weeks later the team will make their Hamilton homecoming on Oct. 14 for the Marauder Bayfront Open, in preparation for the OUA and U Sports championships. Given their success early in the season, they look to be tough competitors up until the season’s end.
It's back to normal for intramural sports at McMaster University this year
By Miguel Sibal, Sports Staff Writer
As the school year begins, McMaster University students can look forward to getting involved in a variety of intramural sports. This year the department of athletics and recreation will provide students with a wide assortment of intramurals, including indoor sports, outdoor sports and e-sports.
Peter McComie, intramural sports coordinator for McMaster’s athletics and recreations department, is expecting a full return to normality, barring any last-minute government announcements. Any occurring changes to health and safety restrictions set by the province will in turn be followed and enforced by the department.
“I know it comes pretty last minute and everybody does not agree . . . It’s catching us off-guard as well and whenever things have to change, we need to take our time to get things into place,” explained McComie.
Back in the fall semester of 2021, the department of athletics and recreation instituted a set of COVID-19 policies for McMaster intramurals following both provincial health guidelines and health and safety policies outlined by the university. Such procedures included the adherence to the university’s COVID-19 vaccination policy and the limiting of intramural leagues to current McMaster students.
Presently, these mandates are paused for the upcoming term and should have no impact on intramurals for the fall.
“As we go along, if things do change, we will update as necessary,” explained McComie.
Per McComie, the department also plans to reintroduce previously offered sports which were unavailable in recent years, such as cricket and flag football, in the fall intramural lineup.
The department [of athletics and recreation] also plans to reintroduce previously offered sports which were unavailable in recent years, such as cricket and flag football, in the fall intramural lineup.
Registration will begin on Sept. 7, and will run until Sept. 14 for all outdoor sports, such as soccer and ultimate frisbee. Registration will begin on Sept. 18 for indoor sports, including water polo, floorball and volleyball.
Intramural sign-up is done through the IMLeagues website. On the site students can sign-up in pre-organized teams or register as free agents to make and receive requests to join teams still in need of members. Based on their interests, participants can select several different leagues and play styles for their intramurals.
Intramural sign-up is done through the IMLeagues website. On the site students can sign-up in pre-organized teams or register as free agents to make and receive requests to join teams still in need of members. Based on their interests, participants can select several different leagues and play styles for their intramurals.
The league options require a team to meet specific gender-based requirements when fulfilling their roster. Students can take part in a men’s league, a women’s league, an open league for students of all genders or a co-rec league with sport-specific gender-based roster requirements. It is however important to note that students will only be able to participate in one gendered league (either the men’s or women’s league) and one other league per sport they are involved with.
On top of these league options, students can play under a PlayFun or PlayCompetitive style. While both options allow for players of varying degrees of skill, PlayFun allows for a more casual dynamic of gameplay while PlayCompetitive play is typically a choice for more sport specific experienced athletics.
Continual updates through the year will be provided through the McMaster intramural website, as well as on their social media pages: Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
C/O Yoohyun Park, Multimedia Coordinator
These are the McMaster sports teams to watch this year
In the 2021-2022 season, there was plenty to be proud of in the world of McMaster University sports. Between the school's 11 U Sports clubs and the 16 Ontario University Athletics teams, there was always something going on. Now heading into the 2022-2023 season, here are the teams you should have your eye on.
Honorable mentions
The women’s volleyball team may not have finished the year on the podium, but they certainly had a promising year. The team is centered around star Sullie Sundara, the 2021-2022 rookie of the year award winner, first team all-star and U21 team Canada member, as well as fellow first team all-star Jessie Nairn and second team all-star Ellie Hatashita. The team finished second in the West, having won eight and lost four in the regular season before being upset by the Western Mustangs in the quarter final. Going forward, the team has a very young core, only having lost a couple players heading into the season. With their last OUA championship having been only five seasons ago, and their last finals appearance only four seasons ago, they have a chance to make it back and do some real damage this season.
The 2021-2022 men’s baseball team was one for the history books. Despite what the team has been through, they managed to bring home an OUA silver. Outfielder Nik Motruk also won the most valuable player award, while Joshua Kalmin took home rookie of the year honors. It was a huge year for the team and one would feel safe in assuming the club would find themselves in the power rankings the following season. However, many key graduating members have kept the team in the honorable mentions. Back-to-back MVP winner Motruk and former Cy Young winner (awarded to the league’s best pitcher) Julian Tymochko as well as a couple other notable contributors have completed their time at McMaster. The baseball team faces an uphill climb as they look to return to the OUA playoffs in their upcoming season.
5. Men’s Wrestling
The men’s wrestling team went a long way in 2021-2022, finding their way into the five spot in this season's power rankings. Over the past year there were two major tournaments for the team, the Brock Open and the OUA Championship. At Brock the men’s team managed to pull away with a first place finish, as Francesco Fortino, Trystan Kato, Luken Lawson and Sarpartap Lally all won the gold in their respective weight classes. Five other members of the team also found themselves on the podium with silver or bronze.
Shortly after the Brock Open, McMaster as a team finished second in the province at the OUA Championship. Peter Shirley, Trystan Kato and Francesco Fortino took home gold medals, while the team also earned two silvers and no bronze finishes. Shirley would finish the season as OUA’s outstanding male wrestler of the year.
All members of the team are expected to return for the 2022-2023 season.
4. Men’s Basketball
Following a loaded year for the team, the men’s basketball team just fell short after losing a close matchup to the eventual OUA champion Brock Badgers in the semi-finals. The team saw a blazing hot start leading into the winter break, winning all six of their matchups. Following their return to play in January, they started to slow down, in part due to more difficult competition. The team still finished with a strong 11 wins and five losses. They were the only team — regular season and playoffs — to defeat the Badgers all year.
The team, led by former Maine Red Claws assistant coach Patrick Tatham, is full of explosive young talent. In 2021-2022 they only had one player, Luka Mircetic, in his fourth year of eligibility (or later), creating a path for sustainable success. With Jordan Henry (first team all-star), Mike Demagus (second team all-star), Culley Bremner (all-rookie team) and co returning this season, the continued chemistry between the already strong ball club could go a long way.
3. Men’s Soccer
The 2021-2022 season was a strong, but underwhelming one for McMaster men’s soccer team. After finishing second in the central division with an overall record of 6-2-2, the Marauders fell in their first round quarterfinal matchup against the defending champion and nationally third ranked, Carleton Ravens. The team was expected to go much further, but ultimately fell victim to an unfortunate early round matchup, facing arguably the most difficult team possible.
Despite the early playoff exit, the team showed promise. Dusan Kovacevic and Al-Shakman were named to the All-Canadian team, while Al-Shakman was also selected to the all-rookie team, and named OUA Central rookie of the year.
Heading into the upcoming season, it is a team still rich with talent. The biggest challenge for the club will be overcoming a coaching change, following the departure of longtime McMaster head coach Dino Perri, who spent the last 14 years with the team. He won three OUA titles and qualified for five national championships, which included a silver medal run in 2014. The Hamilton Soccer Hall of Fame member will be succeeded by assistant coach Chris Markou, who will take on an interim role.
2. Women’s Basketball
The women’s basketball team has to be one of the most exciting young teams McMaster has to offer. In a 2021-2022 season that was supposed to be a rebuilding year, the team finished with a winning record of nine wins and six losses, locking themselves into a playoff spot. Their season would end in a close 49-45 loss to the Brock Badgers in the quarterfinal.
McMaster’s basketball teams commonly credit their success to a strong culture. Along with 28 year veteran coach and three time coach of the year award winner Therese Burnes, the entire roster from the 2021-2022 season is expected to return. The team, led by Sarah Gates and Mia Spadafora — both members of the Marauders 2019 national championship team — has a great opportunity to continue their upward trajectory on a path of improvement through a greater sense of familiarity and on-court chemistry. There could be much more than just a playoff berth to remember the 2022-2023 season by.
1. Men’s Volleyball
There is no team more clear cut for the number one spot than the Marauders men’s volleyball team. Since the 2007-2008 season, McMaster has won the provincial title in a staggering 10 of 14 playoff runs, the most recent being the 2021-2022 season in their return to the court.
The Marauders shined bright all season long, sweeping their way to the OUA championships by winning all 15 games they played. Ranked as the third best team in Canada, they continued through to the national championship, where they placed fifth. Individually, the team was loaded with accolades. Dave Preston took home the coach of the year award, Robbie Fujisawa and Maxime Gratton were named to the all-rookie team while Gratton won the rookie of the year, Wojtek Kraj and Mateusz Wlodarski made the second team all-star and team captain Jordan Pereira and Sam Cooper were named to the first team all-star.
Pereira is the only graduating member of the team, with everyone else slated to return to the court, so the Marauders have an incredibly bright future ahead as they continue to dominate the volleyball world.
C/O Magnus Hanson
Having lost key players to graduation, the team will attempt to follow up on their OUA win
The 2021-2022 baseball season was an exciting one for the team. Following more than a year without sports due to the pandemic, the team returned to play with huge expectations. While reigning Cy Young award winner (given to the best pitcher) Julian Tymochko and reigning most valuable player award winner Nikolas Motruk were returning for their final seasons, the whole team had their eye on the gold.
By the end of the year, the team had picked up a lot of hardware, yet again. Motruk won his second consecutive MVP award, several members of the team were named to the all-star team and pitcher Joshua Kalmin was named rookie of the year. As a team they fell short of their gold medal goal but they still secured a silver in the provincial championship.
By the end of the year, the team had picked up a lot of hardware, yet again. Motruk won his second consecutive MVP award, several members of the team were named to the all-star team and pitcher Joshua Kalmin was named rookie of the year. As a team they fell short of their gold medal goal but they still secured a silver in the provincial championship.
Although the team was excited to bring home a silver, they had just gotten a taste of the finals and the gold was within reach. This year, they don’t want to lose the last game of the season. The only difference is they’ll have to do so without several notable players graduating.
Outfielder Motruk and pitchers Tymochko and Ryan Clark are some of the names from what was a rather large graduating class on the baseball team. They were all major contributors on the team and although there are several young players ready to step up, the impact of their absences are not easy to replace.
“It’s true we’ve lost some staple guys that have been a part of the team for five-six years, which does have an impact but it was time for them to leave and the entire roster knows it’s time to step up. We all got a taste of what a championship might be last year and we all want to get back to that spot,” explained outfielder Magnus Hanson.
Last season the team was generally aware of the impending graduates but managed to play on without concern, citing their common goal of winning as their primary focus. This mentality is one the team will likely try to recreate this season as they regroup with some new faces in the everyday lineups.
“Of course, we knew that guys were graduating and leaving but it wasn’t something we’d discussed. We knew those guys wanted to win, we wanted to win, so we just started winning some baseball games. I don’t think it was any drive to try and get these guys a championship before they graduate, it was just they wanted to win, we wanted to win,” said Hanson.
There is still a substantial amount of talent on the team and the guys are confident they can still go a long way with or without their decorated veterans. They just need to focus on themselves and find their way back to the same collective goal as they’ve had in past years.
“The key thing is focusing on the guys we have here. We just have to get our job done . . . There’s definitely unfinished business,” said pitcher Kalmin.
"The key thing is focusing on the guys we have here. We just have to get our job done . . . There’s definitely unfinished business."
Joshua Kalmin, Pitcher
Along with some new recruits, the team will get some major reinforcements come the season's start. Upper year outfielder Mark Zanette and shortstop Nicholas Velocci will make their long-awaited returns to the field following their collision last season, which forced them to sit out much of the playoff run and several months of training thereafter.
“I think I can speak for everyone when I say we’re excited to see [Zanette] and Velocci back and full strength,” said Hanson.
Both players described the two as big additions to the team, emphasizing the impact they had last season both on the field and with the bats. With a strong mindset and a chip on their shoulders, the team could go a long way but there will be a lot for them to prove with such big shoes to fill.
C/O The Silhouette Archives
This is the year to tune into the variety of varsity sports McMaster offers
The 2020-2021 school year was a frustrating year, with no varsity or intramural sports happening on campus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While the 2021-2022 season offered a full variety of sports opportunities and activities students could get involved in, there were still a handful of disruptions, including the January lockdown that prohibited OUA competitions from continuing as planned.
This upcoming season provides a sense of hope and continuity for sports enthusiasts and novices alike. There are many reasons to watch the sports the university has to offer and below are our top five reasons for why you should get involved this upcoming school year.
1. Everything is open!
As it stands in July 2022, all the facilities on campus will be open to pre-pandemic levels. Additionally, students will not be required to sign up to access any on-campus facilities. Finally, the COVID-19 screening tool used in the 2021-2022 season, MacCheck, will no longer be required for students or student athletes wishing to get involved in any sports activities on campus.
2. More athletes involved in national teams
As the new season approaches, there are more opportunities for student athletes to be involved with junior and senior national team call ups. Although last season had its fair share of athletes being called up to the national teams, this season is promising comparable results.
Although we are still two months away from commencement, Canadian U-21 women’s volleyball team included Marauder Sullie Sundara for the team at the upcoming U21 Pan American Cup in Mexico. Meanwhile from the men’s team, Sam Cooper was named to the Canadian senior national team. Finally, from the wrestling team, Serena Di Bennedetto qualified for the Canadian junior national team.
3. More fixtures added to the teams’ schedule
While the teams were allowed to play last season due to the timing of the pandemic waves their fixtures were somewhat limited. For example, if a team typically had 15 fixtures in the regular season, they were cut down to 10.
From the schedules released thus far, there have been more matches added to the upcoming OUA season. For example, both the men’s’ and women’s’ soccer teams have seen an increase in their schedule from 10 games last season to 12 for this year's regular season.
4. Greater focus on 2SLGBTQIA+ in sports
Over the past season, the Athletics and Recreation Department at McMaster University has organized numerous events students and athletes alike could get involved in. Events like this are key for connecting with the wider McMaster community. Many events have been tailored towards supporting and recognizing particularly communities, including the 2SLGBTQIA+ community on campus.
An event that shed light on this community last season was the Pride Game taking place at McMaster men's and women’s basketball game against the Waterloo Warriors. The goal of the game was to highlight and increase the visibility of 2SLGBTQIA+ student-athletes. Although not confirmed as of July 2022, the event among others to shed light on the 2SLGBTQIA+ community are likely to held again.
5. More racial equality implementation
Over the past couple of years, McMaster has been grilled for consistently letting down their athletes. There were numerous allegations regarding the mistreatment of the athletes representing the school, including the prioritization of white athletes while not responding to Black students for varsity meetings.
This year McMaster put effort into combatting these allegations and has taken action. In late June 2022, the Athletics and Recreation Department hosted multiple peers at their inaugural anti-racism symposium. The goal of this event was to further the conversation within the OUA and OCAA about creating actual changes in athletics and recreation departments at the post-secondary level. Although this one event doesn't signify a complete change in the community’s stance towards racism, it certainly is a step in the right direction and shows a glimpse of hope for the future of McMaster athletes.
