With 14 teams competing this fall, there was rarely a break in the Tigers action. Some seasons have already ended—such as cross country and soccer—while others have only just begun, like track & field. But with the term finishing up, it’s a good moment to highlight a few special team and individual accomplishments from this fall. These outstanding efforts deserve one more round of applause.
Women’s soccer crowned AUS champions
After a 10-year wait the women’s soccer team is once again able to raise the Atlantic University Sport (AUS) championship banner. Despite the fact that this season’s squad featured 13 new faces, the team came together quickly to be a competitive force in league play. Dal finished the regular season in third place and then won three hard-fought battles against UNB (2-0), SMU (3-2) and finally UPEI (2-0) for the 2011 AUS title. Defender Kristy MacGregor-Bales, netminder Taryn McKenna, and midfielders Rieka Santilli and Joanna Blodgett were all named AUS all-stars for their incredible performances on the field.
Women’s cross country takes 19th AUS title
For the second year in a row the women’s cross country team was able to best league rivals StFX to earn the AUS title. Holly Van Gestel led the way for the Tigers with a first-place finish and was closely followed by teammates Ashley Ryer, Ashley Chisholm, Cara Groves and Ellen Chappell who all placed in the top 10. At the awards banquet Ms. Van Gestel was named the AUS Athlete of the Year, Ms. Chappell earned distinction as the AUS Rookie of the Year, Ms. Ryer received the AUS Community Service Award and head coach Heather Hennigar was honoured as the AUS Coach of the Year.
Close calls for championship titles
Both the men’s cross country and men’s soccer teams came tantalizingly close to AUS championship titles this fall. The cross country team fell short with a second place finish and the soccer team lost a nail-biting semifinal game 2-1 to UPEI. Both teams will return the majority of their players in 2012 with excellent chances at another run for their respective AUS titles. AUS all-star Matthew McNeil led the cross country team with a third place finish On the soccer team keeper Ben Ur, midfielder Bezick Evraire and defender Wes Hawley were named AUS all-stars and Ontario native Mr. Evraire was also named the AUS Rookie of the Year.
Swimming’s CIS qualifiers
The Dalhousie swim teams have had an incredible start to their season and to date have already qualified a record number of swimmers for the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) championships set to take place in Montreal next February. Hats off to the following 17 qualifiers from the women’s team: Megan Bernier, Michelle Campbell, Emma Corriveau, Paige Crowell, Julia Gow, Alison Grant, Rhea Hurnik, Mary Claire Lynch, Ceilidh MacPherson, Keishia Mills, Audrey Prayal-Brown, Gemma Regan, Rachel Shin, Kate Webster, Molly Wedge, Leanne Wiese, and Emily Wood. On the men’s side 11 athletes have qualified for the national contest including Simon Boilard, Bryan Fumerton, Robin Grant, Kit Moran, Matt Piggott, Chris Reith, David Sharpe, Cameron Shin, Dmitry Shulga, Joe Ur and Kyle Watson. Dalhousie will host the AUS championships at Dalplex from February 10-12.
Daniel You named one of the CIS Top 8
Dalhousie is well-known for its outstanding academics, and volleyball athlete Daniel You knows a thing or two about performance in the classroom. Last year Mr. You achieved a perfect 4.3 GPA in the science program and earned national recognition as a CIS Desjardins Top 8 Academic All-Canadian. This means that the had the highest GPA among all male athletes in the AUS and earned distinction as one of the top eight student-athletes in Canada. A three time Academic All-Canadian, Mr. You is in his fourth year and hails from Calgary, Alta. Read more about Daniel You's accomplishments in this Dal News profile.
Jocelyn LeBlanc becomes women’s hockey career points leader
Fifth-year forward and assistant captain Jocelyn LeBlanc became the new women’s hockey Dalhousie career points record holder on October 23. The Moncton, N.B. native currently holds the record with 134 points from 77 goals and 57 assists in 95 games. She'll be looking to increase her record as 13 games remain this season. Previously the record was held by Newmarket, Ont. native Kim Carcary (2004-09) at 122 points.
If you are interested in catching any of the Tigers in action make sure to check out the schedule at www.daltigers.ca for news on upcoming home games in the new year.