AFTER SWEEPING REGIONALS, NO. 1 HAWKS PREP FOR CHAMPIONSHIP
BARRIE, Ont -- Ten schools will be represented at the 2017 OCAA Badminton Championships presented by belairdirect and the Hawks enter the tournament as the no.1 ranked program in the country.
After sweeping men's and women's regional team titles for the fourth consecutive season, Humber will look to continue their provincial dominance at the two-day tournament hosted by Georgian College.
Coached by Ray Wong, Karen Ng, and Jesse Assing, the Hawks will once again submit a star-studded lineup. Humber is led by two-time All-Canadian Olivia Lei (China), who is looking to become the third student-athlete to three-peat in women's singles. Sue Mileva (1998-2000) and Christiane Guillemette (2002-2004) are the only two OCAA players to accomplish this feat.
Darcy Schmidt (Haliburton) will attempt to win Humber's first men's singles title since Tim Chiu won in 2013. In 2015, Schmidt won a men's doubles silver medal.
After finishing 5-0 at regionals, Phuthita Nilyok (Thailand) and freshman Chloe Rowe (Newcastle) will be looking to continue Humber's six-year streak of winning OCAA medals. During that span, the Hawks have won three gold, one silver, and two bronze medals.
Undefeated in men's doubles regional finals play, national champions Adam Dong (China) and Ryan Chow (Mississauga) will be looking to become the first duo to win back-to-back titles since Rob Parnell and Mike Kaytar (Cambrian) accomplished the feat in in 1997 and 1998.
Partners Christina Duong (Kitchener) and Cameron Lai (Mississauga) are tasked with extending Humber's dominant mixed doubles streak, as the Hawks have the chance to become the first program to win five consecutive titles.
The tournament begins February 17 and the top-two finishers in each discipline will qualify for the CCAA national championships March 9-11 at Seneca College. For match-by-match results, follow @HawksGameDay on twitter.
