The Durham College (DC) Lords and University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) Ridgebacks rivalry will shift from the pitch to the links as the golf teams are set to square off in an exhibition tournament.

The first DC/UOIT Presidents Cup will take place today at the Oshawa Golf and Curling Club with the first tee off time scheduled for 2 p.m.

Former teammates Tyler Martin and Will Mitchell, who combined to win eight CCAA medals for DC, have now become rivals as they are on opposite coaching staffs. Martin is the head coach of the nationally ranked Lords while Mitchell is an assistant coach with the Ridgebacks.

The event will be a good tune up for both teams as they get ready for their respective provincial championships. The OCAA championship is schedule to run from September 29 to October 1 at the Wildfire Golf Club in Lakefield, Ont. UOIT will be hosting the OUA championship at the Oshawa Golf and Curling Club from October 20-21.

DURHAM LORDS ROSTER
Adam Hobb (Marketing)
Ben Reid (Business)
Bill Irvine (Project Management)
Brent Clements (Sports Management)
Craig Conroy (Marketing)
Matthew Perras (Golf & Facility Management)

UOIT RIDGEBACKS ROSTER

Ben Kennedy (Commerce)
Brendan Edwards (Mechanical Engineering)
Brendan Wise (Communications)
Brian Newton (Marketing)
James Krantz (Mechanical Engineering)
Mackenzie Dasti (Commerce)
Nicklaus Dirk (Nuclear Engineering)
Riley Prentice (Commerce)

The Durham College men’s soccer team proved to be the top team on campus once again as they defeated the UOIT Ridgebacks 1-0 on Monday night at Vaso’s Field. The victory marked the fifth time in six years that the Lords have won the campus cup, as they have completely dominated the series.

“What a great way to end an exciting day,” said Durham College athletic director Ken Babcock. “It was amazing to see both sides perform so well while showing a lot of passion representing their respective schools. Spirit was buzzing around campus all day beginning with the pep rally at the student centre and ending with two excellent games.”

First-year forward Tevin Noel-Peterson of Whitby scored the game’s lone goal, giving the Lords the 1-0 victory. Noel-Peterson’s goal came in the sixth minute, as he put a left-footed strike off the back right post, which sent the Durham fans into a frenzy.

Although both teams had chances to score later in the game, they were unable to beat the goalkeepers, and the crossbar at times. Noel-Peterson’s early strike proved to be the game winner as the Lords celebrated yet another campus cup victory.

UOIT women win their second straight Campus Cup title

The UOIT women’s soccer team earned a 2-0 shutout victory over the Durham Lords to win their second straight Campus Cup title played in front of a packed house at Vaso’s Field on Monday night.

It was déjà vu for the Ridgebacks as they defeated Durham by the same score one year ago. UOIT now leads the campus rivalry with two titles, while Durham has just one.
 
“It was a great night at Vaso’s Field,” said Scott Barker, Manager of Intercollegiate Athletics at UOIT. “It was amazing to see all of Ridgeback spirit in the stands tonight. Both teams performed well but I was happy to see UOIT hoist the cup at the end of the game.”
 
UOIT wasted no time to take the early lead as freshman Rachel Matthews (Ajax, Ont.) scored in the eighth minute of the opening half. The Ridgebacks would follow the opening goal up with another just seven minutes later, as freshman teammate MacKenzie Barry (Ajax, Ont.) put the Ridgebacks up 2-0.
 
After some halftime adjustments, Durham had some chances to cut into the UOIT lead, but goalkeeper Melissa Linton (Cobourg, Ont.) and her defensive line stood strong as they earned the shutout victory.

For the second straight year, Canada Basketball is holding its junior women’s national team training camp at Durham College (DC). This year, the team is preparing for the FIBA (International Basketball Federation) Americas U18 Championship at DC’s Campus Recreation and Wellness Centre (CRWC). Last year, the team trained for the FIBA U19 World Championships.

Players from across the country have joined Head Coach Rich Chambers for a two-week training camp that started on July 18 and will run through to Thursday, July 31.

“I was very excited and honoured when I found out I was selected to be part of national team again this year,” said Shay Colley, who plays guard and hails from Brampton, Ont. “I first got involved with basketball when I was younger because I was tall and it was something that was popular in my community. To go from playing this sport as a little girl to now playing on the national team is a dream come true.”

The team will travel to Colorado Springs, Colo., at the conclusion of training camp and will face El Salvador in their first Group A match-up on Wednesday, August 6. The weeklong tournament will also see Team Canada take on Mexico and the United States in the preliminary rounds.

Canada’s junior women’s team is currently ranked fourth in the FIBA World Rankings and previously finished seventh in the 2013 U19 World Championships in Lithuania and third in the 2012 U17 Women’s Championship in Chile.

For more information on all the national teams and programs, visit Canada Basketball.

Durham College women’s basketball head coach Heather LaFontaine was recognized by her peers as the top college coach in Ontario as she was named the 2014 Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) coach of the year. The award was presented on Thursday morning at the championship banquet hosted by Mohawk College.

LaFontaine was one of four representatives from Durham who received an OCAA league award as student-athletes Kauri LaFontaine, Kate Mowat and Kelsey Hare, all of which are from Whitby, earned all-star recognition.

In her first year as head coach at Durham, LaFontaine led the Lords to a program high 23 overall wins and earned an automatic bye into the provincial championship after finishing in second place in the OCAA east region with a 13-3 conference record. It was quite a turnaround season for the green and gold as they ended the 2013 season with a 3-15 conference record, missing out on a berth in the OCAA championship for the seventh straight season. The Lords also had plenty of success off the court as over half of the roster finished the first semester on the honour roll.

It was also announced at the banquet that LaFontaine would be put forward as the OCAA’s nomination for the national coach of the year award.

Earning a place on the OCAA first all-star team was Durham guard Kauri LaFontaine. The project management major played a big role in the Lords success as she finished in the top ten of almost every statistical category in the OCAA. Her playmaking ability was her most impressive attribute as she led the league averaging 5.1 assists per game. She was seventh in scoring with 15.1 points per game and ninth in rebounding with 8.6 boards per game. LaFontaine recorded six double-doubles throughout the season.

Kelsey Hare, who finished the year second in OCAA all-time scoring, was named a second team all-star. The web design major focused on becoming a more well-balanced player in 2014, working on her play in the defensive zone. That work paid off as she finished 13th in the league in blocks (15) and 14th overall in steals (35). Offensively, Hare put would put up big numbers once again as she averaged 13.4 points per game and 3.4 assists per game, fifth highest in the OCAA. This was Hare’s fourth OCAA all-star of her five-year career.

Joining Hare on the second all-star team was project management major Kate Mowat. The Lords forward was one of the most consistent players for coach LaFontaine as she averaged 12.9 points per game to finish ninth in league scoring. In 11 of the Lords’ 16 games, she scored at least 10 points. She also had a large presence on the glass averaging 5.8 rebounds per game.

The Lords will open up the OCAA championship against the hosting Mohawk Mountaineers. Game time in Hamilton is 6 p.m.

For a full list of OCAA women’s basketball award winners, visit www.ocaa.com.

CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE

Day 1- February 27, 2014
Game 1: St Lawrence Kingston vs. St. Clair 1:00 p.m.
Game 2: Fanshawe vs. Algonquin 3:00 p.m.
Game 3: Mohawk vs. Durham 6:00 p.m.
Game 4: Sheridan vs. Humber 8:00 p.m.

Day 2 –February 28, 2014
Game 5: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 1 p.m.
Game 6: Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, 3 p.m.
Game 7: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 6 p.m.
Game 8: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 8 p.m.

Day 3 –March 1, 2014
Game 9: Loser Game 7 vs. Winner Game 6, 9 a.m.
Game 10: Loser Game 8 vs. Winner Game 5, 11 a.m.
Bronze: Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 10, 5 p.m.
Gold: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8, 7 p.m.

The Campus Ice Centre on the campus of Durham College and UOIT has received the 2013 Readers’ Choice “Diamond Award” as the best Ice Skating Facility in the Durham Region.

The Readers’ Choice Awards presented by the Oshawa/Whitby This Week recognizes the top three businesses in a variety of categories. The business with the most votes in each category receives the Diamond award, while Platinum and Gold are awarded for the second and third place.

Opened in 2005, the Campus Ice Centre includes two NHL-sized ice pads, with seating for 500 and 200 respectively, a total of 10 change rooms, a sports retail outlet, offices, administration and food and beverage facilities.

“This is a wonderful achievement and we would like to thank the readers for choosing our arena complex as the best,” said Ken Babcock, Durham College & UOIT Athletic Director. “We have always known that we have a great facility with great staff focused on customer service and excellence. This proves it.”

In addition to hosting numerous minor hockey and figure skating events, the Campus Ice Centre (operated by Nustadia Recreation) is also home to the UOIT men’s and women’s hockey programs. 

Saturday night was a very special evening for Durham College (DC) as the department of athletics held the 16th DC Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Centre.

The induction class for the Hall of Fame included the 1985-86 Durham College women’s volleyball team coached by the Stan Marchut and the 1987-88 Durham College men’s soccer team coached by Vaso Vujanovic. Both of these teams captured the first-ever CCAA National medals in Durham College history.

“It was an amazing evening as we welcomed back two teams that first put Durham College athletics in the national spotlight,” said Ken Babcock, athletic director. “It was wonderful to have such a great turnout at the event and to welcome back so many familiar faces. What a great night for everyone involved.”

Family and friends, current Hall of Famers, staff, faculty, administration, past athletes of the year, student association representatives, current and past coaches, team captains and members of the alumni association were all in attendance at the ceremony.

Durham College student-athlete Kelsey Hare (Whitby, Ont.) has earned top honours from the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) as she has been named the women’s basketball athlete of the week.

Hare’s double-double helped Durham hand Centennial its first loss of the season. Hare scored 16 points while grabbing 11 defensive rebounds in Durham’s 76-51 win. The fifth-year forward also added five assists, three steals and two blocks to her well-rounded effort.

Hare and the Lords (3-2) will host the Fleming Knights (0-5) on Friday night at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Centre. Tip-off is at 6 p.m.

The OCAA is a recognized leader in intercollegiate athletics in the province, dedicated to student athlete and sport development. The OCAA has 29 members sponsoring 11 sports.

The temperatures may be dropping but the 2013-2014 Durham Lords’ varsity sports season is heating up with action on the indoor courts and the outdoor fields.

The men’s baseball team has qualified for a trip to the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association/Ontario University Athletics (OCAA/OUA) baseball championships with a silver medal at the OCAA finals on October 20. Ryan Norris and Aaron McQuillen were both recognized with all-star honours. The women’s fastball squad faced some tough opponents and ended their season with two losses at the provincial finals. The OCAA/OUA championships will be played in St. Catharines on Friday, October 25 and Saturday, October 26.

Men’s and women’s soccer officially wrapped up their respective seasons with tough losses in their playoff qualifying games. Both teams finished the season in fourth place in the East division.

The men’s golf season came to an end at the OCAA championships on October 2 with the team finishing eighth overall.

With outdoor sports wrapping up, the indoor competitors prepare to take centre stage with preseason and tournament action beginning in men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball.

The men’s basketball squad kicked off their exhibition schedule by hosting the David Stewart Tip-Off Tournament and won the silver medal losing in the final to Centennial College. Team members Eric Smith and Ajahmo Clarke were named tournament all-stars. The women’s team is currently undefeated in seven preseason games and has picked up a pair of second-place finishes at tournaments, most recently at the Ken Gould Invitational Tournament hosted by St. Thomas University in Fredericton, NB.

On the volleyball courts, the men’s and women’s teams have wrapped up their exhibition schedules and will begin their regular season as they both host Trent University on Thursday, October 24. The women are coming off a 9-7 preseason record and a semifinal appearance in the Fred Wannamaker Sheridan Invitational while the men finished fourth as they hosted the Adidas Cup in October and ended the preseason with a 5-5 record.

For complete team schedules, results and news, please visit www.durhamlords.com. Get out and support your Durham Lords!

It was a milestone night for Durham College women’s fastball head coach Jim Nemish as he earned his 400th career victory in a Lords 5-3 win over Conestoga Thursday night.

In his career which spans 25 years as the Lords head coach, Nemish has compiled an overall record of 400-100-2, the most wins of any coach in OCAA history.

The Lords would rely on solid pitching, good fielding and timely hitting in Thursday’s win, as the teams battled in a close opening night match-up.

Lydia Kalbfleisch had a strong start on the mound for Durham allowing two runs over five innings while striking out four batters and earning the win. Freshman Danielle Crosby earned the two inning save allowing one.

Conestoga showed that they are a team not to be taken lightly in 2013 as they hung with the Lords for the entirety of the game. Starting pitcher Lauren Ruf looked impressive going the distance allowing five runs off of nine hits.

The Lords had the early edge as Brittany Bender had a bases clearing double in the second inning giving Durham a 3-0 lead. Conestoga would manage to cut the lead to just one run in the top of the sixth inning, as they cashed in two runners. However, Durham was able to add one more run in the bottom half of the inning and shut down a Condor rally in the seventh to pick up the win.

Ashley Black had the hot stick for Durham going 2-for-3 at the plate, while six other players had one hit.

Durham’s next action is scheduled for Saturday, September 14 against the St. Clair Saints. First pitch for the doubleheader is at 3 p.m. Saturday’s doubleheader is minor softball day at the diamond.

For the first time in Campus Cup history, a shootout was needed to decide a winner between the UOIT and Durham College men’s soccer teams. In the end, Durham walked away with their fourth title as they won 5-3 in the shootout.

“What a way to end an exciting day,” said Durham College and UOIT athletic director Ken Babcock. “Both teams displayed a lot of passion representing their respective schools starting with pep rally and ending with the shootout. It was great to see all of the school spirit around campus today.”

Leading 4-3 heading into the final round, freshman Kashiff De Jonge buried his shootout attempt as the Durham College bench spilled onto the field in celebration.

Veterans Marco Trotta, Daniel Sokovski, Duncan Mitchell and Adam Farr were the other shootout scorers for Durham.

Durham took a 1-0 lead into halftime as David Gheorghita scored at the 22 minute mark. UOIT would level the score two minutes into the second half with defender John McMichael chipping in on the offensive end of the field.

The Lords have won four of five campus cup matches over the Ridgebacks. UOIT’s lone win came last season when they defeated Durham by a score of 2-0.

The UOIT Ridgebacks women’s soccer team earned a 2-0 shutout victory over the Durham Lords to win the second annual women’s Campus Cup. The win marked UOIT’s first ever Campus Cup title, as Durham College had won the previous year.

Freshman Emily Copeland-Dinan of Ottawa scored the Ridgebacks first goal of the game in injury time of the first half, which eventually turned out to be the game winner.

Another Ridgeback freshman Cassandra Sribny of Pickering added an insurance marker for UOIT with five minutes left in the game, giving her team the 2-0 victory.

Laura Whelan (St. John’s, N.L.) earned the shutout for UOIT, stopping every Durham shot she faced.

For more information on the Durham College varsity athletic teams please visit the Durham Lords website.