Pocrnic, Rynne, Davies, Branton, and Dongfang named OUA athletes of the week

Burlington Ont. – Kali Pocrnic, Paige Rynne, Max Davies, Shona Branton, and Bill Dongfang have been named OUA athletes of the week, fueled by Milk2Go Sport, for the period ending March 10, 2024.

Kali Pocrnic, Basketball, Carleton Ravens

It was another stellar weekend on the hardwood for Kali Pocrnic and the Carleton Ravens in their battles with the nation’s best.

Starting the U SPORTS Final 8 tournament off again the UVF Cascades in the quarterfinals, the Ravens led the way quickly though the first quarter only to find themselves in foul trouble at the half. The Ravens exploded into the second half to ultimately take the win, and like she has time and time again, it was Pocrnic topping all scorers with 25 points in the game.

Riding that momentum into their semifinal tilt against a familiar OUA foe, the Ravens turned to their veteran guard put up another 22 points as part of a decisive win over the Gaels. The fourth-year psychology major’s starring effort ensure her side a spot in the national championship game for a second straight year in what would be a gold medal rematch against the Saskatchewan Huskies.

Battling shot-for-shot on the final night of championship play, the Ravens were in for a battle from the opening tip. The Oakville, Ont. native led her team throughout the night, hitting clutch shot after clutch shot to keep the team in the game. Pocrnic would come up huge for her team in the fourth quarter, hitting a step-back jumper with less than two minutes to play to put the Ravens ahead late and help them clinch back-to-back U SPORTS titles.

An offensive force all tournament long, not shying away from the big shots – including knocking down 10-of-19 from beyond the arc, Pocrnic also created seven turnovers from her opposition across the three games, and her impact all over the court earned her the U SPORTS Final 8 MVP honours and another national championship to add to her resume.

Paige Rynne, Hockey, Waterloo Warriors

Making history, or should we say her-story, Paige Rynne and the Waterloo Warriors women’s hockey team put on a performance for the ages in the McCaw Cup Championship.

Entering the weekend on the heels of a come-from-behind three game series against York, the Warriors were rewarded with a championship outing against the defending victors from Toronto, in what would be a chance to win their first OUA women’s hockey title in program history.

After the Blues opened up the game’s scoring only six minutes into the first period, Rynne and the Warriors squad knew they would once again have to battle from behind. And it was the masters student from Ancaster, Ont. setting up the team’s tying goal later in that opening frame.

Going back and forth throughout the second and third periods, the game was deadlocked at one apiece heading into the extra frame, that was until Rynne took things into her own hands. Thanks to a picture perfect feed in front of the net from teammate Carly Orth, the forward found the back of the net to become an instant overtime hero for the black and gold.

The championship-clinching tally was the biggest moment in the 22-year history of the Warriors women's hockey program, as it netted the visitors a 2-1 overtime win, and their first OUA McCaw Cup title.

Max Davies, Track & Field, Guelph Gryphons

After a pair of unforgettable performances at the 2024 U SPORTS Track & Field Championships in Winnipeg, Max Davies and the Guelph Gryphons bring home the national title.

The 20-year-old endurance runner from Toronto set not one, but two national records at the Jim Daly Fieldhouse, winning gold in both the 1000m and 1500m. In the former, Davies broke a 12-year-old mark set by former Gryphon Tommy Lecours at the 2012 event, posting a time of 2:21.00, to claim the gold.

One day later, in the 1500m, Davies broke yet another U SPORTS record, this time a 34-year-old measuring stick, on the heels of a gold-medal winning time of 3:44.00. The third-year management major at the University of Guelph also ran the anchor-leg of Guelph’s gold medal-winning men’s 4x800m relay team, to round out his golden trifecta, the same feat he accomplished at the OUA Championships just two weeks prior. 

As a result of his outstanding efforts at the championships and throughout the 2023-24 season, Davies was recognized as the U SPORTS track athlete of the year and athlete of the meet.

Shona Branton, Swimming, Western Mustangs

A third-year standout for Western, Shona Branton continued to excel in the water at the 2024 U SPORTS Championships.

Bringing home four medals from the three-day event, the junior swimmer, the junior from Port Lambton, Ont. also took down numerous national records along the way, carrying on her momentum from the OUA Championships last month.

Branton started off the competition by earning her first gold medal for the Mustangs in the 100m breaststroke (1:07:64). Looking to carry on that winning feeling into Day 2 of competition, Branton collected a silver-medal finish in the 200m breaststroke with a time of 2:31.12.

In her final day of competition and last chance to top the podium, Branton competed in multiple events, starting with the 4x100m medley where she and her Mustangs squad took home the bronze in 4:15.73. Moving on to her final category, Branton knew she could end the weekend with a splash, and the King’s University College student did just that, taking home a gold medal in the 50m breaststroke with a U SPORTS record time of 30.84.

To further celebrate her stellar weekend, Branton was awarded the meet’s top individual honour as the U SPORTS swimmer of the year.

Bill Dongfang, Swimming, Toronto Varsity Blues

Rookie sensation Bill Dongfang was the talk of the town at the 2024 U SPORTS Swimming Championships, playing an integral role for the national title winning Toronto Varsity Blues.

Competing in a variety of races for the Blues, the first-year economic major won an astounding five medals for his team. On day one of the championships, Dongfang led the Toronto men with two podium finishes, placing first in the 100m butterfly (54.48s) and second in the 200m freestyle with a time of 1:52.12. Going into Day 2, Dongfang earned another podium finish with his team in the men’s 800m freestyle relay, taking home the silver medal.

With the Varsity Blues leading all men’s teams with a score of 788, they looked to continue their momentum into the final day of the championship. Taking on his final two categories of the weekend, Dongfang was determined to get on top of the podium once again. The west coast swimmer took home a silver medal in the 4x100m medley, just 0.17 seconds short of the gold. Dongfang would ultimately go on to claim his second gold medal of the championships, breaking the U SPORTS record in the 200 butterflies with a time of 2:00.17.

Dongfang helped lead his team to their first U SPORTS title since 2016, and 20th national banner, along with all-Canadian honours individually.