Sports Editor Christophe Poirier, above, reclines after finishing this year’s sporty six pack.
Christine Cho
Fourth-year in history and political science
Christine Cho will be back next year, and with a mission. The centre for Women’s Basketball helped lead the Blues to a 12-10 record, good enough for a fourth-place finish in the Ontario University Athletic East division. After annihilating Ottawa 73-32 in the quarterfinals Feb. 18, the Blues would lose to eventual league champs York 64-54 on Feb. 24.
“This year was disappointing because we expected so much,” Cho said. “Especially not being able to beat York.
“Next year is my last chance, and I really want to win a National Championship.”
That the co-captain will be back can only help those chances, as she led the Blues with a 47 per cent shooting average from the floor, 40 per cent from the three-point line and six rebounds a game. The first team all-star also averaged 12.6 points a game, second-best on the team.
While this season fell short of the mark she had envisioned, Cho cited a comeback victory by the Blues as a turning point for the team.
Down 22 in their last game before the mid-season break, the Blues were on the road against Laurier, their season hanging by a thread at 2-6.
“Something in us clicked and we all wanted to win,” Cho said. “We really showed our potential.”
U of T was gangbusters out of the half, pouring 29 points on the Golden Hawks in the third quarter. They kept up the offensive assault with 27 in the final frame, all while keeping Laurier to 11 points en route to a 74-71 victory. Cho led the Blues with 16 points while tacking on five rebounds in the win.
“Knowing we could pull it out, and pull it out together, changed our season,” Cho said.
The come-from-behind success jumpstarted the Blues, as they went on to win their next four games and made their run to the postseason.
Ryan Grinnel
Fourth-year with the Blues, in the faculty of education
In a tale of two seasons, Ryan Grinnel, Men’s Hockey’s star goaltender demonstrated his worth. This past year he won the Ontario University Athletic’s Most Valuable Player Award in a season that was one finer in U of T’s recent memory. Grinnel finished the regular season among the national leaders in save percentage (.921) and goals against average (2.20) as tallied by Canadian Interuniversity Sport, and gathered two OUA male athlete of the week awards on the way to a 18-9-1 record.
His success this year came as a stark contrast to his previous one, which was spotted with injuries. Grinnel broke his left wrist in a pre-season game, and when the X-rays showed up negative, he continued playing through the team’s first four games before an eventual MRI showed the break.
After four weeks he was back between the pipes, playing with a cast on his glove hand. Two games later, in the first game after the season’s break, a shot from a Ryerson winger in the fifteenth minute of the first period found his right thumb, cracking the bone. Grinnel would play only six more games the rest of the season.
“In hindsight, it’s nice to juxtapose the two, with this one coming out as well as it did,” he said.
Grinnel also thanked coach Darren Lowe for sticking with him early in the season.
“The more I play, the better I am, and for him to trust me really helped, as it kept me sharp and I just gathered momentum as the season progressed.”
Grinnel also recalled the Varsity Tournament held in Thunder Bay as a highlight of the season. Laurier, Lakehead and the University of Calgary were the opponents the Blues would dispatch, all three being top-notch competition. The Blues would post a 4-3 victory over Laurier, with Grinnel being named man of the match, making 30 saves.
As for the season, the Grinnel was swift to thank those in front of him.
“It was a lot of fun, but all clichés aside, I had a great defensive side in front of me.”
Mila Miguel
Fourth-year in physical education
A masterful court-general and a first-team all-star for Women’s Volleyball, Mila Miguel was even better off the court. Recipient of the 2006-07 Canadian Interuniversity Sport’s Thérèse Quigley Award, Miguel was recognized for excellence in volleyball, as well as her academics and community involvement.
Notching 3.31 kills and 3.88 points per game this season, Miguel led the Blues to a 17-2 record. She also boasted a 3.25 GPA, all while volunteering at the Hospital for Sick Children, as well as participating in the Gulu Walk, a fundraising walk aimed at helping children in Northern Uganda.
Hoping to pursue a nursing degree, Miguel does not know if she will be back next year, but would love the chance to compete for an Ontario University Athletic title, which the Blues last won in 2004. She is also a big fan of sticking it to York, which the Blues did in the first game of the season on Oct. 20, and again Jan. 27, both times winning 3-2.
“It’s always a big game playing them, being our rivals and all,” Miguel said. “We started down two sets, but came back to win in five.
“As an athlete, it shows a lot of character to win like that. It shows the training, the mental focus, the ability to bring it together at the right time, to adapt and fix as a team right when you think it might be over-these are the reasons you keep playing.”
Before she became a pillar of stability and success this past season, Miguel found it hard to ride the bench her first two years on the team. In a volleyball program as dominant as the Blues, she knew she had to bide her time.
“It wasn’t always easy, because you want to play,” she said. “But the practice and the effort and learning the team’s dynamic-I wouldn’t trade those two years at all.”
Isabel Jarosz
Fourth-year in human biology and economics
As far as personal dominance goes, Isabel Jarosz has few in her league-except for, maybe, Roger Federer. The top-seeded player for Women’s Tennis is that good, having never lost a set in her four career with U of T.
In the Ontario University Athletic Championship the first team all-star kept up the streak when it mattered most. With the Blues down 3-0 against McGill in the final, Jarosz won 6-2, 6-1 to jump-start what would be the greatest U of T comeback of the year, as the Blues eventually clawed back to take their third straight league title, posting a 4-3 victory.
“The OUA finals were very exciting,” Jarosz said. “When the fourth- and-fifth seeds were down to their match points, we were more nervous on the sidelines than our teammates on the court.”
Tied 3-3, Blues veteran Ekaterina Alchits, who had lost the first set, found her self down 6-5, facing match point against McGill’s Alison Weinberg. Alchits held off the consistent and forceful Weinberg, winning the tiebreaker to take the second set. In the final game, Weinberg was unable to keep up with Alchits, as she stepped up in the final set to take a 6-3 win, and clinched the gold medal for U of T.
“We have a great dynamic. We all get along great and pull for each other, which I believe was the greatest contributor to our success.”
The co-captain of the team will be back next year in the hopes of accomplishing history for U of T. While Jarosz acknowledges her achievement in being undefeated, she is a true winner, knowing that team success comes first.
“No team has won four years in a row,” she said. “That’s something to strive for.”
Stephanie Lockert
Fourth-year in life sciences
In her first full year starting, goalie Stephanie Lockert certainly made an impression for Women’s Hockey. The stalwart between the pipes led the nation in minutes played (1,466), games played (24) and shutouts (7), while ranking third in save percentage (0.944), and fifth in goals against average (1.44). She also picked up a first-team Ontario University Athletic all-star award, as well as being named a second-team all-Canadian by Canadian Intersport University.
But she’s not done yet. Lockert will bring her sparkling resume back for another run, hoping to lead the Blues beyond the OUA bronze they picked up this year.
“I have a huge hopes for next year,” said Lockert. “We have lots of people returning, almost all of our major contributors from this year. If we can get a few rookies who can score, we’ll be tough.”
In the bronze medal game, the Blues were able to hold off Guelph in double overtime, winning 3-2. Lockert made 19 saves in the win, and was quick to highlight the play of the team in front of her.
“We have a really great defence, which makes it easy for me,” she said. “We’re so consistent defensively, and are especially strong at the fore-check. If there’s one word to describe us, it’s disciplined.”
When searching for the highlight of her season, Lockert recalled her third shutout of the season, a 1-0 victory over Laurier on Nov. 26, the second-best team in the nation. She would save 24 in the game, 11 in the third period.
“We had a slow start, which was discouraging, but once we hit our stride, we rattled off eight straight undefeated. That game came at critical juncture.
“Because of it, we were able to clinch the second place in the OUA, and with it a first-round bye, which was critical in our postseason success.”
Mark Stinson
Third-year in employment relations and urban geography
As the slot-back, Mark Stinson plays quarterback, wide receiver and running back, acting as the main offensive foil for U of T Football. And while some have taken the Blues’ record the last six years (0-41) as an embarrassment, Stinson knows the true score.
“There are those who show skepticism, there are those who ridicule, and then there are those who actually see the game,” Stinson said. “It’s unfortunate, and we’ve grown to ignore it. But we play well, and there is nothing but excitement about this coming year.”
The Blues last won in the last game played at Varsity Stadium, a 13-11 victory over Windsor Oct. 13, 2001. With U of T opening their season with a home opener at the new Varsity Centre in September, against a Waterloo team the Blues nearly beat last year, losing 28-25, Stinson is among many that believe the best has yet to come.
“My first year we had 20 first-years starting, which is unheard of,” he said. “I was a 19-year-old going against a 29-year-old from Western.
“This time, we’ve got lots of returning guys, some key fifth-year players. We have more experience this year than at any point in my career, and you can’t say enough about that-it’s huge.
“We’ve come a long way. We still have the most winning program in the nation. The tradition we have, it’s great, and we want to bring it back. And we’re on our way.”
With a new stadium in the fold, along with two Friday night games on tap next season, Blues Football is already gearing up for what is sure to be their best season yet.
“We’re the only team in the league that can say they’re already practicing, thanks to the Bubble,” Stinson said. “We’re on the right path, and I’m excited to change history.”
