Agostinelli, Bannon, Tabet, Lee named OUA athletes of the week

Graphic on predominantly blue background with action photos of Guelph women?s cross country runner Julia Agostinelli, Guelph men?s cross country runner Nicholas Bannon, Brock men?s rower Charles-Etienne Tabet, and Queen?s women?s lacrosse player Abby Lee, on top of white text that reads 'Athletes of the Week' and the OUA Athletes of the Week logo
October 30, 2023

Burlington, Ont. – Julia Agostinelli, Nicholas Bannon, Charles-Etienne Tabet, and Abby Lee have been named OUA athletes of the week for the period ending October 29, 2023.

Julia Agostinelli, Cross Country, Guelph Gryphons

Guelph women's cross country runner Julia Agostinelli running on course ahead of her competitors during the OUA Championships

Saving her best for last, Julia Agostinelli had a memorable finish to her OUA Championships outing this weekend, as she took home the individual title for her Guelph Gryphons.

While maintaining a strong pace throughout, Agostinelli wasn’t among the top few racers until the final 2km stretch. She was ninth among the 96 individuals competing through both the 2km and 4km marks, before getting up to sixth with just the final quarter of the race to go. Even having knocked 18 seconds off of her previous split heading into that home stretch, the London, Ont. native was just getting started. In what was a blistering finish, Agostinelli secured the lone sub-seven minute split of the day (6:57.6) to jump past five runners and cross the finish line in first place.

The applied human nutrition major became the third consecutive runner from the Gryphons to finish first en route to securing OUA MVP and all-star honours.

Nicholas Bannon, Cross Country, Guelph Gryphons

Guelph men's cross country runner Nicholas Bannon running on course during the OUA Championships

A veteran with the talented Guelph cross country team, Nicholas Bannon ensured he capped off his fifth OUA season in style at the conference’s championship race this past weekend.

Bannon, a fifth-year senior from Shelburne, Ont., crossed the finish line in first place for his Gryphons, doing so in a time of 24:24.6. Bannon got out of the gates strong on Saturday, checking with a seventh-best time of 6:07.2 through the first 2km. He rose up the ranks to third place at the halfway point, before picking up steam in the back half of the race. His best 2km split came down the home stretch, where his time of 5:56.0 catapulted up the podium and into top spot among his 105 conference peers.

Bannon becomes the 21st Guelph runner to place first at the OUA Championships, with the OUA MVP and first team all-star playing a pivotal role in his Gryphons earning their 31st provincial banner as well.

Charles-Etienne Tabet, Rowing, Brock Badgers

Brock men's rower Charles-Etienne Tabet holding an orr with the Brock Badgers logo on it

It was a banner season debut to remember for Brock’s Charles-Etienne Tabet, who continued his winning ways on the water for the Badgers this weekend.

The business economics major was named the OUA men’s rower of the year after coming away with two gold medals in his first provincial championships. Tabet first won gold in the men’s lightweight single, crossing the finish line with a nearly six second buffer ahead of the silver medalist from McGill. He didn’t stop there; however, as he would next join forces with Riley Watson for the lightweight doubles and once again pace the provincial pack therein.

Tabet’s performances helped the Brock squad win their third straight provincial banner and 14th overall.

Abby Lee, Lacrosse, Queen’s Gaels

Queen's women's lacrosse player Abby Lee competing for the ball with an opposing player during a game

An instrumental part of the silver-medal winning Queen’s Gaels squad at this weekend’s OUA Lacrosse Championship, Abby Lee shone each time she took the field on her home campus.

A third-year biology major from Whitby, Ont., Lee was a consistent contributor for the Gaels throughout the weekend. She struck first in the team’s round robin opener against Laurier, netting a pair of goals and adding an assist in the win. She would add another four-point stat line to her weekend to close out the round robin slate, this time picking up a trio of helpers to go alone with a lone goal.

Another goal and an assist in the semifinal helped the Gaels overcome a familiar foe in the Trent Excalibur and earn the Tricolour a chance at the championship repeat. And while her offensive contributions weren’t enough to lead her team to the gold, they did earn the dynamic midfielder offensive player of the year and all-star honours.