CREDIT: JASON YOUNG, FANSHAWE ATHLETICS
Baseball was won of Fanshawe's notable varsity teams in the 2015/16 season, taking home a silver medal at provincials in only their third year of the program.

We are officially halfway through the school year and Fanshawe's varsity teams have begun to look ahead to the second half of their season. The teams had a great deal of success on both an individual player level as well as a team. Below are several highlights from each sport for the 2015 season.

Baseball

Despite only their third year as an OCAA sanctioned team, coach Brian Harvey took the Fanshawe Falcons all the way to a silver medal final in the provincials. The team, comprised of many first year players including offensive leader Cody Merner and pitchers Noah Smith and Andrew Calic, came together under the guidance of veteran players including third year pitcher Matt Smith.

“Obviously, our goal is always to win, and we were fortunate to have an incredible influx of talent this season,” coach Harvey commented. “These guys played every game like it counted.”

Player Cody Merner added, “It was a tough way to end the season, losing the gold medal game 9-8 in the late innings. But we upset Humber to get there, so there's a silver lining.” The Humber game was the longest OCAA playoff game in history at 11 innings.

While the boys of summer will have the winter off, with many players returning next season, Harvey is optimistic about the team's chances in 2016.

“We surpassed everyone's expectations this year and we're only going to get better. I'm looking forward to seeing what these boys can do.”

Softball

The Fanshawe Falcons softball team enjoyed similar success to their male counterparts, earning their first playoff win in the OCAA Provincial Championships. Pitcher Anna Gilmour and offensive leader Kady Hawkins carried the team to its first ever bronze medal win, a first for the young program.

Kady Hawkins, a London native, has had an impressive collegiate softball career. Last year, she was honoured as the 2014 OCAA Rookie of the Year and was recognized as an All-Star. Hawkins built on the success of her rookie year, being named the OCAA Softball Player of the Week, an All-Star, as well as leading the OCAA West in several categories including stolen bases and home runs. She also finished the season with a .476 batting average.

Hawkins credits her success to her approach to the game. “I look at it just as I look at my school [work], my career. Focus and practice are the key on and off the field,” she said. Hawkins previously attended King's University College before transferring to Fanshawe last year to pursue a diploma in Early Childhood Education.

With Hawkins and many other players returning, the future looks bright for the 2016 squad.

Soccer

Both the men and women's soccer teams had a successful 2015 season, with both players and coaches recognized for their excellence

In his first season as the head coach of the men's team, Rob Pereira was named the OCAA Coach of the Year for the 2015 season, taking the team to a bronze medal finish in the provincial championships. “There are so, so many deserving coaches in the OCAA, so to be recognized… for me is an honor. The most important thing is making sure the team is doing well moving forward to become an even stronger program,” Pereira said. Under Pereira's leadership, the Falcons had the best record in the OCAA West Division, going 7-1- 2 on the season. The team's only loss came on Wednesday, Oct. 21; the Falcons' last game of the regular season, which was a close 2-1 loss. The team was ranked in the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association (CCAA) National Rankings for six consecutive weeks. The ultimate goal for the 2016 season is to win the gold medal.

“With the guys that are returning, we're hungry to get to that final game and compete for a provincial championship and to be part of a program that is one of the top in the province and the country,” Pereira said.

The big story of 2015 for women's soccer was star player Jade Kovasevic. She broke the over 15-year standing Fanshawe scoring record only five games into the season, soon breaking the OCAA record on Oct. 17 that was last held by Katie Watts in 2008. Kovacevic managed to score 26 goals during the season.

The women's team made the playoffs, but unfortunately their regular season record did not translate into a medal. Kovasevic plans to use the team's early exit to motivate her further next season.

Basketball

With the 2015 half of the season in the rearview mirror, the Fanshawe Falcons men's basketball team looks to the second half of the season to overcome some of the challenges that have faced the team. With an unprecedented 0-9 start to the season, the team is trying to recover from the decimation that injuries have played upon the season.

“It's nothing I've ever seen before,” head coach Tony Marcotullio said. “Both for our bench and starters, we have as many as five of our nine guys out in one game. That's made it much more difficult this season.”

Fanshawe's playoff hopes are still intact, but the team has a small margin for error in 2016.

“If we lose more than one game, we don't make the playoffs, so every win counts more than ever,” Marcotullio said.

After playing each team in the OCAA West in the first half, Fanshawe will have a chance at redemption when they see each team again in the second half of the season. “We're playing these teams a second time, with the goal in mind to win each game.”

The team is expecting several players to return following the holidays, in addition to new players by way of mid-season transfers, which will replenish the thinly stretched players that are healthy.

“It's been difficult, as we've had to use players in the final minutes of the game that don't have a lot of minutes under their belt. They've been in situations they haven't seen before.” Having the extra playing time from his junior players will have a positive impact on the team going into the final stretch of the year.

As for the women's basketball team, they have had a successful start to their season.

If not for the undefeated powerhouse that are the Humber Hawks, Fanshawe would easily be leading their division at the mid-point of the season. Luckily, this doesn't intimidate assistant coach Nicole Carriere.

“Our goal is to finish second in the OCAA West,” Carriere said. “Humber hasn't lost a game all season, so we expect them to take the West. With a favourable playoff bracket, if we play Humber in the final, we can pull off the upset.”

Carriere credits the team's success so far in the year to, “having a well-balanced team,” adding, “it truly is a team effort.” She noted that the offensive leader has been different from game to game, with all members of the team contributing.

“All of these girls, they are prepared for any situation. We can put them in a do-or-die situation and they'll all contribute, Carriere said. “Without a stand-out star player, every player's contribution is important and felt.”

Having a mix of both veteran players and a strong recruiting class has also bolstered the team's bottom line.

“We have our veterans such as Anique Daley and Kiesha Cato, along with some talented rookies in players like Nicole Skimming, Mikhaila Wright, to just name a few. They've all been great contributors so far.”

The team looks to continue to give a wholehearted effort in the 2016 half of the season. “I don't feel any team can outwork us,” Carriere noted. “We've worked hard all year, and will continue to do so.”

Volleyball

The Fanshawe Falcons' men's volleyball team is having an excellent start to their season, as they are currently ranked first in the OCAA West with a record of 9-2. The nationally ranked Mountaineers handed the Falcons their only loss in which they did not win a set. The team is led under the direction of head coach Patrick Johnston, who is optimistic about his team's chances this season. “I think we're off to such a strong start due to our depth,” he said. He credits their success to the talent of each and every one of his players. “We have a group of players I can trust to go in at any point and perform whatever role is necessary,” Johnston said. The Falcons' success derives from this approach. A team is not in need of a superstar if every player can contribute. The Falcons already have playoff hopes in mind and, given their ranking mid-season, believe it is a realistic goal to get there. As their depth is key to their early success, coach Johnston sees it being a key for the rest of the season and into the playoffs. “The key for us in the second half will remain our depth,” he said. “We are adding a couple of players in January that can have an immediate impact and we look forward to their arrival. Add [the new additions] and we could be in business.”

The Fanshawe Falcons's women's volleyball team is off to a strong start to their season as well, ranking second only behind the undefeated Humber Hawks. With a great deal of freshman on the team, head coach Sean Pellows said new and old recruits alike are responsible for the great season so far. “We really count on both our new recruits as well as our returning players to win games as a group. It's not an individual sport, so to have a group of girls that work well together makes all the difference.” The team has faced off against several strong teams in the division, but this hardly seems to faze them. Pellows' view of success and how to achieve it seems to resonate with the players. “I can be a bit tough, it's true, but the girls know why. Discipline and practice translate to success on the court. Our players want to win, so they understand that.” As for the upcoming season and playoff potential, Pellows said, “I think we're good enough to get to nationals this year. We just need to keep sticking to the plan that's worked up until now.” Thankfully for the Falcons, they face off against a weaker schedule in the second half than they did in the first half, so the coach's prediction may not be far off. However, there's no doubt that the 2015—2016 women's volleyball team is a strong group of women with high hopes of playoff success.