October was packed full of Varsity Club action, with 15 different teams earning a bevy of team and individual accolades. Cycling, Field Hockey, Women’s Lacrosse, and the Ultimate teams had especially big months.

Cycling retains possession of University Cup

The Queen’s Cycling team had a statement win at the end of Cup Race #4 as they emerged victorious with a cumulative total of 1,724 points throughout all four races.

The Gaels launched themselves into the gold medal position, leaving their closest competition, the University of Toronto (1,077 points) in the dust. The third place Guelph Gryphons proved no match for the Gaels, trailing by more than 1,100 points with a final total of 518.

Queen’s Eric Yuyitung of the Men’s B division finished with the most individual points overall, tallying a striking total of 200 points. Fellow Gael Andrew Jonker of the Men’s A division wasn’t far behind, claiming the second-most individual points with 195.

Another outstanding performance by Queen’s Kaitlyn Shikaze of the Women’s A division resulted in Shikaze taking home the title of most individual points overall by a female with 175.

The Gaels look forward to trying to keep the University Cup in possession for a third straight year in the 2020 season.

Women’s Field Hockey sweeps OUA consolation playoffs

After finishing the season with a 6-8-0 record, the field hockey team traveled to the OUA Championships on a mission to prove themselves.

The women caught a tough break in their first-round playoff game against Waterloo. They were tied 2-2 after regulation, forcing them to go into a shootout. The Gaels eventually fell 3-2, sending them to the consolation playoffs.

The Gaels dominated the McMaster Marauders in the semi-finals of the consolation playoffs, handing them a 6-0 loss. The momentum didn’t abate in the consolation finals as Queen’s fought to a 5-2 victory against McGill, earning a well-deserved fifth place finish.

There were also some individual accolades handed out. Freshman Abigail Janssen was honoured with the OUA Rookie of the Year, while teammate Isabelle Mastantuono was named an OUA All-Star.

Women’s Lacrosse wins silver medal at OUA Championship, five Gaels receive OUA honours

Looking to defend last year’s provincial title, the women’s lacrosse team travelled to Ontario Tech University to compete in the 2019 OUA Championship, coming into the tournament with a 10-3 regular season record.

Queen’s showed their stuff in a stellar quarterfinals performance, resulting in a 12-4 win against the McMaster Marauders. Former Queen’s Rookie of the Year Kiah Shanks was named the game’s MVP for her four-goal effort.

The team kept winning as they overpowered the Western Mustangs in an 11-7 semi-final win. Jordan Kummer was named game MVP as her three goals and two assists paced Queen’s offence.

The Gaels found themselves in the OUA finals once again. However, the Trent Excalibur proved too strong, and the Gaels fell, 10-7.

The Gaels’ silver medal was complemented by five Gaels who received individual honours from the OUA. Kiah Shanks, Annie Lloyd, Emily Arkell, and Amelia Piccone were named first team all-stars, while Jordan Kummer was honoured as a second team all-star.

Women’s Ultimate wins a national silver medal, Men’s Ultimate fails to repeat

The ultimate teams traveled to Brampton, Ontario to compete in the Canadian University Ultimate Championships after they both received an automatic spot in nationals based off of their regular season tournament performances.

The women dominated on their way to the finals, where they were pitted against the University of Toronto. The Gaels put up an aggressive fight, but ultimately lost a nail-biter, 11-10.

Wynne Gee had a notable performance, racking up a total of 21 points throughout the tournament. Close behind were teammates Jessie Chen and Lana Ramic with 20 points each, and Victoria McCann with a total of 19.

Looking to claim the gold medal for the second year in a row, the men met their match in a tough semi-final battle against Ryerson and fell 12-10 to the Rams. The upset continued as the Gaels saw the same results in the bronze-medal game against the Laval Rouge et Or, losing 12-10 once more and claiming a fourth-place finish.

Brothers James and Wilkie Lewis, a senior and a freshman respectively, led the Gaels in individual points. James notched 20 and Wilkie finished with 16.

Other notable October performances:

Baseball (M)

• OUA Championship results
  • 2-1 in playoffs
  • 4-3 loss in Wildcard round against the Carleton Ravens

Fastpitch (W)

• 10-6 regular season finish
• OWIFA results
  • 8-2 loss in the first round of playoffs against the University of Toronto
  • 10-2 loss in the consolation playoffs against the Laurier Golden Hawks

Fencing (M/W)

• Hosted Hugh Munby Open Fencing Tournament on Oct. 26 to 27
  • Results
    • Gold Medal: Alex Sun, first-year (Men’s Sabre)
    • Bronze Medal: Caroline Whitehead, first-year (Women’s Sabre)
    • Bronze Medal: Emily Mason, second-year (Women’s Epee)

Lacrosse (M)

• 4-6 regular season finish

Sailing (W/M)

• Queen’s claims the overall 2019 CICSA Championship title for the first time since 2017 after a second-place finish at the RMC Invitational.

Squash (M)

• 2-1 current season record

Wrestling (M/W)

• Concordia Invitation results (Oct. 27^th)
  • 2^nd place finish: Karly Kundrinko, 59 kg women’s weight class
  • 6^th place finish: William Ye, 61 kg men’s weight class
  • 7^th place finish: Sam Keary, 82 kg men’s weight class