Banner Season: Western completes double sweep to add to illustrious championship history
Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont. (via the Brock Badgers) - In front of a roaring crowd, the Western Mustangs men's and women's squash teams claimed OUA championship gold, showcasing their dominance on the court.
The Western Mustangs captured gold for the first time since 2013 in the women's division, and the dynasty continued on the men's side as Western won their 41st consecutive title on Sunday, Feb. 9 at the White Oaks Conference Resort and Spa. In the women's division gold medal contest, it came down to the wire as a 3-2 win (6-11, 8-11, 11-7, 11-6, 12-10) from Western's Katie Boulanger over Toronto's Shirin Batra secured the title victory for the Mustangs who won 4-3.
"It took a team effort. Every match matters, and with us every practice matters," said Western women's head coach Tom Panabaker. "They're out there on their own, they're playing league, coming out solo drilling and they do it year after year."
Heading over to the bronze medal match, Waterloo came out on top over Queen's by a tight 4-3 decision.
On the men's side, the Mustangs defeated the Warriors 7-0 in the gold medal contest, finishing the tournament by sweeping every match.
"I think it's a bit of relief," said Western men's head coach Chris Hanebury. "Every year we win, so the guys feel a little bit of the pressure because its our 41st year in a row winning, and they don't want to be the team that loses the streak."
The Gaels bested the Varsity Blues 6-1 to capture the bronze.In the fifth-place match of the women's division, the McMaster Marauders defeated the hosting Brock Badgers 4-3. The Guelph Gryphons defeated the Ottawa Gee-Gees in straight sets to finish seventh in the women's division.
The fifth-place contest in the men's division ended with a close victory going to the Gryphons over the Gee-Gees. Brock captured seventh place as they claimed a 6-1 victory over McMaster.
MAJOR AWARDS & ALL-STARS
Major Awards - Women
MVP - Niki Shemirani, Waterloo
Rookie of the Year - Ashley Hall, Western
Coach of the Year - Amr Elmehelmi, Toronto & Tom Panabaker, Western
All-Stars - Women
Niki Shemirani, Waterloo
Gabby Waite, Queen's
Ashley Hall, Western
Keira Rawlins, Toronto
Shirin Batra, Toronto
Sofia Quon, McMaster
Major Awards - Men
MVP - Salaheldin Eltorgman, Western
Rookie of the Year - Shamil Khan, Toronto
Coach of the Year - Musa Huq, Waterloo
All-Stars - Men
Salaheldin Eltorgman, Western
Will Harris, Toronto
Rayan Hashmi, Waterloo
Connor Jinks, Waterloo
Akasham Rajagopaul, Queen's
Daniel Deverill, Western
Final Standings - Women
|
Rank |
Team |
Record |
|
1 |
Western |
5-0 |
|
2 |
Toronto |
4-1 |
|
3 |
Waterloo |
3-2 |
|
4 |
Queen's |
2-3 |
|
5 |
McMaster |
3-2 |
|
6 |
Brock |
2-3 |
|
7 |
Guelph |
1-4 |
|
8 |
Ottawa |
0-5 |
Final Standings - Men
Rank |
Team |
Record |
1 |
Western |
5-0 |
2 |
Waterloo |
3-2 |
3 |
Queen's |
3-2 |
4 |
Toronto |
3-2 |
5 |
Guelph |
3-2 |
6 |
Ottawa |
1-4 |
7 |
Brock |
2-3 |
8 |
McMaster |
0-5 |
