Curling championships get winter banner season festivities started in February
Burlington, Ont. – After a frenzy of fall championship play, the winter slate is just around the corner, as the next round of Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Banner Season competition launches on February 2nd.
First out of the gates will be the conference’s Curling Championships, hosted by the Guelph Gryphons, which will see banner-hopeful rinks take to the ice from February 2nd to 4th at the Guelph Curling Club.
The second week of championship play features a trio of events spanning the mats, the piste, and the courts. Algoma will welcome the conference’s wrestlers to the George Leach Centre from February 9th to 10th. Beyond that, a pair of defending champions will look to defend their titles as hosts, with the Toronto Varsity Blues welcoming the Women’s Fencing Championship from February 9th to 11th to the Goldring Centre and the Western Mustangs putting on the OUA Squash Championships on those same dates at White Oaks Resort in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
The Brock Badgers will make the next splash on the schedule when they bring the Swimming Championships to St. Catharines from February 16th to 18th at Canada Games Park.
Racing will be front and centre during the final weekend of February, meanwhile, as both the Track & Field Championships and the Nordic Skiing Championships take their mark on the 23rd. The former, which will take place at the University of Windsor’s Toldo Lancer Centre for a second straight year, wraps up the following day on February 24th. The latter will see the Lakehead Thunderwolves wrap up their hosting duties on February 25th, meanwhile, with the entirety of the three-day long festivities taking place at the Lappe Nordic Ski Centre.
The hardwood will have its chance to shine when the calendar turns to March, as the men’s and women’s championship games put a bow on the conference’s 2023-24 campaigns. Both the Critelli Cup Women’s Basketball Championship and Wilson Cup Men’s Basketball Championship will be contested on March 2nd, to be hosted in the home venues of the highest remaining seeds.
Before the final weekend of OUA action takes centre stage, the Badgers will be back in the spotlight, albeit on the ice this time around. The Badgers will host the OUA Figure Skating Championship from March 5th to 6th at Canada Games Park.
The last two days of championship competition will happen later that week, and will do so in the form of the 2023-24 volleyball and hockey championships, respectively. On the penultimate day of provincial play, the Quigley Cup Women’s Volleyball Championship and Forsyth Cup Men’s Volleyball Championship, to be hosted by the highest remaining seeds, will serve up season finales on Friday, March 8th.
Finally, with hosts also to be determined following their respective quests for the cup, the McCaw Cup Women’s Hockey Championship and the 112th edition of the Queen’s Cup Men’s Hockey Championship will close the OUA’s 2023-24 slate on Saturday, March 9th.
Details surrounding the Men’s Fencing Championship and Badminton Championship are still to be determined, with updates to be reflected on the OUA championship page.