With the fall semester coming to an end, it’s officially report card season — and the same applies to our very own Varsity Blues. With this season’s sports concluding, The Varsity presents the first semester Blues’ report card, subjectively grading each of the nine men’s and nine women’s fall sports, their season placement, and this season’s most valuable player (MVP).
Overall, it was a strong fall season for the Blues. Particularly impressive was the women’s sports, with every single team participating in the provincial playoffs or equivalent. Overall, four teams won provincial titles, one team finished second, and another team grabbed bronze.
Seven out of the 18 men’s and women’s teams competed at national competitions, of which the men’s and women’s tennis teams finished highest of any program by sweeping a pair of bronzes. The Blues saw great individual success as well, picking up seven individual awards — excluding Finals MVPs — and three coach of the year awards. The Blues also had five prestigious national all-stars and 31 provincial all-stars.
Cumulative GPA: 3.06
Men’s Sports
Men’s Sessional GPA: 2.74
Baseball
Pure domination. The Varsity Blues’ baseball team secured back-to-back banners on October 12, for an OUA-leading eighth title in program history and third in four years.
The Blues also claimed four of five major awards — with three awards being back-to-back honors. Outfield Owen Taylor secured his second straight MVP title with an astonishing .419 batting average, while pitcher Kevin Angers also grabbed back-to-back honours as Pitcher of the Year, alongside repeat Coach of the Year accolades for Head Coach Andrew Needles. Infielder Ryan Hsu was named Most Valuable Hitter. The team also grabbed eight of 12 available all-star selections. Full marks for the men’s baseball team.
Grade: A+
Season Finish: OUA Champions
Team MVP: Owen Taylor
Cross country
The men’s cross country had a steady season, participating in three provincial opens before competing in the provincial and national races. The team began the season on September 21 with the Western Invitational, where the Blues placed sixth out of the 13 teams. Rookie runner Parker Levac had a particularly impressive race, finishing tenth out of 137 runners.
The following week at the Don Mills Open — hosted by the Waterloo Warriors — the Blues had an impressive team performance, finishing third overall out of the 10 teams. Ben Shore led the line with a fourth place finish out of over 130 runners. At the 8-Kay Marauder Invitational in Hamilton, the Blues finished seventh out of the 13 participating teams.
A month later at the OUA championships, the Blues finished eighth of 15, with Adam Pralat scoring the best finish on the team at 41st place, unable to replicate last year’s bronze medal results. The Blues ended the season at the U SPORTS national championships, with sole Blues representative Shore placing 25th in a field of 152 runners. The team did not have enough racers to place a team result.
Grade: C+
Season Finish: Eighth of 15 at OUA Championships, not-ranked at nationals
Team MVP: Ben Shore
Football
It was a tough year for Varsity Blues Football. The Blues only managed one win over victoryless Waterloo Warriors in the first game of the season, losing seven straight to round out the year. Their 1–7 record is the worst for the program since a winless 2018–2019 season. The offense struggled immensely, with their total points for the season standing at 91, 40 lower than the second-lowest team, the York University Lions.
The defense also floundered, giving up 331 points — only five less than the last place team, the Waterloo Warriors, and far behind the third-worst defensive team, the Carleton University Ravens, with 245 points.
The future surely lies in the hands of the team’s rookies, such as quarterback Kaleb O’Donoghue who had a solid start to his OUA career, posting 153 yards per game — ninth in the league — while defensive back Oskar McPhie was named on the OUA all-rookie team. The team also gave York University their program’s first win since 2019 in the annual Red and Blue Bowl. A debut season to forget for Head Coach Darell Adams.
Grade: D
Season Finish: 10th of 11 in OUA Regular Season
Team MVP: Oskar McPhie
Golf
The men’s golf team had a quiet season, finishing ninth in the Guelph Fall Kickoff, sixth in the Western Invitational, 10th in the Brock Invitational, and eighth in the Laurier Invitational. The team then placed 10th out of the 14 teams with 604 combined strokes at the OUA Championships — with just six points separating them from 11th place Western University with 605 strokes and fifth place McMaster University with 599 strokes. Jordan Hutchings led the team with 77 strokes at the Brock Invitational and 145 combined strokes at the provincial championships — best for seventh out of a 70-man pool — which earned him Second Team All-Star honours.
Grade: C-
Season Finish: 10th of 14 at OUA Championships
Team MVP: Jordan Hutchings
Lacrosse
The men’s lacrosse team had an inconsistent season, going 4–6 in the Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association (CUFLA) West regular season. As the sixth seed, the team faced off against first seed Guelph University Gryphons 10–0 in the first round of the playoffs. The Gryphons were too dominant for the Blues, as the team got blown out 18–2 on October 27. The team missed the playoffs in 2023 with a 1–9 record, so a first-round exit is a step in the right direction.
Unfortunately, their par .500 regular season and a blowout playoff loss cap the team at a B grade. At 30th in the league, midfield Daniel Clarke led the team with 20 points — 12 goals and eight assists — while midfield Graham Dicken grabbed a lethal 16 goals, good for 1.6 goals per game. The Blues have not advanced beyond the first round of CUFLA playoffs since at least 2007: the last available season on the Varsity Blues website.
Grade: B-
Season Finish: First-round playoff exit, sixth of eight in CUFLA West regular season
Team MVP: Daniel Clarke
COURTESY OF NEIL PATEL CC VARSITY BLUES MEDIA
Rowing
It was calm waters all season for the Varsity Blues rowing team, who picked up seven podium finishes — three silver and four bronze — across three invitational regattas. The team then finished the OUA Championships with an impressive bronze line-up, securing third place out of 14 teams on October 26. At the Canadian University Rowing Championships (CURC) held in Victoria, BC, on November 1–3, the team placed ninth overall with no podium finishes from any senior team events. In the previous 2023 season, the men’s team finished eighth. The team also had a lone first place finish in the B-Final Men’s one-person event.
Grade: A-
Season Finish: Ninth of 16 at CURC, third of 14 at OUA Championships
Rugby
The men’s rugby team had a statistically average season, going .500 over their six regular season games. The team narrowly missed out on a playoff berth, falling just one point shy of reaching the quarterfinals. Scrum half Yuta Takahashi had a particularly impressive season, accounting for 45 of the team’s 172 points — 26 per cent of the team’s overall points and tied for sixth in the league. Lock Eric Vann was named as an OUA Second Team All Star. Considering the team went 0–6 in the 2022 season and went 2–4 last year, it’s clear that the Blues are on an upward trajectory and are a team to keep an eye on next season.
Grade: C
Season Finish: Seventh of 11 in OUA Regular Season
Team MVP: Eric Vann
Soccer
While the men’s soccer team had a fantastic regular season, the Blues could not continue the momentum into the playoffs facing an abrupt and unceremonious quarterfinal exit at the hands of the lower-seeded Ontario Technical University Ridgebacks. While the Ridgebacks would go on to win the OUA championships, the result is all the more frustrating for the Blues, considering that the Ridgebacks just edged out McMaster Marauders in the semifinals on penalties and narrowly won 2–1 over York University in the finals.
The 5–2 quarterfinal loss saw a complete meltdown by the Blues, who conceded five in a row — the Blues had not conceded more than two goals in any game the entire season — and only managed to score their goals after the 80th minute. The team’s 9–2–1 regular season landed them first in the OUA East and was the best record in both conferences.
Rookie forward Niklas Hallam and forward Andrea Schifano delivered stellar seasons, with 10 goals each, tied for second in the OUA. Head coach Ilya Orlov received OUA Coach of the Year for leading the Blues to their best record since 2016. Hallam won OUA Rookie of the Year alongside an appearance on the second All-Star team. Schifano was named on the first All-Star team alongside midfield captain Mehdi Essoussi and defense and third-time all-star Shon Siegelwachs. Schifanno and Hallam’s phenomenal seasons were also nationally recognized as the pair were named on the U Sports Second Team All-Canadian and U Sports All-Rookie Team. The future is looking incredibly bright for the surging Blues. A lacklustre final exam hindered a phenomenal season, but full participation marks.
Grade: B+
Season Finish: Quarterfinal exit at OUA Playoffs, first of nine in the OUA East regular season
Team MVPs: Andrea Schifano and Niklas Hallam
Tennis
To be expected by now, the men’s tennis team had a fantastic year. The team opened the season with a bronze medal at the Canadian University Tennis Championships (CUTC) in Montreal thanks to last year’s OUA gold, with captain Rassam Yazdi taking home a championship all-star nomination.
The Blues’ men’s tennis team are an OUA championship mainstay, reaching their mind-boggling ninth consecutive OUA final this season. The team fell 4–2 against the Western Mustangs in the championship final on October 13, falling just short of back-to-back championships. The team had only lost a single fixture all season until the finals.
Dominant doubles pair Yazdi and rookie Tamas Foldi were named OUA all-stars, with Yazdi claiming his fourth career all-star honours in four years. Yazdi adds to his overflowing trophy cabinet, which already contains four OUA silver medals, one OUA gold, a 2022 OUA Player of the Year, and a CUTC bronze medal.
Grade: A
Season Finish: Silver at OUA Championships, Bronze at CUTC Nationals
Team MVP: Rassam Yazdi
Women’s Sessional GPA: 3.37
Cross country
The Varsity Blues women’s cross country team had a solid season, beginning the semester on September 21 with the Western Invitational — where they placed fifth out of 11 teams. Blues debutante and last year’s fastest OUA runner with the Guelph Gryphons, Julia Agostinelli had a phenomenal race, finishing second out of 124 runners. The following week at the Don Mills Open, the Blues had an impressive team performance, finishing with a silver medal. Ace runner Agostinelli continued to lead the line, finishing first place, while Sarah Luedke came in at sixth in a field of 98. At the 8-Kay Marauder Invitational, the Blues slid down in the standings, finishing seventh out of 12 teams.
At the OUA championships, the Blues finished in sixth place out of 15 teams, with Agostinelli again scoring a team-best; eighth place among the century of runners. The Blues have not medalled at the OUA championships since their bronze medal in 2013. The season came to a close at the U Sports national championships, where the Blues finished in 12th place. The ever-steady Agostinelli finished in 15th place, 47 places ahead of her next U of T teammate. The Blues’ silver finish at the Don Mills Open just pushes them above their men’s counterparts, while Agosinelli’s superb individual running bumps them up another grade.
Grade: B-
Season Finish: Sixth at OUA Championships, 12th at Nationals
Team MVP: Julia Agostinelli
Field hockey
Historically, the Varsity Blues field hockey team are OUA juggernauts, winning 34 of 53 OUA titles since the league began in 1971. The 2023 OUA champions started the season with a pre-season tour of England, matching up in exhibition games against English universities and club teams. The Blues’ pre-season adventures prepped the team well for the OUA regular season, as the team posted an undefeated 9–0–1 record, the best in both OUA divisions. Unfortunately, the Blues could not carry their momentum into the playoffs, falling 1–0 in a tightly contested semi-final against the Waterloo Warriors before losing in a heartbreaking shootout against the York Lions in the bronze medal game.
Goalkeeper Deepi Gill had a phenomenal season, grabbing OUA Goalkeeper of the Year alongside a prestigious U SPORTS All-Canadian nomination. Leading the team as captain, Gill only conceded two goals the entire regular season — posting a .750 shut-out percentage — adding to her 24 career shutouts in 51 games alongside two provincial banners. Gill was also nominated as an OUA All-Star alongside Blues midfielder McKinley Kennedy and defender Maggie Mullins. After a standout season, ending the year on two narrow losses seems unfair, but the team will no doubt bounce back in the coming season.
Grade: B
Season Finish: Fourth at OUA Playoffs
Team MVP: Deepi Gill
Golf
The women’s golf team steamrolled the competition this season, scoring a podium finish in every single tournament they participated in. At the season-opening Guelph Fall Kickoff, the Blues started off strong with a silver medal win. The team then grabbed a gold medal at the Western Invitational, with Anna Foley leading the pack with an individual first-place finish. The team continued to fill the trophy cabinet by picking up a bronze medal at the Brock Invitational and a gold medal at the Waterloo Invitational. At the all-important provincial championships, the Blues grabbed their 10th OUA title in program history, beating out the Guelph Gryphons on a tiebreaker. The ever-dominant Foley grabbed the Judy McCrae Trophy as individual champion, as well as first-team all-star honours. Full marks, with the team scoring just shy of a perfect record in every assignment as well.
Grade: A+
Season Finish: OUA Champions
Team MVP: Anna Foley
Lacrosse
The women’s lacrosse team had a mediocre regular season before surging in the playoffs to grab a provincial bronze medal. The Blues managed just two wins in nine games in the regular season, but as all nine teams in the league reached the playoffs, the team had a chance to make a run albeit with a low seeding. After finishing the group stages with a 10–10 tie against Trent University and a 15–8 win against Brock University, the Blues faced off against the eventual OUA champions — the Queen’s University Gaels — in the OUA semifinals losing 23–3 in a tough blowout. Fortunately, the Blues grabbed reset for the bronze medal game, defeating Trent Excalibur 11-9 — thanks to a resounding four-goal game from midfielder Keira Gowan.
Head Coach Jesse Porter grabbed OUA Coach of the Year honours, while defender Leah Hickey was named an OUA all-star. The team’s third-place finish is the best since its previous bronze medal win in the 2017 season. The Blues are clearly on an upward trajectory; in 2022, the team finished in fifth place and in 2023, the team finished in fourth after losing in the bronze medal game against Trent. The Blues stepped up at the final despite missing a few classes along the way, and the lacrosse team continues to prove that they are an entertaining team to keep an eye out for in the playoffs.
Grade: A-
Season Finish: Bronze at OUA Championships
Team MVP: Leah Hickey
Rowing
It was smooth waters all year for the Varsity Blues women’s rowing team. Opening the season at the Western Invitational, the Blues grabbed five silver medals in the Lightweight Single, the Heavyweight Single, the Lightweight Double, the Lightweight Four, and the Heavyweight Eight. The team then secured another four podiums at the Head of the Trent, earning silver in the Women’s Single — while the Lightweight Four, Lightweight Double, and Eight teams secured bronze finishes. In their final races ahead of the provincials at the Brock Invitational, the Lightweight Doubles, and Lightweight Four teams nabbed a pair of bronze finishes.
At the OUA championships, the Lightweight Double duo of Elena Eberhardt and Sophie Corradini rounded out their impressive provincial season by finishing with their fourth straight bronze medal. The Lightweight Eight team grabbed a team-best silver while the Lightweight Four’s also grabbed a bronze.
At the CURC championships held in Victoria, BC, from November 2–3, the team did not finish with any podiums; however, the ever-consistent Eberhardt and Corradini placed a team-best fifth in the Lightweight Double race. The Lightweight Four crew of cox Katy Miller, Corradini, Eberhardt, Guinevere Reaume, and Dayun Kong also finished fifth. The team placed sixth overall, one place better than last season’s nationals. The dynamic Eberhardt and Corradini duo had a standout season, racing in multiple categories finishing the season with two silvers, two bronzes, and a provincial silver and bronze.
Grade: B+
Season Finish: Sixth of 16 at CURC, fourth of 14 at OUA Championships
Team MVPs: Elena Eberhardt and Sophie Corradini
Rugby
The women’s rugby team were dead even on the year, going 3–3 in the OUA regular season for a sixth-place finish in the league. The team then lost convincingly to Brock University in the first round of the playoffs 76–12. Brock is a historically difficult matchup for the team, as the Blues have never beaten them in their six lifetime matchups, including last year’s quarter final fixture. The team has not advanced beyond the first round of playoffs since at least 2005, the last available year on record. Flanker Emma Yang led the team in points and tries with seven tries, tenth best in the league. Yang was named as a second-team all-star alongside teammates Mary Adewa and rookie Bailey Froese.
Grade: C+
Season Finish: Quarterfinals (First Round) exit at OUA Playoffs, sixth of 10 in regular season.
Team MVP: Emma Yang
Soccer
The women’s soccer team had a solid regular season, finishing fifth of 10 in the OUA East division with a 6–3–3 record. After dispatching their Line 1 rivals TMU Bold 1–0 in the first round of playoffs, the Blues were matched up against first in the East division University of Ottawa in the quarter finals. The Blues fell to the provincial champions 2–1 in a tightly contested game. The OUA quarter finals have been a bane for the Blues in the past few years, with the team failing to advance past this stage since 2019, when the team won silver at the provincial level and bronze at the national.
Defense and team captain Hannah Chown continued to be the heartbeat of the team, rounding out her personal accolades by earning her fourth straight OUA all-star nomination with a place on the first all star team. Most impressive is her goal-scoring prowess and role as a set-piece specialist. Despite playing in defense, Chown has led the Blues in scoring for two seasons in a row and netting 18 career goals in 44 games. Chown was clutch in the playoffs, grabbing both of the team’s two goals in the postseason. Defense Cassie Chan and midfield Hannah Anderson were named to the second All-Star team.
Grade: B+
Season Finish: Quarterfinals (Second Round) exit at OUA Playoffs, fifth of 10 in OUA East regular season.
Team MVP: Hannah Chown
Softball
It was an outstanding season for the Varsity Blues softball team, as the commanding Blues secured their second straight provincial championship and third since joining the Ontario University Softball (OUS) in 2002. The Blues wrapped up their OUS regular season with a 12–6 record, finishing in first place in the East division on October 4. Thanks to the team’s victory in last year’s OUS Championships, the Blues then competed at the Canadian Collegiate Softball Association (CCSA) Nationals, held on October 11–13. After winning two and losing one in pool play, the Blues were matched against the eventual silver medalists, the Humber College Hawks in the quarterfinals. The Blues fell 10–2, and their hopes of bringing home a national title came to an end. The team then coasted through the OUS championship playoffs, going undefeated while putting up 23 runs in three games en route to the final.
Outfield Isabella Trakosas walked off the game 11–10 to secure their back-to-back banner in dramatic fashion. Rookie catcher Alexia Verches was named Finals MVP for her three hits, three runners batted in, and an inside-the-park home run performance. First-year Head Coach Scott Aquanno will set his sights on next year’s national competition, with his young team once again cementing their place as Ontario’s best. Pitcher Olivia Mather and utility Tala Rennie earned OUS Team All-Star nominations. Full marks, and a team to continue to keep an eye on next season.
Grade: A+
Season Finish: OUS Champions, Quarterfinal exit at CCSA Nationals
Team MVP: Alexia Verches
Tennis
The Blues’ women’s tennis began their season with an appearance at the Canadian University Tennis Championships (CUTC), grabbing a national bronze medal alongside their men’s counterparts. The Blues’ number one women’s player and last season’s OUA Player and Rookie of the Year Anastasiya Dyadchenko grabbed a championship all-star. In the OUA, the team had a statistically perfect season, and no other team in the competition came close. After finishing a perfect 7–0 in regular season play, the Blues breezed through the playoffs taking down Queens 7–0 in the quarterfinals; Western Mustangs 6–1 in the semi-finals; and dispatching McMaster Marauders 7–0 to defend their banner in style.
The Blues are an OUA championship mainstay with the team reaching their sixth consecutive OUA final this season. The team also picked up individual awards like there was no tomorrow — Winnie Choi received her second career Player of the Year, while Kaira Xuan notched Rookie of the Year. Choi and Dyadchenko also grabbed OUA all-star honours. The dominant team has championships in 2019, 2021, and 2023, and shows no signs of slowing down. No notes.
Grade: A+
Season Finish: OUA Champions, Bronze at Nationals
Team MVP: Winnie Choi
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