Fryer, Crerar, Shantz named OUA athletes of the week

Graphic on predominantly blue background featuring action photos of three athletes. From left to right: Erica Fryer a Toronto Varsity Blues Women's Hockey Player, in the middle is Briar Crerar of Guelph Gryphons Volleyball, on the right is Mackeely Shantz from Western Mustangs Basketball with the OUA Athletes of the Week logo and large white 'Athletes of the Week' text in the lower third
January 8, 2024

Burlington, Ont. – Erica Fryer, Briar Crerar, and MacKeely Shantz have been named OUA athletes of the week for the period ending January 7, 2024.

Erica Fryer, Hockey, Toronto Varsity Blues

Image of women's hockey athlete in white gear and padding representing the Toronto Varsity Blues. Goalie is standing in front of net.

Starting the new year fresh, the Toronto Varsity Blues picked up a pair of victories in their return to the ice, with Erica Fryer’s spotless performances in net helping to lead her team.

Fryer and the Varsity Blues began the weekend with a quick trip to face city and division rival York Lions. The veteran goaltender had a perfect performance, making 17 saves to close the door on the Lions in a 2-0 road victory. Following up on her dynamic performance, the Kinesiology was right back between the pipes the following night where she delivered another 19 saves in a 4-0 shutout win over the visiting Laurier Golden Hawks.

Fryer now has 10 wins this season including five shutouts, while ranking third in the province in goals against average (1.49).

Briar Crerar, Volleyball, Guelph Gryphons

Image of women's volleyball athlete Briar Crerar on the volleyball court. Wide shot of court with one athlete (Briar) jumping with her arm pulled back about to hit the ball with her teammates underneath to support.

Bouncing back after the break into a two-game stretch, Briar Crerar and the Gryphons put on a show with thrilling back-to-back five set victories.

The Gryphons came out battling hard against the Toronto Varsity Blues on Friday night, swapping sets as the match went on. Leading her team both offensively and defensively, Crerar contributed to every part of the game recording 18 kills, an ace, and a block for 19.5 points. In addition to her offensive power the Pickering, Ont. native picked up 21 digs on the night.

Following her powerhouse performance, the Gryphons took to the road to face the York Lions. Starting the match off slow, Guelph trailed the Lions two sets to none, before fighting to complete the reverse sweep and take the game 3-2. Anchoring her team’s comeback, Crerar had yet another outstanding performance, contributing with 19 kills, two assists, and an ace, totaling 20 points while also picking up 13 digs.

Crerar tied her career high in points (20) while setting a personal best in kills (19), helping her team to improve to fourth in the conference standings.

MacKeely Shantz, Basketball, Western Mustangs

Image of a woman wearing a purple uniform that says Western on it holding a basketball.

MacKeely Shantz had a pair of outstanding performances as the Mustangs returned back to action this weekend on home court.

Continuing to make her mark with Western, the senior was an offensive leader in their split weekend, which started with a tough match up against the Laurier Golden Hawks. While Shantz and the Mustangs started strong, leading going into the half, it became a close battle in the second. The end result wasn’t what she had hoped for, but Shantz kept her team in the game scoring 32 points, eight rebounds, and four steals

Looking to bounce back stronger the London squad came back to face the Waterloo Warriors with Shantz continuing her offensive onslaught. The Mustangs took control of the game early, and continued that momentum to secure the win. Putting up another set of big numbers, Shantz recorded 27 points and seven rebounds, shooting 50% from the field and beyond the arc while making 6/6 free throws.

Totaling 59 points in two games, MacKeely Shantz once again controlled the court and proved to be a leader on the court.