Gates, Lacroix, Robert named OUA athletes of the week
Burlington, Ont. – Sarah Gates, Caillou Lacroix, and Evelyn Robert have been named OUA athletes of the week, fueled by Milk2Go Sport, for the period ending February 5, 2023.
Sarah Gates, Basketball, McMaster
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One of the Marauders’ most prolific scorers put herself in a class of her own this past week, as Sarah Gates turned in a pair of potent performances to propel herself atop the school’s all-time scoring ranks.
Gates, a veteran guard for the McMaster women's basketball team, began her week with a well-rounded outing in the team’s 24-point win over Western. She nearly captured a triple-double in the game with her 25 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists, reaching game-highs in all three categories.
Offence was harder to come by for McMaster in their next tilt with Windsor, but that didn’t stop Gates from shining once again, both in the game and as part of her incredible varsity tenure. The senior guard recorded the 1,720th point of her career on Saturday afternoon in Windsor, making her the all-time scoring leader in McMaster women's basketball history. The Newmarket, Ont. local would go on to score 25 points – more than half of McMaster’s offence – to lead her side to a 48-46 win and ended the game with 1,726 career points all-time.
McMaster's newest record holder, a human behaviour student in her fifth year, is leading the nation with an average of 26.1 points per game this season and cemented herself in the Marauders' record books in more ways than one. Not only does she now hold the career points record but she also has the highest career points per game (17.6), is tied for first with Danielle Boiago in field goals per game (6.1) and has knocked down more free throws (318) and free throws per game (3.2) than any other Marauder.
Caillou Lacroix, Basketball, Laurentian
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Caillou Lacroix has been a bright spot for the Voyageurs men’s basketball team this season, but he hasn’t shone brighter than this past weekend’s back-to-back with Nipissing.
Locked in a tight road battle with the rival Lakers on Friday night, Lacroix was instrumental in Laurentian’s ultimately victorious effort. The third-year forward poured in a game-high 37 points on 12-of-24 shooting for the Sudbury squad, with his final two points – a pair of free throws – securing the win with just two seconds remaining. He would also add eight rebounds, five assists, two steals, and a block to round out the lofty stat line.
Tasked with taking on those same Lakers the following night, the sport and physical education student was once again dominant for Laurentian. While his efforts wouldn’t lead to a second straight win for his side, it was another well-rounded showing for the Toronto, Ont. product. He would wrap up the night with 28 points – on another 50% shooting performance – to go along with 14 rebounds, four assists, and four steals.
For the weekend, Lacroix’s massive 32.5-point and 11-rebound averages now have him ranked second in conference scoring with 21.9 PPG and just outside the top-10 on the glass (8.1 RPG; 11th in OUA).
Evelyn Robert, Curling, McMaster
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A rookie from Clarksburg, Ont., Evelyn Robert impressed at her first ever OUA Championship, claiming individual and team honours during the women’s curling finale.
Robert, a health and society student at McMaster, was a key part of the Marauders' gold medal run at the 2023 OUA Women's Curling Championship in Oshawa. With Roberts as the team’s second, the group faced three dominant competitors - the Brock Badgers, Laurentian Voyageurs and Queen's Gaels - in group play en route to a Pool A best 3-1 record.
From there, the first-year student-athlete helped McMaster earn a decisive 7-3 quarterfinal victory over the Western Mustangs and find themselves in a semifinal rematch with the Gaels. The Marauders came out on top, moving onto the gold medal game where they faced another rematch, this time with the Laurentian Voyageurs. After going scoreless through the opening four ends, the maroon and grey showed their resilience once again, coming from behind to earn the banner and title for the first time since 2020.
Robert was key to the Marauders' success and was honoured as an OUA first team all-star for her consistent play over the three days.
