Varsity Athletics | 11/4/2025 10:43:00 AM

York University Lions field hockey player Juliet Redelaar and men's wrestler Samuel Awonuga have been named the latest York athletes of the week for the period ending Nov. 2.

Redelaar, a third-year neuroscience student from Whitby, Ont., helped make history for the Lions field hockey program on Sunday at the second annual Field Hockey Canada U SPORTS Invitational Championships. After scoring twice in Saturday's final round-robin game to help secure a 5-0 win over the Dalhousie Tigers to send the Lions to the final, the 2023 OUA rookie of the year scored the go-ahead goal in the 58th minute to earn York a 1-0 win over the Victoria Vikes and, with it, the Lions first ever field hockey national championship.

The win ended Victoria's streak of six straight national titles, dating back to 2018.

Awonuga, a first-year kinesiology and health science student from Toronto, Ont., started his university career with a bang at the McMaster Open in Hamilton on Sunday. The three-time OFSAA champion formerly of Woburn C.I. won the 125kg weight class at the season-opening meet. He won by technical fall, 12-1, in the opening round and beat Algoma's Jace Anderson by a 3-1 decision in the semi-final, setting up a gold medal match with Ifeatu Melifonwu of Carleton. Awonuga capped his day by besting Melifonwu by a 9-5 decision, winning York's first gold since Topias Saari took home top spot in the men's 82kg category at the 2023 U of T Open.

Awonuga and the Lions now get set to host the York Open Saturday in the Tait McKenzie Centre fieldhouse. Admission is free.