Message from Athletic Director
By Christine Stapleton
The Western Mustangs have had a very busy and successful 2023-24 season so far. Many teams have brought home hardware with podium finishes, and coaches have won major awards.
Season highlights
After a dominating performance, the Mustangs Women's Cross Country team captured their first OUA championship since 1998. As a team, Western finished with a score of 25 points. All Mustang athletes who scored finished as First Team OUA All-Stars. Guy Schultz, Head Coach of Mustangs Women’s Cross Country, was named OUA Women’s Cross Country Coach of the Year. Read about these accomplishments here.
We hosted a very successful U SPORTS National Cross Country Championship on Sunday, Nov. 12 at the Thames Valley Golf Course. The women’s team did very well, placing second in the country, and Erika Jordan earned a podium finish in third place. As hosts, we added unique components to this championship. We introduced live streaming from multiple static, moving and drone cameras, beautiful Indigenous beaded key chains in the athlete packages and REDs talks and panels to coaches and student-athletes. It was a very successful weekend and we have set the bar high for future championships.
Our Mustangs Football team had an incredible undefeated regular season. They won the 115th Yates Cup, defeating the Laurier Golden Hawks 29-14 in a tough rematch. Kicker Brian Garrity, who scored six field goals, was named MVP and received the Dalt White trophy. This was the 35th Yates Cup win in Western’s history, and the 23rd Yates Cup win for Head Coach Greg Marshall.
The Mustangs Men's Lacrosse team won the Baggataway Cup National University Championship.
The Mustangs Women’s Lacrosse team won the Patterson Cup and claimed their first OUA Provincial Championship banner since 2018. Several team members were named OUA All-Stars, and Garrett Loubert, Head Coach, Mustangs Women’s Lacrosse, was named Coach of the Year.
The Mustangs Men’s and Women’s Rowing teams brought home a hardware from the 2023 OUA Rowing Championships in October. Both teams finished second place in team standings while securing three gold medals, four silver and a bronze.
The Mustangs Rowing teams then moved on to compete at the 2023 National University Rowing Championship in early November, finishing just outside the podium. Both men’s and women’s teams came in fourth at the event. Rowing athlete Rachel Weber won an individual gold medal in the Women’s Single. Teams also received two bronze medals in the Women’s Lightweight Four and Women’s Eight. The Mustangs Men’s Rowing team won a silver medal in the Men’s Pair and two bronze medals in the Men’s Single and Men’s Eight.
Dan Bechard, Head Coach, Mustangs Men’s Rowing was awarded the President’s Award at the 2023 Canadian University Rowing Championships, hosted by University of British Columbia. This national award is given yearly to an individual who has gone above and beyond to support university rowing.
The Western Mustangs Women’s Soccer team won bronze at the OUA provincial championship and came in fifth at the U SPORTS National Championship, hosted by Queens University - two spots higher than last year. They also finished higher than all other Ontario teams.
Western Mustangs Softball won silver at their OUS provincial championship. Pete Lemon, Head Coach, Mustangs Softball, was named Coach of the Year.
Mustangs Men’s Golf brought home some hardware from the OUA Golf Championship. The men finished with a team total of +10 to take the OUA Championship silver medal.
Mustangs Tennis had a successful finish to their seasons, with the Men’s team winning the OUA silver medal, and the Women’s team coming in fourth.
Safe Sport measures
We are working hard to support our student-athletes and coaches. Western University is introducing new Safe Sport measures and augmenting existing resources.
Key among the new steps is the elevated appointment of Laura Misener, professor and director of Western's school of kinesiology, as a senior advisor on Safe Sport, reporting to John Doerksen, Vice-Provost (Students). Laura has provided recommendations on how university policies and procedures can evolve and align with the Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Sport, put forth by the national Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner, an independent division of the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada.
Please read about the important measures we are taking to support safe sport here.
Strategic planning
As I mentioned in our last Scoop update, our Sports & Recreation vision in our new strategic plan is to Create communities of belonging where all Western Mustangs Thrive. We are committed to this and will continue to ensure we offer a transformational student-athlete experience in Western Sport.
Wishing you and your family a safe and happy holiday season!
Christine Stapleton, Director, Sports and Recreation
