Men’s Swimming
January has been another excellent month for the men’s swimming team. It started off with a dual meet against the Western Mustangs on January 10. The Blues, reigning Ontario University Athletics (OUA) and Canadian Intercollegiate Sport (CIS) champions, won nine golds of the possible 11.
The team was led by the sophomore Eli Wall, who came out on top in the 100-metre and 200-metre breaststroke races. Following this successful matchup, the team split up to compete at the Eastern Cup and to host the Varsity Cup on January 16.
At the Eastern Cup, Hochan Ryu won four golds while Edward Liu matched this feat back in Toronto.
The men’s swimming team is looking to defend their titles and are currently ranked first in OUA and second in CIS.
The team will compete in the OUA championships on February 5–7.
Men’s Curling
The men’s curling team — defending champions — will conclude its season on January 17 and 18 at the Brock University Invitational.
On the 17, the Blues started with two solid wins: 5–4 against the Western Mustangs and 5–0 against the Brock Badgers.
The domination continued the next day as the team won 9–4 against the Trent Excalibur and 7–1 against the UOIT Ridgebacks, securing their place in the finals.
Unfortunately, in a tightly contested final, the Blues lost 8–2 against the Guelph Gryphons.
This tournament acted as a warm-up for the upcoming championships. Beginning on February 19, the team will be competing at the OUAs, looking to win its second consecutive championship.
Men’s Volleyball
It has been a rough January for the men’s volleyball team. It began on January 9 and 10 with two consecutive losses against the Waterloo Warriors and the Guelph Gryphons at home.
While they fought hard to recover from these losses, the following weekend was equally bitter, as two more losses came against the Western Mustangs and Windsor Lancers.
Needing a win, the Blues travelled to Kingston later last month. The first game was disappointing as the team suffered a shutout against the Queen’s Gaels. Nevertheless, a much-needed win came against the Royal Military College of Canada on the 25, led by veteran Jake Dyselhof.
The team has a 4–15 record for the season and will need a strong finish as it has two games this weekend and only one more game in February to end its regular season.
Women’s Volleyball
It has been a dream-like season for the women’s volleyball team with a perfect 17–0 record. In January, the team did not lose a set.
The team went 8–0 this month, including a key win against the fourth-place team, the Queen’s Gaels, who also have an admirable 11–6 record.
Fifth-year veterans Jennifer Neilson, Charlotte Sider, and Bojana Radan have been dominant as usual, backed up by the quality support of the rest of the team.
Although the team already clinched a berth in the playoffs, it will need to continue building momentum as the CIS Champions and the OUA playoffs are coming up.
Women’s Basketball
Following a break in December, the women’s basketball team’s season continued in January.
The team opened their year with a 74–71 win against the Ryerson Rams at home, led by the veteran Jill Stratton. This was a huge upset as the Rams are first in the division and have only suffered three losses all season.
The following weekend continued with a dominating win against the Algoma Thunderbirds. The Blues, however, suffered a narrow 77–79 loss in overtime against the Queen’s Gaels. Despite Stratton’s career-high 31 points, the team did not have enough to overcome the Gaels.
The team showed mental toughness with a huge win against the York Lions 66–45.
Overall, the team has a 7–6 record this season.
Women’s Hockey
Women’s hockey team plays in Think Pink game in January. JENNIFER SU/THE VARSITY
The women’s ice hockey team has been excellent in January, improving its record to 15–6 and climbing up the standings to second place.
The month began with back-to-back games in the Varsity Arena against UOIT and Queen’s University. The UOIT Ridgebacks were a challenging team, but the Blues were able to fend them off and come away with a 1–0 victory.
The following day had a closely-contested game against the third-place Queen’s Gaels. The game went to overtime, and the Blues came out on top with a 2–1 win.
The following weekend was tough as the team lost to the Guelph Gryphons in a shootout. Nevertheless, the team has had five consecutive victories since, including a tough two games ending in shootouts.
