The Laurier cricket club continues its growth as the Hawks look to soar at the ACC Nationals

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The Wilfrid Laurier University cricket club is on the rise.

In the first year of the club’s launch, both the women’s and men’s cricket teams are exceeding expectations. The women’s team took part in the first ever Women’s Cricket Tri-Series hosted by Canadian College Cricket on March 7.

The Hawks advanced to the finals of the tournament after getting by Ryerson in the semi-final.

Unfortunately, Laurier came up just short in the championship round against the University of Toronto, Scarborough (UTSC). However, competing at the Tri-Series and getting to the finals was a great achievement in itself.

Kanika Dave, vice-captain of the women’s team, discussed what competing at the tri-series meant to the Golden Hawks.

“Cricket is a sport I grew up watching and have always been so fascinated with it,” she said.

“Laurier Cricket Club has not only given me the opportunity to be a part of this wonderful team with some of the most amazing girls I’ve met but has helped me build on my leadership skills by electing me as their vice-captain.”

Laurier went undefeated in the tournament until they reached the final, where they lost to Wayne State University. After seeing the women’s team’s outstanding performance at the Tri-Series, there should be no shortage of motivation for the Hawks.

“[I am] so proud of the skills and amazing sportsmanship these girls portrayed at the recent Tri-Series game against UTSC and Ryerson,” she added. Reaching the finals of the Tri-Series was a proud accomplishment for the Hawks and it’s going to be interesting to see where this team goes from here.

Rahma Noushin, who was a big part of the Hawks getting to the finals, added that the team hopes to inspire women to continue participating and competing in sports.

“My teammates and I had really good experiences at the Tri-Series. I feel that it gave us opportunities to learn new things from cricket, on team-bonding and fulfilling our leadership roles while encouraging more girls and women to play sports,” she said.

Building on this impressive feat from the women’s team, the men’s cricket team will compete at the American College Cricket (ACC) Nationals for the first time.

The ACC Nationals will take place from March 14 to 18, and Laurier will be one of the three Canadian schools at the tournament.

The Hawks will have plenty of momentum going into the tournament after their impressive showing at the 2017 Midwest Regional Championship.

Laurier went undefeated in the tournament until they reached the final, where they lost to Wayne State University. After seeing the women’s team’s outstanding performance at the Tri-Series, there should be no shortage of motivation for the Hawks.

The ACC Nationals begin on March 14, and every match can be seen through live streaming on the American College Cricket Facebook page.

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