OUA Archives - Queen's Journal

Everything to know about the return of varsity sports and recreation at Queen’s

Written on January 28, 2022. Posted in Sports.

Both varsity athletes and recreationally active students have lots to look forward to following recent return-to-sport announcements from Ontario University Athletics (OUA) and Athletics and Recreation (A&R). On Jan. 21, the OUA announced updated timelines for training and competition, stating...

How each OUA team got its name: Part one

Written on January 28, 2022. Posted in Sports.

At its inception in 1906, the Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union (CIAU)—the first formal Canadian intercollegiate athletics league, now known as the OUA—had only four members. Over a hundred years later, following a rich history of intercollegiate competition between schools across Ontario, that...

How are varsity athletes dealing with the OUA’s pause on sport?

Written on January 21, 2022. Posted in Sports.

Almost two years on, the pandemic is still disrupting the schedules of varsity athletes. Following a surge in province-wide COVID-19 cases in December, the Ontario University Athletics association (OUA) extended the varsity mid-season break from Jan. 6 until Jan. 24 at the earliest—effectively pausing...

OUA anti-racism report shows disproportionate representation in coaches and administrators

Written on November 5, 2021. Posted in Sports.

This week, the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) and the Indigeneity, Diaspora, Equity and Anti-racism (IDEA) in Sport Research Lab released their Anti-Racism Report to address racism in varsity sports. Largely inspired by the experiences and recommendations of the conference’s Black, Biracial, and...

OUA and U Sports announce new broadcasting agreements with CBC

Written on October 7, 2021. Posted in Sports.

As of Oct. 1, the OUA and U Sports are both partnered with CBC Sports for coverage of select collegiate sporting events from now until 2025. The agreements—which were signed on Sep. 20 and Oct. 1 for U Sports and the OUA, respectively—have notable differences in scope, but both ultimately mean digital...

Queen’s to participate in new bursary for Black and Indigenous student-athletes

Written on September 24, 2021. Posted in Sports.

Queen’s University announced it will participate in a new financial program supporting Black and Indigenous student-athletes. The program, the Black or Indigenous Heritage Student-Athlete (BIHS) Bursary, was recently announced by Ontario University Athletics (OUA) as a two-year pilot project intended...

OUA announces adjusted structures and schedules for 2021-22 season

Written on July 12, 2021. Posted in Sports.

On Jun. 23, Ontario University Athletics (OUA) announced approved structures for the 2021-22 season in a recent update regarding the organization’s plans to return to sport this fall. The adjusted structures were developed to best maintain the health and safety of OUA participants. They apply to both...

Women’s soccer aiming for return to form

Written on July 8, 2019. Posted in Sports.

The women’s soccer team had a promising season last year that ended on a sour note with matches conceded to Western and then McMaster, placing fourth in the Final Four. Despite the disappointing finish, the silver lining is that an already-strong young core has had an extra year to develop and gain...

Homecoming changes mean safer students (and horses)

Written on March 5, 2019. Posted in Editorials.

Ontario University Athletics’ (OUA) recent restructuring of Homecoming football games will cut down on horses slapped and cars flipped without diminishing Queen’s students’ love of the alumni-centred festivities. Last week, the OUA announced they’ll be scheduling Homecoming football games at Ontario...

Women’s squash wins fifth straight OUA title

Written on February 14, 2019. Posted in Club Sports, Sports.

Few teams at Queen’s understand dominance better than the women’s squash team. This past weekend, the Gaels defended their OUA banner for the fifth consecutive year, sweeping the tournament competition 42-0. The men’s team finished with a silver medal behind the Western Mustangs, who claimed their...

Swimming team picks up three medals at OUA Championships

Written on February 14, 2019. Posted in Club Sports, Sports.

The Queen’s swimming team didn’t quite blow their competition out of the water this weekend—but they came close. At the swimming OUA Championships this past weekend, hosted by Brock University in St. Catherine’s, Ont., the Gaels saw steady improvement over previous seasons’ performances. After...

Gabriel DeGroot named new head coach

Written on May 28, 2018. Posted in Sports.

For the first time since 1987, men’s volleyball will be seeing a fresh face pacing the sidelines—though it won’t be an entirely unfamiliar one. On Apr. 24, Queen’s Athletics announced that Gabriel DeGroot, who served as an assistant coach with the Gaels since 2010, will assume the team’s role of...

A deep dive into Queen's athletics attendance rates

Written on September 14, 2017. Posted in Sports.

If you’ve attended a Queen’s sporting event within the last decade, often times you’ve probably found yourself in a similar predicament: ‘There’s so many seats I don’t even know which one to take.’ Up until the mid-2000s, drawing crowds into a campus stadium was never a problem. Mervin Daub, a...

Gaels victorious over Lancers at NBA-All Star Weekend

Written on February 13, 2016. Posted in Sports.

Women’s basketball shone through with an impressive victory under the bright lights of an OUA Showcase event at the NBA All-Star Weekend in Toronto. The Gaels came out with a 61-40 win over the five-time defending national champion Windsor Lancers at Toronto’s Enercare Centre during the NBA Centre...

The rich get richer

Written on September 19, 2014. Posted in Sports.

There’s a parity problem in OUA football and not much can be done about it. Last weekend, all five of the conference’s football games were won by 20 or more points, including the Toronto Varsity Blues’ 70-0 shellacking of the York Lions. The week before, York lost 61-0 to a Western Mustangs squad...

The realignment game

Written on July 29, 2014. Posted in Sports.

Over 33 years as head coach of the women’s basketball program, Dave Wilson has seen his fair share of divisional alignments. The most recent realignment for OUA basketball will come into effect this season. The conference will switch from a two-division set-up to four, with Queen’s playing in the...

Division decisions

Written on June 24, 2014. Posted in Sports.

There’s a disturbing lack of consistency within the OUA as to how teams are aligned in different sports. With last month’s expansion to four divisions in both men’s and women’s basketball, the conference needs to examine how teams in other sports are aligned. There’s no real logic in the geographical...

Sports in brief

Written on May 27, 2014. Posted in Sports.

Pair of teams announce recruits One team coming off an early playoff exit named their new recruits last month, while a squad that finished one win shy of a title did the same. Men’s volleyball added outside hitters Ben Harper and Dylan Hunt, as well as setter Joraver Sangha. All three have trained...

Gaels lose Yates Cup in blowout

Written on November 9, 2013. Posted in Sports.

LONDON, Ont. – With a chance to win their first Yates Cup since 2009, Queen’s fell flat in the OUA championship. The Western Mustangs affirmed their status as the country’s top team, cruising to a 51-22 victory at home to win their 30th Yates Cup. After kicker Dillon Wamsley hit a 30-yard field goal...

Women's rugby wins OUA championship

Written on October 26, 2013. Posted in Sports.

Women’s rugby claimed their first-ever OUA championship today, ending the Guelph Gryphons’ five-year reign atop the OUA. Queen’s triumphed over Guelph 19-15 on the road this afternoon, avenging a heart-wrenching 10-6 defeat in last year’s championship game. With the victory, the Gaels not only won...

Yates or bust

Written on September 5, 2013. Posted in Sports.

Gauging Queen’s competition for the 2013 Yates Cup. Click here to see the graphic.

Ranking the top varsity moments

Written on April 4, 2013. Posted in Sports.

Freezing Gold Queen’s rowing thrived under hostile conditions. The women’s team overcame high winds, whipping rain and below-zero temperatures to win the OUA championship in St. Catharine’s. The women’s team bested gold medal favourites Western and Brock, while Queen’s men finished third. Despite...

Sisters skate to gold and silver

Written on February 14, 2013. Posted in Sports.

The Queen’s-Western rivalry was in full swing at the OUA figure skating championships. Queen’s took home the silver medal, leaving the Mustangs with their third consecutive provincial title. No one experienced the Queen’s-Western competition this year like Gaels skater Elizabeth Liao, whose twin sister...