2013-14 Athletes of the Week
2014-15 Athletes of the Week
2015-16 Athletes of the Week
2016-17 Athletes of the week
2017-18 Athletes of the week

2018-19 LIONS OF THE WEEK presented by MUSCLE MLK
March 11

Brittany Crew, Track & Field
York thrower Brittany Crew earned two gold medals over the weekend at the U SPORTS Track & Field Championships and also made some history along the way. She began her meet on Day 1, winning the women’s weight throw with a toss of 18.78. On Day 2, Crew dominated the competition in the shot put, out-throwing her nearest competition by over two metres en route to winning the event with a heave of 17.56m. The 2016 Olympian broke her own U SPORTS record (16.96m) with the throw and surpassed that mark an incredible five times during the competition. She also broke the James Daly Fieldhouse facility record of 16.74m which had stood since 1995. Crew, who has now completed her fifth and final season with the Lions, won six gold medals and one silver medal at the U SPORTS championships during her highly decorated Lions career.

Pierce LePage, Track & Field
York track & field athlete Pierce Lepage had another outstanding weekend for the Lions as he led the men’s squad at the U SPORTS Track & Field Championships. Lepage captured two gold medals, one silver medal and one bronze in a fantastic weekend on the track and in the field. Lepage started his meet on Day 2 of the championships by winning a gold in the 60m hurdles (7.83 seconds), followed by a gold in the long jump (7.69m) and a bronze medal in the high jump (2.09m). He kept his medal streak going on Day 3, as he ran the opening leg of the men’s 4x200m relay and helped the team capture a surprise silver medal out of the B final. Lepage was also named the U SPORTS male field events athlete of the year at the annual awards banquet on Thursday morning prior to the championships and was named male athlete of the meet thanks to his dominating display.

March 4

Sarah Williams, Volleyball
York volleyball player Sarah Williams had a strong game in the team’s playoff loss to the No. 4 nationally-ranked Waterloo Warriors on the weekend. She played well both offensively and defensively, contributing the second-most points (9) and kills (8) on the offensive end while tying for the team lead in digs (7) on the defensive side. She also chipped in with a service ace and an assist, while leading the team with a 22.7 hitting percentage and finished second with 22 total attacks. In the regular season, Williams ranked fourth on the team with 2.0 points per set and fifth with 1.67 kills per set. She also finished second on the team in digs with 2.77 per set and had 14 service aces, 14 assists and ten blocks on the season.

Logan Mend, Volleyball
York volleyball player Logan Mend capped off an outstanding five-year career with the Lions over the weekend by putting on a solid performance in the team’s playoff loss to the McMaster Marauders. Mend led the way for the Lions with 35 assists to a go along with a team-high ten digs. He also contributed three points and two kills and one service ace. Mend had an outstanding final season with the Lions, ranking eighth in the OUA with 8.63 assists per set, third in service aces with 34, and he tied for first among setters with 1.3 points per set.

March 25

Brittany Crew, Track & Field
York thrower Brittany Crew broke two of her own OUA championship records over the weekend en route to winning two gold medals at the 2018-19 OUA track & field championships. She started her record-breaking weekend in the shot put event on Day 1, where she broke the record she set in 2016 (17.49m) with a throw of 17.77m on her fourth throw of the day. She followed that up on Day 2 by breaking the weight throw record of 18.75m that she also set in 2016 with a toss of 18.86m on her third throw of the day. Crew, who is in her fifth and final season with the Lions, has now won seven gold medals at the OUA championships in her highly decorated career.

Pierce LePage, Track & Field
York track & field athlete Pierce Lepage had an outstanding weekend at the OUA track & field championships, bringing home three gold medals for the Lions. Lepage started his weekend by smashing the competition in the 60m hurdles, winning in a time of 7.96 seconds. He continued his winning ways on Day 1 of the competition with another gold in the long jump, as he out leaped his nearest competitor by 31cm with a 7.51m jump. Lepage completed his trio of gold medals with a first-place finish in the high jump, clearing the bar at 2.01m for the win. He also competed in the shot put on Day 2 and finished in sixth-place with a throw of 13.49m. Lepage is competing in his first year with the Lions track & field team, but is a well-accomplished athlete internationally, winning the gold medal in the decathlon at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Feb. 19

Lauren Golding, Basketball
York basketball player Lauren Golding hit the biggest shot of the year so far for the Lions on Friday night, draining a buzzer beater to propel the Lions to a 72-69 win over the No. 4 Ryerson Rams in a huge upset. The win clinched a playoff spot for the Lions, and Golding led the way for the team with a career-high 24 points to go along with eight rebounds. She followed up that performance with a game-high 11 rebounds in a 65-53 victory over the Toronto Varsity Blues on Saturday night. On the season, Golding averaged closet to a double-double with 10.0 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. Her nine rebounds per game rank second overall in the OUA

Erin Locke, Hockey
York hockey player Erin Locke continued her torrid scoring streak in three games this week and helped the Lions to a 2-1 record. Locke netted six assists on the week and registered points on six of the Lions seven goals of the week. She recorded one assist in the Lions 3-1 loss to the Ryerson Rams on Wednesday, three assists in their 4-3 win over the Rams on Friday and ended her season with two assists in their 2-1 win over the Laurentian Voyageurs on Saturday night. After missing the first ten games of the season with an injury Locke was red hot for the remainder of the season, picking up 20 points (9 goals, 11 assists) in 14 games. She recorded points in all but two games she played in, while leading the Lions in scoring and ranking tenth overall in the OUA in points and 15^th in goals. She’s now earned the York female athlete of the week three times this season.

DeAndrae Pierre, Basketball
York basketball player DeAndrae Pierre was phenomenal for the Lions in a thrilling win on Saturday in leading the Lions to a victory over the Toronto Varsity Blues. The game was a do-or-die contest for the Lions as the winner of the game was playoff bound while the loser’s season would end as the two teams headed into the game tied for the sixth and final playoff spot in the OUA East. Pierre shot 11 of 14 from the field, played 38 of 40 minutes, and led all scorers with 26 points while also contributing three rebounds, three assists and two steals. Pierre has had an excellent rookie season for the Lions averaging 13.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game while playing a team-high 29.9 minutes per game.

Feb. 11

Kaitlin Brooks, Track & Field
Brooks led the way for the women's track & field team this weekend with a bronze medal in the shot put event at the Spire NCAA Division 1 Indoor Invitational in Geneva, Ohio. Brooks claimed the bronze with a throw of 13.68m, a season's best performance for Brooks, and she is now ranked sixth in the country and has qualified for this year's U SPORTS championships.

The Lions thrower is rounding into form after recovering from a broken foot suffered last season during her silver medal-winning performance at the 2018 U SPORTS championships. The Lions have one more weekend of competition before the post season meets begin with the OUA championships on Feb. 22-23, which will be hosted at the Toronto Track & Field Centre on the York University campus.

Chevon Brown, Basketball
Brown, a fourth-year human resource management major, had an outstanding weekend for the Lions and helped them pull off a huge upset over the Ottawa Gee-Gees on Saturday night. The Lions began the weekend on Friday with a loss to the No. 2 Carleton Ravens, where Brown contributed eight points, two assists, two rebounds and three steals while going 4 of 4 from the free throw line. On Saturday, Brown turned his play up a notch and led all scorers with 22 points while shooting 50% from field. The win was a huge one for the Lions as they beat the No. 6 Ottawa Gee-Gees and put themselves in a position to qualify for the OUA playoffs this coming weekend.

Feb. 4

Brittany Crew, Track & Field
York thrower Brittany Crew had a phenomenal weekend competing in the friendly confines of the Toronto Track & Field Centre at the York Open, earning the gold medal and setting a new school record of 19.80m in the weight throw event, erasing her own record of 19.38m she set in 2015. She also continued her dominance in the shot put event, winning with a throw of 17.16m, outpacing her nearest competitor by 49cm. Crew is the number one-ranked thrower in U SPORTS in both events and is on track for another outstanding season in the York red and white. Crew is one of the most decorated athletes in the history of the women's track & field team and returned to the Lions this season after spending two years competing internationally.

Shevonne Witter-Watts, Wrestling
York wrestler Shevonne Witter-Watts had an outstanding weekend on the mats, earning the silver medal at the OUA championships in the men’s 57kg weight division. Witter-Watts defeated Francesco Fortino of the McMaster Marauders in a tight match 17-15 to advance to the gold medal final. In the final he met up with Ligrit Sadiku of the perennial powerhouse Brock Badgers and lost to wind up in the silver medal position. The medal at the conference finals is a first for second-year wrestler Witter-Watts, as he finished in fourth-place in his rookie season last year. With the silver medal finish, Witter-Watts earned OUA second-team all-star honours and has qualified for the U SPORTS championships which will take place in Calgary, Alta., on Feb. 22-23.

Jan. 28

Jan. 21

Andrew Tauhid, Volleyball
York volleyball player Andrew Tauhid continued his strong play over the weekend in the Lions 3-1 victory over the Nipissing Lakers. Tauhid led the team with 16.5 points and 11 kills and was also strong defensively, tying the team lead with eight digs, while also contributing four service aces and one block. Tauhid has been one of the most productive players in the OUA so far this season and currently ranks second in the league in kills per set (4.03) and fourth in points per set (4.5). The win over Nipissing was a big one for the Lions after dropping the season opening game 3-1 to the Lakers on the road. The Lions improved their record to 4-5 on the season and they moved past the Lakers and into fourth place in the OUA East.    

Kayla Clennon, Volleyball
York volleyball player Kayla Clennon led the way for her team this weekend with an all-around performance that paved the way for the team’s 3-0 victory over the Nipissing Lakers. Clennon led the Lions with 16.5 points, 12 kills, 25 total attacks and 11 digs in the victory. She also tied with teammate Cadence Currie for a game-high four service aces and helped the Lions snap out of a three-game losing streak with her outstanding game. On the season, Clennon is averaging 3.2 points per set and a team-leading 2.58 kills per set. She’s also averaging 2.32 digs per set and has 14 total blocks and nine service aces so far this year.


Jan. 14

Bailey Agard, Wrestling
Agard, a rookie cognitive science major, continued her outstanding rookie season with the Lions over the weekend, winning the silver medal in the 51kg weight class. Her biggest win of the tournament came against Sam Ramono of the host Badgers, who was an OUA gold medalist and U SPORT silver medalist last year, in addition to winning the Junior national championship. Agard dominated Ramono winning 10-0 in their match.
Agard has now medaled in all five tournaments she has participated in this season, previously winning gold medals at the Concordia Open and Ryerson Open and bronze medals at the York Open and McMaster Open.

Erin Locke, Hockey
Locke, a fourth-year kinesiology & health science student continued her torrid scoring streak in two games this weekend, netting three goals and one assist in helping lead the Lions to two big victories. Locke opened her outstanding weekend on Friday night scoring the game-winning goal in a 4-1 victory for the Lions on the road against the Waterloo Warriors. She followed that up with a huge game on Saturday night, scoring two goals including the game-winner and adding an assist in the Lions 3-1 comeback win against the Laurier Golden Hawks. The Lions trailed 1-0 in the third period before Locke and her linemates caught fire, scoring three times in ten minutes to lead the Lions to the victory.

Locke has now scored nine points in five games this season, scoring at least one goal in every game she's played in since returning to the lineup after missing the first ten games of the season. She earns her second athlete of the week honours this season, after winning the award for the period ending Dec. 2. She was also named OUA and U SPORTS athlete of the week as well for her outstanding performance during that week.

Drew Erskine, Track & Field
Erskine, a kinesiology & health science student, started the 2019 strong for the Lions in his first meet of the year, winning the gold medal at the Sharon Anderson Memorial Meet on Saturday in the weight throw event. The six-foot, 235-pound third-year student won the event with a personal best throw of 16.64m, which moved him to the fourth-ranked position in Canada. His winning throw came on his third toss and he outthrew the second-place finisher by almost two meters.

Erskine has been making steady progress with the Lions since joining the squad in 2016 and won the silver medal in the weight throw event at the OUA Championships last season with a throw of 15.87m. He followed up that performance with a ninth-place finish at his first U SPORTS championships.

Jan. 7

Lauren Golding, Basketball
York basketball player Lauren Golding had a good weekend for the Lions in the team’s two games, averaging 11 points and ten rebounds. She had a huge game on Friday night, scoring a game-high 19 points and tying her career-high with 14 rebounds in the teams close 65-61 loss to the Nipissing Lakers.
 
Golding is having a solid sophomore season with the Lions after showing excellent in her rookie year. The 6’0 forward is leading the team with 9.1 rebounds per game, which also ranks second overall in the OUA. She’s also ranked second on the team in scoring with 10.9 points per game, and set a career-high in her first game of the season when she scored 22 points against the Winsor Lancers.

Scott Feser, Hockey
York hockey player Scott Feser continued his stellar season for the Lions this weekend in helping them to a 1-1 record. The Lions picked up their victory with a 2-1 overtime win over the Toronto Varsity Blues on Friday night. Feser had both goals for the Lions, opening the scoring at 5:14 of the first period and netting the overtime winner at 1:20 of the first overtime period.
 
Feser is in the midst of a career-year with the Lions, as the team captain has already set a career-high in points with 19 (9 goals, 10 assists) through the team’s first 18 games. He’s tied for the team lead in goals and is one point behind teammate Reid Jackman for the team-lead in points. The Lions currently sit in fourth-place in the OUA West with a 10-6-2 record on the season.

Dec. 3

DeAndrae Pierre, Basketball
York basketball player DeAndrae Pierre had a solid weekend for the Lions scoring 26 points over two games in helping lead the team to a 1-1 record. The point guard was excellent at both ends of the floor in the two games, playing a team-high 31 minutes in a 91-81 victory on Friday night over the McMaster Marauders. Pierre had an efficient game scoring ten points to go along with six rebounds, four assists and one steal. On Saturday night the Lions lost a close game 96-94 to the Brock Badgers, who were an honourable mention in the national rankings heading into the game. Pierre again led the Lions with 34 minutes played, while scoring 16 points and grabbing six rebounds. On the season, Pierre is ranked second on the Lions with 14.1 points per game while averaging 4.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists. The rookie has been a big part of the Lions success in the first-half of the season and scored a career-high 31 points on 12 of 16 shooting against Waterloo earlier in the season. 

Erin Locke, Hockey
York hockey player Erin Locke led the Lions to victory on Friday night with two goals against the Western Mustangs including the game-winner in a 3-2 overtime win. The win was a big one for the Lions as they upset the No. 7 ranked Mustangs in their last game before the winter break. Locke, who missed the first ten games of the season with an injury, returned last weekend and also scored the overtime winner in a 1-0 win over the Laurentian Voyageurs. Locke has now scored three goals in her two games played this year including two big overtime goals for the team as they head into the break on a three-game winning streak. Locke has led the Lions in scoring the past two seasons, racking up 11 points (5 goals, 6 assists) in the 2016-17 and a career-high 12 points (5 goals, 7 assists) last season.


Nov. 26

Kelsey McHolm, Hockey
York hockey player Kelsey McHolm was outstanding this weekend in helping the Lions to two overtime wins, a 6-5 victory over the Nipissing Lakers on Friday and a 1-0 victory over the Laurentian Voyageurs on Saturday. McHolm scored two big goals for the Lions against the Lakers, both coming in the second period. The 6’0” forward is now ranked third in the OUA with eight goals on the season and has already surpassed her career high of seven that she set last season. McHolm has been red-hot recently for the Lions, scoring goals in five of her past seven games. The four points the Lions picked up on the road trip are big for them as they hope to insert themselves in the OUA playoff picture this season.

Gianmarco Luciani, Basketball
York basketball player Gianmarco Luciani led the Lions to a dramatic 112-104 triple overtime victory over the Lakehead Thunderwolves on Saturday night. Starting his first game of the season after missing five with an injury and coming off the bench in the last two games, Luciani was phenomenal playing 40 minutes and leading the team with 26 points and ten rebounds. Luciani gave the Lions a chance to win the game by hitting a game-tying three-pointer as time wound down in regulation to send the game into overtime. He also sank an unbelievable shot from his own free throw line at the end of the first overtime which would have given the Lions the win, but the officials ruled it was released just after the buzzer. The Lions forward picked up two assists, a steal and two blocks in the game and was six for eight from the free throw line. On the season, Luciani is now averaging 12.3 points and 6.3 rebounds in his three games played.


Nov. 19

Haley Bowie, Basketball
York basketball player Haley Bowie was a leader for the Lions both offensively and defensively this week, as she helped lead the team to a 68-45 victory over the Waterloo Warriors on Friday and an 82-60 victory over the Laurier Golden Hawks on Saturday. Bowie played 28 minutes against the Warriors on Friday and was a menace on the defensive end of the floor, hounding the Warriors for 13 defensive touches, two steals and two blocks. On Saturday against the Golden Hawks she exploded offensively for a career-high 22 points on was on fire from behind the arc making good on five of eight three-point attempts. She also picked up six assists and two steals on Saturday and led the Lions to their fifth straight victory after opening the season 0-2. Overall the Lions co-captain is averaging 9.3 points, 2.9 assists, 2.6 rebounds and a team-leading 30.1 minutes per game.

Josh LaFrance, Hockey
York hockey player Josh LaFrance had a solid weekend for the Lions picking up four points in the team’s two wins. He added an assist in the Lions 4-1 victory on Friday against the Windsor Lancers and led the team with a goal and two assists on Saturday night in a close 4-3 victory over the Laurier Golden Hawks. LaFrance has been a scoring threat for the Lions all season long and has already registered five multi-point games in his 12 games played and he ranks third on the Lions with 14 points (3 goals, 11 assists) on the season. His 14 points rank him tied for 22nd in the OUA and his 11 assists are tied for sixth. The Lions are red hot right now, winning their last four games and seven of their last eight. They sit in second-place in the OUA West Division with a 9-2-1 record on the season.

Nov. 12

Katrina Collins-Samuels, Basketball
Collins-Samuels a fourth-year psychology major, was outstanding in two Lions wins this weekend, averaging 18.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 5.5 steals against the Algoma Thunderbirds and Guelph Gryphons. On Friday the squad's co-captain led the Lions with 19 points in their 74-59 victory over the Thunderbirds and the next day led the team with 18 points and nine rebounds in a thrilling 77-76 victory over the Gryphons. The win over Guelph was a big one for the Lions, as they snapped an eight-game losing streak to the Gryphons that dated back to the 2013-14 season.
 
Collins-Samuels is having a career-season so far for the Lions, averaging career-highs in almost every statistical category with 14.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 3.0 steals per game to go along with a 41.7 field goal percentage in 29.8 minutes per game. After losing their first two games of the year, the Lions have won three games in a row and sit in fifth place in the OUA East division with a 3-2 record.

Chevon Brown, Basketball
Brown, a fourth-year human resources management student, continued his great start to the season and helped the Lions to a 1-1 record over the weekend with a win over the Algoma Thunderbirds on Friday and a hard-fought loss to the Guelph Gryphons on Saturday. Brown led the Lions scoring in both games, starting the weekend with 14 points against the Thunderbirds on Friday in an 85-81 overtime victory. The guard also had three rebounds, two assists, and two blocks in the game, and did a good job getting to the free throw line making eight of ten free throws. He followed up that performance by shooting 60% from the field and going off for 24 points in a 105-92 loss to the Gryphons. Brown also picked four rebounds and three blocks in the game.
 
On the season, Brown is ranked sixth in the OUA in scoring with 20 points per game, while also averaging 3.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.6 blocks per game.


Nov. 5

Chiarra Da Silva, Volleyball
York volleyball player Chiara Da Silva led the Lions to two wins last week, helping the team pick up a 3-1 victory over the Guelph Gryphons on Friday and a 3-0 win over the Trent Excalibur on Sunday. The sophomore setter had 36 assists to go along with 11 digs, two points and two service aces against the Gryphons, and followed that up with 30 assists, three digs and two kills versus the Excalibur. Da Silva and the rest of her Lions teammates are off to a great start this season, going 3-0 through the first three games and she’s currently ranked sixth in the OUA with 8.18 assists per set so far this year.   

Dylan Carreiro, Soccer
York soccer player Dylan Carreiro was outstanding in two games for the Lions over the weekend, helping them win their second consecutive OUA championship and fifth in the last six years. Carreiro was a force at midfield for Lions in their 1-0 semi-final win over the Ryerson Rams on Friday and their 3-1 championship game win over the Carleton Ravens on Saturday, consistently setting up scoring chances on the offensive end and playing a strong defensive game. The third-year standout set up forward Jorgo Nika’s game-winning goal with a beautiful ball off a corner kick that Nika headed into the net, and then set up Nika again on a highlight-reel set play off a free kick that clinched the game at 3-1. Carreiro was named an OUA West second-team all-star last year has been on the comeback trail this season after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ACL and meniscus following the 2017 season. He missed the first four games of the year with the injury and was eased back into the lineup by Coach Carmine Isacco, starting eight of ten games for the remainder of the season and picking up three assists. He’s back at the top of his game now and will be a key player for the Lions this weekend at the U SPORTS championships.

Oct. 29

Reid Jackman, Hockey
York hockey player Reid Jackman led the way for the Lions in two wins this weekend, picking up four goals in two victories over the Laurentian Voyageurs. Jackman opened up the weekend on Friday scoring a key power play goal in a 3-1 victory and followed that up on Saturday by netting a hat-trick in a 7-0 victory. Jackman scored the first and eventual game-winning goal in the first period and added two more in the second. The fifth-year forward has been a roll lately, scoring nine points (5 goals, 4 assists) over his last four games. He’s tied for the team lead in points on the season and is tied for seventh overall in the OUA.

Amber Sandhu, Field Hockey
York field hockey player Amber Sandhu had a spectacular weekend in helping the Lions win their second consecutive OUA championship. The rookie forward scored a total of seven goals over three games in the championship tournament, besting her regular season total of four in the first game alone. She scored five goals as the Lions thumped the McMaster Marauders 16-0 in the quarterfinal and potted another two goals in the semifinal in an 8-2 win against the Waterloo Warriors. The Lions won the final in a tight 1-0 game against the Guelph Gryphons. Sandhu has been a key component of the Lions lineup all season long and was named an OUA all-star thanks to her outstanding regular season.


Oct. 22

Kadeem Thomas, Football
York football player Kadeem Thomas had an outstanding game on defence for the Lions in the Lions final game of the 2018 season, helping the team win 31-15 over the Toronto Varsity Blues. Thomas set a Red & Blue Bowl record with three interceptions, all coming in the second half, including one with 2:35 left in the game to seal the Lions victory. Thomas also had one tackle and broke up a pass in an outstanding game. The sophomore ends his season with 24 tackles and a total of three broken up passes, while his first three interceptions of the year leave him tied for fourth overall in the OUA.

Christina Morelli, Soccer
York soccer player Christina Morelli capped off an outstanding final season with the Lions by scoring four goals and adding one assist in two Lions victories over the weekend. In her first game of the weekend, Morelli scored the first goal of the game and also the game winner in a 4-3 win over the Windsor Lancers on Friday, with the winner coming in the 88^th minute in a dramatic victory. She followed up that performance on Sunday against the Western Mustangs with two goals, including the game winner, and an assist in 5-2 victory. The win propelled the Lions into second place in the OUA West standings and gives them a first-round bye in the playoffs. Morelli now has a team-leading and career-high ten goals on the season and she finishes the season fifth place overall in the OUA.

Oct. 15

Kiyani Johnson, Soccer
York soccer player Kiyani Johnson had a big week for the Lions in helping them to a 1-1 record. The forward had two shots in a close 1-0 loss to the first-place Guelph Gryphons on Friday, and filled the scoresheet with four shots, two shots on goal and two key goals, including the game-winner, against the Waterloo Warriors in a 4-0 win on Sunday. After missing the early part of the season, Johnson now has four goals in four games played with the Lions.

Jorgo Nika, Soccer
York soccer player Jorgo Nika had a successful week for the Lions helping them to a 2-0 record against their OUA West rivals. In the first game of the week, Nika scored the lone goal of the game in a 1-0 win against the Guelph Gryphons on Friday. Nika’s game winner was a big goal as the Lions secured their spot in first place in the OUA standings over the second-place Gryphons. On Sunday, Nika got the Lions off to a great start against the Waterloo Warriors, as he scored the first goal of the game in a 5-1 victory. Nika now has four goals in 13 games played for the Lions this season.
 

Oct. 8

Heather Hills
Tennis
York tennis player Heather Hills had an outstanding weekend at the 2018 OUA championships and helped the women’s tennis win a bronze medal. The fourth-year veteran lost a tough opening singles match to Adelaida Allakhverdiyeva of U of T in the tournament semi-finals, but picked up an 8-6 victory with partner Randa Hassan in doubles play. She and Hassan also won their doubles match 8-7 in the bronze medal final against the McMaster Marauders, and she also cruised to victory in her singles match winning 6-2, 6-0. In recognition of her outstanding play Hills was named an OUA all-star for the first time in her career.

Jeremy Guttman
Tennis
York tennis player Jeremy Guttman played some great tennis on the weekend in helping the men’s tennis team to win the OUA bronze medal, their first medal at the OUA championships since 2012. Guttman went 3-0 in singles play over the weekend, winning 7-5, 6-4 against Waterloo, picking up the Lions lone win against the Western Mustangs by scores of 6-0, 3-6, 6-3, and winning in the bronze medal fixture against McMaster by scores of 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. Guttman also teamed with partner Andrew Razaev to go 1-1 in doubles play. The Lions rookie was also named an OUA all-star in his first year with the team.

Oct. 1

Alycia Gray
Field Hockey
York field hockey goalie Alycia Gray was perfect in three games over the weekend picking up three shutouts in leading the Lions to two wins and a tie. York opened the weekend with a 0-0 tied against their cross-town rivals the Toronto Varsity Blues, and won their next two games 2-0 over the Guelph Gryphons and 5-0 over the Queen’s Gaels. On the season Gray has only given up two goals and has a 4-0-2 record. She has been instrumental in the team’s success this year and is a big a reason the Lions sit in second place in the OUA standings.

Matt Dean
Football
York football player Matt Dean had a solid game on defense for the Lions over the weekend and made one of the plays of the season to clinch the team’s second victory in a 34-32 win over the Waterloo Warriors. With ten seconds left in the game, Dean burst through the line of scrimmage to block a potential game-winning field goal from the Warriors to preserve the Lions victory and send the York Homecoming crowd into a frenzy. The rookie linebacker also recovered the blocked field goal attempt and had a key sack (the first of his Lions career) for a six-yard loss with three minutes left in the fourth quarter.

Sep. 24

Jaslan Stirling
Field Hockey
York field hockey player Jaslan Stirling picks up her second consecutive athlete of the week honours after netting six goals in three games over the weekend. She paced the Lions offense in three wins as they beat the Queen’s Gaels 4-0 on Saturday and topped the Waterloo Warriors (4-2) and Western Mustangs (6-1) on Sunday. Stirling scored the eventual game winning goal on Saturday against the Gaels and scored three of the Lions four goals against the Warriors. She capped off her stellar weekend with another two goals against the Mustangs. Stirling now leads the OUA with ten goals on the season, and the Lions sit in second place in the OUA standings with a 4-0-1 record.

Sahil Sareen
Tennis
York tennis player Sahil Sareen had a solid weekend for the Lions as they took on the Montreal Carabins, McMaster Marauders and McGill Redmen on three consecutive days. After opening with a loss in a tie-breaker in his first match on Friday against the Carabins, Sareen bounced back with a doubles victory with partner Pierre Spender (8-2) and a singles victory in his best played match of the season (6-4, 6-3) against the Marauders on Saturday. His victories helped the Lions escape with a close 4-3 win. On Sunday, Sareen picked up the lone singles victory for York on the day, winning in a tie break 6-4 and 7-6 (7-3).

Sep. 17, 2018


Jaslan Stirling
Field Hockey
Stirling, a disaster & emergency management major from Mississauga, Ont., got her season off to strong start over the weekend, picking up where she left off last year in her rookie season.

Stirling helped the Lions gain a tie and a win in two games on Sunday, as they began their season with a 1-1 tie against the Guelph Gryphons and a 9-0 victory over the McGill Martlets. Stirling was held off the scoresheet against the Gryphons but had three shots on goal and created a number of great scoring chances. Against the Martlets, Stirling found her rhythm and netted four goals on five shots leading the Lions to the lopsided victory.

After the opening weekend of the field hockey season, Stirling has taken the early lead in the OUA in goals and looks to be on her way towards an outstanding sophomore season.

Omar Marzouk
Soccer
Marzouk, a kinesiology & health science student from North York, Ont., continued his stellar season for the Lions last week, playing a strong game against the Brock Badgers in helping the team win by a score of 3-2.

The Lions entered the second half down 2-1 and Marzouk, who had two shots on goal in the game, netted the pivotal game-tying goal in the 60th minute. York went on to score a late goal to clinch the victory. The goal was Marzouk's fifth tally on the season, which leads the Lions and ranks tied for the fifth in the OUA.

He is also tied for sixth in the OUA in shots (16) and sits fourth in shots on goal (12), both of which lead the Lions through seven games this season.


Sep. 10, 2018


Megan Pakulis & Michela Stratton
Rugby
Pakulis, a kinesiology & health science major from Scarborough, Ont., and Stratton, also a kinesiology & health science major from Fort Erie, Ont., were named as co-winners of the York female athlete of the week as they led the Lions to a 33-19 victory over the Western Mustangs.

Pakulis set the tone for the Lions by scoring the game's opening try at 10:57 of the first half. The team captain also delivered a number of thunderous hits and used her trademark stiff arm to run through the Mustangs defense throughout the game. Stratton was all over the field for the Lions in Saturday's game, using her speed to advance the ball for the Lions and prevent the Mustangs from moving toward the York goal line. Stratton clinched the Lions victory with the last try of the game as the rugby squad evened their record at 1-1 on the season.

The try's were the second of the season for both Pakulis and Stratton, as they each scored one in the season opener against McMaster.

Colton Hunchak
Football
Hunchak, a Business & Society student from Calgary, Alta., had a record setting week for the Lions, as he became the all-time receptions leader in York Lions history during Friday's game against the Windsor Lancers.

With his second catch of the game and 126th of his career, Hunchak passed Adam Adeboboye (2013-17) and Will Austin (2009-13) for the all-time lead. Overall Hunchak recorded nine catches for 116 yards and a touchdown to helped lead the Lions to their first win of the season with a 29-22 victory.

Hunchak leads the OUA in receptions with 29 on the season, ranks fifth in receiving yards (268) and is tied for second in receiving touchdowns (3).


Sep. 4, 2018


Christina Morelli
Soccer
Morelli, a kinesiology and health science major from Markham, Ont., was a standout player for the Lions in two games last week, playing well on both the offensive and defensive sides of the field.
 
She recorded a total of five shots and three shots on goal in the two games and scored the Lions lone goal in 2-1 loss to the Laurier Golden Hawks on Friday night. The team captain's strong defensive play also helped the Lions preserve a 1-1 tie against the defending OUA champion Guelph Gryphons two nights earlier.
 
After four games in the 2018 season, Morelli leads the Lions in shots (10), and is tied for first in shots on goal (6) and goals (2).

Maurizio Ragone
Soccer
Ragone, a psychology student from North York, Ont. had a big week for the Lions, scoring two goals and recording seven shots and five shots on goal in two games.
 
On Wednesday he scored a clutch game-winning goal in the 88th minute against Guelph to lead the Lions to a 3-2 victory over one of their top rivals. He followed up that performance two days later by registering a team-high four shots on goal and again scored the game-winning goal in 4-0 victory over Laurier. The two wins give the Lions a 3-0-1 record on the season and they are now undefeated in their last 17 regular season games.
 
Ragone's two markers this week leave him tied for second on the team in goals and he is also second on the team in shots (9) and tied for first in shots on goal (6).


Aug. 27, 2018


Sia Papadopoulos
Soccer
Papadopoulos, a Communications Studies student from Maple, Ont., led the Lions offensive attack in two games over the weekend with two goals and one assist.
 
She picked up an assist in the Lions opening night loss to the Western Mustangs on Friday and scored two key goals in a 3-1 win against the Windsor Lancers on Sunday. After the Lions fell behind 1-0, Papadopoulos evened the score at one just before half time and followed that up with the eventual game winner early in the second half. Papadopoulos also fired four shots on goal over the two games and is tied for third in the OUA in goals after the opening weekend of the 2018 season.
 
Papadopoulos has now scored four goals and seven assists in 12 career games in OUA play. 
She will be back in action with the rest of her teammates on Wednesday night when the Lions host the Guelph Gryphons at 6pm at Alumni Field.

Brett Hunchak
Football
Hunchak, an interdisciplinary social science major from Calgary, Alta., threw for 370 yards and two touchdowns against the Queen's Gaels on Sunday afternoon.
 
The fourth-year pivot completed 33 of 49 passes in the season opener, good for a 67% completion percentage. He now ranks first in the OUA in completions and attempts after Week 1 and sits third in passing yards. Behind Hunchak, the Lions started strong against a Queen's team that ranked sixth in the OUA in points allowed last season. They led for much of the first half before Queen's pulled away in the fourth quarter to pick up the victory.
 
Hunchak currently ranks second all-time in York history in passing yards and could break the record in the Lions next game against on the road against the Guelph Gryphons on Monday Sept. 3 at 1pm.