Sports Stuff
By Ned Bekavac
Two members of the Guelph Gators midget fastpitch team, who won the national bronze medal on the weekend, are headed to play NCAA Division I ball.
Guelph’s Jade McGarr and Cambridge’s Lyndsay Butler, both key cogs in the Gators’ medal win at nationals in Montreal, have signed on with the Wayne State University Warriors.
McGarr, 18, is a multi-sport talent who was named the senior female athlete of the year at St. James high school this past school sports season. Along with softball, she has excelled in basketball, soccer and volleyball.
The pair join a Wayne State team that is and has been home to several former Gators players. Listed on next season’s roster are former Gators Stephanie Foreman (of Cambridge) and Nikki Fulton (Stratford). Graduate assistant coach of the team is ex-Gators player Nicole Abel (Kitchener).
Wayne State University is located in Detroit, MI.
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Guelph Marlins swimmer Erin Stamp has committed to the University of British Columbia for the upcoming school year.
The Centennial CVI graduate won the 100m and 200m breaststroke events for her age group, for the second straight time, at the recent North American Challenge Cup in Edmonton.
Stamp, who won OFSAA gold in the 100m breaststroke for Centennial in March, will be enrolled in UBC’s school of kinesiology.
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Guelph’s Emma Barrett earned a silver medal in the girls’ triathlon event at the Ontario Summer Games in Toronto.
Barrett (Centennial CVI) finished in a time of 51:05.1. In first place was Kirsten Vergara of Toronto in a time of 50:36.4.
In the boys’ triathlon, Guelph’s Willem Quosai (Centennial CVI) won bronze in a time of 46:08.9. Caledon’s Aidan Zagar took gold with a time of 45:11.2.
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The new artificial turf at the University of Guelph’s Alumni Stadium is currently being installed. Drive by and you can’t not notice it – as it stands now, the end zones are checkered black and red.
The Gryphons were to open training camp on Monday as they gear up for the 2012 OUA season.
This coming Friday, the team travels to Saskatchewan to take on the Saskatchewan Huskies in an exhibition game.
The Gryphons’ 2012 season kicks off on Sept. 3 at 1 p.m. when they visit McMaster.
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Olympian Alex Genest sounded a bit blown away by the reception he and Canadian athletes received in Toronto upon return from the London Games.
“Incredible welcome at Pearson Airport! Wow Canadian are just awesome. A group of girls gave me flowers,” he tweeted.
Genest is a Speed River Track & Field Club athlete. The Quebec native earned a seventh place finish in the steeplechase event at the Olympics.
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The Guelph Gators didn’t get much rest Saturday at the provincial squirt fastpitch championships in town.
After earning a 10-3 win over Pickering Friday, they pretty much played three straight games the next day.
Their first game went 10 innings and was a 12-11 loss to Pickering. They played again right after, says coach Ed McLellan, and that game went eight innings and was a 6-5 win over Windsor White. They then got a half-hour break before falling 10-0 to Brampton.
