Brock rowers golden at nationals
Markewich and Harris repeat as male athletes of the week
Thomas Markewich and Stephen Harris who each collected two medals at the Canadian University Rowing Championships are Brock University’s comale athletes of the week for the second week in a row.
Markewich, a second-year medical sciences student from Regina, won gold in men’s lightweight singles and, along with Harris, a first-year sports management student from Guelph, gold in the men’s lightweight double.
Harris was part of a men’s lightweight four that finish third for the bronze at the national championships in Victoria, B.C.
Melissa Tatti was selected top female athlete for the past week after leading the Badgers to back-to-back victories in women’s basketball.
The social sciences major had 19 points, eight rebounds and five assists in a 75-61 defeat of defending Ontario University Athletics (OUA) champion McMaster at home.
Tatti netted 23 points, collected seven assists and shot fivefor-five from the free-throw line in a 78-59 road victory at Toronto.
FIELD LACROSSE
Brock is two wins away from capturing its 19th Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association (CULFA) championship and first since 2009.
Head coach Scott Luey’s Badgers advanced to this weekend’s final four in Montreal by dominating visiting Laurier, 12-3, in the Western Division playoffs.
Brock jumped out to an 8-1 led at the half and was up 10-1 after three quarters of play as it remained unbeaten, improving to 11-0 overall.
Despite their record, the Badgers don’t regard themselves as a finished product heading into championship weekend at McGill University.
“We try to focus on the little things and keep improving every day,” Luey said.
“We have a great group of veteran players that know our work isn’t done,” he added.
“We have to just keep pushing and not be satisfied.”
The Badgers’ Simon Bellamy limited the Golden Hawks to three goals. Josh Rex, with two goals, Nate Braniff, Connor Brown, Latrell Harris, Grayson Houghton, Adam Kirchmayer, Sam Leclair, Campbell Parker, Tyrus Rehanek, Chris Weier and Kurtis Woodland found the back of the net for Brock.
The Badgers are hoping to advance to the final for the third year in a row.
In 2017, they lost to Western 16-14 in double overtime and last year fell 9-8 to Western, also in double overtime. WRESTLING
Brock wrestler Hannah Taylor won a bronze medal competing for Canada at the Under-23 world senior wrestling championships in Hungary.
The top-three finish at the international competition at Budapest was a long time coming for the 21-year-old sports management student from Cornwall, P.E.I.
“This was my sixth world championship, and I had failed to make the podium until today,” she said after defeating Nuraida Anarkulova of Kazakhstan in the women’s 57-kilogram third-place final.
Taylor was leading the match 5-2 when she secured the win by a fall.
She defeated Turkey’s Eda Tekin, 4-0, in the qualifying round, India’s Pinki Pinki, 2-1, in the quarterfinals
She then suffered a 14-4 loss to Japan’s Sae Nanjo, the eventual champion, in the semifinal. BASKETBALL
Brock (1-2) hosts Guelph (1-1) in men’s basketball seeking to stop a two-game losing slide.
Tyler Brown, with 21 points, Godsman Kwakwah, with 18, and Daniel Cayer and Kascius Small-Martin, who scored 10 apiece, produced in double digits for Brock in a 70-66 loss to the Varsity Blues on Saturday in Toronto. Brock was outscored 28-13 after taking a 53-42 lead into the fourth quarter.
An inability to finish also doomed the Badgers on their home court against McMaster. They dropped a 74-72 decision despite leading 62-53 after three quarters of play.
Kwakwah 18, Brown 13, Aaron Goulborne and Cayer, 11 each, topped the hosts in scoring.
Victories over McMaster, 7561 at home; and Toronto, 87-59; improved Brock to 3-0 in women’s basketball heading into Friday’s game versus Guelph (2-0).
Melissa Tatti and Kristin Gallant put up 19 and 17 points, respectively, for Brock against McMaster. Top scorers versus Toronto were Tatti, 23, Meagan Charbonneau, 20, and Gallant, 13.
At Toronto, the Badgers outscored the Varsity Blues 48-25 in the second half.
“We played much better in the second half. We moved the ball better and spaced the floor,” Brock head coach Mike Rao said. “We finally made some shots. Overall, a good game defensively.”
HOCKEY
An “all-around effort” — and a season-high eight goals — put a smile on head coach Marty Williamson’s face when Brock extended a winning streak in men’s hockey to four games with an 8-2 victory over visiting Royal Military College.
“Everyone did their job and when that’s happening, it’s really fun to coach,” he said after the Badgers improved to 5-4.
Justin Brack, Cosimo Fontana, Ayden MacDonald, Mitchell Mendonca, Jordan Sambrook, Ethan Spaxman, Brayden Stortz and Cole Thiessen each scored a goal for Brock. Mario Cavaliere stopped 24-of-26 shots to earn the win.
Ryan Burton and Jared Marino scored unanswered goals and Cavaliere made 29 saves in a 2-1 victory over Ontario Tech two nights earlier, also at home.
The Badgers is back on the ice Thursday hosting Waterloo (4-5) in a 7:15 p.m. faceoff at Seymour-Hannah Centre in St. Catharines.
Last week, Brock went 1-1 in women’s hockey to fall to 2-3 in league play.
After edging 4-3 Ontario Tech 4-3 on goals from Rebekah Feld, Hunter Accursi, Emma Irwin and Mikayla Flanagan, the Badgers were unable to find the back of the net to a 2-0 loss to York.
Brock host Laurentian (2-3) in a noon faceoff Friday and is home to Nipissing (5-0) the following night.
SOCCER
Brock men’s soccer head coach Lucio Ianiero is the OUA West Division coach of the year for the second time in three years.
Ianiero, who this season also served an interim head coach of the women’s team, led the men’s side to a 6-5-3 record, good for third in the division.
“He deals with each player on their own. He rarely lets himself go in the heat of battle,” assistant coach John DiPasquale said. “Looch treats his players with the respect he deserves.
“He doesn’t beat around the bush.” Three members of his team — forward Jared Agyeman, midfielder Alejandro Puentes, goalkeeper Alex May — were named all-stars.
Marilena Spagnolo, the goalkeeper on the women’s team, was also named to an all-star team. Agyemang was named to the first allstar team after finishing second in conference in scoring with 13 goals in 14 games.
May, whose 58 saves were fourth in the conference, and Puentes, who gave the Badgers an edge in controlling possession, were named to the second team.
Spagnolo made the second team after leading the OUA in saves, with 97, and finishing second in save percentage, .933.