CCAA Badminton Nationals 2023
This year, 4 of Mount Allison's Varsity Badminton Team qualified for the CCAA National Badminton Championships. Amber Solomon, Brianna Warwick, Ben Broadbent, and Jacob Lamothe wore the garnet and gold proudly, representing the Atlantic Canada Conference with former competitors turned teammates from Université de St. Annes, Dalhousie AC, and King's College. Curious about how they fared? Ben and Brianna describe their experiences below.
In the winter semester of 2022, Jacob Lamothe and Ben Broadbent had high hopes of qualifying for the CCAA National Badminton Championship tournament in Edmonton, Alberta. They won two of three matches in the round robin, securing their spot in the semi-finals against Kyle Bauld and Adrian Bent, a strong men's doubles team from Dalhousie AC. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be, as they lost a heartbreaker. One year later, Lamothe and Broadbent had the opportunity for redemption to participate in the 2023 CCAA National Badminton Championships, held in the Maritimes in the small-knit community of Truro, NS. The Mounties men's doubles team was favourites to qualify for one of the two spots, but it would be the mental hurdle they would have to overcome. Lamothe and Broadbent won round-robin matches against teammates Tony Nguyen and Nevis Hunt and Sainte-Anne's duo of Drew Entremont and Jacques Gerroir. They again found themselves in the semi-finals, one win away from a ticket to Nationals. In 2 games, Lamothe and Broadbent won 21-15, 21-15 and would play against the best of the best in Truro at Nationals.
The 2023 National Championships would be a tough test for the two first-timers. Lamothe and Broadbent were in for a challenging weekend that would only improve their chemistry as a team. They started against Jack Ronahan and Aidan Babcock-Parks of UKC, the silver medalists of the weekend. They started off the tournament by shaking off some nerves in a challenging but deciding 7-21, 5-21 loss. Game two saw the Mountie's duo face off against Ontario 1, the eventual tournament champions. In an 11-21, 11-21 loss, the first-time Nationalists proved to the rest of the competition they would fight you for every point, no matter the outcome. Lamothe and Broadbent ended day one of the tournament against Ontario 2, losing 14-21, 13-21. Even though the day ended in a disappointing 0-3 showing, the men's team showed improvement with every match. On day two, Lamothe and Broadbent faced off against Alberta 2, and with evident chemistry growth on the court, they were defeated 13-21, 11-21. In their final match of the round-robin tournament, the Mounties fought hard against one of the tournament favourites in Alberta 1. They put up the most points in a single game yet, losing 16-21, 11-21, setting up an exciting day three for our men's doubles team. They were set to face Alberta 1 in a rematch on Saturday. Lamothe and Broadbent poured their hearts out into this match, proving to everyone they belonged, and no point would be an easy one to win against them. Against Alberta 1, Lamothe and Broadbent held the lead until 18-18, when the Alberta team pulled ahead and took the opener 21-19. Unfortunately, Mount A lost the second game 12-21 but showed massive growth and great potential for success at next year's tournament in Toronto, Ontario.
Jacob Lamothe and Ben Broadbent played with everything they had, as they do in every game, and with the opportunity to see how tough the competition truly is at the next level, they will be prepared to challenge the country for hardware next year. At our Mountie's awards night, Lamothe took home the Men's MVP, awarded to the player who demonstrates excellence for their team throughout the season. He was also awarded the leadership award, an accolade for a Mountie who shows leadership qualities on and off the court. The latter of the two awards was not only a badminton award but one for which athletes from each varsity sport were considered.
During the 2021-2022 season, Brianna Warwick and Amber Solomon were training and preparing for their first competitive year in the ACAA. Amber Solomon and Lindsay Murray dominated the women's doubles competition with a 5-0 record at the ACAA national qualifiers in Truro, NS, to qualify for the CCAA National championships in Edmonton, Alberta. Taryn Greco and Brianna Warwick secured their spot at the 2022 CCAA National championships in Edmonton at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology by beating Dal AC's Sophie McKegney and Cindy Yu in a thrilling three-set game. Mountie's women's doubles teams placed 5th and 6th at the 2022 CCAA National championships.
The following year, Warwick and Solomon were paired up and worked all season in hopes of returning to the CCAA National championship for the second year in a row. Solomon, a fourth-year Sociology major, had high hopes of making the most out of her last year as a Mountie. Warwick and Solomon trained hard all season to prepare for the National Qualifiers, again at Dal AC in Truro, NS. Solomon and Warwick started the day off strong, with a three-set win against tough competition, Whitney Doucet and Bryanna Atkinson of Université de St. Anne. (USA) Solomon and Warwick continued their winning streak by beating fellow Mounties teammates Talla Corkum and Sophie Geis, Dal AC's Sinead Riordon and Qianhan Le, and another USA women's doubles team. In their final game, they faced their toughest competition in the ACAA league, Fiona Purdy and Anna Dugandzic of UKC. After a hard-fought three-set game, Solomon and Warwick fell short and lost this match, resulting in their first loss of the day. Although the UKC duo defeated our Mounties pairing in the finals, Warwick and Solomon left the court with a 4-1 record. They were thrilled to qualify and represent Mount Allison as the ACAA 2 seed at the CCAA National Championships in Truro, NS.
After three tough weeks of training for the championships, Brianna Warwick and Amber Solomon hoped to give it their all, leave everything on the court, and maybe even medal. They first had to face the ACAA 1 team, hoping to post a win on the scoreboard. After a hard-fought battle, Solomon and Warwick, unfortunately, fell short, losing 17-21 and 18-21. Next up was the tournament favourites, OCAA 1. They gave it their all but lost 2-21 and 7-21. Solomon and Warwick next faced the OCAA 2 seed and came out with a thrilling three-set win. Losing the first set 13-21, they fought back hard and won the following two sets, 21-14 and 21-18. Feeling hopeful, Solomon and Warwick started the next day of competition against the ACAC 1 seed. Unfortunately, they lost 10-21 and 7-21 but did not give up. Solomon and Warwick were next prepared to play the ACAC 2 seed. With a win, the Mounties women would have a shot to play for a medal. Solomon and Warwick won the first set 22-20 but unfortunately fell short in their following two sets, 14-21 and 16-21. They just missed their opportunity to compete in the semi-finals. The next day, and Solomon's last as a Mountie, brought feelings of sadness, given this would be the end of her collegiate badminton career. Warwick was determined to place higher than her previous year at the CCAA National Championships. Solomon and Warwick pulled off a fantastic three-set win against the OCAA 2 seed, Morgan Grant and Mook Prasarn, in this must-win match. They lost the first set 21-19 but returned stronger and won the following two sets 21-15 and 21-19. This solidified the rankings, making Warwick and Solomon the 5th place team for Women's Doubles at the CCAA National Championships.
Warwick and Solomon shared many tears after this game, as it was the last time the duo would play together. The friendship and chemistry built between the two will last a lifetime, and the experiences they shared through badminton brought them closer together. Solomon is a fantastic teammate to all, and we wish her the best of luck in her future endeavours. She is the kind of person and player the team will never forget, and she will truly be missed. Solomon went on to win the Women's Badminton MVP for the 2022-2023 season at Mount Allison. Warwick is going into her fourth and final year at Mount Allison. She plans to continue training over the summer into next year and has her sights set on winning the ACAA banner with her fellow Mounties teammates. She also hopes to qualify and medal at the 2024 CCAA National Championships at Seneca College in Toronto.
The Mounties are ready for next year, where we plan to send 10 team members to the Nationals tournament in Toronto, ON. To those returning, we have high hopes of taking home many medals. To those who will represent for the first time, prepare yourselves, because it's an unforgettable experience.
Article written by: Ben Broadbent & Brianna Warwick, Mounties Badminton Players