Banner Season: Golfers get together on the championship links looking to take home titles
Burlington, Ont. – Swinging into the weekend for 36 holes of championship competition, a total of 16 teams will play their way across the Grey Silo Golf Course to see who will prevail at the 2023 Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Golf Championships. The host Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks will welcome teams to the links from October 14th to 15th to see who will ultimately score a hole-in-one kind of performance on the banner season stage.
Championship Details:
When: Saturday, October 14 to Sunday October 15
Where: Grey Silo Golf Club
Participating Schools (16): Brock Badgers, Carleton Ravens, Guelph Gryphons, Laurentian Voyageurs, McMaster Marauders, Ontario Tech Ridgebacks, Ottawa Gee-Gees, Queen’s Gaels, Toronto Varsity Blues, TMU Bold, Trent Excalibur, Waterloo Warriors, Western Mustangs, Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks (host), Windsor Lancers, York Lions
Scoring / Results: HERE
Defending Champions: Toronto Varsity Blues (W); McMaster Marauders (M)
Student Athletes to Watch:
Jack Deighan, Waterloo Warriors | A senior student-athlete with the Warriors, Deighan has been setting records throughout his five years with the team. Most recently at the UW-WLU Invitational this fall, the Cambridge, Ont. native posted the record for the lowest score recorded in the tournament’s play (64). Having multiple podium finishes this season, Deighan will be poised for even more success this weekend.
Luca Ferrara, Western Mustangs | A former NCAA Division I golf athlete, Ferrara is playing in his second OUA Championship with the Mustangs. Having hit the links for the University of Hartford and being a two-time club champion at Scarboro Golf and Country Club, the men’s team captain is looking to take the podium this weekend, much like he did with his silver-medal performance at the Western Invitational.
Alex Fowke, Laurentian Voyageurs | A fourth-year golfer for the Voyageurs, Fowke has been one of the team’s top performers all year. The Sudbury, Ont. local’s strongest result was finishing one shot back of the podium at the Western Invitational, and he’ll be eyeing a competitive showing amongst a stacked field this weekend as well.
Conor Gaudet, Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks | A winner at both the Western Invitational and Windsor Invitational, the third-year business major from Kingston, Ont. has helped the Hawks secure a pair of team championships as well this season, along with numerous top-three finishes. If the Hawks want to get back atop the conference leaderboard for the first time since 2019, Gaudet will certainly be a key figure in the team’s success.
Kristi Godkin, Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks | The top finisher at the McMaster Invitational has been a consistent performer for the purple and gold. The former competitive hockey player has placed in the top-10 across four OUA invitationals this season, and even though she only started playing golf one year prior to the pandemic, her commitment to the sport has helped her become one of the top women’s players in the conference.
Ela Jones, Guelph Gryphons | The rookie golfer has been making her mark on the course for the Guelph Gryphons this season, with multiple podium finishes. It didn’t even take Jones long to settle on to the varsity scene, as she collected the individual title in her first career OUA event (Western Invitational). Having only once finished outside the top-10 once this season, the molecular biology and genetics student will look to continue her success on the Grey Silo course.
Matt McRae, TMU Bold | Captain of the Bold on the men’s side, McRae was TMU’s top golfer at five of the six tune-up tournaments ahead of this weekend’s OUA finale. This stretch included a top-five finish at the McMaster Invitational. Coming off similar success a season ago, the fourth-year business management major has continued his solid play in 2023 and will look to put it all together at this year’s two-day finale.
Jarrod Smith, Windsor Lancers | A former individual champion from 2021, Smith continues to be a leader for the Lancers squad. In his fifth year, the team’s captain will turn to his wealth of experience – which also includes him qualifying for and participating in the U.S. MidAm this past summer – and rely on his strong play leading up the OUA Championships to turn in another noteworthy performance.
Olivia Stoddart, Brock Badgers | The first-year golfer from Barrie, Ont. made an immediate impact for the Badgers on the links, placing first at the Brock Invitational and second at the Windsor Invitational. The business student is performing at a high level for the Badgers, and having experience that includes being a junior club champion, she will look to stay poised under pressure in her banner season debut.
Mia Sung, Toronto Varsity Blues | A first year standout, Mia Sung is just what the Varsity Blues squad need to maintain their position atop the women’s standings. The King City, Ont. talent has been on the podium multiple times this season, most recently winning gold at the two-day Waterloo Invitational just two weeks ago. Competing at her first OUA Championships this weekend, Sung’s skills will be put to the test against the rest of the conference’s best.
Hana Yoshida, Waterloo Warriors | Yoshida has compiled an incredible stretch of play for the Warriors heading into the OUA Championships. The Richmond Hill, Ont. local posted a third-place finish at the Western Invitational, fourth-place result at the Waterloo Invitational, and has picked up individual victories at the last two events. If she can continue that momentum onto the Grey Silo course this weekend, the third-year standout will surely be on to watch.
Storylines to Keep an Eye On:
The Badgers may not have any senior players on their women’s team, but they have seen great individual results from their younger group. On the flip side, the Brock men’s side will turn to third-year captain Tate Smith and company to contribute to a winning weekend at Grey Silo Golf Club.
Despite some up and down performances this season, the Guelph women’s side can comfortably turn to 2021 OUA individual champion Jacqueline Giles and rookie Ela Jones to help them challenge for the podium amongst their conference competitors this weekend. Consistency hasn’t been a problem for the Gryphons men’s team, however, as they have managed a top-three showing at nearly every event in which they’ve competed.
With a combination of first year rookies and veteran student-athletes, the Varsity Blues are looking to repeat as women’s champions, a status they have held for most of the past decade. Coming back with veteran athletes, meanwhile, the men are ready to battle it out for a podium finish of their own, and another record-setting performance from Sai Kaja, who recently finished with a modern program record low round of 65 for Toronto, would go a long way toward making those aspirations a reality.
This year, the TMU Bold expanded their men’s roster from five to 12 players, with the idea of taking more of a development approach to the program. This resulted in some of the best team invitational performances in team history and an OUA roster featuring two players competing in the first conference championships.
The Warriors have been just that this season – warriors – climbing their way up the ranks throughout the competition this season. With both the women and men earning podium finishes across multiple tournaments, the black and gold are looking to break through on the championship stage and bring some hardware back home.
Finishing just shy of a banner last season, the Western Mustangs women’s team is looking to take the top spot at this year’s OUA Championships, with the likes of Lexi McKay looking to follow in the footsteps of teammate Rylie Grogan’s individual first-place finish from a year ago in her final OUA outing. Competing on the men’s side, meanwhile, is a very experienced OUA team with multiple star players, all of whom are hoping to combine to make their mark on the links.
As the hosts of this year’s OUA Championships, the Golden Hawks are ready to leave it all on the links. With an extremely successful fall season winning multiple invitational events, the entire Golden Hawks squad is ready to take home the OUA banners. Coming off back-to-back second place finishes, the men’s team is hungry for a step up the podium this weekend.
What They’re Saying:
“I think everyone is excited to be part of our golf team and it shows in the way they have approached this season and the way they have practiced. They have created a good team environment and everyone is buying into the system I’ve created to play at their very best. We want to do it for one another and to create an environment that people are comfortable performing as a unit and becoming the player you want to be.” – Travis Glass, Head Coach, Brock Badgers
“I am extremely excited to play in OUAs this year. There is a great camaraderie amongst the players on the team. We push each other to be the best version of ourselves on and off the course. I love our chances to compete at Grey Silo, especially considering that we have now all played at least two rounds there. On a personal level, I have had success thus far this season and am hoping to build on that here.” – Ty Rouse, Student-Athlete, Carleton Ravens
“It’s a really exciting weekend for our team as we head to OUAs at Grey Silo. The team dynamic is great, and we have a lot of energy going into our final tournament of the year. All ten of us on the team help each other on and off the course, and it’s reassuring to have that support going into this weekend, along with the constant encouragement from our team’s two coaches. Our goal is to challenge for a spot on the podium, and to show how we’ve improved this season as a team and as individuals.” – Claire Stoney, Student-Athlete, Carleton Ravens
“We are excited and confident heading into the OUA Championships. Both teams have medaled in four of six events this year. We know we can compete with the best teams in the OUA and we need to have our best effort this weekend to finish the season on the podium. It will be a great challenge battling the weather, the course, and the other teams. We can't wait to tee it up on Saturday.” – Brian Bard, Head Coach, Guelph Gryphons
Our team has had a great fall campaign to this point with some solid team finishes and individual performances. We have been working towards preparing for what will be a challenging Grey Silo golf course and test every aspect of the game. We're excited to get out there and compete against the best in the province." - Laura Upenieks, Women’s Assistant Coach, Toronto Varsity Blues
“Both our men’s and women’s golf teams at Laurier are very strong this season and are looking to bring home a gold medal in both divisions. Both teams have had a successful fall season with numerous team and individual wins.”
"We are excited for the OUA championships, and to showcase our team's success that we have had throughout the regular season." – Adam Wagner, Head Coach, Windsor Lancers