The first half of the 2016-17 St. Thomas University athletics season has featured a good mix of both victories and defeats.
Several teams either struggled for their whole campaigns or have limped past the start line, while a couple others have gotten off to soaring starts.
As the first semester of this school year winds down, all the sports teams have either finished their seasons or entered their holiday breaks a few days before the end of classes, and The Aquinian is exploring how they all have fared thus far in this special report.
Women’s hockey
Record: 12-1-1, 25 points (first out of seven teams)
Goals for: 52 (first in conference)
Goals against: 22 (second in conference)
Leading scorer: Kelty Apperson (eight goals, 11 assists)
Head coach: Peter Murphy
After the men’s hockey program was axed late last season for financial reasons, the Tommies women’s hockey squad became the flagship team at the liberal arts university, and boy, have they shined in that role thus far.
The STU women placed third in the increasingly competitive Atlantic University Sport conference last year, and they’ve picked up right where they left off and then some to open this season.
After the first 14 games of the 2016-17 campaign, the Tommies lead the AUS and are ranked second in the U Sports Top 10 national standings.
The only losses so far came on Oct. 28, when STU fell 4-3 to the Université de Moncton Aigles Bleues in a shootout, and on Nov. 13, when the Saint Mary’s University Huskies edged the Tommies 1-0 in Halifax.
Unlike several other STU teams, the women’s hockey squad has been somewhat immune to the influx of youth that has made for steep learning curves. The veteran Tommies only welcomed five rookies to the fold this year – forwards Lauren Legault, Alexandra Swift and Rahel Michielin, along with defenders Alison Bruder and Alex Woods.
The Tommies’ newcomers have combined for eight of STU’s 52 goals scored, or 15 per cent of the team’s attack, and 21 total points in 14 outings.
The goaltending duo of Taylor Cook and Abby Clarke has also been lights-out between the pipes. Cook and Clarke split the netminding duties evenly in the first half and combined for a 1.48 goals-against average and .937 save percentage with 312 total saves on 333 shots. That’s not bad for a tandem playing its third year in the green and gold and getting a lot better while at it.
As well, some strong defensive efforts and plenty of scoring depth have made the Tommies the team to beat in the AUS this year, provided that they can pull off similar performances in the next 10 contests.
Of course, STU wouldn’t be where it is without some key team efforts, but one of the bigger stories this season has been captain Kelty Apperson’s return for a fifth year. The dynamic 22-year-old forward from Kingston, Ont., continues to anchor a top line that’s a force to be reckoned with and lead the way offensively for the Tommies following a career year last season after which she was named the AUS most valuable player.
Apperson paced the Tommies with 15 points (eight goals, seven assists) in 10 AUS playoff games last year before attending a Hockey Canada development camp in Calgary, Alta., in August and making the Canadian national team that will play for world supremacy at the 2017 Winter Universiade in Almaty, Kazakhstan from Jan. 29 to Feb. 8.
Women’s Basketball
Record: 5-2, 10 points (third in conference)
Points for: 462 (third in conference)
Points against: 396 (fourth in conference)
Leading scorer: Jessica Patenaude, 79 points
Head coach: Fred Connors
The Tommies women’s basketball squad entered the second year of a rebuild this season, and longtime bench boss Fred Connors has said his troops would have their work cut out for them in order to be a force in the Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association.
But who predicted that STU’s win-loss record would be the other way around after the Tommies were 2-4 at the holiday break before finishing fifth in the ACAA last year? Fast forward to the current season, and STU is 5-2 after six contests and ranked 10th in the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association Top 15 rankings.
The Tommies earned a huge victory by downing the University of King’s College Blue Devils 72-59 on Nov. 27 at home before defeating the Crandall University Chargers 76-46 on Dec. 2 and the University of New Brunswick Saint John Seawolves 80-50 on Dec. 4 at Lady Beaverbrook Gym.
If STU can maintain that momentum through its 11 remaining games, the Tommies will be well-positioned to do some damage at the ACAA championships in March.
Men’s Basketball
Record: 3-5, six points (fifth out of eight teams)
Points for: 555 (sixth in conference)
Points against: 610 (sixth in conference)
Leading scorer: Mitch Claybourn (101 points)
Head coach: Scott MacLeod
Like their counterparts on the women’s side, the STU men’s basketball team has also added several fresh pieces to the puzzle and undertaken a rebuild in recent seasons.
But unlike the women, the men’s squad has struggled to stay in the win column on a consistent basis in an ACAA conference that has likely never been tighter, with a mere 12 points separating the top-ranked Holland College Hurricanes from the last-place Dalhousie Agricultural College Rams.
Head coach Scott MacLeod, in his second season at the helm, has often stressed the need for multiple players to score in the double digits for STU to be competitive. But the only time four Tommies have done exactly that was on Nov. 12 against Dal AC, with three players recording double-digit numbers in four games and only two achieving that feat in two contests as of Saturday, Dec. 3.
The Tommies barely missed the post-season last year, and a similar fate isn’t out of the question this year if they fail to play the way MacLeod says they need to more often in the next 13 games, as every point in the standings counts – especially when the playoff race intensifies.
Men’s Rugby
Record: 1-4-1, nine points (second out of three teams)
Points for: 86
Points against: 210
Head coach: Jon Wilson
Despite a record that looks less than stellar, the Tommies men’s rugby team kept making strides in 2016.
STU enjoyed its second consecutive appearance in the New Brunswick Maritime University “A” championship after missing the final for 11 years prior to last season. Despite a strong effort, the Tommies dropped a hard-fought 42-17 decision to the University of New Brunswick Ironmen.
That difference was eight points tighter this year than it was in last year’s final, when STU also fell to UNB.
But the heartbreak in this year’s final wasn’t for a lack of trying, so to speak. Throughout the regular season, the Tommies focused on process, consistency on offense and fine-tuning their defense. It looked to have paid off, as they only suffered two lopsided defeats against UNB in regular season play and managed to score 103 total points in six matches.
Women’s Rugby
Record: 6-2, 26 points (second out of five teams)
Points for: 366
Points against: 73
Head coach: Meghan Morrison
The 2016 fall season ended with the Tommies women’s rugby team winning its third straight ACAA silver medal.
For the second consecutive year, STU also faced the UNB Ironwomen in the championship match, but for the third time in as many years, the Tommies fell just short of earning a banner.
The disappointment in the final came on the heels of a regular season in which STU placed second with a 6-2 record and tackled its opponents, if you will, on the scoreboard by a whopping margin of 366-73. But the Ironwomen proved to be the one monkey the Tommies couldn’t get off their backs, as UNB swept the two-game season series between the two teams.
One silver lining, however, is the learning experience the veteran players and newcomers alike would’ve enjoyed over the past season. The lessons taken from that will likely make the Tommies more competitive against some formidable opponents in the years to come.
Men’s Soccer
Record: 1-9-2, five points (seventh out of seven teams)
Goals for: Three (seventh in conference)
Goals against: 30 (sixth in conference)
Leading scorer: Kyle Yearwood (two goals)
Head coach: John-Ryan Morrison
Although the Tommies had a surprise second-place finish and reached the conference final in 2015 with a young team, they weren’t as fortunate with a similar influx of rookies this year, despite their strengths in goal, dominance in ball control and many nice scoring chances in 2016.
For the most part, STU stayed within striking distance of several solid opponents in its most recent season, but the team only found the back of the net three times in 12 games.
The Tommies’ most recent campaign wasn’t all bad, though. Coach John-Ryan Morrison often said his squad had some positive learning experiences, and the season was capped off with rookie Kyle Yearwood and fourth-year player Oliver Dussault making the conference all-star team.
Women’s Soccer
Record: 3-8-1 (sixth out of seven teams)
Goals for: 12 (fifth in conference)
Goals against: 26 (fifth in conference)
Leading scorer: Zoé de Bellefeuille (five goals)
Head coach: Michelle DeCourcey
Like their counterparts on the men’s side, the 2016 Tommies women also were a youthful squad that was more competitive than their record suggests, but not victorious enough to snap their playoff drought.
STU lost five of its last seven games after going 2-3-1 to start the season, and the Tommies missed the post-season for the second consecutive year.
Two Tommies who had great seasons on the pitch didn’t go unnoticed, however, as graduating players Zoé de Bellefeuille and Amy Sheppard were named to the ACAA all-star team.
Men’s Golf
Record: Third in ACAA (out of three teams)
Total strokes (regular season): 840
Lowest score (regular season): Morgan Matheson (159 strokes)
Head coach: Ed Jeffrey
The Tommies men’s golf squad placed third in its regular season tournaments at Mactaquac and Kingswood.
With 840 total strokes, STU also earned bronze on the ACAA team leaderboard after two events.
The Tommies finished in third place at the ACAA championships on Prince Edward Island, as well, with Jake Lloy (159), Doug MacFarlane (165) and Todd Legere (175) shooting the best scores for STU.
At the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association nationals, the Tommies were 15th and last on the leaderboard, with Lloy shooting 240, MacFarlane recording a score of 261, Burridge scoring 266, Legere coming in at 276 and Matheson notching 297.
Cross-country
Head coach: Mary Astle
Ryan Terry was the top STU finisher at the AUS cross-country championships on Oct. 29 at St. Francis Xavier University after coming in 24th at 36:27.
Will Leek and Nathaniel Legere of the Tommies each set personal records with times of 50:13 and 51:05, respectively.
On the women’s side, Chelsey Hall also placed 24th overall at the AUS championships after posting a time of 24:59, while Clarisse Nicolas recorded a personal best time of 29:35.
As well, personal records were set by Demara Pafford (29:54) and Noelle Gouchie (30:25), while Jensen Elliot finished in 33:43 and Alexandra Hachey’s time was 35:53.
Those performances capped off a season in which the Tommies’ runners often finished somewhere between the middle and bottom of the pack compared to other athletes from larger universities around Atlantic Canada.
Track and field
Head coach: Alex Coffin
The Tommies track and field team has only participated in one meet so far this season, and it was an event that saw several athletes set and break records or perform well.
STU will compete in five more meets this season, with the first one set for Dec. 17 at 12 p.m. at UdeM.
Men’s Volleyball
Record: 4-1, eight points (first out of four teams)
Sets won: 12 (second out of four teams)
Sets lost: Six (tied for fewest in conference)
Head coach: Francis Duguay
The Tommies men’s volleyball squad has cruised out of the gate in the ACAA conference, as STU won four of its first five matches. Barring anything major, the Tommies appear to be well on their way to winning their fourth consecutive conference banner.
STU is also ranked 10th in the CCAA Top 15 national standings.
If STU is successful in climbing the conference mountain, it will likely look to build on its somewhat lackluster performances at nationals. The Tommies were swept in all three games at last year’s CCAA finals.
At least the Tommies should be able to use experience to their advantage, as they only added four new players this season.
Women’s Volleyball
Record: 1-7, two points (seventh out of eight teams)
Sets won: Six (tied for sixth in conference)
Sets lost: 21 (seventh in conference)
Head coach: Don McKay
The Tommies women’s volleyball team has experienced some growing pains so far this year, but that was to be expected as nine of STU’s 13 players are first-years.
With the Tommies’ youth movement comes an adjustment to volleyball at the ACAA level, which bench boss Don McKay has said he saw coming.
STU has only tasted victory in one of its eight matches thus far, and although the Tommies will be in tough to make the post-season at this rate despite reaching the ACAA semifinals last year, they are bound to learn some key lessons from their struggles this season that they can apply in the future.
