Golden Hawks at a glance
Football
Last season, Laurier’s men’s football team finished the regular season 6-2, with their star-studded defence leading the way. With at least eight starters returning on that defence and receivers Dillon Heap and Alex Anthony looking primed to build on breakout 2009 seasons and lead the offence,the Hawks should once again be amongst the contenders coming out of Ontario.
Hockey
Women’s
Since 2000, the Hawks’ women’s hockey team have won eight provincial titles –with the last seven coming consecutively- adding a national championship in 2005. Although the team lost some key players to graduation last year, they will get a huge boost from the return of Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) player of the year Liz Knox, and should once again dominate their Ontario University Athletics OUA competition.
Men’s
The men’s hockey team will be starting a new era in 2010-11 under recently hired head coach Greg Puhalski, who will look to help the team overcome its recent struggles in the playoffs. The key this year will be team captain Jean-Michel Rizk returning to the form he showed in his 54-point season in 2008-09.
Baseball
Last year the men’s baseball team overcame losing their funding from the university and posted the best season in team history, coming away with the OUA silver medal. The Hawks will once again boast solid pitching this season with the return of 2009 OUA rookie of the year Andrew Greenberg and 2009 OUA all-star Josh Robinson and should be considered a threat to challenge for the title again.
Soccer
Women’s
After dominating the regular season last fall –posting a 9-3-2 record– Laurier’s women’s soccer team came up short in the playoffs. This year they will look to recapture the glory of the 2008 season, which saw them win the OUA championship, and with veterans such as 2009 All-Canadian Heather Malizia and leading scorer Ali McKee returning to provide the leadership core, things once again look good for 2009 coach of the year Barry MacLean’s squad.
Men’s
The Golden Hawks’ men’s soccer team stumbled in 2009, failing to reach the playoffs for the first time in over 13 years. Dealing with numerous injuries throughout the season, the Hawks staggered to a 3-6-5 record, finishing second last in the OUA west division. However, a large positive came from last season; the emergence of rookie goalkeeper Jarret Humphreys, who was named to the OUA’s second all-star team.
Volleyball
Women’s
This season, Laurier’s women’s volleyball team will be looking to break a two-year playoff drought. 2009-10 saw the Hawks finish second-last in the OUA west division, posting a 6-13 record, the team’s worst since 1997. A notable bright spot for the team was the play of rookie Julie Gordon, who led the team with 143 kills and 17 blocks, on her way to an OUA rookie of the year award.
Men’s
2009-10 saw an inconsistent Golden Hawks’ men’s volleyball team fall just 2 points shy of the playoffs, posting a 9-11 record. A large portion of the Hawks’ struggles last season can be attributed to inexperience, as the team did not feature a single fourth- or fifth-year player.
Basketball
Women’s
Last year, the women’s basketball team were eliminated in their first pre-season contest by the Lakehead Thunderwolves. If they are to go deeper in the playoffs this season they will need another stellar season from two-time OUA west defensive player of the year Renata Adamczyk, as well as continued development from players such as third-year Amber Hills and second-year Alena Luciani.
Men’s
Laurier’s men’s basketball team have posted similar results recently from year to year. They always seem to hover around .500 during the regular season and then exit the playoffs within the first two rounds. In 2010-11, former CIS rookie of the year Kale Harrison and last year’s breakout rookie Max Allin will look to lead the team further into the post-season.
Lacrosse
2009 was a bit of a strange year for the Golden Hawks’ women’s lacrosse team. An early season loss snapped a winning streak that stretched over 29 games and three years. However, the inexperienced team managed to rebound and come away with the OUA silver medal –the first time in seven years that the Hawks didn’t win gold. This season, the purple and gold have almost their entire roster returning andshould be a threat to claim the OUA gold.
Other varsity sports at WLU
-Curling
-Rugby
-Swimming
-Golf
-Cross Country
-Indoor Track