It was a jam-packed weekend of top notch squash at the OUA and Jesters University League Championships at White Oaks, hosted by Brock University in Niagara. History was once again made by Western University Men whose coach Chris Hanebury kept Hall of Famer Jack Fairs’ legacy intact by winning their 38th straight OUA championships – the longest such streak in North American sports. They defeated a very strong University of Toronto led by male Coach of the Year John Lennard and league MVP Mike McCue.
On the women’s side, it was a seventh consecutive win for female Coach of the Year Lisa Coates, whose squad was led by MVP Dileas MacGowan. The University of Waterloo pulled off an amazing win over University of Toronto to seal their spot in the finals match up. See below for a full recap of all of the OUA action including final standings and all-star selections.
For the second year in a row, the event was also run in conjunction with the Jesters University League Division 2/Emerging Teams finals, which is a conduit for new programs to participate in league play before officially obtaining OUA status. The University of Ottawa women beat Laurier women to take home the Championship title. The Laurier men claimed the title over Ryerson's squad. Full results of the Division 2 championships can be found at the link below.
In 2021-2022, over 200 young student athletes participated in Jesters University League play, overcoming strict COVID protocols from their schools and continuing their dedication to recruiting new players from their campus! A special thank you to Alex Carter and the Jesters of Ontario who continue to support this wonderful league year after year. We were honoured to unveil the new Jesters League trophies honouring the late Bert Keene on championship Sunday.
Jack Fairs Award - This award has been created in honour of the late Jack Fairs, long-time coach of the University of Western Ontario squash team. Established in 2022 and presented annually to one male and female from the Jesters University League, the recipients of this award are extremely hard-working players who contribute the most to their team. Jack always stressed the importance of every match in the line up and believed the #7 match mattered just as much as the #1. The recipient of this award is someone who plays hard fought battles that help improve their team's standing, no matter their spot on the team ladder.
Female Recipient - Tori Grootjen, Waterloo
Male Recipient - Tyson Schille, Brock
Women’s Standings
1. Queen’s
2. Waterloo
3, Western
4. Toronto
5. Guelph
6. McMaster
7. Brock
Men’s Standings
1. Western
2. Toronto
3. Waterloo
4. Guelph
5. Queens
6. Brock
7. McMaster
Men’s MVP Mike McCue, U of T
Women’s MVP Dileas MacGowan, Queens
Men’s Coach of the Year John Lennard, U of T
Women’s Coach of the Year Lisa Coates, Queen’s
Men’s All-Stars
Cameron Seth, Waterloo
Mike McCue, U of T
Dylan Deverill, Western
Tyson Schille, Brock
Ali Shalaby, U of T
Elliott Hunt, Western
Women’s All-Stars
Dileas MacGowan, Queen’s
Rhea Dhar, U of T
Heather McLachlan, Queens
Alessia Ferris, Western
Reese MacLean, Guelph
Khaaliqa Nimji, Waterloo
