The week of May 13-21 was a busy one for athletics as the SMUS Senior Girls rugby sevens team claimed the Vancouver Island Rugby Sevens Championship after going undefeated in five games. Meanwhile, the Senior Girls Soccer team entered the Island AA's Championship as the top seed but fell to Mark Isfeld in the final. In boys rugby, the Junior team captured the Island junior title with a win over Shawnigan Lake, while the Senior Boys team lost the AA final to Brentwood College but will still have a spot at provincials later this month.
In track and field, Leupold Wang claimed top of the podium in three events and won the meet's high-aggregate award for the third year in a row. In the pool, alumnus Jeremy Bagshaw (2010) booked his ticket to the upcoming Paris Olympic Games, his first Olympic appearance, after a strong 200-metre freestyle performance to qualify for a spot on the Canadian men's 4x200-m freestyle relay team.
Senior Girls Rugby
The SMUS Senior Girls captured the Vancouver Island Rugby Sevens Championship last week, winning five straight games and beating Claremont 19-14 in the final on Tuesday at Esquimalt Secondary.
The tournament began last Monday, with the Blue Jags defeating host Esquimalt, Highland of Comox and Belmont to finish atop their round-robin pool, guaranteeing them a top-four finish and a berth in the BC Championships.
On the second day of the Islands, SMUS turned back Belmont in a one-sided semifinal. The championship match against Claremont was much closer, but the Blue Jags got off to a great start, taking an early lead on a line break and 80-metre run by captain Harper May, who converted her own try. Chioma Duru scored the second and third SMUS tries and the rest of the match was a back-and-forth affair, with only a one-score difference between the teams.
“It was a well-earned team victory that saw the SMUS girls playing tough defence, even while shorthanded for two minutes after being penalized for a high tackle,” said Head Coach Ian Farish. “The team showed tremendous depth over the two days of competition with Moe Ohara tackling well beyond her weight class, Taylor MacDonald strong in tackles and scoring several tries, Ruki Madzimure playing her best rugby of the season, and Sammi Robinson with an impressive work rate in the scrums.”
SMUS, the No. 1-ranked team in the province, will now prepare for the BC Championships May 30 and 31 in Abbotsford.
Senior Girls Soccer
The SMUS Senior Girls Soccer team entered last week’s Vancouver Island AA Championship tournament as the South Island’s No. 1 seed. With a grueling four-game schedule over two days, the Blue Jags knew they would need big performances to reach the championship match.
SMUS found itself up against an aggressive Gulf Islands team in its opening game. Although the Blue Jags owned the majority of possession, their opponents created havoc with a physical brand of soccer. Nevertheless, SMUS managed a 1-1 draw, courtesy of a goal by Sophia Eiley.
In their second game, the Blue Jags controlled the play from start to finish in a 6-0 decision over Glenlyon-Norfolk School. Hollyn Withers scored twice for SMUS in the victory, with singles coming from Joss Olcen, Maddy Albert, Sienna Wharton and Sahiba Khurana.
In order to reach the championship final, SMUS needed a win Tuesday morning against Brentwood College. The game started with excellent pressure and possession from the Jags. Two goals from Eiley enabled SMUS to enter halftime with a 2-0 lead. Olcen tallied a third to push the Blue Jags to a 3-1 win and a spot in the final.
Tuesday afternoon’s championship game was a rematch of the 2023 Island AA final against Mark Isfeld of Courtenay. This time, Isfeld came out with a vengeance. The Jags struggled to get much going offensively and look fatigued from the opening whistle. A solo effort and goal from Olcen sparked some life into SMUS at the end of the first half, but the Ice proved too strong and deep and won going away.
The Blue Jags will now look to regroup as they prepare for the BC AA Championships, May 29-31 in Burnaby.
Junior Boys Rugby
The SMUS Junior Boys captured the Vancouver Island Junior Rugby title this past Thursday, beating Shawnigan Lake 61-17 at Brentwood College.
Parker Sheehan scored three tries to pace the Junior Jags while Jordan Martin and Declan Longridge added two tries apiece and singles came from Quinn McMeekin and Tristan Mo. Desmond Grant went eight-for-nine on conversion attempts and was selected as co-MVP of the match along with Sheehan, McMeekin and Pablo Ostos Arena.
The Blue Jags now focus on preparing for the BC Junior tournament, May 28-31 in Abbotsford.
Senior Boys Rugby
The SMUS Senior Boys didn’t fare as well in their Island AA Rugby final, dropping a 33-15 decision to host Brentwood College on Thursday.
Ewan Webber-Smith and Sebastien Bixby scored tries in the loss for the Blue Jags.
“We still go to provincials, but this result will hurt our seeding,” said SMUS Coach Wonjin Kim.
The Senior Blue Jags will compete in the provincial AA tournament, May 29-31 in Abbotsford.
Track and Field
Grade 12 standout Leupold Wang led a strong SMUS contingent in the Lower Island Track and Field Championships last week at UVic, taking first place in each of the senior boys’ high jump, long jump and triple jump to win the meet’s prestigious high-aggregate award for the third year in a row.
Other notable placements by Blue Jag athletes at the Lower Island meet included: Abby McLeish-Shaw, first in high jump, sixth in 100m; Harry Lynch, first in triple jump; Martin Winnett, first in pole vault, seventh in triple jump, seventh in 4x100m relay; Will Cuddihy, second in race walk; Parker Sheehan, second in 200m and 400m; Tommy Hong, second in long jump, third in high jump; Gabriel Glyb, second in 200m, fifth in 100m, sixth in long jump, third in 400m relay; Luc Denux, fifth in 1500m, third in 400m relay, fifth in 3000m; Amelie Fleck, fifth in 1500m, eighth in 3000m, second in 400m hurdles, sixth in steeplechase, fifth in 4x100m relay; Owen Sandquist-Sherman, third in 3000m, sixth in 1500m; and Drew McLeish-Shaw, third in discus, third in 4x400 relay.
Swimming
SMUS graduate Jeremy Bagshaw (2010) earned a spot on the Canadian Olympic Swim Team for Paris 2024 with a strong performance at the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic trials last week in Toronto.
Bagshaw, who will be competing in his first Olympics, finished fourth in the men’s 200-metre freestyle at the trials in a time of 1:48.49. That swim landed him a spot on Canada’s 4X200 free relay team for Paris.
“I’m over the moon. It’s been a long time coming,” Bagshaw told Swimming Canada. “I’ve always had a dream of going to the Olympics. I’ve had some rough patches in my swimming career but still believed I could do it. I just kept persevering and didn’t give up on my dream.”
The 32-year-old has been studying medicine in Ireland for the past few years and completed his degree last month.
“To finally be able to put it together and get my hand on the wall, even if it was by a couple-hundredths, I’ve been on the opposite side of that before. So, to finally be on the good side of it, it makes me very happy and I’m very grateful for what I’ve been able to do.”
