An infusion of youth has sparked optimism for the Brock Badgers women's curling team as they compete at the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Championship from Friday, Feb. 2 to Sunday, Feb. 4.
The 16-team field will face off at the Guelph Curling Club in Guelph for the right to be called provincial champions.
Friday and Saturday will feature round robin action with each team playing two matches per day. From there, the top eight teams will play in a single elimination bracket format to determine a winner.
For women's head coach John Sawchuk, this year has seen significant turnover, with half of last year's fifth-place team graduating. The team has embraced the challenge of rebuilding, putting returning players into new leadership roles and positions and thriving in the process.
"The players have worked hard this year to come together as a new team and the support for each other has been tremendous," said Sawchuk. "They have been focused on improving their communication and consistency of play to be able to compete with the best teams at the OUA Championship."
The Badgers started off their exhibition bonspiel schedule with a second-place finish at the Guelph Invitational, including a good battle in the finals with the Waterloo Warriors; a 2023 quarter-finalist.
Brock finished 2-2 at each of their next two bonspiels (McMaster Invitational and Brock Invitational), picking up wins over the TMU Bold (2023 bronze medalists), Toronto Varsity Blues, Algoma Thunderbirds and Ontario Tech Ridgebacks.
Sophomore skip Julia Markle was an Ontario Scottie's Tournament of Hearts qualifier and has jumped into the role of team leader. The Business Communications major has brought a lot of positive energy to the team and brings a 'look forward to the next shot' attitude.
Another veteran the team will lean upon this weekend is Chloe Morby. The fourth-year vice has been with the team during her entire tenure attending Brock and has worked her way up from an alternate to a starting role.
Jenna Decelerq-Towers takes her spot as the lead for the second straight year and Ryenne O'Keefe will be the second this weekend, gaining experience from the junior varsity team the last two years. Alyssa Mayville, a first year on the team, will be the alternate this weekend for the Badgers.
Keep up with all the action at https://scores.curlingtours.com/event/OUA2024/Schedule.
