Banner Season: Thunderwolves taking to the trails as reigning OUA title winners
Burlington, Ont. – Nordic skiers from across the province have shone on various stages this year, but the time has come for them all to converge on the conference trails for the OUA Nordic Skiing Championships. With Lakehead entering on the heels of a banner sweep and a slew of talented teams hoping to overtake the Thunderwolves in the overall ranks, it will be an action-filled three days of racing from Wednesday, February 22nd to Friday, February 24th.
Championship Details
When: Wednesday, February 22 to Friday, February 24
Where: Arrowhead Provincial Park (Huntsville)
Participating Schools (11): Algoma Thunderbirds, Carleton Ravens, Guelph Gryphons, Lakehead Thunderwolves, Laurentian Voyageurs, McMaster Marauders, Nipissing Lakers, Ottawa Gee-Gees, Queen’s Gaels, Toronto Varsity Blues, Waterloo Warriors (host)
Defending Champions: Lakehead Thunderwolves (W); Lakehead Thunderwolves (M)
Student-Athletes to Watch:
Emma Archibald, Ottawa Gee-Gees | Archibald is a second-year nursing student, who is quickly developing into a skilled and fast para Nordic skier. The Fall River, N.S. product earned a spot on the National Para Nordic prospects team after her 2021-22 performances, and following this week’s OUA Championships, she will be competing at the 2023 Canada Winter Games. With her recent racing at the Eastern Canadian Championships, wherein she won every para Nordic event, and national training camps with Nordiq Canada, Archibald has her eyes on the next Paralympics, but in the meantime, she is excited to return for her second banner season event alongside other university athletes.
Will Bleecker, McMaster Maruaders | A banner season rookie, Bleecker will look to build on his past Nordic ski experience to help the Marauders succeed on the varsity stage. An expert in the relay, the second-year student placed fifth at the OFSAA Nordic ski relay and has a goal of bringing a strong performance to that event as part of this year’s OUA finale. Earlier this calendar year, the biochemistry major from Peterborough, Ont. placed 10th in both the U20 free technique and the classic pursuit race.
Emily Drake, Nipissing Lakers | A multi-sport athlete, Drake will look to put her athleticism to the test once again at her third OUA Championships. The former Nordic team MVP with Nipissing is in fine racing form and the Stratford, Ont. native will be relied upon to lead the Lakers onto the podium after narrowly missing a top-three showing last time out.
Thomas Fairhead, Waterloo Warriors | In his first year skiing with the black and gold, the mechanical engineering student from Ottawa, Ont. has made a strong mark on the team. Fairhead, who is also part of the Warriors’ cross country team, finished fifth in the CCUNC men’s pursuit race at Ontario Cup #3 and had a solid race to place 37th in the classic mass start at the Eastern Canadian Championships.
Kate Granstrom, Waterloo Warriors | Granstrom is in her final year of skiing with the Warriors and is looking to improve on results form the 2022 OUA Championships, where she had a 14th-place finish in the individual free race. This year, the software engineering student has seen success at the Ontario Cup #3, claiming silver in the CCUNC women’s pursuit. Her leadership and strong cross country running background should help inspire the Waterloo women’s team throughout the competition.
Aidan Kirkham, Ottawa Gee-Gees | Kirkham dominated the OUA Championships during his undergraduate years at Carleton. He is currently doing a PhD in epidemiology at the University of Ottawa and still finding time to impress on the trails therein. Coming off a year of injury in 2021-22, wherein he was unable to compete due to a broken hand, Kirkham has been in fine form this season. He qualified for the national team to compete at the FISU World University Games and punctuated his time there with 16th-place finish in the distance event. Those results, followed up by a second-place showing at the Eastern Canadian Championships a few weeks ago show that the Kanata, Ont. native is a definite podium threat at the OUA finale this week.
Sarah Lutes, Lakehead Thunderwolves | Lutes, a fifth-year senior from Ottawa, Ont., is a leader for Lakehead and has been a constant source of positive energy during her time with the team. With this being her last go-around at the OUA Championships, the Thunderwolves are looking for her to continue to improve on her results from previous years and represent the school to the standard she continually has during her time there.
Alec MacLean, Guelph Gryphons | MacLean, a third-year Gryphon from Oro Medonte, Ont., will be looking to ride his wave of successful showings into championship week. The mechanical engineering major has been on the podium at several of the team’s races this year, including at the O-Cup in Sudbury, and will be striving for more of the same for Guelph in Huntsville.
Augustin Marks de Chabris, Laurentian Voyageurs | Unable to compete last year, Marks de Chabris is looking to turn some heads with his banner season performance this season. As one of only five Laurentian skiers hitting the snow for the men’s team, the relative unknown on the Nordic ski circuit will be a key performer for the Voyageurs at Arrowhead Provincial Park.
Katherine Mason, Carleton Ravens | Mason, a 2022 OUA all-star, has continued to be a podium mainstay during the 2023 championship leadup. In addition to being a member of Team Canada at the 2023 FISU World University Games, Mason also collected a silver medal in the Eastern Canada Cup 20km race as well as a bronze medal in the team relay. Add that to the conference hardware she collected a year ago – a second-place finish in the mass start – and Mason will be a leading figure in the Ravens attempt to soar back atop the overall podium this week.
Alex Maycock, Nipissing Lakers | As decorated a Nordic skier as there is on the varsity circuit, Maycock will once again lead the Lakers into championship competition. The Nipissing captain and former Lakers male athlete of the year has thrived on the conference stage before as an OUA medalist. The multi-sport athlete, who is also a three-time FISU participant and Team Canada flag bearer at the 2023 Games, will turn to his experience on the snow to achieve another podium performance for Nipissing.
Connor McGovern, Lakehead Thunderwolves | McGovern is the undisputed leader of the Lakehead men’s team and is looking for big things again at this year’s championships. Coming off a stint with Team Canada at the FISU Games in January, the Winnipeg, Man. native is in the midst of one of his best seasons to date and, in what will be his fifth banner season outing, will be looked to for leadership and strong skiing in the team’s quest to return home with the men’s banner.
Maddie Norman, Laurentian Voyageurs | Despite only having one championship outing under her belt, it was a memorable debut therein for Norman, as the Ottawa, Ont. product was the Voyageurs’ lone all-star a year ago. So even without a lengthy varsity resumé to her name, the second-year standout will look to lead the way once again for the Laurentian women’s squad and add further individual and team accolades to her brief tenure.
Olivia Rowan, McMaster Marauders | Representing McMaster at her first-ever OUA Championships, Rowan will compete on the same course at which she placed in the Top 30 at the OFSAA Nordic Skiing Championship. The second-year arts and science student has competed at the Ontario Winter Games and at the 2023 Ontario Cup, placing sixth at the latter in both the U20 free technique and classic pursuit races. The Orangeville, Ont. local is hoping her lucky socks will help her race well in the free technique race next week.
Bronwyn Williams, Carleton Ravens | Another member of Team Canada’s FISU Team this past month in Lake Placid, N.Y., Williams is a threat in any race upon which she embarks. Having missed the 2022 OUA Championships while at the World Junior Championships, the third-year psychology major from Ottawa, Ont. will look to make her mark in 2023 after already capturing gold at the 2022 Candy Cane Cup 10km free race and silver in the 2023 Eastern Canada 10km free race.
Storylines to Keep an Eye On:
With a full championship team of eight women and eight men – the only OUA squad to be sending such a contingent – the Ravens are poised to see strong results from their Canada-wide representation. A big boost will come on the women’s side, with Carleton’s top two skiers available for the upcoming championships after missing last year’s festivities. In addition to their top performers, they boast great depth and experience, with six of the team’s competitors having previously competed on the banner season stage. It is a similar formula on the men’s side as well, as they too will rely on their top-end talent and dynamic depth to help them compete against the rest of the contending teams from across Ontario.
Guelph has shown great perseverance this season, training hard despite the challenging weather conditions for skiing locally. The Gryphons will look to build on this resilience and work ethic to push them up the overall standings at Arrowhead Provincial Park this year.
Despite entering the 2023 finale as the defending banner winners on both sides, repeating will be a challenge for Lakehead’s women’s contingent. With the graduations of some of their top stars from a year ago, to go along with some injuries this year, the Thunderwolves are in a rebuilding phase and come to the championships looking for individual bests and key experience at the highest level. The men’s team has also seen some roster turnover with graduates moving on, but several of their strongest athletes remain and will look to put Lakehead right back in contention for a team banner this week.
With a lack of snow in Hamilton, Ont. this winter, the Nordic ski team from McMaster has been faced with many challenges. Following the first major competition of the season, and the first time racing on classic skis this year for many athletes at the Ontario Cup race in Walden, coach Milla Tarnopolsky set the goal of making the most of the resources available to the team and becoming strong at a technique called double poling by using the ski-erg machines at the new Pulse. The team put in hard work in the early mornings on the ergs and are confident in their abilities going into OUAs.
Despite the fact that FISU competitor Sophie Tremblay is unable to compete this year due to injury, the Laurentian women’s team is the deepest it has been in years and will look to push for a top-five finish, and potentially even a spot on the podium, when they hit the trails this week. After a seventh-place showing a year ago, meanwhile, the men’s team will look to put up a strong performance and improve on their overall ranks despite only having five members this year.
There are a number of Nipissing skiers who will be forced to the sidelines this week due to injury or illness, but those stepping up to the start line for the 2023 OUA Championships are looking forward to strong performances. A number of the women’s team competitors have found themselves in close races this year, including Olivia Westbrooke, Ella Tucker, and Emmy Bach, much like can be said for their men’s contingent as well. The team’s two FISU representatives – Maycock and Joe Hutton – have put themselves in the podium mix in each race they’ve been a part of, which should lead to some exciting finishes in the conference finale.
This will be the first OUA Championships for three members of the Gee-Gees women’s team, to go along with four new additions on the men’s side. Even with some banner season debuts on deck, the mix of rookies and experienced varsity athletes will make for an exciting and competitive squad, with anyone threatening for points on any given day.
In what has been a bit of a rebuilding year for coaching and support staff, the Warriors will utilize captains Emiko Arai and Tom Hoshizaki to motivate and lead the team throughout these championships. Excited to host the festivities this year, the Waterloo men will be led by Fairhead, along with veterans Aleksi Luoma and Liam Marshall, with the A relay team looking to push for a top-10 finish. The women’s top relay group, featuring Granstrom, Arai, and Sarah Macintosh, has been hard at work to hunt down a top-five team placing this year.
What They’re Saying:
“As always, we are looking forward to great racing and a fun event. As the OUA Nordic ski scene continues to get stronger and stronger, it is always exciting to compete against top programs from around the province and for all schools to showcase our sport on the big stage.” – Adam Kates, Head Coach, Lakehead Thunderwolves
“Being on the team has been a great way to get involved in the school and meet a bunch of awesome people, even if we don’t get the best show in Hamilton.” – Will Bleecker, Student-Athlete, McMaster Marauders
“The dedication and motivation of this team is unwavering, even in the most challenging conditions. I’m incredibly excited for this year’s OUAs and to show everyone what the Marauders are capable of.” – Emma Waddington, Student-Athlete, McMaster Marauders
“We are looking forward to being the host of the 2023 OUA Nordic Skiing Championships at Arrowhead Provincial Park. It is always great to bring together the best university athletes and compete for medals. It will be a great event for all student-athletes and I know our Warriors will compete hard.” – Lauren Denstedt, Head Coach, Waterloo Warriors