Five Brock wrestlers qualify for Commonwealth Games
Five Brock wrestlers have qualified to represent Canada at next year’s Commonwealth Games in Queensland, Australia, in April.
All won their divisions at the Commonwealth Games Trials at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, B.C.
“This was an outstanding day for the Brock wrestling team,” head coach Marty Calder said. “That is the most that our club has qualified and signifies that the athletes’ hard work and commitment is paying dividends.”
The trials were staged using United World Wrestling’s new Olympic weight classes and same-day weigh-in procedures. Many of Brock’s athletes competed in different weight classes but still managed to earn provisional nomination to the Commonwealth Games squad.
Winning the trials were Jessie MacDonald (50 kilograms), Diana Weicker (53 kilograms), Emily Schaefer (57 kilograms), Michelle Fazzari (62 kilograms) and Jevon Balfour (74 kilograms).
Other Brock medalists included: Hannah Baker, silver at 57 kilograms; Jade Parsons, bronze at 53 kilograms; Jessica Brouillete. bronze at 62 kilograms; and, Olivia DiBacco, bronze at 68 kilograms.
“We competed very well today, especially considering it was the first tournament of the season,” Calder said. “These athletes have skill, they have heart and they have passion. That is a nice mixture of attributes that often lead to success.
“We look forward to our journey this year and seeing where it will lead us.”
Other Brock results included: Ligrit Sadiku, lost men’s 57-kilogram third-place match 3-2; Chris McIsaac, fourth at 65 kilograms; Indira Moores, fourth at 68 kilograms; Alex Moher, fifth at 57 kilograms; Sam Jagas, sixth at 57 kilograms; Tyler Rowe, sixth at 74 kilograms; and, Kristina McLaren, lost 2-1 in third round of 53-kilogram division;
BROCK ROWING
One silver medal and two bronze medals helped the Brock men’s rowing team place fourth at the Canadian University Rowing Championships in Burnaby, B.C.
Matthew Finley won a silver in the men’s heavyweight single, Finley, Nicholas Heffernan, Ian Pierce, Zachary Koroll, Ryan Malcowski, Alex Roger, Taylor Ashwood, Jacob Martens and Mackenzie Boyes took bronze in the heavyweight eight, and Owen Voelkner, Ashwood, Martens, Zach Whiteley and Aurora Gordon placed third in the lightweight coxed four.
Other results included: Voelkner and Ashwood, fourth in lightweight double; Finley and Heffernan, fifth in heavyweight double; and, Eric Buchanan, 12th in lightweight single.
Brock’s women were fifth in the team standings thanks to three fifth-place finishes.
Boats that placed fifth included: Erin Corkery, Amanda Martin, Anna Maloney, Brianna Spanics, Isabella Mazzarolo, Kayla Krasnor, Jenna Osborne, Andrea Jensen and Laura Court in the heavyweight eight; Corkery, Jansen, Alicia Piazza, Katie Ayres and Court in the lightweight coxed four; and, Maloney and Martin in the heavyweight pair.
Other results included: Sarah-Jane Mambella and Ayres, eighth in the lightweight double; Mazzarolo, 10th in heavyweight single; and, Piazza, 12th in lightweight single.
BROCK FIELD LACROSSE
The Brock University men’s lacrosse team made it to the finals of the Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association Baggataway Cup final before falling 16-14 to Western in overtime.
Brock finished with an overall record of 14-1.
Scoring for Brock in the final were: Tyrus Rehanek (3-2-5); Brandon Slade (2-3-5); Connor Ham (3-0-3); Nick Rybka (2-0-2); Josh Harris, Alex Pace, Connor Brown and Jordan Gillis, single goals; and, Latrell Harris, assist.
Scoring for Brock in a 13-11 semifinal victory over Guelph were: Slade (2-2-4); Ham (2-1-3); Kurtis Woodland (2-1-3); Rybka (2-0-2); Cree Blakely (2-0-2); Brown (2-0-2); Pace, goal; and, Rehanek, Gillis and Harris, assists.
BROCK SOCCER
Two Brock soccer players and men’s coach Lucio Ianiero earned post-season honours.
Ianiero, in his second year at Brock, was named the OUA West Coach of the Year after guiding Brock to a 6-8-2 record and its first playoff appearance since 2011.
The former pro player in the Canadian Soccer League and American Professional Soccer League was also the Canadian Professional Soccer League Coach of the Year in 2000.
Earning Second Team All-Star status was St. Catharines native and Sir Winston Churchill grad Marilena Spagnola.
She played in every minute for the Badgers in goal and ranked first in games played, games started and minutes played. She finished fourth in shutouts (8), fifth in saves (84) and fifth in wins (5).
Brock men’s defender Eric Bradey was named to the OUA West First All-Star Team. The 2016-17 Brock Male Athlete of the Year is a three-time all-star.
OUA FOOTBALL
Saint Paul grad Harry McMaster caught five passes for 79 yards, including a 27-yard TD catch, to help the Western Mustangs dump the Guelph Gryphons 66-12 in OUA semifinal football action.
Saint Francis product Antonio Valvano had a 21-yard catch for the Mustangs.
For Guelph, Notre Dame alumnus Sandor Mod had two solo tackles and four assisted tackles and fellow Notre Dame grad Johnny Augustine was held to 28 yards rushing on 12 carries.
In Laurier’s 19-6 triumph over McMaster in the other OUA semifinal, Holy Cross grad Mario Villamizar caught a 16-yard pass and had a solo tackle to contribute to the victory.
OUA BASKETBALL
Saint Paul product Megan MacLeod had 13 points and eight rebounds as York topped Brock 55-46 and 11 points in York’s 69-51 loss to McMaster.
St. Francis grad Jelena Mamic contributed 10 points in McMaster’s win over York and 11 points, five rebounds and five assists in a 90-79 loss versus Queen’s.
Jean Vanier alumnus Sarah Dillon had six points and four rebounds to help Laurier edge Laurentian 81-75 and six points, five assists and four rebounds in a 83-40 romp over Nipissing.
Centennial grad Sarah Holmes had 19 points, five rebounds, five assists and four steals to help Guelph knock off Ottawa 80-66.
Denis Morris alumnus Erin Kenny contributed two points, three rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots in 14 minutes of playing time to help Windsor beat Toronto 86-60.
BROCK HOCKEY
Jensen Murphy made 39 saves, including 18 in the final period, to backstop Brock’s women’s hockey team to a 1-0 victory over the University of Toronto
Carley Blomberg had the lone goal for the Badgers, who moved into a tie for second place with 12 points and a 3-1-1-1. It’s Brock’s best start since the 2010-11 season.
In an earlier game, the Badgers lost 2-1 in a shootout to Ryerson with Amanda Ieradi netting the lone goal for Brock.
Brock’s men sit in ninth place in the OUA West Division with a 2-4-2 record following a 3-2 overtime loss and a 3-0 defeat at Lakehead on the weekend.
Brandon O’Quinn and former IceDog Mack Lemmon each netted their fourth goals of the season for Brock.
BROCK BASKETBALL
The second-ranked Brock men’s basketball team improved to 4-0 in OUA play by defeating York 101-72 (Johneil Simpson 25 points; Cassidy Ryan 24) and Queen’s 91-86 (Simpson 33; Elgadi, 20 points and 11 rebounds).
Brock’s women fell to 2-2 on the season after losing 55-46 to York (Baelie Campbell 20; Kristin Gallant 7) and 80-38 to Queen’s (Gallant, 23 points and nine rebounds).
BROCK VOLLEYBALL
Laura Condotta had 12 kills and 19 digs to power the Brock women’s volleyball team to a 3-1 victory (25-23, 17-25, 25-18, 25-23) over Guelph.
Also performing well were: Brianna Hamilton, nine kills and six digs; Darby Taylor, eight kills, seven digs and three aces; and, Hannah Davenhill, 32 assists, 15 digs and five kills.
Prior to the start of the match, Brock volleyball signed their newest recruit Christina Jovetic from Niagara Falls.
Brock’s men opened its season with a 3-1 loss to Guelph.
Leading the way for Brock were: Logan House, 14 kills and eight digs; Peter Schnabel, 13 kills with six digs; Alex Carter, seven kills, nine digs and three aces; and, Marcelo Correa, 36 assists, three kills and five digs.
NIAGARA BASKETBALL
The Niagara College men’s basketball team improved to 4-0 in Ontario Colleges Athletic Association play by defeating the Fanshawe Falcons 61-60 and the St. Clair Saints 93-78.
Levi Mukuna led Niagara against Fanshawe with 22 points and 13 rebounds, including the game-tying and winning free throws at the end of the game.
Against St. Clair, Mukuna led the Knights with 27 points and 12 rebounds. Jordan McDonald added 19 points and eight rebounds and Van Hutchinson Jr. contributed 11 points and 16 rebounds.
For his efforts, Mukuna was named Niagara’s male athlete of the week. The Hamilton native is seventh in the league in scoring, averaging 21.8 points per game.
“Mukuna’s ability to command the court the way he does is truly something special,” Niagara coach Mike Hurley said. “His ability to create and capitalize on scoring chances can give his Knights program a chance to win every night.”
Niagara hosts Lambton Thursday
Niagara’s women’s team (2-2) had a .500 week, losing 64-46 to Fanshawe and beating St. Clair 82-62.
St. Catharines native Mary Ingribelli led the way versus Fanshawe with 15 points and seven rebounds. Against St. Clair, Fonthill’s Courtney Kilyk had 20 points, seven rebounds and six assists while Ingribelli finished with 17 points, seven rebounds and eight assists.
For her play, Kilyk was named Niagara’s female athlete of the week. In four games, she is averaging 14.8 points, eight rebounds and 4.3 assists per game.
NIAGARA VOLLEYBALL
Niagara’s women’s volleyball team fell to 2-1 on the season following a 3-0 loss to the Mohawk Mountaineers.
Leading the way for Niagara was Welland’s Natasha Desjardins, six kills and two aces.
Niagara’s men also felt to 2-1 on the season after losing 3-1 to Mohawk.
St. Catharines native Kyle Thiessen was Niagara’s top performer with 13 kills.
Michelle Fazzari shot is courtesy of Wrestling Canada.
