the carillon April 15 - May 26, 2010
sports A15
2009-10 Cougars season summary Holy crap, the U of R has a CIS championship curling team!
Top row: Jarret Crowe, tartancurling.ca, Colin Gobau. Second row: Kelsey Conway, Tyler Dekok, Jarrett Crowe. Third row: uregina.ca, Kelsey Conway, Jarrett Crowe. Fourth row: Jarrett Crowe, Matt Yim, Peter Mills. Right column: Peter Mills (top), Jasmine Slinn (bottom).
peter mills editor in chief Men’s Basketball Record: 11-12, fourth MVP: Jamal Williams
The men’s basketball team had significantly higher hopes this season and it showed on the court. The Cougars finished the season in fourth place in their division, finally ahead of Brandon, and made the playoffs. Unfortunately the Cougars season was ended by SFU in three games in the first round of the playoffs. Jamal Williams and Paul Schubach completed their eligibility. Women’s Basketball Record: 20-7, first MVP: Brittany Read
The perennial CIS national championship contenders cruised through the regular season finishing first in the newly formed Canada West Prairie division. For the third-straight season the Cougars won a Canada West silver medal, but, unfortunately, that meant they suffered their third-straight Canada West finals loss to SFU. At the CIS championships, Dave Taylor’s squad, who had won back-to-back CIS silver medals previously, lost to SFU and the U of S and was forced to settle for fourth. Becky Schmidt, Stacey Walker, and Carmen Stewart all completed their eligibility. Men’s Volleyball Record: 0-18, last MVP: Mathew Brooks
The men’s volleyball team once again had a very, very disappointing season, failing to win even a single game. The Canada West is incredibly tough for men’s volleyball, but the years of mediocrity is getting old. Here’s hoping for a win next season. Mathew Brooks completed his CIS eligibility. Women’s Volleyball Record: 18-9, fourth MVP: Beth Clark
Melanie Sanford’s squad was arguably
the U of R’s team of the year this season. Not only did they finish the season 13-7 – the team’s best record in Sanford’s eight seasons in Regina – in the hardest division in the country, they played host to a playoff series for the first time since 1990, won a Canada West bronze medal, and finished fifth in the country. It was truly a terrific season for Beth Clark, Meagan Smith, and the entire women’s volleyball team. Clark and Smith completed their eligibility.
Men’s Hockey Record: 9-17-2, sixth MVP: Tanner Shultz
The U of R men’s hockey team is constantly in battle with three other teams that always have the potential to be the best in the CIS. The Cougars failed to advance to the playoffs as Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba proved far too strong. Tanner Shultz, Blair Stengler, and Caine Pearpoint completed their eligibility. Women’s Hockey Record: 7-13-6, fourth MVP: Kelsie Graham
Led by Kelsie Graham, the women’s hockey team advanced to the playoffs in 2009-10. Unfortunately, the Cougars were no match for the powerhouse Alberta Pandas and were eliminated in the first round. Kelcie McCultcheon led the Cougars with 11 goals and 17 points. Graham completed her eligibility. Women’s Soccer Record: 2-12, ninth MVP: Michelle Anderson
They won a game! Even better, they won two games! Seriously, it was a significant accomplishment considering they had previously been haunted by a 36-game winless streak. First-year Meagan Cormier provided the most significant reason for the Cougars turnaround and was by far the best player this year. One thing is for sure: With so many talented soccer players in Saskatchewan, the Cougars need to start scouting better or they will have no excuse for finishing near last every
season. Nicole Renneberg and Natalia Hernandez-Solano completed their eligibility.
Rams Football Record: 3-6, fourth MVP: Marc Mueller
The first post-Teale Orban season for the Rams was certainly a rollercoaster ride. Marc Mueller was excellent in his first season as the Rams’ starting quarterback and his team ended up sneaking into the playoffs – however, only because Manitoba was stripped of wins by the CIS. Only mustering three wins, even if they did come against great football teams, is not acceptable for a team with so much talent. Perri Scarcelli, Brandon Ganne, Sheldon Tillotson, Thomas Irving, Jon Atcheson, Mike Picken, Devin Hillier, and Bjorn Person all completed their eligibility. Swimming Canada West Ranking: Both men and women’s teams unranked MVP: Linda Duarte
Plain and simple, Linda Duarte was the U of R’s swimming team this season. She was the only Cougar, male or female, to win a medal at the Canada West championship – capturing bronze in the 100-metre butterfly. Duarte also won the ‘B’ final in the 200 butterfly, placing ninth at the CIS championship. Duarte completed her eligbility. Wrestling Canada West Ranking: Men (third), Women (fourth) Men’s MVP: Steven Schneider Women’s MVP: Jasmine Slinn
Led by silver medalists Hajar Ashtiani, Jasmine Slinn, Lisa McKibben, and Meghan King, the women’s wrestling team finished third at the Canada West championship. The men finished second at the Canada West championship and third at the CIS championship. Ashtiani, King, Chad Bates, Jarret Coels, Brian Lunde, and Bjorn Person completed their eligibility.
Track and Field Men’s Canada West Ranking: Ninth Women’s Canada West Ranking: Tenth Men’s MVP: Les Andersen Women’s MVP: Nicole Breker Interim head coach Bruce McCannel led the Cougars to their first-ever Canada West championship. The Cougars put on a strong showing at the CIS championships, led by Justin Baker, Jeremy Eckert, and Les Anderson but were only able to finish seventh in the country. Regardless, it was a great year for the men’s track and field team. The women’s team, on the other hand, settled for fifth in the Canada West and a disappointing 15th in the country. Les Andersen, Robyn Bauck, Eric Benjamin, Eric Clark, Ian Jestadt, Enyinnah Okere, and Keisha Sharp all completed their eligibility. Cross Country Canada West Ranking: first, Canada West champions
Led by amazing performances by rookie Wyatt Baiton, Kelly Wiebe, and Dale Wig, the cross country team won their first-ever Canada West championship this season, and finished a very impressive fourth in the CIS. Together, Baiton, Wiebe, and Wig won more races than the Carillon can count – or at least publish in this small section. Eric Benjamin and Melissa Petersen completed their eligibility. Softball Record: 15-2, first MVP: Shirrae Muhr
Perhaps the Cougars least publicized team, the U of R women’s softball team won the 2009 Alberta Intercollegiate Women's Fastball League championship. Curling Record: CIS Champions I am embarrassed to say, I had no clue whatsoever the U of R had a curling team. We apologize for never covering what was apparently a very exciting season. Congratulations to Brooklyn Lemon’s women’s curling team for capturing the U of R’s only CIS championship this season.
Awards Roster President’s Award Paul Schubach Female Athlete of the Year Beth Clark Male Athlete of the Year Justin Baker Female Rookie of the Year Nicole Hollingshead Male Rookie of the Year Gaelan Malloy