Our process in grading the fall performances of Queen’s Interuniversity teams was highly unscientific. It is based quite simply on our perceptions of how each team performed, both in the regular season and playoffs, relative to their projected performances. The impressive results and high calibre of our teams made the grading process difficult. With a few more playoff wins, what follows might well have looked a lot like a Queen’s student’s high school report card. Congratulations to all the Queen’s athletes, coaches and s who worked so hard to bring our school results to be proud of.
Women’s Soccer
A
The women’s squad was a force to be reckoned with, going 7-0-5 in the regular season, good for second in the OUA East. They suffered an agonizing 1-0 defeat in the semifinals on a controversial goal by their opponents, the York Lions. They regrouped well, however, capturing bronze with a 1-0 victory over the Brock Badgers.
Men’s Soccer
B+
Men’s soccer was ranked tenth in Canada after a 7-2-1 regular season, second best in their division and fourth out of 16 teams in Ontario. They led the OUA in scoring with 26 goals and boasted several OUA all-stars. They too were snake-bitten in the opening round of the playoffs, falling 2-1 in penalty kicks to Waterloo.
Football
C+
The men’s football team took a step toward returning to the glory of a few years ago, improving on last year’s win total and showing flashes of brilliance, but failed to appear in the post-season for the second straight year, earning a 3-5 record. The team was inconsistent, playing well in the first halves of games, but they were blown away in the final 30 minutes of several contests. The offence is young and promising, while the defence was the strength of the team.
Women’s Ultimate
B
The women’s team finished in fifth place at the Canadian Eastern Ultimate Championship. The team improved as the season wore on, however, and looked strong at the Canadian University Ultimate Championship, going undefeated up to the point at which the tournament was called.
Women’s Cross Country
B-
The women’s team, not favoured to be a top contender, made good strides in 2005. They did not crack the national top 10 ranking, but managed a respectable fifth place finish at the OUA championships. They did reach a number of personal milestones as several runners improved on their personal best times. Head coach Shane Lakins described his squad as being made up of “some very solid and consistent runners,” and the team lived up to that billing.
Golf
B-
Queen’s golf rolled through their season as the favourites to win the Ontario title. Led by rookie Patrick Forbes, the team was without equal, winning multiple events, both as a team and as individual golfers. The smooth ride came to an abrupt halt, however, when the team placed a disappointing sixth at the OUA championships.
Women’s Lacrosse
A+
The women’s lacrosse players were the stars of Queen’s athletics in the fall term, boasting a season even they could not have hoped for. They went 9-0-1 in regular season play and rolled through the playoffs, notably routing Western 11-3 in the semifinal game. It took overtime for them to lose 8-7 to Ontario’s other undefeated team, the Laurier Golden Hawks. They could only conceivably have done one goal better.
Women’s Mountain Biking
A
The women’s lone A rider, Colleen Hammond, earned second place in the season standings, while two Queen’s B riders, Rebecca Gerlach and rookie Madalyn Armstrong, took second and third place respectively overall. The women’s B team boasted three riders in the top 14 places in the final race.
Men’s Mountain Biking
A+
The men’s mountain biking team finished their 2005 season as the undisputed champions of Ontario, taking the crown from U of T, who had beaten Queen’s out for first place last year. In the season’s final race, the men swept the podium in the A category, and in the process also locked up the top three spots in the season standings. The men’s B race also featured several strong performances by Queen’s riders.
Women’s Rowing
A-
The women’s team equaled the men’s success, placing second at the OUA championships with three gold medals and two silvers. They then narrowly missed the medals at the CIS championships, placing fourth. Two rowers, Jenny Hogsden and Elizabeth McCord, received national awards from Rowing Canada as Female Sculler of the Year and one half of Female Crew of the Year respectively.
Men’s Rugby
B
Men’s rugby had a strong regular season, but failed to raise their game in the playoffs. They finished the season 6-2, good for second in the East division and third in Ontario, but were shut out 34-0 in the OUA semifinal and then fell 23-13 to Brock in the bronze medal game, keeping them out of the medals. The team did boast the OUA East MVP, Ramsey Ida.
Women’s Rugby
B+
Women’s rugby saw a stellar season abruptly halted in the opening round of the playoffs. The team entered the postseason with an unblemished 6-0 record, and were heavy favourites against the 2-3 Waterloo Warriors. The Warriors looked the more battle-tested team, however, squeaking out a 10-7 upset and leaving the Gaels to wonder what might have been.
Men’s Rowing
A
The returning OUA champions were in fine form again in 2005. They won three gold medals at the OUA championships, finishing second overall to powerhouse Western. They found themselves back on the podium at the CIS championships, placing third overall and winning gold in the lightweight fours. The future looks bright for the team, as their junior varsity boats placed first and second and their novice boat placed second in the development race.
Baseball
B-
After a championship season last year, men’s baseball put in another solid campaign. They went 11-6 in the regular season, good for second in their division behind the 12-4 York Lions. Their grade suffers, however, on their upset in the opening round of the playoffs, when they fell 2-1 in a best-of-three series against the Durhem Lords.
Men’s Cross Country
A-
Men’s cross country was a force both in Ontario and on the national stage, finishing third in the OUA championships and, fittingly, sixth in the CIS championships as that was their national ranking coming in. On a personal level, three runners cracked the all-time list for the best times posted at the CIS championships by Queen’s athletes. Head coach Shane Lakins said the team achieved their objectives for the season in a past interview with the Journal, but the teams ahead of them have set an even higher standard for next season.
Men’s Ultimate
A+
The team was undefeated and ranked first in the nation going into the Canadian University Ultimate Championship in Montreal. They were perfect in round robin play there, but the tournament was called early due to weather conditions, and no winner was crowned.
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