Sports update

October 31st marked the end of a short but hard-fought season for the Redeemer Men’s and Women’s Cross-Country teams. On the hills of Malden Park in Windsor, ON the Lady Royals delivered a heartfelt performance and came out as a team in 13th place overall. Counting for the women were fourth-year Angelina Gomes [Freeport, BA], third-year Jody Van Dorp [Wiarton, ON] and first-year Annie Stollery [Waterloo, ON]. The men hit the starting line an hour later and were led by sophomore Alex VanGeest [Taber, AB] who came in 26th overall. Alex was followed by Jan Korevaar [Aylmer, ON], Joel Span [Waterdown, ON], and Aaron Devos [Cambridge, ON] rounding out their top four. The men pulled out a respectable 9th place team finish despite missing two contributing runners to injury—one of which was first-year standout Taylor Kraayenbrink of Lambton, ON. Both teams look to build on their successes this year and keep healthy and fit for their upcoming season.

In basketball, the Royals have had a tough time facing a talented league. After securing a win against Fleming Peterborough in exhibition play, the Women’s Basketball Team opened the season against a host of skilful squads from around the province. The Lady Royals dropped four games to Mohawk, Niagara, Humber, and Fanshawe. The women, who have been led so far by third-year returnee Kristy Aloe [Sault St. Marie, ON], look to gain momentum and break through as their season progresses. On the men’s side, the Royals recently celebrated a record-breaking night as Jordan DeWeger [Port Stanley, ON] gained a place in Redeemer history shattering the All-Time Career Points Record held by Eric Builthuis. Despite beginning their season 0-4, the men look with hope on another season.

The Women’s Volleyball Team has also witnessed a bit of a rocky start this season as they’ve seen action against Niagara (0-3), Fanshawe (1-3), Sheridan (3-0), and St. Clair (0-3). Although they haven’t seen the success that the men have, they are only at the start of the season and with a long road ahead they still have a shot at a playoff spot. Lead by a new coach with a familiar face (Dr. John Byl), the women are ready to climb their way back up the league. This week they play important games against Lambton College (Nov. 18) and Sault College (Nov. 21).

Lastly, the newly formed Badminton Team is prepped for their opening season of action. After a 15-year absence, the sport is back at Redeemer and growing under the headship of Coach Jack Wang. Jack is a veteran of the sport and has coached collegiate badminton in Taiwan and in Ontario at McMaster University before coming to Redeemer. Warming up as the season progresses, the team is busy playing in various college invitationals across Ontario before bringing their best to the OCAA West Regionals at Seneca College in February.