YORK LIONS

2015-16 YEARBOOK

SCHEDULE & STATS2015-16 REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE 2014-15 REGULAR SEASON RESULTS

Sat. Oct. 24 at Lakehead 7pmFri. Oct. 30 vs. Ottawa 6pmFri. Nov. 6 vs. RMC 6pmSat. Nov. 7 vs. Queen’s 6pmSat. Nov. 14 at Nipissing 12pmSun. Nov. 15 vs. Guelph 2pmFri. Nov. 20 at Ryerson 6pmSun. Nov. 22 vs. Toronto 6pmSun. Nov. 29 vs. Nipissing 2pmSat. Jan. 16 vs. Ryerson 2pmSun. Jan. 17 at Toronto 6pmFri. Jan. 22 at Queen’s 6pmSat. Jan. 23 at RMC 6pmSun. Jan. 31 at Ottawa 2pmSat. Feb. 6 at Western 12pmSun. Feb. 7 at Windsor 1pmSun. Feb. 14 vs. Waterloo 2pmFri. Feb. 19 vs. McMaster 6pmSun. Feb. 21 at Brock 2pm

Sat. Oct. 18 vs. Ottawa W 3-0Fri. Oct. 24 at Waterloo W 3-0Sat. Oct. 25 at Guelph W 3-0Fri. Oct. 31 vs. Brock L 0-3Sat. Nov. 8 at Nipissing W 3-0Sat. Nov. 15 vs. Ryerson L 1-3Sun. Nov. 16 vs. Toronto L 1-3Sun. Nov. 23 at Ottawa L 0-3Sat. Nov. 29 vs. Queen’s L 1-3Sun. Nov. 30 vs. RMC W 3-0Sat. Jan. 10 at RMC W 3-1Sun. Jan. 11 at Queen’s W 3-2Sun. Jan. 18 vs. Lakehead W 3-0Fri. Jan. 23 at McMaster L 1-3Sat. Jan. 24 vs. Nipissing W 3-0Fri. Jan. 30 at Toronto L 0-3Sat. Jan. 31 at Ryerson L 0-3Sat. Feb. 7 vs. Western L 1-3Sun. Feb. 8 vs. Windsor W 3-0

Final regular-season record: 10-9

DATE OPPONENT TIME DATE OPPONENT RESULTS

2014-15 REGULAR SEASON STATISTICS# NAME SP K/S SA B A/S D/S PTS/S

8 Brittney Hopley 65 2.88 13 61 0.20 0.77 3.8

13 Michelle Pierce 65 2.52 23 64 0.14 0.69 3.6

15 Veneta Mincheva 64 2.27 33 22 0.13 2.11 3.0

1 Aleks Arsovic 55 2.35 13 9 0.15 2.95 2.7

11 Abby Ganzhorn 58 1.28 17 19 0.36 2.66 1.8

9 Melissa Smillie 7 0.71 1 2 0.43 1.57 1.1

2 Cadence Currie 33 0.88 2 6 0.06 1.64 1.0

14 Kirsten Dillon 61 0.41 17 14 8.62 1.79 0.8

3 Heather Setka 7 0.43 0 1 0.00 0.86 0.5

10 Celeste Witzell 12 0.33 0 2 0.08 0.50 0.4

4 Mimi Demski 25 0.08 4 4 4.24 1.40 0.4

12 Jennifer Black 56 0.04 0 1 0.04 3.34 0.1

7 Octavia Wong 52 0.00 6 0 0.04 0.63 0.1

6 Carley Flemmer 39 0.03 3 0 0.08 1.85 0.1

yu card

The York University Lions women’s volleyball team that takes the court this season will hardly resemble the one that was fielded one year ago, but head coach Nick Tran believes the Lions are in position to surprise OUA volleyball fans this year.

The squad finished one spot out of the post-season in 2014-15 in the tough OUA East, in the off-season lost three starters to graduation, as well as another three top players who matured coming off strong rookie seasons. But despite the significant turnover, Tran is confident the new players can step in right away and continue York’s tradition of success in the sport.

“We go into every season expecting to be at the top, but losing three of our top rookies from last year and three veterans, we knew we had to reload in a big way this year,” he said. “We feel we look great and have a team that will surprise a lot of others in the OUA, and I am confident we can make the playoffs and make a solid run once there.”

“People don’t really believe a team with seven rookies can be in posi-tion to do that, but the things our new players have brought to the program are impressive and as they get more comfortable with each other on the court we will get stronger. By the end of the season, we are going to be an impressive, fun team to watch!”

The loss of veterans Jennifer Black, Brittney Hopley and Michelle Pierce has left a leadership void on the roster, one that will be filled by fourth-year setter Kirsten Dillon. She came to York as a top recruit three years ago and has lived up to the billing, playing in all 38 matches over the last two seasons and ranking in the OUA’s top five in assists per set in both years. She will be counted on to continue that tremendous play on the court while also serving as the team captain.

“Coming off a season where we had incredible leadership from Jen, we really challenged Kirsten to step up and lead the team. She’s done a phenomenal job and came back this year a totally different player. She took that upon herself to be the leader we need and I am confident she will be successful.”

The only other fourth-year veteran is libero Carley Flemmer, who has plenty of experience in the starting job from her first three years with the program, including as a rookie when she finished fifth in the OUA

with 3.77 digs per set. Her positive energy and defensive abilities will be crucial on a young team still looking to find itself.

After Dillon and Flemmer, the Lions feature a young roster that in-cludes six new recruits who will make up the core of the team for the next five years. The group includes a 6-foot-1 setter in Tara Leithead, a lefty right side in Kayla Clennon, libero Sabah Kalim, exciting middles Keeva MacLeod and Callie Giaccone who Tran compares very favour-ably to Hopley and Pierce; and left side Sarah Williams, who brings the same level-headed, smart, tactical play to the court that former CIS all-Canadian Melissa Humana-Paredes did.

The six of them bring significant club and provincial experience to the program and will make up the new Lions women’s volleyball team for the foreseeable future. Together, they bring a depth to the roster that the Lions have not had in recent years.

“We don’t have the flashy one or two players that we have traditionally had over the last 4-5 years, but what we do have is an extremely deep bench. Our strength lies in how we play the game. We will attack by committee, defend by committee and win by committee. We are going to outwork any team out there, and as long as we can continue a play we are going to outlast teams in every rally.”

It will be an interesting season in the perennially tight OUA East with many of the top teams losing established veterans to graduation and therefore featuring several new faces. Historically, the Lions remain the most successful program in the conference with 15 titles since 1971, and they are poised to be competitive again this year while also being set up for dominance in the years to come.

SEASON OUTLOOK

# NAME SP K/S SA B A/S D/S PTS/S

8 Brittney Hopley 65 2.88 13 61 0.20 0.77 3.8

13 Michelle Pierce 65 2.52 23 64 0.14 0.69 3.6

15 Veneta Mincheva 64 2.27 33 22 0.13 2.11 3.0

1 Aleks Arsovic 55 2.35 13 9 0.15 2.95 2.7

11 Abby Ganzhorn 58 1.28 17 19 0.36 2.66 1.8

9 Melissa Smillie 7 0.71 1 2 0.43 1.57 1.1

2 Cadence Currie 33 0.88 2 6 0.06 1.64 1.0

14 Kirsten Dillon 61 0.41 17 14 8.62 1.79 0.8

3 Heather Setka 7 0.43 0 1 0.00 0.86 0.5

10 Celeste Witzell 12 0.33 0 2 0.08 0.50 0.4

4 Mimi Demski 25 0.08 4 4 4.24 1.40 0.4

12 Jennifer Black 56 0.04 0 1 0.04 3.34 0.1

7 Octavia Wong 52 0.00 6 0 0.04 0.63 0.1

6 Carley Flemmer 39 0.03 3 0 0.08 1.85 0.1

People don’t really believe a team with seven rookies can be in position to do that,

but the things our new players have brought to the program are impressive and as

they get more comfortable with each other on the court we will get stronger.

NICK TRAN - HEAD COACH“

THE COACHES

Andy Chau – Head Student Therapist

Ruth Yeung – Assistant Student Therapist

Nick Tran took over as head coach of the York wom-en’s volleyball team in 2009 after two years as an assistant. He has turned the Lions into one of the pre-eminent programs in the OUA. The squad won the OUA silver medal in 2013 and has made regular appearances in the CIS rankings, reaching a high of No. 4 in 2013.

He earned the OUA coach of the year award in 2012. As an assistant, he helped the Lions win the OUA championship in 2009. Tran was the recipient of the Ontario Volleyball Association Coach of the Year award in 2005 and he also runs a successful Vipers volleyball club in Toronto. Previously, he was an assistant coach for the provincial team and an assistant coach for the gold-medal winning Region 5 team at the provincial championship. Tran was a member of the coaching staff for the Canada Games provincial team that won silver in P.E.I. in 2009. In addition to his coaching duties, Tran is the principal of Bloordale Mid-dle School, a medium-sized middle school within the Toronto District School Board. Prior to becoming principal, Tran taught Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to middle school students where he was a co-recipient, along with Ben Tran, of the Prime Minister’s Awards for Teaching Excellence: Certificate of Achievement.

Ben Tran joined the Lions women’s volleyball team in 2008 as an assistant coach and helped guide the team to its first provincial championship in 12 years in 2009. He began his coaching experience with the Scarbor-ough Solars club team and has since moved on to running the Vipers club program he cofounded. He

has successfully developed several programs with the Vipers, includ-ing leading a team to the Canadian National East Championship title in 2005.

HEAD COACH

ASSISTANT COACH

ASSISTANT COACH

ASSISTANT COACHASSISTANT COACH

NickTRAN

SarahSUTTON

JessicaLOWES

MattHOEY

BenTRAN

Sarah Sutton joined the Lions women’s volleyball coaching staff in 2011 after a stellar five-year ca-reer with the program. She was the captain in each of her final two seasons, won the OUA championship in 2009 and was a three-time OUA all-star (2008, 2010-11) while with the team. Sutton graduated from York with a degree in kinesiology and health sci-

ence, as well as another in education. She is now a teacher at Bloordale Middle School.

Jessica Lowes joined the Lions coaching staff in 2014 to work specifically with the setters. She is a former varsity student-athlete herself, spending four years at Augusta State University in Georgia, where she earned an NCAA scholarship. She was the starting setter for four seasons and graduated from the program in 2008 as the Jaguars’ all-time

career record holder in assists, as well as the single season leader in the same category. In addition to coaching, Lowes is a grade eight sci-ence teacher at Hilltop Middle School.

Matt Hoey has been an assistant coach with the Lions women’s volley-ball team since 2012. He began his coaching career with South County, where he had immediate success medaling in the top tier at the provin-cial championship. Following that stint, he moved on to the Forest City, National Capital and Ottawa Fusion Volleyball Clubs, and while with Na-tional Capital he helped guide the U17 team to a fourth-place finish at the national championships. He has also previously spent one season as the assistant coach and strength coach for the University of Water-loo women’s volleyball team, and spent time with the Ontario Summer Games Region 3 and Region 6 teams. Away from volleyball, Hoey also heads one of the largest marine insurance companies in Ontario.

Involvement in sports has always been of utmost importance to the Dillon family, and that influence from a young age has produced two extremely talented athletes currently plying their trades at high levels.

York Lions fourth-year setter Kirsten Dillon has blossomed into one of the best at her position in the OUA in her first three seasons, while her older brother, Brenden, is a defenceman with the San Jose Sharks in the Na-tional Hockey League (NHL) and represented Canada at the 2013 IIHF world championships.

Both of them have their parents to thank for turning them into competitive athletes, as Edward and Debbie were high-level athletes in their own right when they were younger.

“My parents were racquet ball players. My mom was top 10 in the province and there are medals all over the basement of theirs. I’ve never actually seen them play, but I heard that back in the day they were pretty athletic!”

Because of their encouragement, Dillon participated in a wide range of sports as a little girl before she finally settled on one.

“Athletics were so important growing up. I was put into every single sport; I would have one practice after another until it got to the point where I had to pick one sport and I picked volleyball. It’s the only one I had the most fun with. I love basketball too but hated going to practice! I love coming here every day and playing volleyball.”

Since narrowing her focus, Dillon has shown tremendous growth on the court. She won multiple provincial and national medals with her club teams and was a former member of the British Columbia provincial team. Her strong play as a setter led to plenty of interest from CIS coaches around the country, and after a recruiting trip to York alongside Lions teammates Carley Flemmer and Melissa Smillie, she knew she had found her spot for her varsity career.

She spent one season learning her craft as a rookie back-up setter, but took over the starting job two seasons ago and has been impressive ever since. She has played in every match in that stretch and has finished in the OUA’s top five in assists per set both years.

As one of only two fourth-year players on this year’s roster, Dillon’s role has expanded to include team captain on a squad that includes seven rook-ies, and in 2015-16 she is ready to run the offence on the court while also providing guidance to her younger teammates off of it.

“I can tell a lot of the girls look up to me but I am more of a lead-by-example type of person,” she says of her leadership style. “I push them as hard as I can and they know I’m there if they need to come talk to me.”

Dillon’s strong competitive nature has her believing that this year’s version of the Lions can be in the mix when the playoffs narrow to just a few teams, and she has a long history of sporting excellence to draw upon when she takes the court this season.

KIRSTEN DILLON

Proud sponsor of the

YORK LIONS

GETTING TO KNOW KIRSTEN

Any significance to wearing the No. 4?My birthday is 04-04-94 so I like the number 4. My brother wears it too, but he stole it from me because I wore it first!

Nicknames?My last name is Dillon so somehow I got Dill Pickle out of that. And my initials are KD so some people call me that too.

Most embarrassing moments on the volleyball court?I think I have a lot of them! When I go up to hit the ball at the net I usually hit the net and I always get the “look” from Nick.

THE PLAYERS

SociologyStouffville District S.S.

Kinesiology & Health ScienceSir Oliver Mowat C.I.

Communication StudiesSir Oliver Mowat C.I.

Civil EngineeringEtobicoke School for the Arts

PsychologySir Robert Borden H.S.

Social Work/EducationSilverthorn C.I.

Year SP K D B PTS2014-15 33 29 54 6 34Total 33 29 54 6 34

Year SP A D SA PTS2014-15 25 106 35 4 9Total 25 106 35 4 9

• An aggressive, hard-working right side with a very strong serve

• Extremely coachable and has huge potential for the future

• Helped high school team win the AAA silver medal at the OFSAA championships this past year

• Played in all 19 matches as the starting setter in last two seasons

• Ranked fifth in the OUA with 8.62 assists per set last year

• Has soft hands and a huge pres-ence at the net

• Formerly on BC’s provincial team• Won three provincial and two

national medals with club teams• Five-time team MVP in high school• Brother Brenden plays for the

NHL’s San Jose Sharks

• Appeared in 17 matches as the back-up libero and averaged 1.85 digs per set

• A fearless player with a calming presence on the court

• Formerly on BC’s provincial team• Won back-to-back provincial

championships with club team, as well as a national silver medal

• Earned tournament honours while leading high school team to provincial title

• Has a very competitive nature• Hits a heavy ball and provides a

huge presence at the net• Finished fourth at the U18 provin-

cial championships with Maverick volleyball club

• Earned high school’s volleyball team MVP award

• Is hard-working and an incredible team player

• Earned high school’s athlete of the year award and the volleyball team MVP last year

• Father, Paul, and uncle, Mark, are both former members of the Yeomen men’s basketball team, and Paul was inducted into York’s Sport Hall of Fame in 2009

• Very aggressive on defence and strong on serve receive

• Participated in the OVA High Performance Centre this past summer

• Won gold and silver medals with club teams at the last two provin-cial championships

• Three-time volleyball team MVP in high school

• Won four straight city champion-ships with high school team and participated in the OFSAA tourna-ment each year

• A great blocker and a strong defender

• Captain of the Etobicoke Titans volleyball club and team MVP

• Four-time volleyball team MVP in high school

• As a senior in high school, earned the G.I. Vipond Award for athletics and academics

• Played in 14 matches as a rookie outside hitter

• Quick and aggressive on defence and has a great swing

• Won U18 provincial gold medal in beach volleyball in 2014, her fifth straight title

• Won back-to-back national gold medals with Scarborough Titans club team

• Appeared in 14 matches as a rookie back-up setter

• Brings a positive attitude to the line-up and is a great teammate

• Former volleyball team MVP in high school

Kayla CLENNONOH - 5’10 - 1st - Stouffville, Ont.

Justine JONESS - 5’6 - 1st - Newmarket, Ont.

Cadence CURRIEOH - 5’11 - 2nd - Scarborough, Ont.

Carley FLEMMERLIB - 5’8 - 4th - Delta, B.C.

Sabah KALIM LIB - 5’6 - 1st - Toronto, Ont.

Mimi DEMSKIS - 5’8 - 2nd - Etobicoke, Ont.

Callie GIACCONEM - 6’1 - 1st - Ottawa, Ont.

Tara LEITHEADS - 6’1 - 1st - Etobicoke, Ont.

#12

#10

#2

#6

#11

#1

#17

#14

Kinesiology & Health ScienceL.A. Matheson S.S.

Kinesiology & Health Science Sir William Mulock S.S.

Kinesiology & Health Science Seaquam H.S.

Kirsten DILLONS - 5’11 - 4th - Surrey, B.C. #4

Year GP K A D PTS2012-13 11 0 29 9 02013-14 69 17 670 143 462014-15 61 25 526 109 49.5Total 141 42 1225 261 95.5

Year GP A D SA PTS2012-13 48 9 181 0 02013-14 39 2 72 2 22014-15 39 3 72 3 4Total 87 14 325 5 6

THE PLAYERS#1

PsychologyNepean H.S.

Criminology/MarketingDakota Collegiate

Communication StudiesAbbey Park H.S.

MarketingSt. Mary’s H.S.

Communication StudiesElgin Park S.S.

Keeva MacLEODM - 5’11 - 1st - Ottawa, Ont.

Sarah WILLIAMSOH - 5’10 - 1st - Oakville, Ont.

Heather SETKAOH - 5’10 - 2nd - Winnipeg, Man.

Celeste WitzellOH - 6’1 - 2nd - Kitchener, Ont.

Melissa SMILLIEOH - 5’11 - 3rd - White Rock, B.C.#5

#7

#3

#13

#9

• Is very quick and has a good vertical

• Brings a calmness to the court and a big presence at the net

• Spent four seasons with Ottawa Fusion club team, earning best defensive player and most improved player awards

• Earned high school volleyball team MVP award

• A versatile player who is strong as an attacker and defender

• Has a high volleyball IQ and a stable serve receive

• Won provincial silver medal and finished fifth at nationals with Leaside Lightning club team

• Won back-to-back OFSAA cham-pionships with high school team (2014-15)

• Appeared in eight matches as a rookie outside hitter

• Provides a big block at the net and is a big offensive threat

• Won CWOSSA championship in 2013 with high school team

• Appeared in six matches as a rookie outside hitter

• Brings strong technical skills to the right side

• Won Manitoba provincial champi-onship with club team

• Earned provincial all-star honours after helping high school team win zone championship in 2014

• Appeared in 10 matches over two seasons

• A defensive specialist with a strong, heavy serve

• Former member of the BC provin-cial team

• Won back-to-back provincial championships with club team and a national silver medal in 2011

• Two-time Fraser Valley all-star and provincial all-star in high school

Year SP K D B PTS2014-15 7 3 6 1 3.5Total 7 3 6 1 3.5

Year SP K D B PTS2014-15 12 4 6 2 5Total 12 4 6 2 5

Year GP K D B PTS2012-13 6 0 1 0 02014-15 7 5 11 2 7.5 Total 13 5 12 2 7.5

BEST OF 2014 -2015

MIMI DEMSKIIt’s not often that one of the most influential players on a varsity team has just one year of experience under their belts, but the York Lions women’s volleyball team is in good hands with second-year setter Mimi Demski providing leadership on and off the court.

She’s only been at the university for one season but has already made a big impact not just on the women’s volleyball team but also on the varsity program as a whole.

As a rookie, she appeared in 14 sets as the back-up setter and averaged 4.24 assists per set. But where her impact is truly felt is in the enthusiasm she brings to the line-up, and the positive energy she both exudes and instills in her teammates. It’s an attitude she strives to bring to every practice and game.

“I hope to be a positive player and keep pushing our athletes on the court and off to help the team keep getting better,” says Demski about her role with the program. “We have a lot of building and growing to do, and I want to be a source of encouragement for the rest of the team.”

Away from the court she is also already heavily involved in many different initiatives, most notably York’s Providing Athletes with Winning Strategies (P.A.W.S.) program that provides educational and first-year transition support to all entering Lions rookies. She credits former teammate Jennifer Black with inspiring her to contribute in all aspects of student-athlete life.

“Last year I was fortunate to have a captain in Jen who was such an incredible captain and role model, and my goal is to follow in her steps. She was always involved and pushed us to be involved, and she showed me a lot of the ropes. Now I want to be what she was to us to our rookies. I want that example to continue throughout our program because I think it showed me something so valuable.”

Black isn’t the only role model Demski looks up to. Her sister Emilia, six years older, has had a tremendous influence on her life throughout the years.

“My sister is the most supportive person I have ever met in my life. She is my number one fan no matter what I do. She’s the reason why I am where I am today.”

As a three-year-old, Mimi would watch her older sister play volleyball in elementary school and that inspired her to get into the sport herself. Other than a short time playing soccer, volleyball is the only sport she has known. The small teams and speed of the game have kept her hooked since she first stepped on the court herself at the age of nine.

She also came to York because of Emilia, who was not a varsity athlete but still came to many games to cheer on the Lions. Mimi was exposed to the excitement of varsity life at the university from a young age and that made her post-secondary decision an easy one.

“Whenever I came here she would bring us to events, and when I was at the events I could tell there was a great family environment. I used to come watch the Lions as a little girl growing up, I always had my goal to come here.”

The Lions women’s volleyball team and the varsity program overall have already benefitted greatly from her contributions and will no doubt continue to do so in the next several years she is at York.

GETTING TO KNOW MIMI

Favourite volleyball memory?Last year when the University of Ottawa came here. It was the craziest game I’ve ever been part of. The sets were so close and it was incredible.

Any embarrassing moments on the volleyball court?All the time! So many times the ball has slipped through my hands, I’ve served under the net, ran into walls, things like that.

What do you want to do after York?I want to be an engineer. I am studying civil engineering right now and one day would love to be the CEO of a company in the environmental field.

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MIMI DEMSKI PAN AM GAMESMelissa HUMANA-PAREDES

Former York University Lions women’s volleyball player Melissa Humana-Paredes has put together an impressive career on the international beach volleyball circuit since playing her last game for the Lions at the end of the 2013-14 season.

Alongside partner Taylor Pischke, Humana-Paredes most recently represented Canada at this past summer’s Pan Am Games in Toronto, going undefeated in pool play en route to a fourth-place finish. The two of them are rising stars on the FIVB tour, and Humana-Parades is the reigning FIVB rookie of the year. The duo has competed at multiple international events, winning bronze medals at the FIVB world U23 championships in back-to-back years (2013-14), finishing fourth at the 27th Summer Universiade in 2013 and the NORCECA championship in 2014.

Humana-Paredes had a tremendous career with the Lions, earning OUA all-star honours three times, a CIS all-Canadian award in 2012, and she was also York’s female athlete of the year that same season. The Humana-Paredes family has a long history of success at York, as father Hernan was a long-time coach with both volleyball programs and brother Felipe was a five-year member of the Lions men’s volleyball team and is a current assistant coach.

JOIN THE PRIDEOUA AWARDSCIS AWARDS

RECORD BOOKCIS AWARDSCIS Bronze Medals (since 1980)1990-91, 1989-90, 1984-85, 1983-84, 1981-82

CIS Coach of the Year (since 1977)1984-85 – Merv Mosher CIS First-Team All-Canadians (since 1981)1994-95 – Sue Lesage1993-94 – Vicki Gallagher1992-93 – Susan Craig1991-92 – Susan Craig1990-91 – Christine Pollitt, Susan Craig1989-90 – Christine Pollitt1987-88 – Christine Pollitt1984-85 – Donna Kastelic1983-84 – Donna Kastelic1982-83 – Jill Graham CIS Second-Team All-Canadians (since 1981)2012-13 – Brandie Wilkerson2011-12 – Melissa Humana-Paredes, Brandie Wilkerson2002-03 – Gilah McHugh2001-02 – Gilah McHugh1999-00 – Lindsay Wells1998-99 – Lindsay Wells1996-97 – Kirsten Manley-Casimir1994-95 – Kirsten Manley-Casimir1988-89 – Christine Pollitt

1986-87 – Christine Pollitt1983-84 – Marla Taylor 1981-82 – Donna Kastelic, Marla Taylor

CIS All-Rookie Team2010-11 – Brandie Wilkerson2008-09 – Thinesa Sriskandarajah

OUA AWARDSOUA Championship Titles (since 1971)2008-09, 1996-97, 1994-95, 1993-94, 1992-93, 1991-92, 1990-91, 1989-90, 1987-88, 1986-87, 1984-85, 1983-84, 1982-83, 1981-82, 1978-79 OUA East Libero of the Year Award 2008-09 – Antonia Stathakos2007-08 – Antonia Stathakos OUA Rookie of the Year2010-11 – Brandie Wilkerson2008-09 – Thinesa Sriskandarajah2000-01 – Dana Haan1998-99 – Laura Wells1997-98 – Jennifer Langley1989-90 – Cheryl Guay

OUA Coach of the Year2011-12 – Nick Tran2008-09 – Arif Nathoo2004-05 – Hernan Humana1998-99 – Hernan Humana1997-98 – Hernan Humana1995-96 – Merv Mosher1994-95 – Merv Mosher1992-93 – Merv Mosher1990-91 – Merv Mosher1988-89 – Merv Mosher1987-88 – Merv Mosher1985-86 – Merv Mosher1984-85 – Merv Mosher

OUA Award of Merit2014-15 – Jennifer Black2010-11 – Sarah Sutton OUA First-Team All-Stars2014-15 – Brittney Hopley2013-14 – Michelle Pierce2012-13 – Melissa Humana-Paredes, Michelle Pierce, Brandie Wilkerson2011-12 – Melissa Humana-Paredes, Brandie Wilkerson2010-11 – Sarah Sutton, Kristina Vlcek2009-10 – Sarah Sutton, Kristina Vlcek2008-09 – Candice Paulsen, Nadia Reider, Thinesa Sriskandarajah2006-07 – Elizabeth Salas-Chavez, Antonia Stathakos2005-06 – Nicole Carleton-Burnham2004-05 – Dana Haan, Cara Patterson, Elizabeth Salas-Chavez2003-04 – Dana Haan, Gilah McHugh2002-03 – Gilah McHugh, Laura Wells2001-02 – Jennifer Langley, Gilah McHugh2000-01 – Colleen MacDonald, Miranda Vandenberg1999-00 – Jessica Dell, Laura Wells, Lindsay Wells1998-99 – Angie Shen, Lindsay Wells1997-98 – Cathy Garrington, Sasha Klunder1996-97 – Christy Goodfellow, Kirsten Manley-Casimir, Sue Lesage1995-96 – Christy Goodfellow, Kirsten Manley-Casimir1994-95 – Christy Goodfellow, Kirsten Manley-Casimir, Sue Lesage1993-94 – Vicki Gallagher, Christy Goodfellow

1992-93 – Susan Craig, Kendra Irwin1991-92 – Susan Craig, Cheryl Guay, Mary Van Soelen1990-91 – Susan Craig, Christine Pollitt1989-90 – Susan Craig, Christine Pollitt1988-89 – Susan Craig, Megan Hurst, Christine Pollitt, Bente Rasmussen1987-88 – Megan Hurst, Cheryl Piper, Christine Pollitt1986-87 – Cheryl Piper, Christine Pollitt1985-86 – Cheryl Piper1984-85 – Mary Ann Boyles, Jill Graham, Donna Kastelic1983-84 – Donna Kastelic, Marla Taylor1982-83 – Jill Graham, Trish Barnes1981-82 – Donna Kastelic, Marla Taylor1980-81 – Marla Taylor1979-80 – Fiona MacGregor, Marla Taylor

OUA Second-Team All-Stars (since 1981)2014-15 – Michelle Pierce2013-14 – Brittney Hopley, Melissa Humana- Paredes, Brandie Wilkerson2010-11 – Brandie Wilkerson2008-09 – Angela Frawley2007-08 – Candice Paulsen, Nadia Reider, Sarah Sutton2006-07 – Nicole Carleton-Burnham, Nadia Reider2005-06 – Nadia Reider, Elizabeth Salas- Chavez, Antonia Stathakos2003-04 – Cara Patterson2002-03 – Dana Haan2001-02 – Laura Wells2000-01 – Jennifer Langley, Laura Wells1998-99 – Miranda Vandenberg1997-98 – Lindsay Wells1984-85 – Trish Barnes1983-84 – Jill Graham, Gina Thompson1981-82 – Fiona MacGregor, Gina Thompson, Andrea Williams OUA All-Rookie Team (since 2007)2014-15 – Abby Ganzhorn, Veneta Mincheva2013-14 – Aleks Arsovic2010-11 – Brandie Wilkerson2008-09 – Thinesa Sriskandarajah2007-08 – Natasha Khan

JOIN THE PRIDEYork University’s student-athletes have been competing against rival in-stitutions on the Canadian sport scene for over 40 years. Provincial and national team titles, combined with numerous athletes and coaches who have participated on many of Canada’s national teams, attest to the suc-cess of York’s interuniversity sport program. Since the inception of orga-nized sport competition in 1965, York has won 172 provincial banners and 34 national titles.

Athletics & Recreation offers 19 varsity sport teams that compete in On-tario University Athletics (OUA) and Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS). The varsity sport teams are guided by a tremendous coaching staff that is composed of NCCP certified professionals, many of whom also hold leader-ship positions in provincial and national sport organizations and are ex-perts in their field of coaching. The staff includes more than 100 dedicated full-time and part-time coaches.

ACADEMIC & FINANCIAL SUPPORTAt York we understand that academic and financial support are significant keys to success at the University level and we have a number of programs in place to provide all the support necessary for student-athletes to thrive.

Academic Excellence ProgramAthletics & Recreation has placed the highest priority on supporting its student-athletes in all facets of university life, focusing specifically on helping foster success in the classroom.

The PAWS (Providing Athletes with Winning Strategies) Program provides tutoring across multiple subjects for all students, mentoring from senior student-athletes, academic ad-vising through our academic services coordi-nator and many of our faculty, and access to our vast network of alumni.

Financial SupportYork University is committed to helping students with demonstrated finan-cial need meet the direct education costs associated with university stud-ies (tuition, books and mandatory course fees). Financial assistance can be provided from a variety of sources including OSAP, scholarships, bursaries, private awards and employment.

Athletics & Recreation understands the importance of providing Athletic Financial Awards (AFAs) to entering student-athletes and has developed a number of awards, valued at $22,500 each ($4,500 per year up to five years). These awards are given annually to elite student-athletes that have achieved an 80% entering average and maintain a 6.0 grade point average.

STRENGTH & CONDITIONINGYork University is one of only a handful of institutions in Canada that has two dedicated strength and conditioning coaches for its student-athletes. The Lions work closely with strength and conditioning staff, who create programs based on the needs of the athlete and coaches on high-perfor-mance lifts and movements. Team and individual workouts are available and education on all aspects of strength and conditioning is provided, in-cluding proper warm-ups and cool-downs, plyometrics, power, energy sys-tems development, strength and flexibility.

Programs are created for both in-season and off-season workouts. Every training session is designed for the needs of the athlete and individual sport. The training phase and focus changes throughout the year and are based on the competition schedule and off-season periodization program. The staff provides all of the tools necessary to become stronger, faster and more powerful. The strength and conditioning coaches also work closely with the athletic therapy group on rehabilitating injured players.

All Lions have access to the varsity strength and conditioning gym, which is for the exclusive use of our student-athletes. Training here allows you to work in a high-performance environment where all equipment and programming is selected for the needs of the high-performance athlete.

SPORT INJURY CLINICThe Gorman/Shore Sport Injury Clinic features a full staff of athletic thera-pists and team doctors with significant experience in the medical field, and many of the doctors are recognized as some of the top experts in the country in their specific fields. The sport medicine team brings to York experience at multiple Olympic Games, world championships and with pro-fessional and amateur athletes.

The sport injury clinic is a teaching clinic, with students from the Athletic Therapy Certificate Program completing their clinical placements under the direct supervision of the clinic manager and supervisor. Because of this, most medical care for student-athletes is free of charge.

What sets York apart is its concussion program, which is one of the best in the country. The sport medicine team uses the most up-to-date protocols in the world; the same ones used by professional sport leagues and the top American universities, to ensure concussions are diagnosed accurately and treated in the best manner known today.

T-Shirts, hoodies, shorts, water bottles and more are available. Visit the Pride Shop in the Tait McKenzie Centre lobby.

YORK STUDENTS FREE!

PURCHASE YOUR OFFICIALYORK LIONS MERCHANDISE!

CHEER FOR THE LIONS!SHOW YOUR PRIDE

With the presentation of a valid YU-card at the door for all regular-season home games.

2015-2016 TICKET PRICES *AdultsAlumni/York StaffSeniors (over 55)Non-York StudentsYouth (under 13)

$10.50$7.50$7.50$7.50FREE

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Diverse programming to meet your interests and needs. Take advantage of opportunities based on your time, skills and personal development goals.

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Group rates available for groups of 10 or more paying guests. Email yulions@yorku.ca for more details.

* Prices include taxes and $0.50 service fee.

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Wear RED at select games and you could win!

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Group drop-in fitness classes in Beast Kik, BOSU ABT, Core Circuit, Shread and moreInstructional classes in aquatics, cycling, dance, fitness, martial arts, pilates and yoga

Personal training Casual recreationIntramuralsSport clubs