May Sports Update

Congratulations to Audrey T. and Caitlin P., who were elected as captains of this year’s Iron Women (girls’ First XV) squad. The Iron Women started their season with a narrow loss to Georges P. Vanier Secondary of Courtenay, but have seized on valuable development opportunities such as attending the Yale Sevens, hosting a touring side from Brigidine College in Australia, and helping Collingwood School in Vancouver build their girls’ program. The Iron Women are undefeated in their last three games, and were preparing for a significant challenge from D.W. Poppy in the Stadium Series game today.

 

“The team is eagerly anticipating playing on home turf,” coach Mrs. Barbara Mervin said, “with a fervent black and gold crowd rallying behind them.”

 

The senior boys have put forth a massive effort this spring with a challenging tour to New York and Washington, DC in addition to their BC school competition. The coaches challenged the players to lift their standards on the US tour, and they rose to the occasion, beating a top-10 program from Rye High School in New York before travelling by train to Washington, where they finished third in the boys’ elite division at the two-day Gonzaga Invitational, their only loss coming against the host team, the top-ranked high school team in the US.

 

“After playing two games the previous day, injuries meant many had to play out of position and as the game drew closer it was clear it wasn’t going to be a pretty game of rugby,” Jonty N. commented. “The boys went on to put in a tenacious performance limiting Gonzaga to two scores with outstanding grit and dominated long periods of the game. That game summed up the collective spirit in the squad and the will to battle hard for each other.”

 

“This challenge has grown the depth and development of the team,” said Head of Rugby Mr. John Tait. “They returned from tour and have played three more challenging games in the past fortnight including a tough road loss to Mainland rivals, St. George’s. The team will look to get healthy and refine now, with an important league semi approaching, and look to punch their ticket to the BC Championships at the end of May.”

 

The Colts (junior team made up of Grade 8, 9 and 10 players) has had a fun season learning the game and travelling around the province to play. After coming back from a sevens tournament in Tampa, Florida, the group was split into the Colt A's and the Killer Bees. In addition to home games, the Colts have since played games in Victoria, Abbotsford, Port Alberni and Vancouver. They were also lucky enough to play a touring team from England right after Spring Break. The coaches and players are excited for playoffs next week. 

 

 

The rowing program has been busy since returning from the Spring Break training trip to California, competing in two local regattas while preparing for the upcoming Shawnigan Regatta.

 

At the Maple Bay Regatta on April 13 and 14, Shawnigan crews finished first in the U19 girls’ quad and U19 girls’ double, second in the U19 girls’ pair, third in the U17 girls coxed quad, fourth in the U17 girls’ quad, and fifth in the U19 girls’ coxed four.

 

At the Brentwood Regatta on April 26-28, one of the largest rowing competitions in Canada, Shawnigan crews placed third in the U17 girls’ double and U19 girls’ quad, fourth in the U19 JV girls’ double, U15 boys’ coxed quad and U19 boys’ quad, and fifth in the U19 JV boys’ quad.

 

We are excited to host the Shawnigan Regatta coming up on May 10-12!

 

 

It has been a busy and fruitful spring season for the girls’ soccer teams. The senior team competed in the University of Victoria Showcase tournament on April 18 and 19, reaching the B final, where they lost 1-0 to W.J. Mouat Secondary despite dominating the game. Neha G. was named tournament MVP.

 

Both teams placed third in their respective divisions at the Independent Schools championships, hosted by St. Michaels University School in Victoria on April 26 and 27. The senior girls beat Collingwood 5-0 to claim their bronze medal.

 

“We could not have been happier with how both teams conducted themselves on and off the field,” coach Ms. Mariel Solsberg said. “There were too many outstanding performances to note but I will say that all coaches present (Ms. Solsberg, Mr. Blair Sturrock, and Mr. Liam Ashton) could not have been happier with how the weekend went and we are so proud to be Shawnigan coaches of such wonderful and hard-working athletes.”

 

The senior girls are headed to Comox this Sunday for the North Island championships, while the juniors narrowly missed out on their own North Island tournament.

 

 

Kaleb A. is the Squash BC Silver Series champion for 2024. After finishing second in the season-ending event hosted by St. Michaels University School on April 20, Kaleb had accumulated enough points over the season to win the series.

 

Kaleb was also one of six Shawnigan athletes who travelled to Calgary for junior nationals on April 27-30, joined by Jasper C., Eva G., Ambrose N., Ryan Q. and Tony Z. All of the players represented the School exceptionally, playing great squash and putting in 100 percent. Jasper finished in the top 25 of the U17 boys’ division, and Ambrose won the plate in the same division.

 

Shawnigan is hosting the Mike Johnson Classic on May 10-11, with several alumni who attended US universities returning to battle it out with some professional players and some of the top juniors in Canada. Among the notable alumni expected to compete are Michael Mehl (former Canadian national junior champion and University of Pennsylvania player), Bransten Ming (former Canadian junior open champion and Drexel University player) and Ryan Picken (No. 1 player in BC who has represented Canada in world championships).

 

 

Shawnigan’s tennis team finished third in the junior division at the Independent Schools championship in Vancouver on April 15 and 16, while the seniors did very well in a highly competitive event. The team also placed second at the Mid Island qualification tournament held at Brentwood College School on April 22, earning a berth in the Island championships on May 6.

 

 

Nine students from the white water sports group participated in the Cowichan River Youth Kayak Festival on April 19-21. They were among 60 participants, representing schools, clubs and individual paddlers from across BC. The students camped overnight beside the Cowichan River, while kayaking first in gentle Class II rapids and working their way up to Class III.

 

“It was amazing to see students improve their skill set over two days,” Outdoor Education teacher Mr. Kyle Leis commented.

 

The white water group will travel north on Vancouver Island later in May, along with the Search and Rescue 360 group, to kayak and raft on the Gold River.

 

Following the conclusion of the Canadian Sport School Hockey League season, several Shawnigan athletes were nominated for post-season awards.

 

Four players from the U18 Prep girls’ team were honoured: Morgan J. was a first-team all-star, Taya L. was a second-team all-star and a finalist for the Top Defenceman award, Mya L. was also a second-team all-star, and Zoe C. was a finalist for Top Freshman.

 

The U18 Prep boys’ team had two players honoured as Brendyn V. and Ethan A. were named BC/US Division first-team all-stars. Nigel A. from the U17 Prep boys’ team was named a Tier III first-team all-star and a finalist for MVP and Most Sportsmanlike Player, and Matthew M. was named to the Tier III second all-star team.

 

U18 Prep girls’ team goalie Alex N., a member of the Snuneymuxw First Nation, was named to Team BC for the National Aboriginal Hockey Championships, and Head Athletic Therapist Ms. Noelani Avveduti, a Cree from the Alexander First Nation, will be the trainer for the BC men’s team. The National Aboriginal Hockey Championships will take place in Prince George, BC from May 5-11.