Nov. 25 Brock roundup: Murphy, Ollson named athletes of the week
Women’s hockey goaltender Jensen Murphy and men’s rugby scrumhalf Devon Ollson were named the Brock University athletes of the week for the week ending Nov. 25.
Murphy, a fifth-year goalie from Kingston, backstopped the women’s hockey team to back-to-back wins over Waterloo and Guelph. Murphy made 27 saves to help the Badgers defeat the visiting Waterloo Warriors 3-2 on Nov. 21 for their second win in just seven games. On Nov. 23, Murphy recorded a shutout on the road against the defending national champion Guelph Gryphons, who are currently ranked No. 7 in the country, with 30 saves. The shutout improved her goals against average to 1.75 and a save percentage to .944, which is fourth best in the OUA. Murphy leads the league with 276 saves.
Ollson, a second-year scrumhalf, played a key role in helping the Brock men’s rugby team win the consolation final at the Canadian University Men’s Rugby Championships in Montreal Nov. 23. In three games at the tournament, Ollson scored the game-winning try to defeat Guelph 19-8 in the consolation semifinals and opened the scoring versus McGill en route to a 26-14 in the final.
Women’s basketball
The No. 10 Brock women’s basketball team holds a commanding lead on the OUA Central after routing the Laurentian Voyageurs 86-64 to complete their northern road trip Saturday.
The Badgers carry an 8-1 record into their final game of the second half when they visit the second-place McMaster Marauders (6-2) on Friday, Nov. 29 in Hamilton. The Badgers are currently on a five-game win streak.
Jessica Morris paced the Badgers with 25 points and nine rebounds, while shooting four-for-five from beyond the arc.
Sam Keltos posted 22 points and Melissa Tatti racked up 18 points and five assists.
Off the bench, Jenneke Pilling contributed seven points and eight assists, and Kyanna Thompson added five points.
Keltos posted a double-double and the Badgers defeated the Nipissing Lakers 61-41 at North Bay Friday.
“We knew coming into the game that teams like this can sneak up on you if you aren’t focused and prepared,” Keltos said. “We came into the game with our mind focused and prepared to have high energy all game.”
“Sam looked very good and Eden had a big game on the boards,” said head coach Mike Rao. “Sam is a pick and pop big, but also recognizes an inside mismatch when she has it. It’s easy to draw up plays when you have a player of her calibre.”
Eden Ferraro added 10 points and eight rebounds, while Melissa Tatti scored seven points, seven rebounds and eight assists.
The Badgers shot for 34.2 per cent (25-for-73) and out-rebounded the Lakers 51-36.
Men’s basketball
The men’s basketball team couldn’t get past the No. 10 Laurentian Voyageurs, dropping a 99-86 decision in Sudbury on Saturday.
Kascius Small-Martin led the Badgers with 23 points while Godsman Kwakwah and Daniel Cayer each scored 18 points. Cayer contributed 10 rebounds, while Small-Martin and Kwakwah combined for 10 boards.
Senior guard Tyler Brown scored 30 points and Cayer had 14 points and 11 rebounds as the Badgers team flew by the Nipissing Lakers 83-74 in North Bay on Friday.
“I thought the game went all right,” said head coach Willy Manigat. “Very similar to most of our games, but we are figuring out a way to win and not blow leads. We just have to continue get better everyday.”
The Badgers led 43-33 at the half, and would lead by as many as 17 points.
Kwakwah and Small-Martin each scored 17 and 16 points, respectively. Kwakwah secured eight rebounds while recording five assists.
Up next, the Badgers (5-4) look to rebound when they travel to Hamilton to play the McMaster Marauders (6-2), who are ahead of them in the OUA Central by two points, on Friday at 8 p.m.
Men’s hockey
The men’s hockey team will get a second crack at the Ryerson Rams when they return to Toronto Thursday.
Ryerson narrowly defeated Brock 2-1 at Mattamy Athletic Centre Saturday.
After a scoreless first period, Brock and Ryerson traded three goals in a span of less than two minutes in the middle of the second.
The Rams opened the scoring before Adam Berg scored the game-tying goal just a minute late. Former Niagara IceDog Hayden McCool’s marker would stand as the game winner.
The Badgers also edged the York Lions 2-1 as Badgers goaltender Mario Cavaliere made 30 saves for the win in Toronto on Friday.
Earlier this season, the Badgers lost 3-2 to the Lions on home ice.
“This was a grind game and the guys stuck with it,” head coach Marty Williamson said. “It was a nice game by Cavs.”
Brock opened the scoring in the second period on a power play.
Ryan Burton and Connor Brown scored.
Up next, the Badgers (9-6) return to play the Rams (10-4) Thursday.
Women’s hockey
Jensen Murphy made 30 saves to backstop the women’s hockey team to a 3-0 win over the defending national champion Guelph Gryphons on the road Saturday.
“Textbook goaltending by Jensen,” head coach Margot Page said. “She was completely dialled in tonight and we had another total team effort.”
The Gryphons poured on the pressure in the third period and outshot the Badgers 12-7.
“Guelph is a powerhouse offensively. I think we as a team felt the push from them late in the third period,” Murphy said. “They definitely started crashing the net more, but everyone did a great job moving bodies and picking up sticks which made my job a lot easier.”
Brock defeated Waterloo 3-2 at home on Nov. 21.
“Before we faced Guelph we reminded them of how well they played on Thursday and why they were successful,” Page said. “There was a lot of positive energy coming out of the Waterloo game and we asked them to carry that into tonight.”
Niamh Haughey opened the scoring at 14:23 of the first period.
In the second, Mishayla Christensen and Annie Berg scored 20 seconds apart in the final minute of the second.
Emma Irwin completed the night with two assists and Kaitlyn Colonna registered an assist.
Up next, the Badgers (5-6) return home to host their final home game of the first half versus Western Thursday at 7:15 p.m.
Swimming
Senior swimmer Gokhan Bozyigit won three medals at the deBray Divisional Championships in Guelph from Nov. 23-24.
Bozyigit, a fourth-year physical education student, won gold in the 200-metre butterfly. He also won a silver in the 1,500-metre freestyle and bronze in the 400-metre distance.
“Personally, my races in general were really rough for me this weekend,” Bozyigit said. “Due to the high levels of chlorine in the pool, my chlorine allergy got really bad, so I wasn’t able to race in my 100 per cent.”
A last-minute problem with the University of Guelph pool necessitated to a move to a smaller community recreation centre in the city, but the competition was able to continue with some adjustments to the format.
“It was a rough racing environment for our team, but even in that condition we did really well,” Bozyigit added. “Our men’s team improved their standings from fifth to fourth in the division and the women’s team was able to maintain their fourth place from last year.”
Overall, the Badgers men’s and women’s each placed fourth in the division as seven OUA schools competed.
Leading the way on the women’s side was Maggie May Smith, who brought home a silver in the 100-metre butterfly and a bronze in the 50-metre backstroke.
Jordyn Bandstra and Mara Di Persio added top-eight placings for the Badgers.
For the men’s team, Anthonie Korstanje earned bronze in the 200-metre breaststroke while Daniel Tsaiger also secured bronze in the 50-metre butterfly.
Others top-eight placings included Orhan Aydogan, Julien Legault, Michael Taylor and Steven Taylor.
Next up are a pair of small competitions at home before joining all the OUA teams heading to the Toronto Grand Prix in mid-January.
The competition is named in honour of the founder of the Brock Badgers swim programme in 1980, Herb DeBray.
Men’s rugby
The Badgers scored a game-winning try in the dying minutes to capture the Canadian University Men’s Rugby consolation final in Montreal on Saturday.
Brock defeated McGill 26-14 to place fifth in country.
The Badgers were the No. 8 seed coming into the tournament. After dropping the first game to No. 1 UBC, the Badgers powered their way past Guelph in the consolation semifinals and flexed their durability against McGill.
“This win means a lot to us, we play as a family, we are brothers win or lose,” said senior Victory Eichie, who was named the Man of the Match. “Coming from one of our worst seasons last year to one of our best this year is surreal. We owe it all the coaching staff, the athletic therapists holding us together and the strength and conditioning staff. We play a game with 15 players on the field, but our success this year took more than 50 individuals.”
The victory caps off an incredible season by the Badgers, who turned their program around after posting a record of 1-7 and missing the playoffs in 2018.
This year, Brock placed third in their division with a record of 3-3 and an OUA bronze medal to win their third medal since 2007.
Men’s volleyball
The men’s volleyball team upset the No. 10 nationally-ranked Guelph Gryphons 3-0 (25-21, 25-23, 25-17) at Bob Davis Gymnasium Saturday.
The Badgers enter the break with a record of 4-5.
“We knew this was going to be a big game and we stepped up to the challenge,” head coach Matt Ragogna said. “We always play Guelph tough and it continued tonight.”
Third-year outside hitter Logan House led the Brock attack with 12 kills (.474), and three other Badgers – Saulius Lianga, Mark Naqvi and Marcelo Correa – hit for more than .350.
Lianga recorded eight kills while Peter Schnabel and Nanle Yusuf each contributed four. Yusuf led the team with 10 digs and Schnabel chipped in four blocks.
After snapping a four-game losing streak in Waterloo on Friday, the Badgers head into the break with two consecutive wins.
Brock will host the No. 1-ranked and defending national champs Trinity Western Spartans of the Canada West Universities Athletics Association Thursday, Jan. 2 in an exhibition game.
Women’s volleyball
The No. 7 women’s volleyball team capped off the first half of the OUA season by sweeping the Guelph Gryphons 3-0 (25-19, 25-20, 25-13) at Bob Davis Gymnasium Saturday.
Brock improves to 7-2 for first place in the West as they recorded their fourth shutout of the season.
The victory was came after losing a close game to No. 9 Waterloo the previous night.
“Accountability is a big aspect of our team this year and I think we’ve been doing a really good job of holding ourselves to that,” senior outside hitter Laura Condotta said.
Condotta, who leads the league in kills per set, scored 17 kills and Darby Taylor, who is fifth in hitting percentage, added 13 kills.
Emily Armstrong contributed 12 assists per set. First-year players Samantha Casey and Aleiah Torres combined for 14 digs.
The Badgers resume play in January when they host three consecutive home games versus Trent (Jan. 17), Ryerson (Jan. 19) and McMaster (Jan. 26).
Figure skating
The figure skating team competed at the Fall Figure Skating Invitational at Carleton University in Ottawa from 20-21.
Daniella Scurto earned a bronze medal in the STAR 10 Freeskate event.
The Badgers as a team finished eighth overall as they competed in an array of Skills, Tests, Achievement, and Recognition (STAR) divisions.
Scurto also placed fourth with teammate Hayley Keith in the intermediate similar pair.
The following are Brock’s skater-by-skater results:
Bralyn Nelson (Gold Freeskate) fifth; Delaney Dunford (Star 10 Solo Dance) fifth; Hayley Keith and Shanelle Hanson (STAR 10 Similar Dance) fifth; Courtney McNaughton and Delaney Dunford (Open Rhythm Dance) fifth; Thomas Turner (Open Men Freeskate) sixth; Courtney McNaughton (Gold Solo Dance) seventh; Grace Beaman and Shanelle Hanson (STAR8/9 Similar Dance) ninth;
Bralyn Nelson and Emmeline Berger (Senior Similar Pair) 10th; Emmeline Berger (Novice Competitive Short Program) 10th.
Ringette
The ringette team won a gold medal at the St. Catharines Ringette Tournament at Seymour-Hannah Arena on Nov. 17.
Brock skated undefeated through the four-game round robin and defeated Hamilton 5-4 in overtime to win the 18-plus A division championship.
Karsen Lewis netted the overtime winner and the goaltending tandem of Karlee Sutton and Alyssa Godin led the tourney with the fewest goals against.
“The tournament was a great showing of how we are continuing to grow as a team and get comfortable with our team identity before the University Challenge Cup,” alternate captain Brienne Paterson said. “The final game was a great example of how we refuse to give up and will battle through adversity until the end.”
The Badgers outscored their competition 28-10 through the first four games.
In early November, Brock placed second out of 11 teams at the Oshawa Ringette Tournament.
The team is now preparing for their next tournament, the University Challenge Cup, hosted by Wilfrid Laurier University in late December.
Fencing
Brock hosted the largest two-day fencing event in the country from Nov. 16-17.
The 2019 Brock Open featured an array of 650 fencers competing in Ian D. Beddis Gymnasium. Divisions consisted of various age classes, clubs from Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba and New York, including all OUA fencing universities.
“Our athletes placed exceptionally well considering the depth of the competition and far better than their competitor university teams,” Badgers head coach Tim Stang said. “These results bode well for the upcoming OUA championship season.”
Sara Fellman narrowly lost a heated final bout to capture a bronze medal in the senior women’s foil.
Fellman placed third out of a field of 41 competitors as she dispatched all other university fencers.
“I’m originally from Brooklyn so my style is a little different from the other girls in Ontario,” Fellman said . “I’m very aggressive and I’m all about my attacks. I’m a very angry fencer. My style has changed a lot since I’ve trained with Tim (Stang), because I think more about my actions and I fence smarter, and better, now.”
From the men’s team, Aaron Olmstead finished third overall among 74 athletes, and placed higher than all other university fencers.
Up next, the Badgers will travel to London to compete in the Western Invitational at Althouse College from Nov. 23-24.
The following are event-by-event results by Brock athletes, including their placing:
Men’s Epee (75 total competitors)
Logan Wilford 17th; Ryan Laxton 44th; Kendel Hutchinson-Cotoc 48th; Nathaniel McDonnell 50th;
Akintola Oluwasijibomi 58th; Joey Horvath 69th.
Senior Women’s Sabre (40)
Cheyenne Nevado 13th; Wynne Reichheld 14th; Jisook Ryoo 38th.
Senior Women’s Foil (41)
Sara Fellman 3rd; Elena Testana 11th; Amber Briar, 22nd; Nica Obillo, 28th.
Senior Men’s Foil (74)
Malcolm McLeod 17th; Davin Cyr 27th; Ryan Laxton 52nd; Noah Chapman 66th.
Senior Women’s Epee (55)
Magdaline Nejman 24th; Glena Hussein 25th; Remy Slapsys 38th; Tamara Tait 41st.
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