The women's soccer team highlighted a successful opening half of the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) season for the Durham College Lords. The team won the OCAA playoffs in October and followed that up with a bronze medal at the national championships.
To say that the first four months of the Durham College Lords 2007-2008 athletic campaign has been successful would be putting it mildly. From gold medals to grand openings, the Lords have kicked off the year on the right foot.
Before any player set foot on a field or court, the athletic department celebrated one of its greatest accomplishments with the grand opening of the state-of-the-art Campus Recreation and Wellness Centre expansion. The new features include a 28,000-square-foot triple gymnasium that will likely be filled to capacity when Durham College hosts the 2008 Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) Basketball All-Star Games in March.
Perhaps the biggest varsity success story of the year was the women's soccer team. By delivering another undefeated season in provincial play, the ladies repeated as OCAA champions and travelled to Halifax for a crack at the national title. The Lords bounced back after losing their only game of the season to eventual national champs, F.X. Garneau, and took home the college's first-ever national soccer medal, a bronze. Katie Szeghalmi capped off a phenomenal season, being named provincial and national player of the year and MVP of the OCAA championships.
The Lords' varsity season began in September with men's baseball and women's fastball. All-Canadian right-fielder Rob McNab led the team to its first undefeated regular season in college history, before the men finished up with a fifth-place showing at the CIBA National Championships.
The women's fastball team picked up where it left off last season, taking home its second consecutive gold medal at the OCAA championships and its 14th provincial title overall. Amanda McArthur and Amanda Ellison were named league all-stars.
Men's golf got off to a swinging start, taking home the DC Open Invitational men's team title and following that up with a fourth-place team showing at the provincial championships and sixth-place at nationals.
Back to the soccer pitch, the men's soccer team barely missed qualifying for the OCAA championships, losing a one-game playoff to Fanshawe. The Lords finished the season with seven wins, five losses and two draws, good for third in their division.
As the Lords' make their way into the second half of the season, big results are expected from the men's and women's volleyball and basketball squads.
Men's basketball player Anthony Batchellor is currently heating up the courts and finds himself within striking distance of the all-time OCAA scoring record. The women's squad sits at fourth place in its division.
The Lords volleyball teams currently lead their respective divisions and the women's team will host the annual Killer Instinct Cup in January.
Good luck to the Durham Lords in the second half of the varsity season. Get out there and support these fantastic teams. Go Lords!