No. 1 HAWKS OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP WITH 18-2 RECORD
BARRIE, Ont. -- The number one ranked badminton program in the CCAA lived up to the hype Friday, at the opening round of the OCAA Championship presented by belairdirect.
Looking to win men's and women's championship titles for the fourth consecutive year, the Humber Hawks finished day one with an 18-2 overall record.
After being named an All-Canadian and OCAA Women's Badminton Player of the Year for the third consecutive season, Olivia Lei (China) rolled through her first round matchups like she has done for her entire career and finished the day 4-0. The third ranked player in the country according to Badminton Canada won each set by an average of 21-4.
| Women's Singles | ||
| Rd. | Opponent | Score |
| 1 | Conestoga | 21-2, 21-7 |
| 2 | George Brown | 21-6, 21-4 |
| 3 | St. Clair | 21-4, 21-7 |
| 4 | Georgian | 21-3, 21-2 |
After finishing 5-0 at regionals, Phuthita Nilyok (Thailand) and freshman Chloe Rowe (Newcastle) continued their impressive run as they also finished day one with a perfect 4-0 record. Only Boreal, the second ranked team from the East were able to score double-digits against Humber, who won by an average of 21-5.
| Women's Doubles | ||
| Rd. | Opponent | Score |
| 1 | Fanshawe | 21-9, 21-6 |
| 2 | Centennial | 21-3, 21-3 |
| 3 | UTM | 21-3, 21-3 |
| 4 | Boreal | 21-13, 21-4 |
2015-16 National Champions Adam Dong (China) and Ryan Chow (Mississauga) started 4-0 on their quest to become the first duo to win back-to-back OCAA titles since Rob Parnell and Mike Kaytar (Cambrian) accomplished the feat a decade ago.
| Men's Doubles | ||
| Rd. | Opponent | Score |
| 1 | Georgian | 21-10, 21-7 |
| 2 | George Brown | 21-10, 21-17 |
| 3 | UTM | 21-11, 21-13 |
| 4 | Fanshawe | 21-6, 21-12 |
Partners Christina Duong (Kitchener) and Cameron Lai (Mississauga) shook off a close first match against Fanshawe to finish 4-0 on the day without dropping a set.
| Mixed Doubles | ||
| Rd. | Opponent | Score |
| 1 | Fanshawe | 21-19, 21-19 |
| 2 | Georgian | 21-15, 21-11 |
| 3 | Conestoga | 21-14, 21-11 |
| 4 | George Brown | 21-17, 21-13 |
Looking to return the men's singles title to Humber, Darcy Schmidt (Haliburton) opened with a 1-2 record. A loss in the fourth game would have made making the playoffs more challenging, potentially ending his chance at a medal and a men's team title. Against East 1 Centennial, Schmidt played exceptionally well, winning 21-17 21-13.
| Men's Singles | ||
| Rd. | Opponent | Score |
| 1 | Conestoga | 21-12, 21-16 |
| 2 | Centennial | 22-20, 16-21, 13-21 |
| 3 | Redeemer | 6-21, 12-21 |
| 4 | Centennial | 21-16, 21-14 |
Entering day two, the Hawks have a great shot at placing all five disciplines into the playoff round. Badminton action begins again tomorrow at 9am to wrap up round robin play. Top four teams/players in each discipline will move on to the medal round tomorrow afternoon. For match-by-match results, follow @HawksGameDay on twitter.
