They may often fly under the radar, but Dal’s competitive sports club teams consistently make their mark in their respective leagues. And while Dal’s varsity teams had a great year, a number of our club teams also had successful seasons.
Cheerleading
Starting off a great undefeated season with a first-place banner at the Cheer Blast Championships, DalCheer went on to compete against Acadia and SMU at Maritime Meltdown where the squad came out with another hard-earned first-place finish. The club headed to the CheerExpo competition at the end of March and successfully defended its title in the large university division!
Men’s Curling
As one of the top three teams in the AUS championships, the curling team made it to the CIS championship in Waterloo, Ont. in late March. Unfortunately they went 1–6 in the tournament, but the one win came against Saint Mary’s!
Women’s Field Hockey
The team had another fantastic season, putting in solid tournament performances before sailing through the playoffs to win the Atlantic University Field Hockey League (AUFHL) championship by defeating UPEI in the final game, sending them to OUAs in Brampton, Ont. Big congratulations go out to the team’s top players: Nikki Burge was named to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) All-Canadian Team for the second year in a row, Danielle Dempsey was awarded the AUFHL Gail Wilson Award, and those two players along with Sam Spooner were named to the AUFHL All-Star Team.
Football
The Dalhousie football club opened the 2014 Atlantic Football League season with new head coach Alan Wetmore and hopes of returning to the AFL title game. Wetmore, a six year CFL veteran with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Montreal Alouettes, guided the black and gold to impressive victories over their rivals, leading them to a three-way tie for second at the end of the regular season. On the basis of points, Dal would eventually place second and play UNB-Saint John at home. In a defensive struggle the Sea Wolves won 19-12. With close to 30 returning players, a promising off-season of recruiting and a set training program in place, Wetmore is excited to see the team improve next fall.
Men’s Lacrosse
Finishing the regular season with a perfect 10–0 record for its second undefeated season, and winning its fourth Maritime University Championship in five years, the team trampled the competition in the playoffs and came out on top with a 15-9 win over St. Francis Xavier.
Women’s Lacrosse
Winning the Turkey Shoot tournament with Gill MacCulloch as the top scorer, the women’s lacrosse team also went undefeated this season. “We had a very strong team this year and are looking forward to expanding the program in the future,” says coach Charlene Cisakowski.
Rowing
This year’s crew was comprised of more than 20 exceptional athletes. Both the varsity and novice crews attended the Atlantic University Championships in Lake Lochaber, N.S., placing within the top three in every race entered. These great results helped Dal clinch its second straight Lochaber Cup as the Atlantic University Rowing champions! Big congratulations to our men’s 8 for beating St. FX to win the last race of the regatta.
Women’s Rugby
This year was another incredible year for the women’s rugby squad. After beating Acadia, UNB, and UNB-Saint John during the regular season, the club went on play a hard-fought championship game against the Nova Scotia Keltics. The Tigers came out on top 17–12, winning the league for the third year in a row! Congratulations to Lysa McGrath, Izzy Dilger, Emily Nearing, Catherine Wood, and Danielle Cormier who were named league all-stars.
Ultimate Frisbee
The Dalhousie Ultimate Frisbee Club sent women’s and men’s teams to the Canadian University Ultimate Championships where they both placed eighth. Finishing up the season in early April, the teams are looking forward to seeing some new faces join and sending more teams to the national competitions next year.