The Grizzlies had a nearly flawless regular season, notching an impressive 17-1 record and leaving them with the number one seed entering the postseason. They were also listed in the top 10 of the most recent Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association national rankings. 

However, as all sports fans know, you can throw the records out once the playoffs begin, and the underdog team from St. Clair, which went 6-12 during the regular season, pulled off the improbable upset. 

After losing the first two sets (22-25, 26-28) at Michele McConney Court in Barrie, the Grizzlies battled back by winning the following two sets, forcing a fifth and final game to 15. 

But St. Clair, based in Windsor, Ont., got off to an early lead in the decisive set, and fended off a late Georgian push to hang on 15-12.

The jubilant St. Clair squad jumped around the court and chanted in celebration, while the Grizzlies solemnly huddled before the two teams shook hands.

St. Clair advances to play Conestoga College in the provincial quarterfinals, where they will once again be underdogs.

As for Georgian, it’s unclear where the men’s program goes from here, but there’s likely to be a significant amount of turnover after this year. Nearly half (7 of 15) of the players on the Grizzlies’ roster are third- or fourth-years. 

This includes outside hitter Ryan Vriezema (Midhurst, Ont.), who led the team in kills per set, as well as Josiah Grimm (Orangeville, Ont.), the squad’s top net-front defender.

Most college programs only last for three years.

Meanwhile, the Georgian women’s team is also done for the season after failing to qualify for the postseason. The Grizzlies only won two games all year, against 16 losses, leaving them outside the top eight in the Ontario Collegiate Athletic Association’s east division. 

The post Georgian men’s volleyball team shocked by St. Clair in playoffs appeared first on CompassNews.

Georgian’s athletics department announced last week that the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) had approved the school’s application for the team, which will play an exhibition season in 2025 before officially launching the following year.

In a press release, Georgian said student athlete recruitment will begin in February.

“A women’s rugby sevens team is a thrilling addition to Georgian’s stellar lineup of award-winning varsity teams,” said Suzie Addison-Toor, the school’s vice-president of student success, in a statement. “It also aligns with our commitment to foster diversity, equity and inclusion within our athletic programming, and it’s one example of our continued investment in creating unrivaled student experiences.”

Rugby sevens will be the fourth women’s varsity sport offered at Georgian, adding to volleyball, basketball, and golf.

The Grizzlies men’s rugby team has been around for more than 15 years and has won the provincial championship three times.

The new women’s team will play its home games at J.C. Massie Field in Barrie.

Women’s rugby sevens has been an official OCAA sport since 2016, and there are currently eight colleges that have programs.

Rugby sevens is different from traditional rugby union, as both teams can only have seven players on the field at one time, and the games are comprised of two seven-minute halves. In rugby union, each team fields 15 players, while the games consist of 40-minute halves.

Rugby sevens has featured in the last three Olympics, with the Canadian women’s team winning a historic silver medal at Paris 2024.

The post Georgian to launch new women’s rugby sevens team in 2026 appeared first on CompassNews.

The Grizzlies sit in a tie for fourth place through 18 holes after four Georgian players broke 80 on Tuesday, including Graeme MacDougall from Huntsville, Ont., who led the team with a round of 76 that featured three birdies on the back nine.

MacDougall is currently tied for eighth place in the individual championship, five shots behind the leaders.

Georgian sophomore Chris Miller (Huntsville, Ont.) finished with an opening round of 78, while Colton Day (Kamloops, B.C.) and Gavin Prosser (Johnstown, Ont.) shot twinning 79s, leaving the Grizzlies two shots back of Humber College for third-place in the team competition.

In collegiate golf, the top four scores count toward a team’s overall result, meaning the 81 from freshman Jack Short (Conestogo, Ont.) did not count for the team’s score.

Humber is the host of this year’s tournament, which is being played at RedCrest Golf Club in King, Ont.

Everybody is currently chasing Cégep André-Laurendeau, a Montreal-based school, and London’s Fanshawe College, who are tied at the top after Round 1. Both schools were led by even-par 71s from Zach Pageau (André-Laurendeau) and Luke Evans (Fanshawe), which were the two best scores of the day.

Georgian’s men’s team qualified for the national championships after finishing fourth in the provincial finals, which were held at Barrie Country Club.

Despite the Grizzlies’ women’s team winning a bronze medal at this year’s Ontario championships, Georgian did not field a squad for the national competition. However, Barrie is still being represented by native Barrian Bryden Dilley, who shot an opening round 86 and currently sits in tenth-place.

Dilley is coming off an excellent sophomore season, highlighted by an individual bronze medal at the Ontario championships. She currently sits 10 shots back of the podium, and 13 strokes off the lead, which is held by Humber’s Jordan Newlands, who was three-under through the front nine before stumbling to a 73.

Round Two continues on Wednesday, while the four-round tournament will wrap up on Friday.

The post Georgian golfers eye the podium at Canadian college championship appeared first on CompassNews.