Winter sports roundup

3/24/2020

UCC athletes tested their prowess on the ice, hardwood and squash court, and in the pool.

At the Upper School, teams enjoyed championships in three of the four winter sports. The varsity squash team celebrated its seventh consecutive championship, while its Under-16 counterpart recorded its third consecutive championship.

“Squash has been a very strong program for a long time,” says Brent MacKay, director of athletics for the Upper School.

The U16 hockey team won the league championship, defeating Crescent School for its first triumph in a number of years.

“The boys were pretty excited,” MacKay notes.

Each of the other hockey teams performed well and made the playoffs. The varsity team lost in the semifinals to Ridley College; the Under-14 team lost in the semifinals to St. Michael’s College and, toughest of all, the junior varsity team lost its final to Appleby College in overtime.

The swim teams, both junior and senior, had triumphs to celebrate, showing their customary skills in winning the CISAA championships. The teams moved on to the OFSAA championships where they repeated as champions. UCC won both the junior and senior championships at OFSAA, as well as the overall boys’ championship.

The basketball teams all showed considerable skill, with each team making the playoffs. The U14 team lost in the quarterfinals to Crescent School, and the U16B team also reached the quarterfinals, where it bowed out to Bayview Glen. Both the U16A team and the varsity team reached the semifinals where Crestwood School saw victories.

At the Prep, successes were also many.

“The Blues had another wonderful winter season, especially on the hardwood,” says Nigel White, the Prep’s athletic director. “The boys train hard through the coldest months of the year and this year was no different.”

The U13A team was the biggest star in the basketball firmament. The team not only won their CISAA tournament, but became national champions upon winning the CAIS tournament in Montreal.

Two other basketball teams earned bragging rights for wins in the CISAA tournament: the U10 Blue team and the U12B team were crowned champions.

The U12A team was a CISAA tournament finalist, as well as a finalist at the Lower Canada College invitational tournament. The U10A team and the U11A team each earned a third-place finish at CISAA. The U10 White and U11B teams both finished fifth in their CISAA tournament competitions, while the U13B team finished fifth in league play.

“The boys all competed hard and should be very proud of their results,” says White.

In the water, the boys were virtual fish, placing in the top four in all age categories, which resulted in UCC winning the overall championship. Individually, the U12 and U13 teams finished in first place, while the U11 team earned a third-place finish and the U14 team was fourth.

“This year’s swimmers spent countless hours in the pool refining their strokes, turns and starts and it paid off,” says White.

On the ice, the Year 6 hockey team finished first at the CISAA tournament after defeating the Toronto French School. The boys were also champions at the Lower Canada College and the Boyd Caldwell tournaments, capping off their undefeated season in stellar fashion.

The Year 5 team qualified for the final four at CISAA but fell 3-1 to their Year 6 brethren, after giving them a run for their money.

The U14 D1 team finished in seventh place in its league, but played well during their trip to Lower Canada College, one of every season’s highlights.

“We’re proud of all our teams, both at the Prep and the Upper School,” says MacKay. “An enormous amount of work goes into preparing for the season and competing, and it’s a pleasure to see the boys increasing their skill and their confidence.”

Adds White, “Our boys have a legacy of success and they try to live up to it each season.”

Bravo, athletes!

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