Banner Season: OUA golfers hit the links to kick off the 2024-25 championships

Graphic on a predominantly blue background with a photo of a women's golfer and the OUA golf championship logo with the championship details below.
October 4, 2024

Burlington, Ont. – It’s time to leave it all on the links. 15 teams will travel to Windsor, Ont. to compete against the top university golfers in the province at the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Golf Championships. On the women’s side, the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks will look to defend their 2023 title, while on the men’s side the Waterloo Warriors will compete for the repeat at the Ambassador Golf Club.  

EVENT DETAILS  

When: October 4 to October 6, 2024 
Where: Ambassador Golf Club 
Participating Schools: Brock Badgers, Carleton Ravens, Guelph Gryphons, Laurentian Voyageurs, McMaster Marauders, Ontario Tech Ridgebacks, Ottawa Gee-Gees, Queen’s Gaels, Toronto Varsity Blues, TMU Bold, Trent Excalibur, Waterloo Warriors, Western Mustangs, Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks, Windsor Lancers (host) 
Scoring/Results: HERE 
Defending Champions: Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks (W); Waterloo Warriors (M)  

ATHLETES TO WATCH  

Abby Barker, Waterloo Warriors | The Kitchener, Ont. native capped off an impressive season for the University of Waterloo golf team by winning gold at the Guelph Invitational at Cutten Fields, shooting a stellar round of 73 with six birdies. Her remarkable performance in her final tournament solidifies her as a key player for the Warriors golf program.  

Othmane Berrada, Ottawa Gee-Gees | The management student from Casablanca, Morocco had an excellent first season in Garnet and Grey in 2023 and his results thus far in 2024 have shown he's only on the rise. Fresh from a T-14 finish at the Waterloo and Laurier Invitational last weekend, Berrada looks set to compete amongst the top golfers in the conference in Windsor. 

Zach Burt, Waterloo Warriors | The veteran OUA golfer and 2023 individual champion will look defend his Len Shore Trophy this weekend. Last year he shot -3, 68 after recording five birdies during his second round, catapulting himself to the top of the leaderboard on the heels of that epic Day 2 performance.   

Marie Carunungan, Windsor Lancers | The third-year student out of Bowmanville, Ont. is looking to capture her third consecutive team medal on the women's side. She was a 2023 OUA all-star year and is looking to move up to the individual podium this year as well. 

Nicolas Dessureault, McMaster Marauders | The 2022 OUA men’s individual champion and a member of the Marauders championship team from that year has been getting into form with events at Queen’s and in St. Thomas, and is ready to compete for not only the team, but individual championship as well. 

Abigail Dove, TMU Bold | The Whiby, Ont. product has turned in an even stronger player in her sophomore year, with a win at the Western Invitational and multiple top-10 results. Having ample experience at the site of his year’s OUA championships, she has the game, the local knowledge, and the momentum to put on a show in Windsor. 

Diana Duffin, Ontario Tech Ridgebacks | The masters student, alongside teammate Bridget Fron, are the first women's golfers the Ridgebacks have fielded since 2018-19. 

Anna Foley, Toronto Varsity Blues | Leading the way for the Varsity Blues has been the second-year PhD candidate. The Toronto, Ont. native and former Depauw University standout won individual gold at the Western Invitational, while placing second at Waterloo and third at Guelph. 

Conor Gaudet, Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks | The Kingston, Ont. product has placed second in four invitationals this season and has not finished outside the top six in any event. His consistent play this season has led the Golden Hawks men’s team to four team wins this year. His season stroke average of 71.4 will make him a top contender for this year’s OUA championship. 

Kristi Godkin, Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks | The business student won three invitationals this season. She has made phenomenal strides in her game in such a short time as she only started playing in 2020. She will be a contender at the OUA championships. 

Ela Jones, Guelph Gryphons | The sophomore golfer from Kincardine, Ont. won her first ever OUA event, the Western Invitational, in her rookie season. She was named a 2023 OUA first team all-star and represented Canada at FISU games this past summer.  

Riley Mathieson, Western Mustangs | The veteran golfer and his two playing team members led the Mustangs to a second-place finish in the OUA championships at Grey Silo last year. 

Alek Mauro, Windsor Lancers | The masters student is new to the Lancers, but a Windsor, Ont. native. He had an outstanding OUA season – individually tying for the win at Western and claiming the individual gold at the Laurier/Waterloo Invitational. 

Katie Neville, Queen’s Gaels | The Peterborough, Ont. talent has medaled in every event this season. She was third at the Bert Kea Queen’s Invitational with a score of 78, she won the Brock Invitational with a score of 74, won the Waterloo Invitational with a two-day total of 153 (75-78), and was third at the Guelph Invitational with a 77. In addition, Neville has led the Queen’s squad to three team gold and a team silver and will be looking to add the Gaels’ first women’s OUA championship in Windsor this weekend.  

Vincent Palladino, Laurentian Voyageurs | The fourth-year sports administration student has had a consistent season with numerous top-10 finishes this fall.  

Robbie Pemberton, Brock Badgers | The team captain has been an integral part of the Brock University Golf team for three seasons. He plays all the events at the number one seed on the team. He claimed victory at this year’s Brock Invitational with an outstanding score of 68, which led the Badger team to its second win of the season. The Richmond Hill, Ont. native is looking to have a strong showing at the OUA championships this season. 

Olivia Stoddart, Brock Badgers | The Barrie, Ont. native led the Badgers to their first podium finish during the Guelph Invitational. She had a first-place showing last season and an individual third place this year.  

BURNING QUESTIONS 

  1.  Coming off the high of winning the Waterloo Invitational, can the Varsity Blues women’s team claim their 10th provincial title this weekend to better their silver medal from 2023?  

  1. Can the Waterloo women’s team turn a strong invitational season into an OUA championship to celebrate the 20th anniversary of women’s golf at the school?  

  1. Will the Windsor Lancers women’s golf team use their home course knowledge to their advantage and capture an OUA title in front of friends and family?  

  1. After narrowly defeating the Varsity Blues to take home the gold in exciting fashion a year ago, Can the Warriors claim back-to-back victories at the OUA Championships? 

  1. Will the Brock Badgers men’s team cap off their best season in program history with an OUA title?  

  1. Can the Laurier Golden Hawks turn a successful fall stretch into an OUA banner? 

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING  

“We are coming into this championship confident that we will have the last laugh. Our team has been working hard to understand the necessary shots to tackle a course like this, while creating a positive team environment for players to play to their potential. We plan to have a lot of eyeballs on the Brock golf program after this weekend.” - Travis Glass, Brock Badgers Head Coach  

"We are excited to be headed back to Windsor for the OUA Championships. Ambassador Golf Club is a great test of golf and will be a challenge for all competitors. The team has been preparing for this event since the beginning of the season and feel that we are in a good position to compete for the title." – Ben McFaul, Head Coach, McMaster Marauders  

“I am extremely proud of the success our teams have had this season. The strong team bond they have created has no doubt played a valuable role in their success on the course. The OUA championships is the culmination of a year of hard work, and we know our teams have put in the work and are ready for the weekend. Ambassador will be a great test, and we are looking forward to the challenge!”  – Jessie Mercer, Head Coach, Queen’s Gaels  

“This is the second year on the job for Dave Armstrong (PGA of Canada) and I as team coaches. We provided opportunities through the winter and summer for players to train and work on their goals. The players have worked hard, and we are so proud to see them achieve their best-ever team and individual results in competition this fall. There is a great buzz within our team, and the best is yet to come for the program.” – Kieran Harris, TMU Bold, Head Coach  

"I'm really looking forward to this weekend. Our team has been playing well this season with many third-place finishes. All the universities have really strong teams, and it has been a lot of fun battling it out every week. It’s amazing seeing so much talent in women’s golf and all the support from the university, family, friends and donors. Especially our coaches Carla and Jen. This weekend is what we have been preparing for all summer and I am looking forward to taking home a medal as a team this weekend." – Abby Barker, Student-Athlete, Waterloo Warriors 

"Our goal right from day one has been to defend our OUA title. It has been a short, compact season and we have all worked hard to be ready. We are excited to see what we can do this weekend at Ambassador." – Zach Burt, Student-Athlete, Waterloo Warriors  

"The main thing for us is keeping a positive mindset at all times to ensure I have the confidence to play my best. We are hoping for a podium finish for our team." – Hadley McHenry, Student-Athlete, Western Mustangs 

“We are looking forward to hosting the 2024 OUA Golf Championships. The last time the event was here in 2016, the weather was spectacular and the feedback from players was incredible and we are hoping to have another successful weekend.”  – Windsor Lancers