TSC February Highlights

February was a big month for our athletes! From big performances to new foes to qualifications to big tournaments – read up on some of the highlights that happened last month!


Table Tennis Punches Their Ticket to Texas!

A big month for Table Tennis as they are Nationals-bound, earning their first berth at Nationals since becoming a Thunderbirds Sport Club! Learn more about their journey to Nationals and their performances below.

Submitted by Gloria Yin, Marketing & Communications Executive, UBC TSC Table Tennis

Our journey in San Diego began with showers of rain but ended with sunny vibes. Similarly, we began our competition journey with nervous thoughts and uncertainty but ended with happy hearts and hope for Nationals! Congratulations to all of our players who came out to play, support, cheer, and help coach!

On day 1, we played Men's Teams and Women's Singles. Our very own Men's Team placed 3rd to ensure their place at Nationals in April. Although our female players didn't directly qualify, many of our players have ratings high enough to wildcard into Nationals!

On day 2, it was time for Women's Teams and Men's Singles. Our Women's Team placed 2nd, booking them a direct position in the National competition. In Men's Singles, Edison Huang qualified for Nationals as one of the top 8 men in the region!

We look forward to playing at Nationals next month in Round Rock, Texas!

Results:

Women's Teams: 2nd Place🥈; directly qualified for Nationals!!

Men's Teams: 3rd Place🥉; directly qualified for Nationals!!

Men's Singles: Edison Huang (quarter-finalist; directly qualified for Nationals!!)

Special Shoutouts:

Great work by Lak Zhang for coming through during Men's Teams and upsetting several very tough players. His consistent play and explosive power on the court aided their qualification journey to Nationals!

Shoutout to Herman Lee for his stellar performances throughout the Men's Teams event! As an irreplaceable force of the team, he played out some strong rallies against top schools in the region and maintained his nerves as he played under pressure. His refined skills and invaluable experience really brought the games home!

Phenomenal job by Erainne Dai for coming back from two games down to clutch a win with a final score of 3 sets to 2! Her win secured the UBC Women's team a place in the finals–and more importantly, a direct qualification to Nationals in April!

Alpine Skiing - Headed to Nationals!

Alpine Skiing had a month in February! From first place individual finishes, to earning UBC's first berth at Nationals since 2017 - learn more about the wild ride they had below!

Back from a hot start, UBC competed at the Snoqualmie Pass in their last race before Western Regionals! With some additional practice under their belt, UBC showed out with their Men’s side finishing first and their women’s side finishing fifth! Heading into Regionals, this team is looking dangerous.

For the women, Malia Hodgkinson came out 11th on Sunday, Anika Prasad finished 16th on Sunday, Emma Fontaine finished 17th on Saturday, Tayo Steininger finished 21st on Saturday, and Pauline Kraut finished 25th on Saturday!

For the men, Marcus Athans came first on Saturday, Nelson Fretenburg came out 4th both Saturday and Sunday,  Marko Smitran finished 15th on Saturday, Guy Leckenby finished 22nd on Sunday, and Nicolai Van Kruijsdijk finished 23rd on Sunday!

Seniors Brogan ThemensJohn Forssander, and Victor Samyn had notable finishes (8th, 10th and 27th on Sunday, respectively) in some of their last races as a Thunderbird.

Battling against the finest collegiate skiers out west, UBC looked to build off from their success at their previous races to qualify for Nationals. Behind a clutch top-40 finish from Nicolai van Kruijsdijk, the men's team qualified for USCSA Nationals in Mammoth Mountain, CA.

Men's and Women's Ultimate - Dogwood Bowl Sweep

In the last weekend of February, UBC faced off against a familiar opponent, UVic, in the 10th annual Dogwood Bowl. Previously called "Douglas Bowl", this showcase game often draws out alumni, family, and friends of both programs. Having played and lost against UVic earlier this year at the Santa Barbara Invite, UBC came into Saturday with some nerves but plenty of excitement to play against the Victoria squad. Loud sidelines, familiar crowds, animated commentators, and a raffle draw featuring prizes from sponsors would all culminate into an exciting couple of hours. Read more below!

Women's Ultimate

Submitted by Grace Du, Marketing & Communications Executive, UBC TSC Women's Ultimate 

The UBC Thunderbirds endured the frigid weather to host the 10th annual Dogwood bowl this past Saturday, showcasing the annual matchup against the UVIC Vikes as UBC’s only competition game in Canada. At this year’s tournament, we celebrated the renaming of the rivalry to Dogwood bowl to represent BC’s provincial flower. The Birds dominated 15-3 with notable performances from Ada Chang and Monica Hsu.

Men's Ultimate

Submitted by Wesley Wong, Marketing & Communications Executive, UBC TSC Men's Ultimate

Though the weather proved to be dismal and on the brink of snow, UBC was nonetheless amped to show off all the hard work that they put in the last couple of weeks. As the first pull was launched, all nerves would quickly be replaced by a composed and calculated focus. The stifling defence from our d-line would lead to easy possession turns to start off the game. Shooter Kevin Tong opened up the offence with deep throws to reward well-timed hucks from d-line cutters, including Abeer Lamba and rookie Matthew Wood. Being up a couple points prior to receiving the pull, the T-birds o-line would not disappoint, either.

Having only two turnovers in the whole game, a backfield led by Yuchi Lin and Filip Kragl would display an elite level of patience and throwing prowess. Crossfield shots and great movement from the UBC handlers would make easy work of the UVic zone. With the T-Birds taking a decisive half, the focus and intensity would only heighten. The defensive pressure built up throughout the game would allow the T-Birds to pull away from the game victorious, hoisiting the Dogwood Bowl trophy to leave the tournament historical record at 5-5.

Though this game was unsanctioned, this game gives just a taste of the potential of UBC that we will be able to see next weekend, where the birdies will be attending the Stanford Invite.

Lacrosse - Still Undefeated in 2023!

Newcomer Dylan Robinson has been a huge boost for the UBC Lacrosse's offense, leading their team in goals this season despite showing up in the new year. With his presence bolstering the offense and steady but sturdy defense led by Aydan Johnson and goalie, Evan Powers, the team looks to continue their undefeated streak going into March.

Men's and Women's Tennis - Bring on Westerns!

The UBC TSC Women’s Tennis team cruised through their 2023 BC Regionals match against the University of Victoria Vikes, held on Saturday, March 11th at the UBC Tennis Center. With a decisive 6-1 defeat, the Thunderbirds have once again booked their ticket to the Western Canadian Tennis Championships in March. To read more about their day, check out the blog written here!

The Men's team started off their national title defence with regionals against UVIC and SFU. With commanding victories in our competition, this win advanced themto Westerns where we will be heading to Edmonton to compete against the University of Alberta on March 5th!

Equestrian - UBC Dominates Western Washington Show

UBC had another successful show weekend with all jumping team members placing either first or second during show one and placing in their classes in show two. Madison Weber won first and second in show one, claiming individual high point champion, and won two firsts in show two. These performances earned Madison Weber Athlete of the Month honours for February.

Maddie Weber and Jasmine Taylor will be going to Zones sometime in April after their strong performances in the last two show weekends.

Quadball

In their first competition of 2023, Quadball hosted American teams at the Apollo 14 Cup. Read below to hear more about they did and their time at the tournament.

Apollo 14 Cup | MacInnes Field, Vancouver, BC | Feb 5th, 2:00 – 8:00 pm

Submitted by Hannah Illing, Marketing & Communications Executive, UBC Quadball SC.
We had a great time playing our first American quadball team since 2020 and it was our first tournament after the name change to Quadball. Seattle was a tricky team to play and maybe the best team we’ve faced yet. We also enjoyed playing a fantasy game at the end of the tournament where we combined players from all teams. We can’t wait to play Seattle again (and hopefully beat them) in a months time at our next tournament. A shoutout to our player Naomi who acted as a snitch for the tournament and did a great job keeping the seekers away for over 5 minutes.

 

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Another big shoutout to Shiyan and Mirelle who were rookies at this tournament and Helen who has made her return from injury. They had fantastic defence on the pitch!