From historic firsts in rowing to strong showings in volleyball, soccer, cross country, and squash, SMUS athletes made their mark in competitions at home and away. Highlights included a top Canadian high school finish at the prestigious Head of the Charles Regatta, tournament success for multiple volleyball teams, and key playoff victories across the board.
Rowing
SMUS rowers enjoyed a fine weekend on the water in two very different locations.
The SMUS Women’s Youth 4X+ boat finished as the top Canadian high school crew at the prestigious Head of the Charles Regatta in Cambridge, Ma., on Sunday. The SMUS boat was 34th overall in its event and included Clara Curry, Elizabeth Hardcastle, Braelyn Rowan, Lucy Turnbull and coxswain Bianca Batoni.
More than 11,000 athletes raced in the historic Head of the Charles event. It was the first time in school history that SMUS rowers have taken part.
“They [the SMUS boat] had a brilliant race over 4,720 metres,” said SMUS Head of Rowing Susanne Walker Curry. “A crew in front of them would not give way and caused them to lose time – one of the things about head racing. Although the crew that infracted on them received penalty, our girls got nothing back. They would have placed higher.”
Meanwhile, in the Head of the Gorge, Tail of the Gorge Regatta in Victoria, SMUS boats placed first and fifth in the U19 Men’s 4X+. Boats from the school also placed second and fifth in the U19 Women’s 4X+.
Senior Boys Soccer
The SMUS Blue Jags won their most important game of the Lower Island league regular season last Tuesday at Tyndall Turf, beating Lambrick Park 2-0.
The win locked up the South No. 1 seed for the Blue Jags at the Island AA Championship tournament, which will be hosted by Carihi Nov. 3 and 4 in Campbell River.
After a scoreless first half, SMUS got a pair of second-half goals from Andrei Marti and Joe MacKenzie-Elrick to earn the win. Rayan Shariaty and Quinn McMeekin shared the shutout.
The Senior Boys, third-place finishers in the Lower Island Division 1 standings, will take on visiting sixth-place Claremont in a Colonist Cup challenge playoff game this Tuesday, beginning at 3:45 pm.
Meanwhile, after several years hiatus, the SMUS Senior Boys ‘B' Soccer team had a memorable season.
“There were great performances from the back to the front with special shout-outs to Hiro Ohara, our leading goal-scorer who sprinted 80 minutes every game, our defence – anchored by Marwan Al Hooti and Lochlan McLean – and Kieran MacKay, who disrupted other teams in the midfield,” said SMUS Coach Gregor Klenz.
“A huge shout-out to our goalie Alwin Thiele, who stood on his head all season and pulled off clutch saves every game.”
In the team’s final game last Thursday against Reynolds ‘B’, Klenz said the Blue Jags “created tons of chances, scored both goals … and somehow still tied. Classic Killer Bs chaos.”
Junior Boys Soccer
The SMUS Junior Boys Soccer team mounted a strong late second-half comeback in a Lower Island playoff semifinal last Wednesday before ultimately falling 4-2 to visiting Royal Bay.
The Ravens scored early on a loose ball inside the 18-yard box, but SMUS battled hard defensively, and had a few chances of its own to score.
The second half was back and forth, but Royal Bay was awarded a penalty shot mid-way through and scored to make it 2-0. The Blue Jags had to push and were caught out defensively for another goal, as Royal Bay went up 3-0 with 10 minutes remaining in the game.
SMUS did not give up, however, and went all-out on attack. Santiago Rankin had a fantastic run down the wing and was tripped inside the box. Alex MacKay stepped up and fired the ball into the back of the net on the ensuing penalty shot. Behind the hard work and leadership of Tor Nelson, SMUS continued to attack and, minutes later, MacKay dribbled by two defenders to score his second goal of the game.
With only two minutes to go, SMUS pushed everyone forward but Royal Bay held on and scored a late goal to salt away the win.
SMUS Coach Kevin Mennie singled out the strong play all game of Blue Jags Avery Mavrikos and Yusuke Tomita in the midfield.
The Junior Boys meet Claremont this Monday at SMUS, beginning at 3:45 pm, with the winner finishing third on the Lower Island and advancing to the Island Championships Oct. 27 and 28 at Brentwood College.
Squash
Thirty-four members of the host SMUS Senior Squash team played in the first tournament of the season this past weekend – the Squash BC Silver Tournament.
SMUS players Kieran MacKay, Gavin Alexander, Alex Wessling, Derek Hu, and Noah Jun all placed first in their tiers. Henri Jungkind, Ben Cusack, Nick Nguyen, and Liam Wilkinson of SMUS placed second in their tiers.
Third-places finishes were recorded by SMUS athletes Wilson Kong, Roy Park, Lincoln Wuth, Maxi den Boer, and Owen Kondra
The SMUS Elite and A team will travel to Vancouver this coming weekend to compete in the Arbutus Club BC Junior Gold event. The Elite team is also off to Calgary on Nov. 7 to play in the Alberta Jesters NJC Platinum tournament.
Cross Country
SMUS Cross Country team members enjoyed a successful day as the fourth Lower Island league races of the season were run last Wednesday at Royal Roads.
Natalie DiFelice-Oinonen of SMUS finished fourth in the four-kilometre Junior Girls race while teammates Ella Buckley (8th) and Allegra Tollkin (13th) were also among the top group.
Finlay Hlannon of the Blue Jags finished fourth in the Senior Boys five-kilometre event while teammates Alex Wessling (7th), Pascal Krawez (8th) and Henri Jungkind (14th) also placed. Soichiro Yamane of SMUS was 13th in the four-kilometre Junior Boys race.
SMUS runners will take part in the Island Championships this Wednesday at Beaver Lake, beginning at 3:45 pm. Top finishers from Islands will qualify for the BC Championships, Nov. 1 at Arbutus Meadows in Nanoose Bay.
Senior Girls Volleyball
The SMUS Senior Girls won two of their three matches on Saturday as the Brentwood Invitational Volleyball tournament concluded. The Blue Jags defeated Edward Milne (25-20, 25-18) and Wellington (25-17, 25-20), and also lost an exciting three-game match to Royal Bay (20-25, 26-24,12-15).
The Blue Jags won one of the three matches they played on Friday as the tournament opened. SMUS defeated John Barsby of Nanaimo (25-18, 25-16) but dropped close three-game matches to both Stelly’s (25-16, 26-28, 12-15) and Mark Isfeld (14-25, 25-14, 11-15) to finish third in their pool.
“There were many team highlights including two exciting pool play three-set matches with fellow AAA schools Mark Isfeld and Stelly’s as well as a very well-played consolation semifinal three-set match with Royal Bay,” said SMUS Head Coach Melanie Bendfeld.
The Senior Girls also hosted a four-team Lower Island league round robin this past Tuesday, featuring teams from Pacific Christian, Reynolds, and Claremont as well as the Blue Jags. SMUS split with both PCS (21-25, 25-20) and Reynolds (25-21, 21-25) and lost two to Claremont (15-25, 11-25).
The Blue Jags will play their final Lower Island regular-season games on Tuesday at Esquimalt before heading back to Brentwood College this coming weekend for the Independent Schools Athletic Association (ISAA) Championships.
“Playoffs for the squad will start next week,” Bendfeld said. “Look out for another opportunity to support the team in a playoff home game.”
Junior Girls Volleyball
The Junior Girls ‘A’ Volleyball team had a busy week, going 3-3 over six games as it hosted a four-team Lower Island league round robin and then placing fifth in a weekend tournament at Belmont.
The Junior Jags faced off against Oak Bay, Reynolds, and Vic High in Thursday’s league play. The day started with a tough opening match against Oak Bay, where despite losing both games, the team battled hard and nearly turned things around in the second game – showing grit and determination that kept its opponent on edge.
Against Reynolds, the Jags showcased flashes of brilliant volleyball in the first game before losing a bit of conviction in the second as they split the match. Grace Crawford delivered a monster block and several powerful kills, while Addie Tait made a highlight-reel save – leaping over the team bench to keep a rally alive.
The day ended on a high note with a thrilling comeback victory to sweep Vic High in two games. Evie Longridge capped the first match with a back-to-back block and kill to seal the win. After falling behind in the second by double digits, the Jags stormed back to win again. Amelia Evans fueled the run with a seven-point serving streak.
“It was a day full of resilience, teamwork, and high-energy volleyball – a fantastic step forward for the SMUS Junior Girls,” said Assistant Coach Jake Insley.
In the weekend Belmont tournament, SMUS finished fifth out of 20 teams. The Blue Jags came out strong on Day 1, finishing second in their pool after taking Vanier in three sets and narrowly falling to the host Belmont team. A dominant performance against Brentwood capped off pool play, with Fiona Davison delivering six consecutive jump serves to secure the win and hold the opponent to single digits.
Day 2 opened with a thrilling three-set victory over Royal Bay, in which the girls showed tremendous composure and teamwork despite a mid-match injury that sidelined Evans for the remainder of the tournament. The following match against Oak Bay was a tough one, with a string of technical calls disrupting momentum and rhythm. Despite the setback, the team stayed composed and continued to compete with intensity.
“We had a couple of very good games against Vanier in pool play and Royal Bay in the round of 16,” said Head Coach Jo Ross. “Both of our liberos, Lisa Pai and Baani Bawa, had a great weekend.”
Meanwhile, the SMUS Junior Girls Development team had some exciting league games last week, working hard to squeak out a win over an Oak Bay team that currently sits in first place in their league.
The Junior Development team also played in the Belmont tournament this past weekend where it faced some tough competition. The Jags lost a close three-set decision to Francis Kelsey in the consolation final.
“There was some excellent serving power from Katheryn Sun, some well-timed aggressive play from Elyse Ip as middle blocker, and Miffy Tang was placing the ball beautifully with her spikes and her serves,” said Coach Samantha Butler.
Both SMUS Junior teams will also play in the ISAA Championships this coming weekend.
Senior Boys Volleyball
After beginning the season with a hectic tournament and league schedule, the Senior Boys Volleyball team had a relatively light week, playing just one match.
The Blue Jags had little problem dispatching visiting Stelly’s, sweeping the best-of-five Lower Island league encounter by 25-12, 25-12, 25-3 scores.
The Senior Boys will play in another Lower Island league round robin this Wednesday, beginning at 6 pm at Parkland and featuring Glenlyon Norfolk and Esquimalt as well as the host school. The Blue Jags will travel to Comox for a tournament at Highland Secondary this Friday and Saturday.
Junior Boys Volleyball
The Junior Boys Volleyball team placed seventh out of 16 teams in a tournament held this past weekend at Spectrum Community School.
The Blue Jags dropped their first match of the tournament to Claremont (25-9, 25-6) on Friday, but bounced back to beat both Mark Isfeld (25-17, 25-22) and Wellington (25-18, 20-25, 15-6) to cap the opening day.
SMUS lost to Lambrick Park (18-25, 23-25) and Stelly’s (18-25,19-25) in its two matches Saturday.
“Highlights included Kevin Jiang’s incredible defence, Nicolas Kim Godbout’s powerful spikes, and Captain Oscar He’s composed leadership,” said SMUS Coach James Rees. “The team will be playing its last home game this week on Thursday in the Single Gym at 4 pm. Come support them as they rematch their rivals Lambrick Park and Oak Bay.”
In Lower Island league play last Thursday, the Junior Jags split two matches at Stelly’s, beating beat Mount Douglas (25-12, 25-14) and losing to Stelly’s (13-25,18-25).
Senior Girls Field Hockey
It was a much quieter week for the SMUS-1 Competitive Field Hockey team with only one Lower Island league game – a 2-0 win against Glenlyon Norfolk School, the No. 1-ranked AA team in BC, last Wednesday at UVic.
Mackenna Brown scored both goals on short corners in the victory for the Blue Jags, who are currently ranked fifth among BC AAA teams.
There is one more league game at UVic scheduled for SMUS – on Monday against Claremont at 3:30 pm. A win in that game would give the Blue Jags a perfect record in league play.
This Thursday and Friday, the team will be in Surrey for the Golden Pumpkin tournament to compete against some of the bigger AAA schools in the province.
The SMUS-2 Development team has also played some good games recently in the league, competing hard and learning a lot.
The SMUS-2 team will play Oak Bay-2 at 3:30 pm this Wednesday at UVic. It will end its season by playing in the Tier 2 Island Championships on Oct. 28, also at UVic.
