Queen's University Athletics

The 2009-10 season was filled with outstanding individual and team performances across all sports and Queen's Athletics & Recreation, in association with the Queen's Journal, have selected 35 that stand out above the rest. From this list, the Queen's Journal selected 10 moments and are asking fans to vote on their favourites.

To vote for your favourite moment, click here.

09/25/09 - Weekend Domination: Gaels teams across a variety of sports record dominating victories over their opponents on the weekend of September 25:

Football vs. York: W 67-0
Rugby (M) vs. McMaster: W 59-5
Lacrosse (W) vs. Laurier: W 11-7
Golf (W) at Western Invitational: Win team title by 6 strokes
Soccer (W) vs. Trent: W 8-0
Soccer (M) vs. Trent: W 3-1

10/13/09 - Fore!: For their first time competing at the OUA level, the Queen’s women’s golf team puts on quite a show during the 2009 season. The Gaels capture the team title at each of the six events that they compete in, with Hailey Ingleson capturing three individual titles and Casey Ward picking up one. 

10/17/09 - Chasing 10,000: Danny Brannagan of Burlington, Ont., engages in a season-long battle with Western’s Michael Faulds as the two quarterbacks race to 10,000 yards. Brannagan reaches the plateau first in the Gaels showdown with the Mustangs on October 17, a game in which Brannagan throws a game-winning touchdown in the final minute of play.

10/20/09 - National Honours: On October 20, 2009, seven Gaels teams found themselves ranked in the Top 10 in their respective sports in Canada. After having six teams ranked the week before, Men’s Soccer moved into the No. 10 spot to join Football (No. 2), Women’s Soccer (No. 3), Men’s Cross Country (No. 7), Women’s Cross Country (No. 8), Women’s Hockey (No. 8) and Women’s Rugby (No. 9).

10/31/09 - Water Wars: The women’s rowing team has strong showings at both the OUA and National Championships. The team finished third at the OUA Championships thanks to four silver medals and two bronze medals and they followed that up with a second place finish at Nationals. Katya Herman won a gold medal for Queen’s in the lightweight single, the lightweight coxed four captured silver and the lightweight double and eights won bronze to lead the Gaels.

10/31/09 - Three’s Company: The men’s and women’s cross country team both finish third overall at the OUA Cross Country Championships in St. Catharine’s, Ont. Matt Hulse of Hartington, Ont., is the Gaels top male finisher, crossing the line in 12th place, while Patricia Roney of Victoria, B.C., leads the charge for the women, finishing in 15th.

11/14/09 - Perfection!: The Gaels men’s rugby team complete their perfect season with a 23-19 victory over the Western Mustangs to win the OUA Championship. After going a perfect 8-0 during the regular season, Queen’s disposed of McMaster in the OUA Semifinals before defeating Western to win their first OUA banner since 2001.

11/14/09 - Championship Hosting: On November 14, the Gaels host two significant championships, the Yates Cup and the CIS Cross Country Championships. Queen’s defeats Western at Richardson Stadium while Matt Hulse of Hartington, Ont., leads the Gaels runners at Fort Henry Hill. 

11/14/09 - Water Warriors: Needing a win in their final weekend of play, the Gaels women’s water polo team gets three goals from OUA First Team All-Star Shannel Rajan as they defeat the York Lions 8-7 to qualify for the OUA Final Four tournament. It marks the first time that the Gaels have qualified for the tournament in two years.

11/15/09 - Taking on the Nation: After qualifying for the CIS Women’s Soccer Championship by going unbeaten in 16 games, during which time the Gaels also won nine straight games and shutout their opponents in 10 straight, Renee MacLellan of Kingston, Ont., is named the CIS women’s soccer Player of the Year. MacLellan scored 12 goals, including six game winners, during the Gaels run and she subsequently leads the Gaels to an upset victory over the AUS Champion St.FX X-Women to help the team finish fourth at the CIS Championship.

11/28/09 - Gaels of November: Thanks to consecutive victories three of the top five nationally ranked teams, the Gaels captured their fourth Vanier Cup title. After defeating No. 5 Western to win the Yates Cup, and No. 1 Laval to win the Mitchell Bowl, the Gaels saved their best performance for last. The team overcame the largest deficit in Vanier Cup history (18 points) to capture their first national title in 18 years.

11/28/09 - Buzzer Beater: Baris Ondul of Istanbul, Turkey hits a game-winning three-pointer with no time left on the clock as the Gaels defeat the Brock Badgers 60-59. Ondul, who had less than a second to get the shot off after an inbounds play, finished the game with 17 points while shooting 50% from the floor.

11/28/09 - Cardiac Kids: The Football team wins six of their 11 games during the 2009 season by four points or less. Included in those contests were two last-minute victories over the Guelph Gryphons and the Western Mustangs. Mike Petranovic of Toronto hit a field goal with no time remaining to defeat the Gryphons while Blaise Morrison of Bedford, N.S., scored the game-winning touchdown against the Mustangs during the regular season. 

12/03/09 - Celebrate good times: Queen’s University and the City of Kingston toast the Gaels Vanier Cup victory with a parade from City Hall to Richardson Hall in the center of campus. The majority of the players ride on top of a fire truck with their championship banners and trophies

12/14/09 - With Glowing Hearts: Gaels basketball star Mitch Leger of Kingston, Ont., had the honour of carrying the Olympic torch on December 14 in his hometown during the nation-wide relay. Leger was one of 70 torchbearers in the City of Kingston and ran with the Olympic flame for a five-minute stretch.

12/16/09 - S-I-L-V-E-R: The Queen’s cheerleading team finishes second in the “Large Co-Ed” category at the Canadian University Cheerleading Championship. The Gaels earn 1145.5 points to earn the silver medals behind the Western Mustangs.

01/09/10 - Bye Bye Bartlett: The Gaels Basketball and Volleyball teams closed out Bartlett Gym in style as every team won their final game in the gym over the Ryerson Rams. The men’s and women’s volleyball teams each recorded four set victories while the men’s and women’s basketball teams picked up 71-65 and 69-65 wins respectively.

01/10/10 - Comeback Kids: The women’s hockey team posted two impressive comeback victories this season over Toronto and Brock. Against the Varsity Blues on November 14, Kelsey Thomson of Martintown, Ont., had two goals and an assist to lead the Gaels back from a 5-1 deficit to win the game in overtime. Then, on January 10 against the Badgers, Elizabeth Kench of Gananoque, Ont., scored twice and provided the shootout winner to lead the Gaels back from a 2-0 deficit to register a 3-2 win.

01/15/10 - Au Natural: Jordan Mirwaldt of Winnipeg, Man., records a natural hat-trick in the Gaels 5-2 win over the Nipissing Lakers on January 15. Mirwaldt scored twice in the second period and completed the feat early in the third for the first hat-trick of his OUA career.

01/17/10 - ARC Opening: After 10,000 patrons visit the ARC on opening day, the men’s and women’s volleyball teams host the first varsity events in the new facility and they thrill the home fans with a pair of wins over the York Lions. The women’s game was the highlight of the day as they fell behind two sets to none before storming back to shock their rivals from York with a five set win. The women would go on to finish the season undefeated in their new home, posting a 7-0 record.

01/23/10 - Hosts with the Most: The Gaels figure skating and swimming teams experience great success during their invitational events. The figure skating team picks up six medals en route to a first place finish in their invitational while the Gaels swimmers won five gold medals at their meet. 

02/04/10 - Steele-ing the Show: Steele De Fazio of Georgetown, Ont., makes 29 saves for his first career CIS shutout as the Gaels men’s hockey team captures their third-consecutive Carr-Harris Cup victory. De Fazio’s shutout was the fourth in the history of the game, which was being played for the 24th year.

02/06/10 - Guthrie owns Toronto: Katie Guthrie of Orillia, Ont., records her second consecutive 24 point game against the Toronto Varsity Blues. The fifth year guard also accomplished the feat in 68-50 victory on January 8th.

02/13/10 - Western Domination: Queen’s teams capture three OUA banners during the 2009-2010 season, with all three coming at the expense of the Western Mustangs. The Gaels defeat the Mustangs 43-39 in the Yates Cup and on the same day, Queen’s knocked off Western 23-19 to capture the men’s rugby title. The Gaels also upended the Mustangs 4-2 to claim the women’s squash championship.

02/13/10 - Rockin’ Rookies: Jordan Mirwaldt of Winnipeg, Man., and Payton Liske of Welland, Ont., who led the OUA in rookie scoring with 40 points each, highlight a stellar class of rookies that included:

Morgan McHaffie (Women’s Hockey)
Mel Dodd-Moher (Women’s Hockey)
Stephane Chabot (Men’s Hockey)
Liam Underwood (Men’s Rugby)
Hailey Ingleson (Women’s Golf)
Nathan Klemencic (Men’s Soccer)
Riley Filion (Women’s Soccer)
Marsha Cryderman (Women’s Lacrosse)
Marissa Walter (Track and Field)
Erin Roberts (Women’s Squash)

02/14/10 - Scoring Machines: Elizabeth Kench of Gananoque, Ont., and Becky Conroy of Pembroke, Ont., finish one-two in OUA women’s hockey scoring. Kench finished the season with a league-best 38 points (12 goals, 26 assists) while Conroy was a close second with 34 points (17 goals, 17 assists). Kench’s 26 assists were also tops in the nation.

02/14/10 - You got Sabred: Scott Bowman of Milton, Ont., wins the Individual Sabre title at the OUA Championships as the Queen’s men capture a bronze medal. For his performance, Bowman is named the co-winner of the George Tully trophy which is awarded to the male fencer who is most proficient in skill, style and sportsmanship.

02/18/10 - Young defends gold: For the second consecutive season, Emily Young of Calgary captures a gold medal in the Open Solo Dance competition at the OUA Figure Skating Championship. As a result, she is named an OUA All-Star, the only Gael to earn the honour at the competition.

02/19/10 - Overcoming rivals: Two Gaels teams were able to avenge playoff losses from a year ago during the 2009-10 season. The women’s rugby team was able to defeat the Trent Excalibur 25-19 to advance to the OUA Final Four while the women’s volleyball team also advanced to the OUA Final Four with four set victory over the York Lions.

02/24/10 - Mighty Mitch: Mitch Leger of Kingston, Ont., leads the Gaels back from a 14 point, fourth quarter deficit as Queen’s defeats the Ryerson Rams 79-76 in overtime in the OUA East Quarter-final. Leger posts his 17th double-double of the season in the win as he scored a season-high 35 points and pulled down 12 rebounds. Leger finished the regular season as the only player in the country to average more than 20 points and 10 rebounds per game, and led the nation in rebounding (11.8 per game).

03/04/10 - Hey now, you’re an All-Star: Mitch Leger of Kingston, Ont., is announced as an OUA First Team All-Star, giving the Gaels 53 OUA All-Stars for the season.

03/06/10 - Redemption!: After finishing second at the OUA Championship the last two years, the men’s volleyball team reclaims the OUA banner as they defeat the Guelph Gryphons in a thrilling five set match. Joren Zeeman of Cambridge, Ont., is named the player of the match as he records 19 kills and 24 points to help send the Gaels to the CIS Championship. The Gaels go on to finish 5th at the CIS Championships after posting victories over the Montreal Carabins and the Thompson Rivers WolfPack.

03/14/10 - Running Man: Matt Hulse of Hartington, Ont., made Queen’s history at the 2010 OUA Track and Field Championships. The third year long distance runner won the 1500m race and added two silver medals in the 1000m and 4x800m relay to become the first Queen’s student to earn three medals at the championships. Hulse’s performance led him to be named the Tract Events Most Valuable Male Performer. He follows up his performance at the OUA Championships with a gold medal in the 1000m and a silver medal in the 1500m at the CIS Championships. Hulse is also honoured for his work off the track as he earns the CIS Community Service Award in both Cross Country and Track & Field.

03/14/10 - All-Canadian eh?: Matt Hulse of Hartington, Ont., is named a CIS All-Canadian becoming the 11th Gael to earn the honour during the 2009-10 season. He is joined by:

Andrea Wadsworth (W Rugby)
Matt O’Donnell (Football)
Scott Valberg (Football)
Osie Ukwuoma (Football)
Jimmy Allin (Football)
Renee MacLellan (W Soccer)
Becky Conroy (W Hockey)
Joren Zeeman (M Volleyball)
Jon Beuk (M Curling)
Scott Chadwick (M Curling)

03/14/10 - Banner Season: Queen’s wins a total of six banners during the 2009-10 season, their most since 2003-04 when they secured seven titles. Football, Men’s Volleyball, Men’s Rugby and Women’s Squash all win OUA Championships while Football and Men’s Curling pick up CIS Championship banners. The two national championship titles mark the first time in the school’s history that Queen’s has won multiple national championships in a single academic year.