Mounties Badminton Successful at Sainte-Anne
(SACKVILLE, NB) The Mount Allison Varsity badminton team competed in their first regular season circuit tournament of the season from November 11 to 12 at l'Université de Sainte-Anne. This was the most successful tournament in three years for the Mounties badminton squad, securing first place overall with a total of 127 points. Winning the tournament by a wide margin of 65 points, the Mounties impressed in their first showing as a new group, featuring seven rookies and nine returning players.
Starting strong with the men's singles division, both veteran Jacob Lamothe (MtA) and most recent rookie of the year, Wilson Paluch (MtA), squared off in the semi finals against two tough opponents from the Saint John Seawolves. Paluch played hard but lost to the tournament favourite in two games. After a gruelling three game match, Lamothe found himself in his first men's singles A division final. He gave his all against Saint John, and we are very proud of his effort, losing in the finals by a slim margin of 21-17, 21-14. Also in the men's singles division, rookie Cameron Brown (MtA), also known as Tookie, won in the B finals.
Moving along to the women's singles category, several Mounties fared equally as well as the men. Rookie Molly Peppard (MtA) and co-captain Brianna Warwick (MtA) were faced with tough A division semi-final matchups in Saint John and King's College, respectively. While they left everything they had to give on the court, each fell short, although securing crucial team points for the Mounties in the process. Additionally, former rookie of the year, Brenell Enman (MtA), fought hard and finished second in the B division.
Now to the men's doubles, where rookie Mike Ta (MtA) and Lamothe were faced with a power duo from Saint John in the A semi-final, ultimately falling just short of a finals appearance. Ta and Lamothe went on to win the B pool. On the other side of the draw, Paluch and co-captain Ben Broadbent (MtA) took on a challenging King's College duo, ousting them in three games to secure a spot in the A final. Against the Seawolves duo, Paluch and Broadbent shocked them and took them to three games, ultimately coming in second place.
The women's side of the draw was filled with the same drama, as Warwick and multi-sport athlete Taryn Greco (MtA) played against their teammates, Peppard and Enman, in the A semis. In a match that could have gone either way, Warwick and Greco prevailed, securing a spot against the top-seeded King's College pair. Finishing in second place, Warwick and Greco seem to have rekindled the chemistry that sent them to nationals two years ago. Veteran fourth-years Sophie Geis (MtA) and Talla Corkum (MtA) fought hard in the B division, ultimately finishing second place in their respective category.
And finally to the mixed doubles, where Peppard and Ta defeated Corkum and Paluch in the A semi finals to clinch a spot in the finals against Saint John. The rookies fared well, but were unable to capture first place to a challenging Seawolves combo. In the B division finals, Geis and Lamothe took down Warwick and Broadbent in three games.
After a tournament to be proud of for the Mounties, we turn our attention to the second circuit tournament of the season to be held on November 26th, all day long in the McCormack Gymnasium at Mount Allison University. See you there, cheering on our squad looking to capture our second team title of the year!
Recap courtesy of Ben Broadbent and Mounties Athletics