By Gavin Axelrod
Ontario University Athletics (OUA) and U Sports announced new dates for its conference and national championships this week, after schedules for university athletics in Ontario and across the country were impacted by the latest wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The OUA announced on Tuesday that 11 conference championship events have been moved to between Feb. 25 and March 26. Key dates include the trio of the Quigley Cup (women’s volleyball), Forsyth Cup (men’s volleyball) and McCaw Cup (women’s hockey) being competed for on March 19. The Critelli Cup (women’s basketball), Wilson Cup (men’s basketball) and Queen’s Cup (men’s hockey) will all be on the line March 26.
“We are thrilled to be back playing in the OUA and look forward to providing a quality experience for our student-athletes that culminates in our winter championships,” said OUA president and CEO Gord Grace in a statement posted to the conference’s website.
While Tuesday’s announcement was good news for most OUA sports, five championships are still in the process of having their dates finalized. This includes the likes of wrestling, badminton, men’s curling, men’s fencing and figure skating, which the OUA said will be announced at a later date.
The OUA also said details on all league playoff formats will be announced in the coming days. A full list of OUA championship dates can be found here.
In addition to the OUA’s announcement, U Sports—the governing body of Canadian university sport—announced changes to its national championship schedule on Wednesday.
“We are pleased that everyone has come together to find an opportunity to offer U Sports championships in 2022 to our student-athletes, teams and fans,” said U Sports interim CEO Dick White in a statement on the U Sports website Wednesday afternoon.
Six national championships were rescheduled, while the March 25 to 27 dates for men’s and women’s volleyball, as well as the March 24 to 27 dates for women’s hockey, remain unchanged. Prior to the change, this year’s winter national championships had been slated to end on March 27. After Wednesday’s announcement, men’s and women’s basketball and men’s hockey will push the schedule back to April 3.
Along with the announcement of new dates for some of its national championships, U Sports also said event and broadcast schedules will be announced in the coming weeks. National championships will be shown on CBC, after it became the organization’s English-language digital broadcast partner in September 2021.
Wednesday’s announcement by U Sports also indicated the event schedules are subject to change due to COVID-19 and conference participation.
Back at Ryerson University, the Rams and the rest of the OUA are set to return to play on Feb. 9. It’s a busy week of action, tipping off with the women’s and men’s basketball teams taking on the York University Lions at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC). Tip-off for both games is set for 6 and 8 p.m., respectively.
On Feb. 10, the Rams men’s hockey team plays at 6 p.m. hosting York at the MAC. Then on Feb. 12, the university’s women’s and men’s volleyball teams round out the first week of play with matchups against the Lions at 6 and 8 p.m.
Need a refresher on the highlights so far this season? We’ve got you covered.
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