Banner Season: Western and Queen’s extend their streaks with near flawless efforts on the court

Niagara on the Lake, Ont. - The Queen’s Gaels women were successfully able to defend their title on the weekend at White Oaks Resort and Spa, holding off Western for their fifth straight provincial championship. The Mustangs men, meanwhile, followed suit and continued their dominance in OUA squash, winning their 36th straight championship at the 2019 festivities.

The Gaels won all six of their fixtures without dropping a match, bringing their final record for the weekend to an impressive 42-0 in match-play. The Gaels and Mustangs closed out the day in a contest that saw Queen's drop only one game in their path to claim the title. Western finished as silver medalists on the women’s side with a 30-12 match record, while the Toronto Varsity Blues took home bronze with a mark of 26-16. Rounding out the group were host team Brock in fourth place, followed by Waterloo, McMaster, and Guelph.

Like they have for the better part of four decades now, Western dominated on the men's side with wins in all six of their matches, en route to a 41-1 result. Waterloo was able to squeeze a match out against the Mustangs on Sunday morning, but that was the lone blemish on an otherwise spotless weekend for the purple ponies. The Queen's Gaels men's team went 5-1 on the weekend with a 26-16 record to claim silver, just ahead of the bronze medalists from Toronto, who also went 26-16 – like their female counterparts – to win four of their fixtures across the three-day event. Rounding out the group with the same outcome as the women's draw were Brock in fourth place, followed by Waterloo, McMaster, and Guelph.

Leading Western to their 45th overall banner was undefeated David Mill, who was named a 2019 OUA all-star for his efforts. Fellow Mustang and first-year player Elliott Hunt earned the Rookie of the Year award, joining the league after an excellent junior career. The weekend’s MVP was University of Toronto's Josh Hollings, who went undefeated all season until his final match against Mill.

Individually on the women's side, the Tricolour’s standout, Sydney Maxwell, finished undefeated – dropping only two games along the way – and earned herself the OUA women's MVP and Rookie of the Year awards, as well as an OUA all-star nod.

Adding to an already successful weekend for the Mustangs, coach Derek Moore took home the Coach of the Year award on the men's side, while Holly Delavigne of Western was named the top women's coach.

For full results, click here.

Men's Standings (record)

1) Western (41-1)
2) Queens (26-16)
3) Toronto (26-16)
4) Brock (22-20)
5) Waterloo (21-21)
6) McMaster (8-34)
7) Guelph (3-39)

Women's Standings (record)

1) Queens (42-0)
2) Western (30-12)
3) Toronto (26-16)
4) Brock (22-20)
5) Waterloo (11-31)
6) McMaster (15-27)
7) Guelph (1-41)

Men's MVP
Josh Hollings (Toronto)

Women's MVP
Sydney Maxwell (Queens)

Men's Rookie of the Year
Elliott Hunt (Western)

Women's Rookie of the Year
Sydney Maxwell (Queens)

Men's Coach of the Year
Derek Moore (Western)

Women's Coach of the Year
Holly Delavigne (Western)

Men's All-Stars
David Mill (Western)
Josh Hollings (Toronto)
Thomas Manley (Waterloo)
Mohamed Hamour (Brock)
Ravi Seth (Waterloo)
Cameron Butler (Queens)

Women's All-Stars
Andrea Chaves (Brock)
Olivia Waite (McMaster)
Sydney Maxwell (Queens)
Rhea Dhar (Toronto)
Amelia Knapp (Queens)
Amy Commisso (Western)