PIZZA PIZZA OUA TEAMS OF THE MONTH
All Pizza Pizza OUA Teams of the Month will receive a pizza party, courtesy of Pizza Pizza.
MALE: Queen’s Gaels Football
The Queen’s Gaels football team captured the Yates Cup, the Mitchell Bowl and the Vanier Cup in November to cap off an incredible season. After finishing the regular season atop the OUA standings with a 7-1 record, the Gaels easily handled the McMaster Marauders in the OUA semifinal before facing their rivals from London, Ont., the Western Mustangs. In one of the greatest games in Yates Cup history, Danny Brannagan (Burlington, Ont.) outdueled Michael Faulds (Eden Mills, Ont.) in a showdown on the two top passers in Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) history to lead Queen’s to their first OUA title since 1978.
The victory advanced the Gaels to the Mitchell Bowl where they squared-off against the No. 1-ranked team in Canada, the Laval Rouge et Or. With Laval looking to advance to the Vanier Cup on their home turf, Queen’s spoiled the party as they upset the Rouge et Or by a score of 33-30. The victory was highlighted by Jimmy Allin’s (Belleville, Ont.) 120-yard return of a missed field goal for a touchdown.
The Gaels finished their season in style as they overcame an 18-point halftime deficit to shock the Calgary Dinos by a score of 33-31 and capture their fourth Vanier Cup. Brannagan was named the game’s MVP and Chris Smith (Toronto) captured top defensive honours for the Gaels.
FEMALE: Guelph Gryphons Cross-Country
In the month of November, the Guelph Gryphons women’s cross-country team once again dominated the CIS cross-country championships at Fort Henry Hill in Kingston, Ont. The Gryphon women entered the history books becoming the first team to earn five championship banners in a row.
Both the men’s and women’s team won both titles for a record fourth straight year and Guelph became the most successful cross-country program in CIS history with the most CIS banners captured by a single school with 15. The Gryphon women finished 87 points ahead of second place Toronto. The spread was the largest in CIS history adding another record to Guelph’s impressive list.
Individually the Gryphons were led by third-year runner Lindsay Carson (Cambridge, Ont.) who earned the silver medal. Rookie Genevieve Lalonde (Moncton) was named the CIS rookie of the year after finishing ninth and being named a second team all-Canadian, and head coach Dave Scott-Thomas was named the coach of the year for the fourth straight season. Overall the team finished with three all-Canadian runners.
ABOUT ONTARIO UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
Ontario University Athletics (OUA) and its 19 member institutions are developing Champions For Life. Giving 9,000 student-athletes the opportunity to excel academically and on the playing field, while preparing for life after university. For more information, visit OUA.ca.