From the basketball and volleyball court to the indoor soccer pitch, Durham College (DC) athletes gave fans a lot to cheer about this winter.

Six teams in three sports made us #DCProud with their hard work and sportsmanship while adding to the ever-expanding Durham Lords trophy case. They won two Ontario Collegiate Athletic Association (OCAA) medals to bring the 2023-24 total to seven, a school record.

“We picked up right where we left off from the fall season,” said Scott Dennis, Athletic Director. “It was a pretty amazing year.”

Women’s Basketball

Our women’s basketball team finished seventh in the OCAA East Division with a 3-11 record, but the challenging year still had some bright spots. The emergence of OCAA Women’s Basketball Rookie of the Year Emma Bergen bodes well for the future. In addition to those honours, she won the East Division Scoring Champion title with 20.6 points per game. The forward was also first in field goal percentage (52.9) and near the top in rebounds.

Men’s Basketball

The Lords were almost unbeatable on the basketball court this year, finishing first in the East Division with a 17-1 record. They were at or near the top of the provincial rankings all year and even held the top spot in the nation at one point.

Earning the right to host the provincial championship, they fell just short of edging the
Humber Hawks in the semi-final before bouncing back against St. Clair College to win bronze.

O’Shane Taylor-Douglas was peerless, earning nods as the East Player of the Year, East Defensive Player of the Year, East First Team All-Star, OCAA Championship All-Star and a Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association All-Canadian. Mark Stoop was named an East Second Team All-Star, while Jasean Elliott and Rudy Fakih earned spots on the East All-Rookie Team. The Lords were recognized as the East’s Best Defensive Team, and Desmond Rowley was honoured as East Coach of the Year.

Women’s Volleyball

A strong year for women’s volleyball ended just shy of a provincial medal. Finishing third in
the East with a record of 14-4, the Lords finished fourth at the OCAA championship after bowing out to Loyalist in the bronze medal game.

There was plenty of individual hardware to go around. Amanda Larsen was named a East First Team All-Star as well as an OCAA Championship All-Star. Aislinn Pedersen was recognized as an East Second Team All-Star, and Chelsea Oke was named to the East All-Rookie Team.

Men’s Volleyball

The Lords were competitive in men’s volleyball, finishing sixth in the East with an 8-10 record.

Their pursuit of a provincial medal fell short, losing to St. Clair College in the championship qualifier.

Women’s Indoor Soccer

It was a short but successful season on the indoor soccer pitch. At Regionals, the Lords went 3-1, scoring 13 goals and allowing only one. That put them in a good position for the OCAA Championships at the Ontario Soccer Centre in Vaughan, where they won a bronze medal with a win over St. Clair. Kayla Edelhofer was named an OCAA Championship All-Star.

Men’s Indoor Soccer

The men’s team had a good showing at Regionals, earning a 2-1-1 record with a +7-goal differential.

At the OCAA Championship in Vaughan, they put in a good effort before falling short in the group stage.

There will be even more DC student athletes to cheer for next winter with the return of Varsity Curling.

“We are always looking for opportunities to expand athletics and recreation programming for our students and bringing back Varsity Curling is a great fit,” said Dennis.

The best Esports athletes from Durham College (DC) and Ontario Tech battled at the second annual Campus Clash competition, with our Lords successfully defending their championship belt.

The event was held at DC’s state-of-the-art Esports Gaming Arena. The space was packed with gamers and supporters who came to watch the action and cheer on the Lords. Attendees were treated to free popcorn as well as a number of fun giveaways from DC and Monster Energy.

The teams competed in a best-of-five series featuring five different video games; Rocket League, Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3, League of Legends, Valorant and Counter-Strike 2.

Ontario Tech started strong with a victory in Call of Duty, but the Lords took over from there, winning each of the final four games.

“It’s always nice to see both Ontario Tech and Durham College get together for events that students can enjoy. It’s a great way to start 2024,” said Scott Dennis, DC’s athletic director, who was proud to see the Lords come out on top.

“We have a highly competitive program and a first-class facility that is available to students across campus.”

You can follow DC’s Esports team online.

For our Durham Lords, this fall was a season like no other.

Five teams earned Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) provincial medals to set a Durham College (DC) record. From the rugby pitch to the ball diamond and beyond, they were powered by some of the best student athletes in Canada.

There’s a reason why top athletes choose DC each year, according to athletic director Scott Dennis.

“Durham College has always had winning teams. When a recruit sees a team that is successful, that’s where they want to go,” he said.

That cycle is sure to continue next year in light of this season’s success. Every athlete wore the DC colours with pride, and many of them produced remarkable individual efforts as they guided their teams to the medal podium.

Women’s soccer player Sage Thomas-Roberts was recognized nationally as well as provincially, becoming the 54^th DC student athlete to be named a Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) All-Canadian. She scored 22 goals in the regular season to become DC’s all-time leading scorer in a single soccer season.

“It was another unbelievable season for her,” said Dennis. “Being recognized nationally is a pretty big deal.”

As an All-Canadian, Thomas-Roberts’ name will soon hang from the rafters in the DC Gym.

On the rugby pitch, Emily Cooper had another outstanding year. After being named OCAA Rookie of the Year in her first season, she outdid herself with a stellar sophomore campaign. She played a crucial role in her team’s undefeated season, becoming the league’s scoring champion with 29 tries for 145 points. For her efforts, she was named OCAA Player of the Year, as well as a two-time All-Star (League and Championship).

The Lords women’s softball team earned silver medals at both the provincial and national levels thanks in large part to the efforts of Grace Hearns, who also earned OCAA Player of the Year status. She was also named a Championship All-Star as well as a First Team All-Star.

“She’s probably the heart and soul of the team,” said Dennis. “She’s always getting on base and she’s great defensively as well. Overall, a great player.”

DC’s third and final OCAA Player of the Year was Cole Cote from the men’s baseball team. The veteran catcher from the United States immediately stepped into a leadership role on the team, earning a First Team All-Star nod and another at the Championship.

“It’s tough to go through all the players because they did so well,” said Dennis. “The individual accolades are nice, but the team medals mean more to them.”

Below is a complete list of the impressive accomplishments made by our DC athletes this season.

3 OCAA Players of the Year

• Emily Cooper – Women’s Rugby
• Grace Hearns – Women’s Softball
• Cole Cote – Men’s Baseball

1 CCAA All-Canadian

• Sage Thomas-Roberts – Women’s Soccer

2 Scoring Champions

• Emily Cooper – Women’s Rugby
• Tyler Janes – Men’s Rugby

1 Divisional Player of the Year

• Sage Thomas-Roberts – Women’s Soccer, East

1 Championship MVP

• Ciara London – Women’s Rugby, OCAA

7 Championship All-Stars

• Emily Cooper – Women’s Rugby, OCAA
• Danika Johnston – Women’s Rugby, OCAA
• Grace Hearns – Women’s Softball, OCAA
• Chelsea Oke – Women’s Softball, OCAA
• Sydney Redick – Women’s Softball, CCSA
• Cole Cote – Men’s Baseball, OCAA
• Erin Michalicka – Women’s Soccer, OCAA

8 League All-Stars

• Emily Cooper – Women’s Rugby
• Shay Morris – Women’s Rugby
• Maya Austin – Women’s Rugby
• Terrell Carter – Men’s Rugby, East
• Tyler Janes – Men’s Rugby, East
• Alexander Lee – Men’s Rugby, East
• Liam Spafford – Men’s Rugby, East
• Reese Watkins – Men’s Rugby, East

11 First Team All-Stars

• Grace Hearns – Women’s Softball
• Emily Glendinning – Women’s Softball
• Cole Cote – Men’s Baseball
• Nick King – Men’s Baseball
• Zach Rivers – Men’s Baseball
• Ryan Mattes – Men’s Baseball
• Sage Thomas-Roberts – Women’s Soccer
• Jessica Ferreira – Women’s Soccer
• Deandre Branch – Men’s Soccer
• Romaine Watkis – Men’s Soccer
• Garrett Werner – Men’s Soccer

9 Second Team All-Stars

• Chelsea Oke – Women’s Softball
• Jessica Greene – Women’s Softball
• Morgan Salter – Women’s Softball
• Jocelyn Shelton – Women’s Softball
• Griffin McMillan – Men’s Baseball
• Erika Bjorgum – Women’s Soccer
• Tenzin Chonyi – Men’s Soccer
• Jaden Grant – Men’s Soccer
• Isaiah Wisdom – Men’s Soccer

All-Rookie Team Members

• Chelsea Oke – Women’s Softball
• Jessica Greene – Women’s Softball
• Zach Rivers – Men’s Baseball

For more on the remarkable DC teams that led the way this fall, click here. 

The Durham Lords took the Ontario College Athletic Association (OCAA) by storm this fall.

For the first time in Durham College (DC) history, five teams won provincial medals. The women’s rugby squad rode another undefeated season to a gold medal. Women’s softball won silver at the provincial level and added another silver at nationals. Men’s baseball, men’s rugby and women’s soccer all brought home provincial bronze.

“It has been great coming back to Durham College and seeing the teams have that much success,” said Scott Dennis, DC’s new athletic director. “We’re going to be celebrating this season 20 years down the road with some potential Hall of Famers.”

Read on for a closer look at how DC’s teams made us proud this fall.

Women’s Rugby

For the second consecutive year, the DC women were unbeatable on the rugby pitch. In a perfect 14-0 run through the regular season, they scored 538 points and allowed only 12 for an incredible differential of +526. That dominance earned them a bye through the first round at the 2023 OCAA Women’s Rugby Sevens Championship in Belleville. In the semi-final, they defeated the host Loyalist Lancers 32-0 to advance to the finals, where they won again by a 29-12 score over the St. Lawrence Surge to bring home the gold.  

Dennis – “Perfection would be the word to describe them. They outscored their opponents in the regular season by 526 points. Once again they proved they’re the best team in Ontario.”

Men’s Rugby

DC’s rugby dominance extended to the men’s side, with these Lords also registering their second consecutive undefeated regular season.

Their first taste of adversity came at the OCAA Men’s Rugby Championship, where they dropped a hard-fought semifinal match to the Humber Hawks 23-20 in overtime. But they rebounded in the bronze medal match with a 29-7 victory over the St. Lawrence Surge. By bringing home the bronze, they collected their fifth medal in as many years.

The stellar year earned John Watkins the Coach of the Year award.

Dennis – “They’ve proven to be one of the top programs in Ontario year after year. This is John’s second consecutive year winning Coach of the Year. He put together a great team.”

Women’s Softball

These Lords earned not one but two silver medals this season.

A 22-2 record earned them second place in the OCAA. Wins over the Mohawk Mountaineers (7-2) and the St. Clair Saints (7-4) earned them a place in the championship. Facing St. Clair once again, they gave their all in a losing effort.

At the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) National Championships in Victoria, British Columbia, they defeated Western University (7-2), the University of Victoria (4-0) and UBC – Okanagan (7-0) as they marched to the final, where St. Clair edged them out for the gold (8-3).

Dennis – “They’re always in the medal hunt. They won their fourth national medal this year. Getting back on the podium at the national level was a pretty big deal for them and winning silver was a big accomplishment.”

Men’s Baseball

With a 15-3 regular season record, these Lords finished second in the OCAA, but their 205 runs made them the highest scoring team by far (56 ahead of first-place St. Clair). It was also their best record since joining the OCAA in 2013.

By winning the provincial bronze, they earned the fourth medal in program history and their first in four years. They also earned a measure of revenge by defeating Humber multiple times after going winless against them since 2019.

Dennis – “During the regular season they had the best offense, and they showed that in the championships as well. It was good for them to be back on the medal podium.”

Women’s Soccer

With a bronze medal at the 2023 OCAA Women’s Soccer Championship, these Lords stepped on to the provincial podium for the first time since 2018. 

With an 8-1-1 record in the regular season, they qualified for the Championships with a 6-2 victory over the St. Lawrence Surge. A 1-0 decision over the Mohawk Mountaineers punched their ticket to the final four at the Ontario Soccer Centre in Etobicoke. Losing their first game 2-1 to the Humber Hawks, they bounced back against the St. Clair Saints in the bronze medal game with a clutch effort that ended in penalty kicks.

Dennis – “It was Bruce Cullen’s first year as head coach, so winning bronze was a great accomplishment for his first year leading the team.”

Men’s Soccer

An early highlight for these Lords was defeating Ontario Tech in the Campus Cup for the first time since 2015. Vaso’s Field was packed with onlookers as the game was decided in the penalty shootout.

The OCAA’s men’s soccer division was highly competitive this season, with first-place George Brown going 10-0 and the next four teams (including DC) each notching six wins. Though tiebreakers relegated them to fifth place, the Lords were almost unmatched defensively. They allowed only five goals in ten regular season games, second only to George Brown’s four.

Their season came to an end with a 2-0 loss to the Algonquin Wolves in a Championship qualifying match.

Dennis – “They started the year off right for Durham College by winning the Campus Cup, and they had a good run to the playoffs.”

Golf

Our Lords hit the green for three invitational tournaments this season, finishing just shy of the podium in two of them. At the 2023 OCAA Golf Championship in Windsor, a competitive effort landed them in fifth place.

Dennis – “It was a very young team, but they scrapped their way through the regular season and then the Championship and just missed out on Nationals by one stroke. They’re just going to continue to grow.”

For more on the remarkable DC athletes who led the way this fall, click here.