February 18, 2011
Mustangs capture gold at 2011 OUA Figure Skating Championship
The Western Mustangs captured the 2011 OUA Figure Skating Championship hosted by Waterloo at RIM Park. The Mustangs held a commanding lead after day one and were able to hold off a day two push by the Guelph Gryphons who finished second to claim the silver medal. Western finished with 87 points while Guelph finished seven behind with 80 points. The Queen’s Gaels mounted a comeback to finish in third with 63 points winning the bronze medal.
The final day of the OUA Figure Skating Championship got underway on Friday with the Western Mustangs holding a comfortable 22 point lead over second place Guelph. The host Warriors held the third place spot one point behind Guelph but could not hold on for the bronze medal.
Following the intermediate similar pairs was the senior silver solo dance which saw the Ryerson Rams captured their fourth medal of the championship. Katherine Bilinsky (Toronto, Ont.) put together a strong performance to win the gold for her Rams. Catherine McLean (London, Ont.) kept her Mustangs on pace for a first place overall finishing earning the silver medal while Sanda McCubin (Barrier, Ont.) finished third to claim her second bronze medal of the Championship.
The Gryphons continued their run to catch the Mustangs in the pairs fours dance skating their way to first place with the team of Christine Kucava (Guelph, Ont.), Laura Stratton (Milton, Ont.), Lauren Black (Peterborough, Ont.) and Krista Ricciatti (Guelph, Ont.) earning the gold. The Toronto Varsity Blues advanced into third overall with a silver medal performance while the Gaels won the bronze medal.
Western bounced back with a strong performance in the gold creative dance with the skating duo of Katie Dortono (Niagara Falls, Ont.) and Stephanie Buono claiming first. The gold medal was the Mustangs’ fifth of the championship. Waterloo earned their fifth medal of the competition with a silver medal in the creative dance by Katherine Brown (Markham, Ont.) and Ali Greenhow (London, Ont.). The Gaels finished third with creative skates by Gwendolyn Eadie (Kingston, Ont.) and Emily Young (Calgary, Alta.).
The second to last event saw the Queen’s Gaels capture the gold in the senior similar pairs with Nicole Grenon (Calgary, Alta) and Martha Carruthers (Markham, Ont.) skating their team back into third place with 58 points heading into the synchro event. The Blues won the silver medal with solid performances by Amanda Tully (Barrie, Ont.) and Veronica Hall (Dryden, Ont.) to sit in fourth with 53 points going into the final event. Steph Waldron (Hamilton, Ont.) and Diane D’alessandro (Newmarket, Ont.) won the bronze medal to give McMaster their second medal of the Championship. Heading into the synchronized event, Western sat in first place with 80 points with Guelph in the silver medal position at 65 points.
In the synchronized event Guelph capped off their successful day two winning the gold medal to come within seven points of overall champion Western Mustangs. The host Warriors showed their poise to capture the silver medal in the synchro event and finish fifth overall in the Championship. The champions of Western finished third in the exciting synchronized event.
Alma Moir (Western) and Janet Gibson (Guelph) were named co-coaches of the year
Day 1 Results
Final Standings
1. Western – 87
2. Guelph - 80
3. Queen’s - 63
4. Toronto - 56
5. Waterloo - 54
6. Ryerson - 32
7. McMaster - 21
8. Carleton - 8
