Cross Country
The SMUS Cross Country team enjoyed a banner day at the Vancouver Island championships held last Wednesday at Beaver Lake.
The Blue Jags captured Island AA team titles in both the Senior Boys and Senior Girls divisions. The SMUS Senior Boys team also placed second overall out of all the tiers in the event.
Nella Meinecke led the way for the SMUS girls, finishing third overall among 114 runners of all tiers in that race. Teammates Beatrice Sharpe (31st) and Amelie Fleck (48th) also managed top 50 placings, and Grade 9 Yashita Kaku finished 56th while running up at the senior level.
Meanwhile, SMUS runner Owen Sandquist-Sherman finished fourth overall out of 106 runners in the Senior Boys event to lead the Blue Jags to the AA Island Boys team title. Other top finishes for SMUS included Luc Denux (6th), Charles Gosselin (11th), and Eu-Rway Chew (39th).
SMUS now advances to the provincial high school cross country championships on Nov. 4, at Crescent Park in Surrey, hosted by Sullivan Heights Secondary.
Junior Girls Volleyball
The SMUS Junior Girls Volleyball team finished fifth in the ISAA Tournament, which they hosted this past weekend. The Blue Jags beat both Brentwood, in three sets, and West Point Grey Academy, in two sets, in Saturday’s playoff round.
“We had a great game vs. Brentwood,” said SMUS Head Coach Joanne Ross.
Nya Tsang served eight balls in a row to win the match against Brentwood, while Indigo Edgington had two monster blocks.
In preliminary pool action, SMUS went 2-6 overall in sets to finish fourth. The Blue Jags beat Shawnigan Lake (25-20, 25-18), and lost to Collingwood (18-25,18-25), York House (22-25,19-25) and Mulgrave (20-25,15-25).
The SMUS Development team had an opportunity to play against some challenging competition at the ISAA tournament, competing on an exhibition basis. The Blue Jags fought hard to improve their skills and were able to come up with a convincing win over West Point Grey (25-14, 25-14) in pool play. Development team players of the game for the tournament were Elspeth Rodger, Ellie Lobb, Emily McMillan, Abby Farrish, and Josie Quon. The Development team continues to play well in its league, hanging on to second place.
With another tournament coming up this weekend, the Blue Jags look to build on their momentum heading into playoffs next week.
Senior Girls Volleyball
The SMUS Senior Girls Volleyball team competed in the ISAA tournament at Brentwood College last weekend, finishing seventh overall.
The Blue Jags lost two players to ankle injuries in the opening match of the event. Despite the injuries, they battled Crofton House closely, losing (25-27, 17-25), but displaying very cool and calm out-of-system play led by libero Emily Wu.
In its second match, SMUS fell to a very talented and high-speed offensive team in West Point Grey (21-25, 19-25). The Blue Jags found the Vancouver squad’s fast-tempo sets and heavy hitting from their left side hard to control, but SMUS managed to stay close, with Grade 11 setter Yanyu Zhang running the court.
The Blue Jags next met Collingwood, falling (13-25, 25-6, 8-15) in their first three-set match of the season. This matchup came down to serve and serve-receive. Blue Jags’ Monika Jurkovcova and Isabelle LeRoy were effective with the quick offence in the middle.
SMUS came out awake and ready to play in its third match, taking a commanding lead early in the game against a very experienced York House team, but eventually losing (24-26, 5-25).
The Blue Jags wrapped up the tournament by facing Island rivals Brentwood College and Shawnigan Lake School. SMUS fell (16-25, 24-26) to host Brentwood, but key serving from Zhang kept the game close, and aggressive net play from Katie Maybie helped keep the Blue Jags within striking distance.
In its final match of the event, SMUS controlled the entire way, beating Shawnigan (25-13, 25-15) with dedicated in-system offence and quality team defence.
Team co-captain Charlie Anderson was an offensive powerhouse for the Blue Jags throughout the tournament, while Joss Olcen was a leader in the backcourt and on serve-receive, with Lucia Schmidt making key contributions on defence.
SMUS also completed Lower Island league play last Tuesday with two close battles, going 1-1 (23-25, 25-16) against 3A Esquimalt and then losing (18-25, 23-25) against 4A Spectrum.
The results left the Blue Jags tied for sixth place in the Lower Island League A pool. League finals will be played Nov. 14.
Meanwhile, Lower Island 3A playoffs begin this Tuesday. The top three out of the five teams competing will advance to Islands. SMUS will play Vic High (Island championships host) and Esquimalt this week at Stelly's, before hosting Edward Milne and 3A rival Stelly's on Halloween.
Rowing
SMUS Rowing got its season off to a fast start on the weekend, earning six first-place finishes as it co-hosted the 2023 October Sprints Regatta on Elk Lake.
“Our crews made incredible progress over the course of each day of racing,” said SMUS Assistant Coach Sarah Hagkull.
“The coaching staff is incredibly proud of SMUS Rowing’s performance at our first regatta this year.”
On Saturday, the SMUS Senior Women’s 8+ earned gold. That boat included: Sophia Hop Hendy, Jaclyn Chow, Marlene Dietrich, Claire Lawler, Pippa Hlannon, Sophie Bosenberg, Avli Bell, Rowan Denis, and Caroline Tam (cox).
The SMUS Novice 4x also finished first with rowers Joey Gao, Jane Lee, Elise Gomori, and William Zeng.
Winning silver on Saturday for SMUS was the Junior Women’s 8+ with Elizabeth Hardcastle, Maxi den Boer, Braelyn Rowan, Mira Wirk, Juliet Crowe, Molly Pollock, Annabel Taubenschlag, Clara Curry, and Bianca Batoni (cox); as well as the Senior Men’s 8+ with Danny Kotze, Oliver Pressello, Brady Hsu, Cameron Jones, Tony Yu, Stephen Luis, William Song, Tiger Zhang, and Jaieme Aubertin (cox).
The SMUS Novice 4x finished second, including Evan Fuller, Jiahan Lai, Fraser Tuck, and Will Delisle. SMUS also placed third and fourth in Novice 4x, with boats including Leo Denis, Tristan Salter, Lucas Zhou, and Liam Haberl; and Konstantin Sturany, Jason Zhang, Sam Kriegler, and Eduardo Lance Lopez, respectively.
On Sunday, the SMUS Novice Junior Women’s 8+ won gold, including Leo Denis, Jane Lee, Elise Gomori, Maxi den Boer, Sophia Hop Hendy, Elizabeth Hardcastle, Annabel Taubenschlag, Mira Wirk, and Bianca Batoni (cox).
SMUS also placed first in the Open 4x, including Brady Hsu, Tony Yu, William Song, and Tiger Zhang.
The SMUS Novice Junior Men’s 8+ placed atop the podium as well, comprised of William Zeng, Jiahan Lai, Fraser Tuck, Will Delisle, Tristan Salter, Lucas Zhou, Avli Bell, Molly Pollock, and Caroline Tam (cox).
Rounding out the SMUS first-place boats was the Novice Senior Men’s 8+, including Joey Gao, Konstantin Sturany, Eduardo Lance Lopez, Sam Kriegler, Jason Zhang, Liam Haberl, Stephen Luis, Evan Fuller, and Jaclyn Chow (cox).
SMUS rowers also placed third and fourth in the Open 4x, including Marlene Dietrich, Braelyn Rowan, Juliet Crowe, and Clara Curry; and Sophie Bosenberg, Claire Lawler, Pippa Hlannon, and Rowan Denis, respectively.
As co-hosts along with PCS, SMUS Rowing was responsible for daily set-ups and tear-downs of the regatta site, including placing and pulling buoys, finishing tents, umpire and safety boats, among other things.
Field Hockey
The SMUS Field Hockey team enjoyed a busy week. First up, last Monday, the Blue Jags defeated Glenlyon-Norfolk School 1-0 on the GNS turf to secure the No. 1 South Island seed for the Island AA tournament. An opportunistic finish from Grade 9 striker Anna Beaudry was enough to defeat a determined GNS team.
On Wednesday, in their last Lower Island league game of the season, the Blue Jags recorded a lopsided 6-0 win against an overmatched Mount Douglas team. This set up SMUS for the Island AA tournament played at Shawnigan on Friday.
The Blue Jags opened Islands against host Shawnigan, a team SMUS had lost to the previous weekend in the ISAA tournament. The game showcased the best field hockey the Blue Jags have played this year. Despite trailing early on a breakaway goal by Shawnigan, SMUS quieted a large home crowd to win 4-1, with two goals coming from Caitlyn Mullen on penalty corners, and one goal apiece by Annabel Howard and Anika Delichte. “It was a comprehensive win,” said Head Coach David Kerr.
That victory moved the Blue Jags into the final against Brentwood College, who had beaten GNS in a shootout in the other semi-final. Unfortunately, SMUS lost 2-1 in a game they dominated and should have won. Brentwood packed its defence and smothered the SMUS attacks, although there were a couple of gilt-edged Blue Jags’ chances which needed to be finished. Kendyll Adams did score a sweet goal from the top of the circle, but two defensive lapses proved to be the difference in the game.
The Blue Jags now have two weeks to hone their skills before heading to West Vancouver to defend their B.C. AA title at the provincial tournament Nov. 6 to 8.
Junior Boys Volleyball
The SMUS Junior Boys Volleyball team also had a busy week of action with regular league play, last Thursday at Stelly’s, followed by the two-day Spikes and Aces tournament at Spectrum.
In league play, SMUS faced an inexperienced St. Andrew's team, which the Blue Jags quickly dismantled in straight sets. In its second match, SMUS met league No. 1 Pacific Christian. Strong defensive play by Finlay Hlannon and West Dingle helped SMUS to some competitive rallies, but, in the end, PCS prevailed.
In its final match, SMUS faced host Stelly's. Strong serving and hitting by Lachlan Bell allowed SMUS to capture the first set. However, a series of unforced errors in the second set saw that one go the other way.
During pool play at the Spikes and Aces tournament, SMUS squared off against Vic High, with whom it split sets in league action. This meeting turned out to be another thrilling and tight contest with consecutive big blocks by Martin Winnett finally sealing the deal for SMUS in the third set.
Next up in pool play was Mark Isfeld who, with strong power and middle hitters, dispatched the Blue Jags in straight sets. SMUS wrapped up preliminary play against Cedar. Big hits by the Blue Jags’ Tommy Hong and reliable serving from teammates Liam Whiteside and Devon Monahan, gave SMUS the upper hand and a decisive win.
Unfortunately, the Blue Jags found themselves on the losing side of a three-way tiebreaker with Vic High and Mark Isfeld in pool play, so their Saturday matches were in the consolation bracket.
Despite two tight matches with Spectrum and Reynolds, in which SMUS battled to three sets, the Blue Jags fell short to both teams. Imanzi Rugwe contributed some big serves and blocks in those matches.
The Junior Boys are at home for their final week of league play, looking to secure a berth in the city playoffs.
Senior Boys Volleyball
The SMUS Senior Boys Volleyball squad ran the table in Lower Island league play this past Wednesday, winning every set and going 6-0 overall against Pacific Christian, GNS, and Edward Milne. The Blue Jags also played in the Oak Bay tournament this past weekend where they saw plenty of action. SMUS opened against Gulf Islands Secondary School, narrowly losing 27-25 in the fourth set. The Blue Jags next met Burnaby South, losing again in the fourth set 26-24. Three of the sets in that match went to 26-24 scores and SMUS won the other one 25-14.
The Blue Jags then beat Esquimalt, the second-ranked AA team on the Lower Island including several club players. SMUS won that one by a 15-7 count in the fifth set. In its final match of the tournament, SMUS lost to Lambrick Park in the fourth set by a 27-25 count.
Connor Kipling played well as setter with some fantastic blocks for SMUS during the tournament. The team also got big hits by leftside hitters Brody Harris and Lincoln Faulkner and Jack Dube contributed some nice plays at right side. The Blue Jags executed some good quick sets to the outside that resulted in big hits by big man Elliot Mairet and Nicholas Lee, who was stellar all week. The team will play in the Mount Douglas tournament this coming weekend.
Senior Soccer
The SMUS Senior Boys edged Claremont 4-3 in an exhibition soccer game last Tuesday. Both teams started the contest strong—with good passing, organization, and shape—despite less than ideal weather. Claremont opened the scoring, but that goal seemed to motivate the Blue Jags to play with more passion. Capping off a lot of good effort from SMUS, Saba Shariaty was able to pick up a lost ball from a Claremont defender and find the net to make it 1-1.
The game continued with a lot more pressure from SMUS. Blue Jags’ co-captain Rayane Hmidi made a beautiful slide tackle to stop a Claremont middle attack, pushed the ball in front of him, and buried a rocket shot in the back of the net to give SMUS a 2-1 lead at the break.
Both teams started the second half strong, with the mid-field dominated by Julian Kast and Davis Hardy. Just a few minutes in, however, Claremont tied it at 2-2. SMUS continued to push, and Hmidi was able to find his striker, Cole Michel, with a nice pass which Michel finished to give the home side a 3-2 lead.
Claremont was able to even the score again because of a SMUS defensive error. The Blue Jags didn't give up, however—especially Hmidi who dribbled through two players and deposited a beautiful shot in the top corner of the net to give SMUS the 4-3 win.
SMUS will next see action in a Colonist Cup quarter-final at Royal Bay.
Grade 9 Rugby
The Grade 9 Boys Rugby team dominated visiting Shawnigan Lake School in a match played last week, winning 41-10. Riding strong performances from Santiago Flores La Salvia, Pablo Ostos Arena, and Kieran Mackay in the forwards, and Rodrigo De Leon Junco, Drew McLeish-Shaw, and Alfie Smith in the backs, the Blue Jags never let their foot off the gas and cruised to the win.
SMUS will host Collingwood on Friday, Oct. 27, in a 2 p.m. kick-off. The players would appreciate a good crowd to cheer on the Blue Jags against Collingwood, the only team in the league that they have not yet defeated.
Squash
Fourteen Senior School athletes represented SMUS in the B.C. Junior Open Squash tournament at Vancouver’s Jericho Tennis Club this weekend, highlighted by a podium sweep for SMUS in the U19 Silver Division.
“Our team had some impressive performances and represented SMUS well,” said Head Coach Grace Thomas.
Taking first, second, and third, respectively, for SMUS in U19 Silver were Alexander Hann, Jay Li, and Maia Hoechsmann. Several SMUS athletes placed well in Gold Division play, including: Lucas Quon (5th U19 Boys), Anderson Brown (5th U17 Boys), Roshan Pathak (8th U17 Boys), Max Arndt (6th U15 Boys), and Mila Lampa (4th U15 Girls).
In U15 Silver, Nick Nguyen took third and Elliot Judson was fourth. The team’s next tournament is the UVic Open, Nov. 3 to 5.
