Banner Season: Blues bring string of six straight badminton banners to season finale
Burlington, Ont. – It has been a bountiful banner season stretch on the badminton courts for the Blues of late, who will enter the latest conference finale with six straight titles under their belts. It was a hard-fought finish to their latest triumph; however, and once again, the reigning runners up from York along with the seven other participating squads are hoping to turn the tides at the 2023 OUA Badminton Championship from Friday, February 17th to Sunday, February 19th at Toronto Metropolitan University.
Championship Details
When: Friday, February 17 to Sunday, February 19
Where: Kerr Hall West (Toronto Metropolitan University)
Participating Schools (9): Guelph Gryphons, McMaster Marauders, Ontario Tech Ridgebacks, Ottawa Gee-Gees, Toronto Varsity Blues, TMU Bold (host), Waterloo Warriors, Western Mustangs, York Lions
Defending Champions: Toronto Varsity Blues
Student-Athletes to Watch:
Jacqueline Cheung, Western Mustangs | It was a championship debut to remember for Western’s Cheung a year ago, as the Richmond Hill, Ont. native took home both all-star and rookie of the year honours for the purple and white. With another year of varsity experience now under her belt, the sciences student will strive for even more success on the TMU courts.
Liz Evans, McMaster Marauders | An Edmonton, Alta. local, Evans will sport the maroon and grey for the third time at the OUA finale. The electrical and biomedical engineering student brings a wealth of badminton experience to the squad, having not only competed at the Canada Junior International and Western Canadian Team Championships, but was also a two-time member of the Pan Am squad.
Sierra Hum, York Lions | Hum, a senior member of the Lions, will hope to play a leading role in getting her side atop the conference podium. The Richmond Hill, Ont. native has taken part in three OUA championships to date, and beyond her banner season experience, also brings title-winning efforts from the Tiny Ontario Open (2019), Ontario Summer Games (2018), and Sudbury Open (2017).
Jocelyne Jaw, Toronto Varsity Blues | Jaw enters her second OUA finale as Toronto’s number one player. The second-year statistics student will look to lead the charge for the Blues from that position, alongside returning all-star and No. 2 Rebecca Lee, in the team’s quest for continued time atop the conference podium.
Jonathan Lai, Toronto Varsity Blues | Leading the Blues into this weekend’s action will be the four-time OUA all-star. The second-year nursing student from Toronto, Ont. is no stranger to the top of the podium. In addition to his championship-winning time with Toronto, the former conference MVP has continued that dominance ahead of the upcoming championship, which included a dominant victory at the McMaster Open in January.
Jenny Lei, Waterloo Warriors | Having won gold in the women’s singles competition at the George Brown Kim Ng Open in December, Lei will be a focal point for Waterloo at the OUA Championship. The top player for the Warriors will hope for continued success this season and a step or two up the podium from the team’s bronze-medal showing at the 2022 finale.
Ivan Li, TMU Bold | A leader on a young team, Li was a consistent contributor for the Bold at last year’s championship and is looking to lift the team to a better result this time around. Beyond his time with the blue and gold, the second-year Markham, Ont. local has represented Canada at the Junior Pan Am Championships, where he has won two silver medals in his career.
Aditi Mahajan, Guelph Gryphons | The strongest player among Guelph’s women’s crew, Mahajan was the team’s standout at last year’s banner season festivities. Now with a championship event under her belt, the second-year biological science student from Burlington, Ont. will look to put her best foot forward once again in her encore OUA outing.
Andy Ng, TMU Bold | One of the more experienced Bold athletes competing at home this weekend, Ng possesses skill, technique, and strategy on the court, and with his corresponding speed and agility, the Richmond Hill, Ont. product is expected to lead the team to its goal of improving on last season’s result.
Jared So, McMaster Marauders | So, a kinesiology student, will compete at this third OUA Championship this weekend. The Markham, Ont. local brought ample experience on the court before joining the Marauders, including a bronze medal performance while representing Ontario at the Junior Canadian National Championships in 2017, and is now contributing to the team beyond the court as well as their student field therapist.
Harry Soo, Waterloo Warriors | Fast, smart, and very talented, Soo will be a key singles player for the Warriors this weekend. The accounting and financial management student from Mississauga, Ont. won a silver medal in men’s singles at the George Brown Kim Ng Open in December and will be striving for similar success as a leading figure for the black and gold’s banner season contingent.
Kyle Thompson, Guelph Gryphons | Thompson’s varsity tenure has been an eventful one. The former University of Toronto badminton athlete transferred to Guelph and competed in track and field, taking home a gold medal in the men’s 60m at the 2017 U SPORTS Championships. Now in the final year of his PhD, the Port Hope, Ont. local is representing the Gryphons on the badminton court this weekend.
Noah Xu, Western Mustangs | Much like his Western teammate, Xu made an instant impact in his foray to championship play last year. The 2022 all-star and rookie of the year will be relied upon as a key contributor for the London, Ont. squad this weekend after etching an early name for himself his first time out.
Kevin Yee, York Lions | Yee, a fourth-year kinesiology student from North York, Ont., has been a standout at various events. He is a two-time York intramurals doubles champion and 2022 YMCA singles winner, and will look to add OUA champion to his list of accolades when he hits the courts this weekend for the Lions.
Storylines to Keep an Eye On:
Guelph has prepared really well this year and is excited to compete at the OUA Championship. There are a number of second- and third-year athletes representing the Gryphons, which has been great for development and means that this is yet another year of meaningful growth for the team both at and beyond the 2023 banner season festivities.
For the first time in nine years, the Marauders finished outside the top five at the OUA Championship a year ago. This year, the Hamilton, Ont. squad will look to find their rhythm and improve on last year’s finish. With a dual head coach and student-athlete in Sommer Choi, the maroon and grey will also look to assistant coach and program-staple Jacky Ng, as well as their overall team cohesion to help buoy them back into the top five in 2023.
With some returning all-stars leading the charge once again for Toronto, including a former MVP, the Blues are looking to extend their provincial winning streak to seven years. It was as close a final as it could be a year ago, when they split the 10 matches against York but accumulated more total points therein to be awarded the banner, and a potent field of competitors this weekend should make for another challenging trek atop the OUA mountain for the top-ranked Blues.
The excitement is there for TMU to not only compete in the upcoming championship, but host it on their home court. The Bold have been training hard to improve their skills this season and are heading into the 2023 competition with confidence.
Western has a goal this year to win a medal at the OUA Championship. The team has learned many lessons from last year’s event and are looking forward to hitting the courts once again. And even with the outlook being just as difficult as past years given the quality of competition, the Mustangs believe their team has gotten stronger and they enter the weekend with the confidence to improve on their past results.
After finishing second last year by the slightest of margins against Toronto, York has been itching for redemption in 2023. The Lions have been training all year for the chance to top the podium at the upcoming OUA Badminton Championship and will look for that hard work to pay off when play gets underway this weekend.
What They’re Saying:
“Everyone is super excited for the upcoming OUA Championship. Regardless of where we stand going in and coming out of the weekend, I know that everyone will give it their all and have lots of fun.” – Sommer Chou, Head Coach & Student-Athlete, McMaster Marauders
“No matter how difficult the challenge is, our goal is to stay positive and believe in ourselves. We will fight for every round to defend our title.” – Nicky Aung, Head Coach, Toronto Varsity Blues
“I’m excited to see our team compete. Of course, the competition will be fierce, and I am looking forward to seeing them give it their all. As a coach, my goal is to support and guide our players as they strive for success, and I have no doubt that they will make us proud at this championship.” – Elena Ng, Head Coach, TMU Bold
“We are ready to step up from last year’s performance and fight our hardest on the courts.” – Tiffany Too, Co-Head Coach, Western Mustangs
