Tigers make their mark on the 2013 Canada Games

The 2013 Canada Games wrapped up on August 17 in Sherbrooke, Que. and the Tigers were well represented, with over 40 current and prospective Dalhousie athletes participating in the games.

The 2013 Games were a smashing success for Nova Scotian athletes who brought in a record-breaking 56 medals, four more than the record of 52 set in 2009. Several Tiger athletes contributed to that total with strong podium finishes.

Jordan Bruce was the highest-placing Tiger at the Games, earning a silver medal in the triple jump with a 14.79m jump. Rebecca Haworth and James Gillis earned bronze medals in the high jump events, with jumps of 1.73m and 2.08m respectively. The 4x400m team featured Tigers Will Sandeson and Kahmall McCabe and finished with bronze in a time of 3:14:40.

The first week of the Games saw Tigers athletes compete in men’s and women’s volleyball, swimming and women’s soccer.

The Nova Scotia women’s volleyball team was loaded with seven current Tigers and two players who will join the Tigers this season, led by Dalhousie head coach Rick Scott. They started out strong with a 3-1 record in group play, losing only to Manitoba. They lost to team Ontario in the quarter-finals, despite a solid performance by Maggie Li, who had 15 kills. Team Nova Scotia ended up placing sixth. Tiger athlete Amy Appleby suited up for Team New Brunswick, who finished eighth after a loss to Saskatchewan.

On the men’s side, Team Nova Scotia boasted eight current Tigers volleyball players. They got off to a rocky start, losing all four of their first round matches. With 45 total kills, Kristen O’Brien led the team to a seventh place finish, following  a win over New Brunswick, a squad that included Tiger Pat Coolen.

Turning to the pool, current Tigers Meghan Toswell and Jeremy Ryant and newcomer Darragh Somers represented Team Nova Scotia, while Nigel Champion and James Profit represented Prince Edward Island.

Meghan Toswell: 17^th- 800m and 1500m Freestyle, 39^th- 200m and 400m Freestyle

Jeremy Ryant: 13^th- 50m Breaststroke, 14^th- 100m Breaststroke, 31^st- 100m Backstroke, 34^th- 200m Breaststroke, 37^th- 100m Freestyle

Nigel Champion: 9^th- 50m Freestyle, 14^th- 100m Freestyle, 18^th- 50m Butterfly

James Profit 11^th- 400m Medley, 11^th- 400m Freestyle, 13^th- 200mButterfly

Adelle Goodfellow and Rachel Hunt, who will join the Tigers this season, helped the women’s soccer team to a fourth place finish, narrowly missing out on a medal after losing to Ontario in the bronze medal game 1-0.

The second week of competition in Sherbrooke saw various Tigers competing in athletics, men’s soccer, beach volleyball and women’s basketball.

A total of 16 current Tigers and four upcoming Tigers competed for Nova Scotia in athletics, recording many top ten finishes.

Dalhousie runner Matt MacNeil represented Team New Brunswick with two top ten finishes, placing sixth in the 5000m and ninth in the 1500m.

On the soccer pitch, Jon Doucette and TJ Leopold, who will don the black and gold for the first time this fall, represented Team Nova Scotia, who went 2-0 in round robin competition, but finished seventh after losing to British Columbia in the medal round.

Alex Dempsey represented Nova Scotia in men’s beach volleyball, finishing eighth after a tough loss to Newfoundland and Labrador in three sets.

Madison Tompkins represented New Brunswick in women’s basketball who finished seventh after a 48-32 victory over Quebec.

Overall, the 2013 Canada Games proved to be a great showcase of Tiger talent and a superb training ground leading into this year’s AUS and CIS seasons. You can find complete results for every event at the 2013 Canada Games at:

www.jeuxducanada2013.ca/en/