Banner Season: Hawks hoping to soar to victory to open up winter championship slate
Burlington, Ont. – Wilfrid Laurier enters the weekend as defending champions, with only one change to their 2022 title-winning roster. But whether competing against fellow returnees or impressive newcomers to the varsity scene, the Golden Hawks will be in tough as they aim to soar to back-to-back banners. The challenging road ahead begins at the 2023 OUA Women’s Curling Championship with the round robin draws on Friday, February 3rd, with medals being awarded following the final matchups on Sunday, February 5th.
Championship Details
When: Friday, February 3 to Sunday, February 5
Where: Oshawa Golf & Curling Club
Participating Schools (17): Algoma Thunderbirds, Brock Badgers, Carleton Ravens, Guelph Gryphons, Lakehead Thunderwolves, Laurentian Voyageurs, McMaster Marauders, Ontario Tech Ridgebacks (Host), Queen’s Gaels, Toronto Varsity Blues, TMU Bold, Trent Excalibur, Waterloo Warriors, Western Mustangs, Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks, Windsor Lancers, York Lions
Defending Champions: Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks
Student-Athletes to Watch:
Aiden Banks, Windsor Lancers | Banks stepped into the leadership role for Windsor this season that was vacated with the graduation of former skip Rachel Katzman. The fourth-year engineering major from Windsor, Ont. jumped into the position without hesitation and it has been a seamless transition.
Kenna Bartlett, Queen’s Gaels | A MASc candidate in biomedical engineering, Bartlett has made herself at home on the OUA podium during their previous four championship outings. With a conference gold to her name in 2019, as well as a pair of silver medals in 2018 and 2020, the decorated past all-star and all-Canadian brings back a steady and leading presence to the ice for Queen’s this weekend.
Grace Cave, Brock Badgers | Teaming with Julia Markle, Cave recently finished second in the Toronto Curling Association’s Christmas International U21 tournament, earning them a trip to Switzerland for a week-long international bonspiel. The two players form the middle of a highly skilled and experienced Badgers team, shooting above a 75% average during the exhibition slate.
Celia and Julia Evans, Waterloo Warriors | It is their first time at an OUA Championship, but the Evans twins from Burton, N.B. are no strangers to championship curling. Last year, they competed in both the Canadian Junior and Canadian U18 Championships. Their impressive run at last year’s New Holland Canadian Juniors saw them make the playoffs before falling to Alberta. This year, Julia will be representing New Brunswick in mixed doubles at the Canada Winter Games after defeating Celia in the finals of the qualifier. The pair bring confidence, enthusiasm, experience, and of course, shot making to their debut with the Warriors.
Leslie Inglis, Trent Excalibur | A year ago, Inglis skipped the Trent team to a quarterfinal berth at the OUA Championship, posting a 3-1 record in pool play. With 15 years of experience under her belt and time on the junior tour prior to arriving at Trent, the Prince Edward County, Ont. product already has a club championship and regional championships to her name, with her sights set next on some OUA hardware.
Bella Lehtimaki-Croisier, Laurentian Voyageurs | A newcomer to the Voyageurs, the first-year student-athlete joins the varsity ranks having previously skipped Northern Ontario to a 2019 U18 Canadian Championship. She also just finished fourth at the Northern Ontario Scotties and is looking to make a similar splash when she debuts on the banner season stage this weekend.
Grace Lloyd, McMaster Marauders | Lloyd will be representing the maroon and grey at her fourth straight OUA Championship this coming weekend. She has seen success in all of her curling endeavors, including her 2020 OUA title, and was a runner up at the 2022 Canadian Junior Curling Championships as a member of Team Ontario. The fifth-year kinesiology student from Dundas, Ont. will look to cap off her varsity career atop the conference podium once again alongside the rest of her Marauder squad.
Emilie Lovitt Sansoucy, TMU Bold | A new addition from Vankleek Hill, Ont., Lovitt Sansoucy played at the U21 and women’s provincial levels in Northern Ontario and is a key member of the TMU crew this year. She has proven that she can be a difference maker with her sweeping ability and big game experience, assets that will surely help buoy TMU’s podium aspirations at this year’s festivities.
Jenny Madden, Carleton Ravens | A newcomer to the reigning bronze medalist Ravens, Madden brings an impressive list of accomplishments to the university scene. Among her accomplishments are a 2019 National Capital championship, a 2022 and 2019 CurlON U18 Women’s Provincial finalist finish, and participation in the upcoming 2023 CurlON Women’s Provincials. Even though this will be the Ottawa, Ont. product’s first taste of OUA championship play, her 10 years of curling experience should put her right at home on the ice this weekend.
Jamie Smith, Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks | Smith boasts a decorated résumé on the ice and not the least of her accomplishments is her claim as 2022 OUA champion. Smith, a two-time Spirit of Sandra Scholar with the Sandra Schmirler Foundation and 2021 For the Love of Curling recipient, is also a 2021 Canadian Junior champion and represented Canada at the 2022 World Junior Championships. Beyond that, the Sudbury, Ont. curler also qualified for and competed in the first Grand Slam of Curling event this season.
Rachel Steele, Guelph Gryphons | Steele is a fourth-year student-athlete, who has had a successful year skipping her competition team, reaching the Ontario Women’s Provincials, as well as being invited to the Pinty’s Grand Slam Canadian Open. The Port Perry, Ont. native is also a junior champion that represented the province at last year’s U21 Nationals.
Alexandra Szeller, Western Mustangs | A third-year competitor from Whitby, Ont., Szeller has been curling for 12 years both at the recreational and competitive level. She had the opportunity to compete at the provincial level at the U18 and U21 divisions, and is hoping that this experience in a similarly competitive environment will help her stay sharp throughout the weekend. After graduating, the kinesiology major hopes to continue being involved in the sport and is excited to be involved with the 2023 Brier Championship, which is taking place in London, Ont. this March.
Storylines to Keep an Eye On:
Algoma had their most successful set of matches at the Brock Invitational, ending the weekend with a pair of wins and losses. Taylor Elliot was pleased with the outcome at the event, noting that it was good practice leading up the OUAs thanks to the different atmosphere it provided from their local major league in which they play. They’ll rely on seniors Nicole Costello and Breanna Hamilton, the skip and vice respectfully, to carry that momentum into the provincial finale.
Four members of the Badgers varsity curling team have had experience as Team Ontario members at Canadian level events over the past four years, and led by senior Sarah Bailey, the team is hoping to put that experience to good use. The St. Catharines squad had a very successful university exhibition bonspiel season with a win at the McMaster Bonspiel in January and a tie for first at the Brock Invitational last week, as they look to improve on last year’s fourth-place finish at the OUA Championship.
The Laurentian Voyageurs bowed out in the quarterfinals a year ago, despite finishing first in pool play, and even though they are set to compete in the U SPORTS Championships in March as hosts, the talented team is looking to punch their ticket the old-fashioned way with a strong showing this weekend.
Prior to the cancelled 2021 season, McMaster was the top program in the province, earning the 2020 OUA Women’s Curling Championship. After a tough outing last season, the Marauders are looking to make their way back to the top of the standings. The roster is made up of a combination of returning players from that 2020 gold medal squad as well as rookies, and the lineup is poised to combine their experience and energy for a run at the 2023 banner season title.
The host Ridgebacks, who missed out on the quarterfinals a year ago, are turning to a roster mix of returning players and newcomers to help them improve on those results in their own backyard. Jasmine Groleau, the team’s second-year skip, is among the key returnees that is looking to build on her first championship showing, while Emily Crowe is bringing her positive energy to the Oshawa Golf & Country Club in her first banner season outing.
The Queen’s Gaels have spent the season practicing at the Cataraqui Golf & Country Club, working to integrate returning players and very solid rookies. The Tricolour had a strong showing at their exhibition club event, where they placed second and built confidence to face this year’s university teams for the first time at OUAs.
The Blues have steadily improved since their first bonspiel at the Guelph Invitational in November. Since that outing, Toronto has gone 5-7 against OUA competition, and will be looking to maintain that upward trajectory behind first-year skip Janice Pang. Doing so would also be an improvement on their 2022 championship showing that saw the Varsity Blues capturing one win in their four round robin tilts
After going undefeated in pool play at last year’s OUA Championship, but falling in the quarterfinal, this year’s TMU squad is looking to take the next step to find the top of the podium. Learning from last year’s experience, coupled with the team’s 8-1 record in preseason events this year, the Bold want to leverage their track record and succeed in the playoffs to reach the podium.
When teams are typically running tryouts and getting set for the season ahead, the Waterloo Warriors were focused on representing the school at the FISU Qualifiers in Ottawa. Their strong showing there made it even harder to pivot and recognize that the team were losing their skip and vice this season. With some incredible returning players and fresh talent, however, the Warriors have their eyes on the prize again this year, as strong showings in warmup bonspiels hosted by Guelph and Brock showed that they should be in the mix with the rest of the field.
With only one change from last year’s roster, the Golden Hawks are looking to have a similar result as their championship run in 2022. Wilfrid Laurier recognizes the challenges ahead and that teams don’t often win back-to-back banners, but the purple and gold are hoping that all the work they’ve put in throughout the exhibition slate – both as a team and individually – gives them a good chance to accomplish the feat.
The Windsor Lancers are facing the always tough challenge of not having a returning skip, but luckily for them, Banks has stepped up to face that challenge head on. And even though four of the team’s six players are graduating this year, all four are looking to hopefully continue their studies, with eligibility still remaining. A successful stretch this weekend that goes beyond the round robin draws would go a long way toward making yet another strong showing a year from now.
What They’re Saying:
“The Badgers have bonded well and shown great chemistry on the ice this year. The fourth and fifth-year players – Sarah Bailey and Grace Cave – have passed along their strong work ethic and drive to win to first year players Julia Markle and Jenna Declerq, and second year player Chloe Morby. The team has gotten stronger each month and is both mentally and physically prepared to compete against the best teams at the OUA Championship.” – John Sawchuk, Head Coach, Brock Badgers
“We have built a strong team. Strong in leadership, strong in communication, strong in character and most of all fierce competitors." - Kim Wilson, Head Coach, Carleton Ravens
“We are really looking forward to this year’s OUA Championship! The entire team has really put in the work on and off the ice to make sure that we can perform at our best as a team this weekend. We’re expecting some tough competition, but we’re up to the challenge and our goal is to bring the OUA title back to McMaster.” – Maddy Warriner, Student-Athlete, McMaster Marauders
“We’re looking forward to welcoming the best university women’s curlers in the province back to Oshawa for the three-day championship. The community can expect some great curling and as a team, we’re looking forward to building on what we learned from last season’s OUAs at Waterloo.” – Mike Stauffer, Head Coach, Ontario Tech Ridgebacks
“We’re excited and ready to bring the intensity as OUAs, and we’ve all got the same outcoming goal of earning a sport at U SPORTS this year.” – Scott Davey, Head Coach, Queen’s Gaels
“With a couple of new players coming out this year, we have been juggling a few people around to find the best fit. I feel we have just hit our stride as the OUA Championship approaches, and our goal is to qualify for the playoffs. No doubt the competition is tough and we will have to play well and play smart.” – Susan Baird, Associate Head Coach, Toronto Varsity Blues
“We truly believe this could be our year to break through to the top of the podium. Our lineup is strong and our experience is deep at this level and above to deal with the pressure of the moment. We just to need to focus on our execution.” – Perry Marshall, Head Coach, TMU Bold
“Our women’s team has been fairly ‘young’ the last few seasons, in terms of age of player and team development. This season, we are a much more mature team that understands one another as curlers and teammates more than before. In a sport like curling, where the team is small and the games are long, it is a real asset to have a solid team dynamic. We have been ramping up our training and I am hoping that we will be able to show up mentally and technically to represent Western this weekend.” – Alexandra Szeller, Student-Athlete, Western Mustangs
“It has been a lot of fun getting to know the team, after just coaching the men last year. We have grown together on and off the ice, and that relationship has been positive in mentorship of student-athletes.” – Mike McKay, Head Coach, Windsor Lancers
