Western women, Brock men aiming for continued success after last year’s championship triumphs
St. Catharines, Ont. – The Western Mustangs women’s crew extended their provincial winning streak to five last year, but their male counterparts couldn’t keep their two-year stretch intact after the Brock Badgers claimed the 2017 crown. Both Western and Brock will be aiming for continued success atop the podium, but in a field filled with medal-hungry crews, the competition at the Royal Canadian Henley Rowing Course will be as tough as ever once they hit that starting line.
2018 OUA Rowing Championships Fan Guide
It was a dominant performance last year for the purple ponies, who used 18 collective medals to continue their championship streak, and this top tier pedigree should be on display in 2018 as well. Among those who are returning and aiming for repeat success for Western are the gold-medal winning lightweight pair of Emily Soares (Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.) and Riley Knight (Nanaimo, B.C.). The lightweights are a well-known strength of the Mustangs, as they are led by reigning Women’s Coach of the Year Sara Matovic and should once again bring the purple and white a boost this weekend.
Curtis Ames (Calgary, Alta.), meanwhile, will bring his multiple championship gold medals back for another year at Henley, as he was part of the men’s pair and men’s eight that claimed top spot in 2017. While those were the only two first place results for the Mustangs men last year, they had earned the overall gold the two years prior, so it comes as no surprise that the talent-laden ‘Stangs, who also boast returnees Ryan Clegg (Newmarket, Ont.), Aelon Nicholson (Victoria, B.C.), and Matthew Pamenter (Mississauga, Ont.) among others, are aiming for big things to start up a new streak in 2018.
One of the many Badgers making their banner season debuts is Thomas Markewich (Regina, Sask.), who represented Canada on the U21 team at the Trans-Tasman Regatta winning the lightweight men’s double. In his first year, Markewich is learning about the bigger, competitive rowing scene compared to what he experienced in Regina, and while he and the rest of the Brock crew will press for gold once again, the path will be challenging with half of the team competing in their first OUA Championship.
Unable to crack to the top of the podium in any events last year, the Badgers women’s crew was still well-represented on the podium throughout championship weekend and will head onto the Henley course as the reigning overall silver medalists. Claiming medals in the lightweight eight, lightweight coxed four, and pairs a year ago, several members will be returning to defend their performances, including Andrea Jansen (Ancaster, Ont.), Alicia Piazza (St. Catharines, Ont.), and Laura Court (St. Catharines, Ont.). Court won her second U23 World Championship this summer and placed fourth at the World Championships, showing that she isn’t only one to watch this weekend, but in her bid to become an Olympian.
The Varsity Blues, like Brock and Western, are also no stranger to success on the water, having claimed a combined 18 championships in men’s and women’s combined. It has been some time since Toronto earned one of these banners; however, and after coming close to the podium a year ago, their eyes on looking upward this time around. And they’ll turn to a pair of rowers, among others, who have scored previous successes this year.
Will Sati (Mississauga, Ont.) will bring his talents to St. Catharines and will do so with a number of podium finishes in his back pocket. Sati medaled three times at the Guelph Invitational earlier in September, winning the lightweight men’s single, earning silver with Andrei Vovk (Richmond Hill, Ont.) in the lightweight men’s doubles, and then a bronze-medal showing in the men’s eight. The women’s team, meanwhile, will turn to Kendra Wells (Paris, Ont.) for a medal-worthy performance after the second-year rower helped Team Canada to a gold-medal finish in the women’s eight boast atU23 World Rowing Championships earlier this year.
Toronto isn’t the only team that will turn to those with international experience; however, as Trent will also see some decorated athletes lead their squad. Grace VandenBroek (Peterborough, Ont.), who took part in the 2017 Junior World Championships, 2018 Youth Olympics, and the 2018 U23 World Championships, leads the up-and-coming Excalibur team. They have seen numerous first-years claim spots in varsity crews, and with the leadership of a few key veterans, Trent has their eyes on being a crew to watch both this year and beyond.
The Excalibur men have some experienced veterans in their corner, but will also see a young squad take on the Henley course this weekend. For Trent to continue their tradition of success at the OUA Championships – with their latest results leaving them just shy of the 2017 podium – they’ll be looking at Spencer Kielar (Guelph, Ont.) and his experience on the course to help lead the way. Beyond his experience for Team Canada at the U21 World Championships, he is also a two-time Henley 2018 champion in both singles and doubles.
Joining in on the list of rowers with an international flare to their resume is one of the Carleton Ravens’ standouts on the water, Hunter Amesbury (Burlington, Ont.). The fourth-year rower, in addition to his experience at the OUA Championships, has also suited up for the red and white at the 2018 FISU Games, and will surely be looking to bring his A-game against Ontario’s best. On the women’s side, it will be Mary-Jo Weir Weiss (Ottawa, Ont.) that will look to build on her fourth-place finish at last year’s championships to crack the podium this time around.
Among those who have also experienced success at the championships are a pair of Voyageurs that have rowed Laurentian onto the singles podiums. Hayley Chase (Alma, Ont.) and Charles Alexander (Fergus, Ont.) both claimed bronze medals in their respective singles a year ago, while also earning a pair of medals this year at Trent and Brock, respectively. Chase is Laurentian’s lone female rower taking part in the championship, while Alexander will be joined by Adam Arthurs (North Bay, Ont.) on the men’s side.
While these individuals made their way onto the podium for Laurentian, a strong overall performance from the Guelph women’s team helped their crew claim the overall bronze a year ago. Boosting their medal aspirations this year is Carly Zanatta (Fort Erie, Ont.), an NCAA from the University of Massachusetts. She is an elite rower who finished first in the women’s single at both the Head of the Trent and the Brock Regatta, while also earning gold and bronze with bow partner Kaitlyn Dennis (Kenora, Ont.) in the women’s double in those same events, respectively.
Mykael Hughes-Mussio (Fort Saskatchewan, Alta.) has done well to spearhead the men’s side, and as team captain, he’ll be looked upon to do the same in Niagara. The third-year rower led the men’s heavyweight four to a great finish at the Head of the Trent, crossing just one second out of third place, while also helping the men’s heavyweight eight to reach an A Final at last year’s Canadian University Rowing Championships in Burnaby, B.C.
Like Guelph, the Queen’s Gaels were also able to claim a bronze-medal position at last year’s event, but it was the men who placed third for the Tricolour. But while it was the men who found the overall podium, both male and female Gaels were recognized with top individual honours.
Alexander Bernst (Ottawa, Ont.), who was co-MVP at last year’s event, has continued to be one of the most dominant rowers in his events and will be going for gold again in 2018. Louise Munro (Ottawa, Ont.) also took home athlete of the year honours and will look to add to her golden performance in the singles from a year ago with another podium-topping effort this year. Anchored by this award-winning pair, the Gaels boasts many contenders in the individual and pairs events and will once again aim for top-five finishes overall.
A couple of rowers familiar with the podium will buoy the Ridgebacks’ goals of improving on last year’s results, as Braden Reid (Whitby, Ont.) and Bradley Semenick (Thunder Bay, Ont.) will hit the water for UOIT. Reid, now in his fifth year, won bronze in the men’s heavy double last year, while also winning silver in men’s singles at both the Guelph Invitational and Head of the Rideau this season. Semenick, meanwhile, also put forth a solid campaign for the Oshawa school, earning bronze in men’s singles in Guelph and silver in men’s doubles in Peterborough. While these two, among others, make up a veteran men’s team, the UOIT women’s squad are a young group whose goal will be to gain experience.
The Nipissing Lakers have never claimed gold at the provincial finale, but will turn to a pair of returnees to boost their medal-potential and improve on last year’s results. Among those who will be ones to watch on the water for Nipissing are Emma Langill (Peterborough, Ont.) and Marlese Coombs (Bayfield, Ont.). Both rowers have an OUA championship under their belt, with the former entering in lightweight women’s single sculls and the latter as part of the women’s double sculls.
Also heading to St. Catharines to join the championship roster are the McMaster Marauders, who earned a silver medal in the women’s lightweight single a season and the Ottawa Gee-Gees, who in 2017 claimed a pair of medals on the men’s side (lightweight single, lightweight pair) and a bronze in the women’s doubles.
Races will start on Friday afternoon, for those events that require heats (more than seven entries), and crews are awarded extra points toward their final tally if they win their heat. The following day, then, the 20 varsity events will race for gold. The OUA Rowing Championships will also be preceded by the OUA Development Regatta, an opportunity for novice and up-and-coming Junior Varsity athletes to hit the water with an overall goal of increasing participation and competition within the sport.
