By Amit Shilton
Sports Editor
A- men’s volleyball
Record: 16 wins, 4 losses Playoffs: Lost in OUA semi-finals
By Ryerson standards, the men’s volleyball team’s season was a great success. But if you ask anyone on the team, the season fell short of their expectations of winning an OUA crown. In their worst collapse of the season, the team lost in a heartbreaking five-set marathon to McMaster.
The year also marked the end of an era for Ryan Vandenburg, who finished his Ryerson career and won Athlete of the Year honours for a record-setting fourth consecutive year.
Porosa will have to pull off his best recruiting job yet, having to replace Lukas Porosa, Matt Fugard and Anton Hauser among others.
C+ women’s volleyball
Record: 4 wins, 15 losses Playoffs: Maybe next year
The Jen Williams tour fell a couple of wins short of landing a playoff position this year.
Williams had an impressive season, leading the team with 248 points and 214 kills, but the rest of the team wasn’t able to buoy the squad, leaving them out of the playoffs.
The team earns this grade for having a lot of young talent, but failing to deliver. Next year should prove to garner a playoff berth, especially if second-year coach Bob Cholette earns a full-time gig.
D- women’s basketball
Record: 2 wins, 20 losses Playoffs: Not even close
Things really couldn’t have gotten any worse for the struggling Rams this year.
Losing Amanda Redhead before the season even started, the team was clearly missing that go-to scorer. Rookie Lisa Goldring provided the lone bright spot for the Rams, and will have to be the player coach Sandy Pothier builds around if they expect to improve next year.
Things don’t seem to be getting any better next year, with veteran guard Lisa Greig graduating. Pothier will have to put together an impressive recruiting class if the team wants to have any chance of staying afloat.
B men’s basketball
Record: 6 wins, 16 losses Playoffs: One game short
As the Bakovic brothers go, so do the Rams, in a season that saw several ups and downs for these young guns.
Averaging a double-double per game, Boris Bakovic represented everything that is right with the revitalized program. The rookie sensation showed several flashes of greatness, which might make him the best basketball player ever at Ryerson.
The team missed the playoffs by a single win, but showed they certainly have the talent to make a run in the playoffs next year.
B- figure skating
Playoffs: Won 3 medals but finished last
After a season marred by an arena fire and both coaches quitting mid-season, the team skated to a last place finish in the provincial finals.
The squad was able to get through it all with Ryerson’s best attitude however, picking up the OUA sportsmanship award. They should earn a C, but since my boss for the next 12 hours is on the team, the figure skaters earn a B-.
A- badminton
Record: 1 win, 4 losses Playoffs: Missed it by that much
The badminton team may have had the most impressive season of all the Rams teams.
Ko and Li scored a pair of gold medals representing Ontario at the 2007 Canada Winter Games. Li was named the provincial Rookie of the Year and Ko rounded out a solid year, winning the Ryerson Female Athlete of the Year.
B fencing
Record: Men’s foil team qualified for the OUA championships
Armed and dangerous, Ryerson’s fencing team makes playing with swords look like child’s play. They’re also not half-bad.
Horia Puscas was the team’s shining star, winning Ryerson’s only medal at the OUA fencing tourney.
The team is always looking for new fencers, so if you want to become part of Ryerson’s athletic community, join!
D+ men’s hockey
Record: 2 wins, 23 losses, 2 ties Playoffs: Need some time to develop
A year after earning a failing grade from last year’s sports editor John Mather, the team was able to double its win total from last year, finishing the season with two.
The improvement may not seem impressive, but the team’s development under new head coach Graham Wise earns the team a grade bump. Around Christmas time, Wise flexed his recruiting muscle, with several players coming out to practice with the team including goalie Matthew Spezza, the brother of Ottawa Senator’s forward Jason Spezza. For signs of a bright future, the team earns a D+, with the hope of improving on that grade next year.
C men’s soccer
Record: 3 wins, 7 losses, 4 ties Playoffs: Close, but no cigar
Even though they finished fourth-worst in the province, the past season can certainly be considered a success for Ryerson’s kicks program. The team came one point shy of cracking the playoffs for the first time in several years, but Nipissing University locked up the last spot late in the year.
Rookies Anthony Volpe and Kwame Amoateng, who were recognized as OUA second team all-stars, led the team along with veteran mainstays Radu Melnic and Frank Morelli. The team showcased several other rookies and sophomores this past season, so there is no reason that they should fall short of the playoffs again barring another upset.
B+ women’s soccer
Record: 5 wins, 9 losses, 2 ties Playoffs: Lost in first round
Coach Peyvand Mossavat must be doing something right. In his second-year at the helm, he recruited another gem in forward Tessa Dimitrakopoulos, who scored a team-high 11 goals and was name OUA East Rookie of the Year and a first team all-star.
The team may have lost in the first round of playoffs, but it should be a treat to watch Dimitrakopoulos play on the pitch with Shannon Ferreira, the team’s star who was injured all of last season. Who knows what other tricks Mossavat will pull out of his hat. The team is one superstar away from making a serious string of wins in the playoffs and restoring honour to the Ryerson name.
Leave a Reply