Banner Season Lions capture first OUA title since 1999 with undefeated weekend
Toronto, Ont. (via TMU Bold) – The York Lions downed the Waterloo Warriors in the 2023 OUA Badminton Championship tie, dethroning the six-time defending champion Toronto Varsity Blues en route to winning their first title since 1999.
The Lions went through pool play with an unblemished 4-0 record to earn a bye to the semifinal where they met head to head with the long-time champion Blues. York took it to their downtown counterparts, racing out to a 6-1 advantage to advance to the championship game.
It was more of the same for the Lions in the gold medal match against Waterloo as York took the first six ties to claim the 6-0 sweep.
Waterloo reached the gold medal match after a tight semifinal win over the Western Mustangs. The two squads split their ties 5-5, matched each other in games at 10 apiece, with the deciding factor coming down to a slim +1 point differential for the Warriors.
In the bronze medal tie the Mustangs raced out to a 5-1 advantage but the Varsity Blues stormed back to take the final four ties to earn a 5-5 split. The Blues earned the edge taking 11 games to Western’s 10, as Toronto stayed on the podium with the bronze medal.
McMaster claimed the fifth place tie with a 6-4 win over Ottawa, while TMU finished seventh after a 7-3 win over Guelph.
FINAL STANDINGS
1. York
2. Waterloo
3. Toronto
4. Western
5. McMaster
6. Ottawa
7. TMU
8. Guelph
9. Ontario Tech
AWARD WINNERS
Most Valuable Players
Women - Jacqueline Cheung, Western
Men - Victor Lai, York
Rookies of the Year
Women (co-winners) - Sophia Nong, York & Natalie Yee, McMaster
Men - Victor Lai, York
Coach of the Year
Michelle Tong, York
ALL-STARS
Women
Jacqueline Cheung, Western
Crystal Lai, York
Tiffany Too, Western
Sophia Nong, York
Joycelyne Jaw, Toronto
Ashley Wong, Waterloo
Jeslyn Chow, McMaster
Aditi Mahajan, Guelph
Men
Victor Lai, York
Noah Xu, Western
Michael Farrell, Toronto
Jonathan Lai, Toronto
Kyle Thompson, Guelph
Jason Ho-Shue, York
Alex Bianchini, Ottawa
Harry Soo, Waterloo
