Tigers season in review

Brannyn Hale of the swimming team which won bronze at the CIS championships. (Pearce photo)

The Dalhousie Tigers have just wrapped up another season of varsity athletics. It turned out to be a year of mixed results, with many highlights.

The menÕs and womenÕs soccer teams both had good regular seasons, but lost their playoff quarter final matches. Leanne Huck was named the AUS most valuable player and a first team All-Canadian, while her sister Jeanette was named AUS rookie of the year.

On the menÕs side, team captain Ryan Haughn was awarded the prestigious National Student Athlete Citizenship Award and recognized as a first team All-Canadian.

In cross country, both the men and women took home AUS silver team medals, with Caroline McInnes and Janice Ashworth finishing 1-2 in the championship race. Russell Christie and Robert Jewer achieved the same results on the menÕs side. The womenÕs team also did well on the national stage winning the team bronze medal, while the men finished a strong eighth. Janice Ashworth finished sixth overall and was named a first team All-Canadian, Robert Jewer ended up seventh in the menÕs race and was also named a first team All-Canadian.

In volleyball, the menÕs team won the AUS championship, but couldnÕt get over the hump at nationals losing their first round match to eventual silver medalist Alberta. The Tigers did rebound to win their next two matches and finished fifth overall. Jeff Weiler was named Libero of the Year in the CIS and setter Scott Townsend was honoured as a first team All-Canadian. The womenÕs team went through a rebuilding season and finished last in the AUS conference regular season.

Alex Legge was named AUS female rookie of the year in basketball. (Pearce photo)

In swimming, both the menÕs and womenÕs teams easily won the AUS team titles. Dalhousie then hosted the CIS championships at Dalplex. On the backs of a strong group of relay swimmers, the Tigers were able to win the team bronze medal on the menÕs side. The four man squad of Bryce Tung, Matthew Terauds, Brannyn Hale and Doug Young were able to hold off a strong Laval team in the final race of the weekend to secure their overall third place team finish. The womenÕs team finished 13th overall.

The AUS track and field championships in Moncton saw Dalhousie take home both the menÕs and womenÕs team banners. At the nationals Dal had a very strong showing with Geoff Harris winning gold in the 600M, Ueli Albert taking silver in the 1000M, the menÕs 4x800M relay team capturing silver, and Alicia Dobranowski winning silver in the womenÕs pentathlon.

The womenÕs basketball team had a very strong season finishing first place overall in league play, but couldnÕt find a way to defeat Memorial in the AUS championship game. The team still qualified for the CIS championship tournament where they defeated the defending champion and number one seed UBC Thunderbirds, before eventually losing the bronze medal game to their rivals from Memorial.

The menÕs team had a solid regular season and qualified for the AUS championship tournament before losing their first round game to eventual champion Acadia. Alex Legge was named AUS female rookie of the year, while Kelly Donald and Kate McNeil were honoured as AUS first team all-stars.

Jordan Morrison was named AUS male rookie of the year. (Pearce photo)

The Tigers hockey squads fared reasonably well. The menÕs team, after a weak first half of the season, was able to rebound going 6-6-2 in the second term, including a win on the road over eventual CIS champion UNB. The womenÕs team finished fifth in the regular season and lost its first round playoff game to St. Thomas. Jordan Morrison was named AUS male rookie of the year, while Kristen Ladouceur was honoured as second team all-star on the womenÕs side. Tom Zanoski was part of an AUS all-star team that represented Canada and won the gold medal at the world university games in Turin, Italy.

In general varsity news, volleyball player Niklas Rademacher was recognized as the Dalhousie nominee for the James Bayer Memorial Scholarship. In a formal luncheon ceremony in November, 62 student athletes were honoured as Academic All-Canadians for the 2005-2006 season.