Women’s Rugby, Field Hockey Teams Win Medals at Nationals
November 05, 2012 - Campus Bulletin
The University of Guelph’s women’s rugby and field hockey teams won silver and bronze medals respectively at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) championships on Sunday.
The women’s ruby team played in the gold-medal match in Antigonish against St. Francis Xavier University. They took the silver medal after dropping the match 37-0.
“It was tough; I don’t think the score shows how good Guelph really played,” said Mike Cavanagh, St. Francis Xavier’s head coach. “The first half was touch-and-go right until the break. Guelph played like the champions they are, so it was a tough game.”
Gryphon Tyson Beukeboom, a fourth-year student, was named championship MVP.
The women’s field hockey team won the bronze medal after beating the University of Western Ontario 3-1 during the third-place match at the CIS championships in Toronto.
It is the team’s third consecutive CIS bronze medal in its fifth straight appearance in the third-place match. Guelph has competed for a national medal in each of the last six seasons since earning silver in 2007.
“It was all heart and desire, and there was no way our kids were going to lose today,” said head coach Michelle Turley. “I am thrilled for all of my senior players to be able to come away with another medal. Every year they have been on the team, we have been at nationals.”
U of G’s Brittany Seidler was named CIS player of the year prior to the championship.
In addition, U of G student Mark Henry won two silver medals at the Canadian University Rowing Championships this past weekend in the heavyweight men’s single event and in the lightweight single event. Overall, the Gryphon women finished sixth and the men seventh out of 20 universities from across the country.
Still to come, the women’s and men’s cross-country teams will compete at the CIS championships this weekend.
It has been a record-breaking season for U of G’s varsity athletic teams. For the first time in U of G sports history, all of the varsity teams made the Ontario University Athletics playoffs.
“It is unusual and quite exceptional that one school would have every one of its teams compete at a level where every team has made a conference playoff,” said Tom Kendall, director of athletics.
“It just doesn’t happen — until now — and it’s a testament to the commitment of our athletes and to our coaches.”
