Agostinelli, McClure, Wedgewood, Davies named OUA athletes of the week.
Burlington, Ont. – Julia Agostinelli, Maggie McClure, Emma Wedgewood, and Max Davies have been named OUA athletes of the week, fueled by Milk2Go Sport, for the period ending February 25, 2024.
Julia Agostinelli, Track & Field, Guelph Gryphons
Adding to an already impressive fall championship season, Julia Agostinelli spent the weekend on the track where she earned multiple medals for the Gryphons at the 2024 OUA Track & Field Championships.
In the women's 1000m race on Friday, the fourth-year applied human nutrition major claimed her first gold medal of the weekend after crossing the finish line with a time of 2:48.59, a second faster than the field. Later that evening, she would add an OUA silver as part of the 4x800m relay team, running a 2:11.63 third leg and contributing to an overall time of 8:55.85 by the U of G quartet.
Agostinelli earned her third medal in the women's 1500m, claiming silver with a time of 4:27.98. She wrapped up her championship performance in the women's 4x400m relay race, running a 55.80 third leg to help the Guelph Gryphons claim top spot for her second gold and fourth medal of the weekend.
For her performance, Agostinelli was named the most valuable performer of the event, becoming just the fourth member of the University of Guelph women's track & field team to earn the award.
McClure’s masterful efforts helped Carleton collect another OUA banner, while the engineering major earned all-star honours.
Max Davies, Track & Field, Guelph Gryphons
Breaking multiple records on the track, Max Davies of the Guelph Gryphons did it all for his team over championship weekend.
On Day 1 of the championship festivities, the Toronto, Ont. native crossed the finish line first place in the 1000m with a time of 2:20.22, claiming his first OUA gold medal of the weekend. His time was also nine-tenths quicker than the previous conference record set in 2016.
Coming off an impressive cross country campaign in the fall where he placed second at the OUA Championships, the management major once again captured an OUA record on Day 2 of the track & field finale in the 1500m race. Davies ran a blistering time of 3:44.24, claiming gold by over four seconds, and breaking a 26-year-old conference mark.
Davies added a third gold medal in the men's 4x800m relay race, running a 1:52.42 leg, the fastest Gryphon contributing to their first-place finish.
For his performance over the weekend in Windsor, Davies was named the championship’s most valuable performer, becoming the just the fifth Gryphon to claim the award.
Emma Wedgewood, Hockey, York
Flipping the script against the division’s top-ranked Lakers, Emma Wedgewood stole the show for her team as the York Lions completed the series upset in sweeping fashion.
Starting the weekend on the road to play nationally-ranked Nipissing, the Lions put their defense on lock as they fought their way through regulation time to keep the score tied at zero. Putting everything on the line in overtime, the Lions were able to break the stout Nipissing defense and score to give them the win. Backed by the lone York goal, Wedgewood stood tall at every turn and stole Game 1 of the quarterfinals with a 44-save shutout performance in 74 minutes of action.
Coming into Game 2 of the series fresh off a win, the Lions knew they would have to pounce on the opportunity in order to advance to the next round. Defending an onslaught of shots from the top team, Wedgewood once again proved nearly unbeatable, stopping 34-of-35 shots. And while Wedgewood was impeccable between the pipes once again, the offensive support came in spades this time around en route to a series-clinching 6-1 victory.
Wedgewood and the Lions will next move on to face the Waterloo Warriors in the OUA semifinals.
Maggie McClure, Nordic Skiing, Carleton Ravens
Maggie McClure led the pack at the OUA Nordic Skiing Championships in Thunder Bay this past weekend, helping her Ravens race their way to another golden outing.
With multiple banner season events under her belt, McClure is no stranger to the snow and her skiing skill was on full display in this latest championship iteration. Skiing in the 7.5km, 15km classic, and the team relay, the senior picked up multiple medals therein for the Ravens.
The Halifax, N.S. native picked up her first two medals on Saturday starting with a gold in the 7.5km event. The Carleton squad followed up their first event with the team relay, bringing home the gold and beating out their competition by over 40 seconds. Primed to bring home another OUA banner, the Ravens finished things off with a bang, thanks in large part to McClure, who brought home a silver in the 15km distance event, trailing only her teammate in the end.