Another eventful season has passed for Varsity Blues teams. Overall, the teams won eight Ontario University Athletics (OUA) championship titles and one Canadian Intercollegiate Sports (CIS) title. Blues athletes received numerous honours, while the coaches also won many other awards.

Track and field

The women’s track and field team was simply spectacular this spring. The team dominated both the OUA and the CIS championships. This was the team’s first OUA title since 2004 and first CIS title since 1998.

Leading the team was Sasha Gollish, who won two gold medals and two silver medals at the national championship after winning two gold medals at the OUAs. She was later named the CIS female Outstanding Athlete of the Meet and was Varsity Blues T-Holders’ Female Athlete of the Year.

The team’s head coach Carl Georgevski deservedly claimed the CIS women’s track and field Coach of the Year award. The 2014–2015 season was definitely a season to remember for the women’s track and field team, and they will look to build on this success next season.

Swimming

The Blues had equally impressive success in the pool. Both the men’s and women’s swimming teams won the OUAs and competed extremely well in the CIS championships.

The men’s team claimed its twelfth consecutive title, which is also the OUA-leading sixty-third in its history. Eli Wall, a sophomore standout, was honoured as the CIS Male Swimmer of the Year after winning two gold medals. He was also named Varsity Blues T-Holders’ Male Athlete of the Year. The team placed second in the CIS championships.

The women’s team also won its second consecutive OUA title. Rookie swimmer Kylie Masse won three awards at the OUAs — the Dr. Jeno Tihanyi Award, Rookie of the Meet, and the Swimmer of the Meet.

Another notable athlete is veteran Paige Schultz, who received the CIS Student-Athlete Community Service Award after earning three fourth-place finishes and competing for two bronze medals. She also claimed three gold medals at the OUAs.

This triumph was not only due to the excellent athletes, but also the coach of both teams, Byron MacDonald. He received his second-straight OUA Coach of the Year award after leading both teams to their respective titles.

As revealed by all the success this year, the future looks bright for the Varsity Blues swimming teams with their strong young swimmers.

Water polo

Both the men’s and the women’s water polo teams also won the OUAs. The men’s team has claimed nine titles in the past 13 years and a total of 30 in the team’s existence.

Michael Chapman and Sever Topan were named 2014 OUA all-stars. Additionally, Vlad Tasevski, the head coach, won the OUA Coach of the Year award.

Matching the men’s team, the women’s team held onto its OUA title, which is the fourth in the past seven years. What was more impressive about this title was that they had a perfect season, going 8 – 0 and dominating the pool.

Emily Bidinosti was awarded the Roy Gunnell Trophy for championship MVP while her coach, George Gross Jr., earned Coach of the Year honours.

Field hockey

On the field, the women’s field hockey team had an excellent season as it comfortably clinched the OUA title, its third in the past four years. The team also competed well at the CIS championships held on home turf. Going into the finals, the team was undefeated with a 17–0 record for the year. In the end, the team’s streak was broken with a loss to the University of British Columbia.

Many athletes received awards, including CIS Player of the Year Amanda Woodcroft. Head coach John DeSouza was named the Coach of the Year as well. While it was not an ideal ending to a perfect season, the Blues team is looking to continue its success next year.

Volleyball

The women’s volleyball team faced a heartbreaking conclusion to a wonderful season. They eased through the OUA competition with an 18 – 1 record and took the title. The team had high hopes going into the CIS championships as they marched on to the semi-finals on home court. Heartbreakingly, the team lost in the final set, and they repeated the same performance in a final set loss in the bronze-medal game. The fourth-place finish was its first since 2001.

The women’s golf team claimed its third consecutive OUA title, with Sarah Dunning winning gold and Ana Peric earning silver. Coach Dave Woods also won the Coach of the Year honours.

Fencing

The men’s fencing team finished second at the OUAs led by the rookies William Kinney and Tommy Liu. They combined to defend the men’s sabre title after facing one another in the final, where Kinney came out on top. The team appears to be in a good position to fight for the OUA title next season.

Fastpitch

Finally, the women’s fastpitch team finished the playoffs in fourth place after not making the playoffs for two years. This shows a sign of bright future with young talent leading the team.