Banner Season: Mustangs hold slight lead over Varsity Blues after day one

Kingston, Ont. – The 2019 OUA figure skating championships have begun as the host Queen's Gaels welcomed the best from Ontario to the Invista Centre in Kingston on day one throughout Tuesday.

The Western Mustangs started off strong on day one with five gold, one silver and two bronze for 62 points in the eight events on the opening day of the championship.

It took a full five events before another school was able to knock the Mustangs from the top of the podium as they took gold in Star 10 Similar Dance, Gold Solo Dance, Freeskate Fours and the Open Men Freeskate. McMaster finally ended their streak with a first-place finish in the Star 10 Solo Dance. The Mustangs medaled in every event also picking up gold in the Star 8/9 Similar Dance.

Toronto themselves picked up their first gold medal in the Novice Short Program and sit with two gold, four silver and two bronze for 56 points and are within striking distance of Western heading into the final day. Coming up behind the Varsity Blues are McMaster with 36 points in third place.

The host Gaels picked up one silver and one bronze to sit in fourth place with 20 points.

Individually, Western's Jazz Smyl Joly has a pair of gold medals with one coming in the Star 10 Similar Dance and the other in the Gold Solo Dance. Toronto's Melanie Zavitski has a gold, silver and bronze medal for the Varsity Blues.

DAY 1 STANDINGS

1. Western 62

2. Toronto 56

3. McMaster 36

4. Queen's 20

5. Ryerson 10

6. Brock 10

7. Guelph 10

8. Carleton 6

9. Waterloo 3

RESULTS

Star 10 Similar Dance

1. Western (Alexa Shelley, Jazz Smyl Joly) - OUA All-Stars

2. Toronto (Stephanie Carroll, Emma Jianopolous)

3. McMaster (Sarah Raynsford, Emma Curtis)

Gold Solo Dance

1. Western (Jazz Smyl Joly) - OUA All-Star

2. Toronto (Emma Jianopolous)

3. McMaster (Emma Bonafiglia)

Freeskate Fours

1. Western (Clara Campbell, Paige Cooper, Natalie Li, Madison Shaw) - OUA All-Stars

2. Queen's (Charlotte Lawson, Cherly Lin, Leah Monette, Anastasia Paspalofski)

3. Toronto (Felicia Bonitatibus, Rachel Greben, Keiko Marshall, Melanie Zavitski)

Open Men Freeskate

1. Western (Denis Margalik) - OUA All-Star

2. Ryerson (Chris Berneck)

3. Toronto (Ehren Chang)

Star 10 Solo Dance

1. McMaster (Belvina Mao) - OUA All-Star

2. Toronto (Chyna Hui)

3. Western (Anna Cappuccitti)

Novice Short Program

1. Toronto (Keiko Marshall) - OUA All-Star

2. McMaster (Isabella Mancini)

3. Western (Clara Campbell)

Star 8/9 Similar Dance

1. Western (Emily Bird, Anna Cappuccitti) - OUA All-Stars

2. Toronto (Chyna Hui, Melanie Zavitski)

3. Queen's (Brittaney Everitt, Charlotte Lawson)

Senior Similar Pairs

1. Toronto (Morgan Garland, Melanie Zavitski) - OUA All-Stars

2. Western (Natalie Li, Madison Shaw)

3. McMaster (Gabrielle LeDonne, Jessica Wiskar)