Basketball
Basketball moved into either the late stages of league play or South Island qualification.
On the girls' side, the Junior Girls Development squad retained its place at the top of the league table, dropping Vic High 45-25 before squeaking by Claremont 49-46. Norah Lo, Jenna Melo, Lizzy Kim, Alienor de Nanteuil and Talia Pike all played strongly.
At the Senior Girls level, SMUS confirmed a league title, and the South Island AAA No. 1 seeding, with victories over Stelly's, Esquimalt and Reynolds. Marina Fabris, Claudia Murr and Yukina Hashimoto stood out in the three strong defensive efforts.
The Junior Girls team, on the cusp of gaining the No. 1 seed in BC, confirmed its credentials with wins in both the ISA and South Island tournaments. In the latter event, led by MVP Brianne McLeish, the Blue Jags went from strength to strength, accounting for Parkland, Pacific Christian School and then Claremont 54-28 in a physical and fast-paced final. McLeish and fellow starters Jojo Tupas-Singh, Makena Anderson, Lauren Rust and Sophie Olcen were in great form, with Amanda Adams, Anna Fowler, Josie Hallatt, Skye Farish and Emma Curry all contributing significantly in reserve roles.
The team now moves on to the Island tournament, set to be played February 13-15 at Brentwood College School.
On the boys' side, the Junior Boys team saw its season come to an end in the City tournament, after losses to Belmont and Pacific Christian School in the double knockout draw. However, led by Ty Driscoll and Will Robinson, the young and relatively inexperienced group did turn in its best efforts of the season in big wins over Royal Bay and Reynolds.
The Senior Boys completed their league season with a loss against Esquimalt followed by wins over Reynolds and Edward Milne. The Blue Jags begin South Island AAA qualifying as the No. 2 seed. Karter Fry, Ethan Brownsey, Kyle Ferguson and Will Kinahan all had their moments, as the team eyes securing the best possible draw at the full Island tournament February 20-22 in Ladysmith.
Rowing
Rowing was very much in the forefront in recent weeks, with members of various SMUS crews taking part in the January 19 Brentwood Erg Regatta and the February 2 UVic Monster Erg competitions. Both events drew hundreds of athletes from all across Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland.
At Brentwood College, among many fine performances, Lisa Du Plessis recorded the highest score for U19 Novice Women, while Diego D'Lorm did the same in the U19 Novice Men's race. Moreover, Markus Muller finished as the top performer in both the U17 Open and Lightweight categories, while Tessa Furey, Linden Girardeaux, Firinne Rolfe and Liam Hodgins each won their divisions, too.
Then, at UVic, in an event linked nationally to other Monster Ergs being held across the country, Rolfe, Muller and Hodgins represented SMUS with great distinction. Indeed, in the U19 Women's event, Rolfe was edged out of the gold medal by 0.2 seconds, with Hodgins also claiming a silver medal in his U19 Men's race. Muller also rowed impressively to a 5th place finish.
The entire SMUS Rowing team looks forward to its first water regatta March 7-8 at Elk Lake.
Vivat!
