OCAA STARS OF THE WEEK

TORONTO - The following student-athletes have been recognized by the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) for their accomplishments during the seven-day period ending Sunday, Mar. 2.

Student-athletes are nominated by their respective athletic departments.

Shruti Joshi
School: Humber
Program: Business
Year of Eligibility: 1
Sport: Badminton
Hometown: India
Joshi and teammate Ayuhsi Vasava, the OCAA silver medalists, won the women's doubles national championship in Edmonton, winning 2-0 (21-17, 21-17) against their Atlantic rivals in the gold medal match, avenging their only loss in the round robin. Overall the Humber pair went 7-1 in their matches, including a comeback victory over the OCAA champions from George Brown, winning 12 of 15 sets. The Humber Hawks have dominated in this discipline at the national championships, winning seven of the last eight gold medals in this event.

Eric Just
School: Mohawk
Program: Business Administration - Marketing Co-op
Year of Eligibility: 5
Sport: Curling
Hometown: Ancaster, Ont.
Just and the Mohawk Mountaineers claimed the program's first-ever men's national championship last week in Lethbridge, Alta. The Mountaineers went undefeated at the championship, defeating their Ontario rival Sault Cougars 9-3 in the semi-finals, then the SAIT Trojans 8-4 in the gold medal match. Along with the gold medal win, Just was named a Championship First-Team All-Star for the second consecutive year. Just's teammates Jacob Jones, Jarrett Matthews and Joel Matthews were also named Championship First-Team All-Stars.

Timothy Lock
School: Humber
Program: Sport Management
Year of Eligibility: 2
Sport: Badminton
Hometown: Newmarket, Ont.
Lock won the men's singles national championship in Edmonton, winning in dominant fashion. The OCAA gold medalist went undefeated at the competition with an overall record of 7-0, winning every set by an average of 21-10 and an aggregate score of 295-142. Lock defeated CCAA Player of the Year and All-Canadian Thomas Ashton of the University of King's College twice, 21-10 and 21-6 in the round robin, and again 21-7, 21-14 in the gold medal match. Lock is the first Humber men's singles national gold medalist since 2019.

Kendra Oliver
School: Mohawk
Program: Protection, Security & Investigation
Year of Eligibility: 3
Sport: Basketball
Hometown: Ajax, Ont.
Oliver was named Championship MVP, leading the Mohawk Mountaineers to their first OCAA title since 1991. The third-year forward recorded a double-double in the gold medal game, achieving game-highs with 24 points and 10 rebounds in a 73-69 win over the Humber Hawks. Holding onto a 67-66 lead with 1:32 remaining, Oliver scored on a layup which swung the momentum back to the Mountaineers, helping secure the victory. Oliver also contributed three steals and three assists. The Mountaineers will represent OCAA at nationals later this month.

Mark Stoop
School: Durham
Program: Firefighter - Pre-Service Education & Training
Year of Eligibility: 4
Sport: Basketball
Hometown: Oshawa, Ont.
Stoop was named Championship MVP, leading the Durham Lords to their first OCAA title since 1997. The fourth-year forward recorded a double-double with a game-high 20 points and 10 rebounds in the gold medal game against the host Humber Hawks, but it was Stoop's thunderous dunk with two minutes remaining all but sealed an eventual 67-61 victory for the Lords. The All-Canadian also contributed three steals and three assists while adding a block. Stoop and the Lords will now travel to la belle province for nationals later this month.

Ayuhsi Vasava
School: Humber
Program: Sport Business Management
Year of Eligibility: 2
Sport: Badminton
Hometown: India
Vasava and teammate Shruti Joshi, the OCAA silver medalists, won the women's doubles national championship in Edmonton, winning 2-0 (21-17, 21-17) against their Atlantic rivals in the gold medal match, avenging their only loss in the round robin. Overall the Humber pair went 7-1 in their matches, including a comeback victory over the OCAA champions from George Brown, winning 12 of 15 sets. The Humber Hawks have dominated in this discipline at the national championships, winning seven of the last eight gold medals in this event.

- OCAA -

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For over 50 years, the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association has been a dedicated leader in amateur athletics through the provision of quality varsity and recreational athletic opportunities at the collegiate level.

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Josh Bell-Webster
Marketing and Communications
Ontario Colleges Athletic Association
Tel: 416-426-7041
E-mail: bell-webster@ocaa.com