Seneca Sting

Bill Crowdis named Men’s Basketball Head Coach of the Seneca Sting

Former OCAA Coach of the Year looks to lay foundation for student-athlete success   

More than 15 years of coaching experience for OCAA Hall of Fame member
and former CCAA National Champion

 

The Seneca Sting have announced the hiring of, Bill Crowdis, Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) Hall of Famer and 2008 Coach of the Year, as head coach of its varsity Men’s Basketball team.  The 35-year-old Toronto native brings more than 15 years of coaching experience to the position and returns to coaching at the collegiate level after a two-year hiatus from the OCAA to focus on community basketball initiatives.

 

Crowdis most recently served as the head coach of the Fleming College Knights, from 2004-2010, earning Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Top-10 national ranking, No. 1 provincial ranking, and became Fleming’s all-time leader in Men’s Basketball coaching wins during his tenure with the college. 

 

“Bill impressed us with his passion, and goals of championing the personal development of our student athletes, ensuring success in the classroom, and on the court,” said Linda Stapleton, Director, Sport and Recreation, Seneca College.  “With Bill in the fold, we see great things ahead for our Men’s Basketball program and we’re confident that its success will be something that the entire Seneca community can take pride in.”  

 

A stand-out basketball player for the Durham College Lords from 1996-1999, Crowdis earned every honour a collegiate student-athlete could during his three years with the institution.  Crowdis won CCAA and OCAA Championships in his rookie season with the Lords, and was named an OCAA league all-star twice (1997-98, 1998-99), OCAA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player (1998-99), and a CCAA All-Canadian in 1998-99. The former power forward was the OCAA overall league scoring champion in 1998-99 and, in 2000, was named to the OCAA’s All-Millennium Team.  Crowdis was also a varsity student-athlete with the Ryerson Rams of Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS), for two seasons, from 1999-2001, being named a first-team all-star twice, and leading the nation in rebounding in 2000.

 

Crowdis is also the President/CEO of Long Term Development (LTD) Sports – an Oshawa-based, athlete-focused organization with an emphasis on motivating children and youth to participate in physical activity, while promoting the importance of teamwork and healthy living.

 

“Much like the philosophy of the organization I founded, LTD Sports, I am looking to establish, at Seneca, a Varsity program focused on helping student-athletes achieve success in their long-term development,” said Crowdis.  “I believe sports can be a great tool to allow individuals get to where they want to be professionally.  I also firmly believe in developing well-rounded, complete individuals, not just strong athletes.  Coming to Seneca is like coming home for me and we’re going to ensure that we lay a solid foundation for our house – one built on developing well-balanced individuals – and that leaves an indelible impact on the lives of the students who wear the name Seneca on their jersey.”

 

Crowdis will begin recruitment efforts for the Sting immediately, and will oversee Varsity try-outs later this summer. 

Justin Franczuz elected Student Athletic Association President
at 2012 SAA Leadership Conference

 

Student leaders ready to bring fun and active lifestyles to Seneca community for
2012-2013 academic year

 

More than 40 of Seneca’s Athletics and Recreation student-life leaders, namely its local Campus Recreation and Varsity Councils spent time this week preparing for the 2012-2013 academic year at a leadership conference which took place at the college’s Recreation Island at King Campus. 

 

Each Recreation Council, featuring student leaders from the major Seneca campuses (Newnham, King, Markham and Seneca @ York), in combination with the varsity council, made-up of student-athlete representatives from a number of the college’s varsity teams, form the Student Athletic Association (SAA).  All councils are involved with programming, promoting and planning campus recreation and varsity sports activities at Seneca.

 

The three-day event which took place from April 24-26, featured student-leaders participating in a number of team-building activities including zip-lining, wall-climbing, as well as leadership presentations, meetings and games.  Accommodations were provided by King Residence.

 

The event was also noteworthy as the SAA elected Justin Franczuz, a student in the Financial Services Management program, President of the Student Athletic Association.  Franczuz, an exemplary student leader entering his third-year at Seneca, and current member of the Newnham Recreation Council, has previously served as Newnham Recreation Vice-President as well as Extramural and Intercampus Coordinator.  Franczuz ran against fellow Recreation Council leader (King Campus) and varsity student-athlete Liana Tome for the position, which was voted on by the Rec. and Varsity councils. 

 

Photos from the SAA Leadership Conference can be found here: 2012 SAA Leadership Conference Photos

 

Lau, Ashokkumar, Raguseo and Evans Among Big Winners at 2011-2012 Seneca Athletics and Recreation Awards Banquet

Student Athletic Association President Katie Jones Recognized for Leadership

More than 250 guests in attendance at Hilton Suites Toronto-Markham  

 

Seneca College’s varsity student-athletes, coaches, campus recreation councils, administrators, sponsors, and staff celebrated a school year of athletic achievements and leadership in student life at the 2011-2012 Seneca Athletics and Recreation Awards Banquet in Markham, Ont in early April.

The event which took place in the Donald Cousens Ballroom at the Hilton Suites Toronto-Markham was hosted by Greg Mandziuk, former Citytv sports personality, and Seneca Broadcast Journalism and Production Instructor.  Honouring a season’s worth of outstanding athletic and academic achievements, leadership, contributions and performances from varsity student-athletes, campus recreation councils, and the Student Athletic Association; the banquet is an annual tradition on the collegiate calendar. The event, which featured more than 250 guests, was produced in association with Seneca’s School of Media & Marketing, specifically, students and instructors from the Corporate Media Production program.

For the first time in the history of Seneca’s Athletics and Recreation Awards Banquet, four Athletes of the Year were named in recognition of the significant athletic achievements of the college’s varsity student-athletes in 2011-2012.  Sanjay Ashokkumar, an International Accounting and Finance student from Mississauga, Ont., and Patricia Lau, an Early Childhood Education student from Toronto, were named Co-ed Athletes of the Year, after the mixed doubles badminton pair won an Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) Championship gold medal and bronze at the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Championships this season. 

Fourth-year Women’s Basketball guard Samantha Evans, a Recreation and Leisure student from Scarborough, Ont., was named Female Athlete of the Year after a season in which she earned an OCAA First-Team All-Star and OCAA Championship All-Star nods and East Region Defensive Player of the Year honours, finishing first in steals, notching 80 on the campaign.  Evans also led the Sting to an OCAA Championship silver medal and an appearance at the CCAA National Championship. 

Finally, Matt Raguseo, a Division I Men’s Rugby student-athlete in the Business-Marketing program from Stouffville, Ont., was named Male Athlete of the Year after a season in which he won the 2011 OCAA Player of the Year and helped lead the Sting to an undefeated 5-0 record and an OCAA Championship silver medal.

Additionally, Katie Jones, Student Athletic Association President, from Burlington, Ont., took home the Wayne Norrison Leadership Award and the President’s Gavel in recognition of her tireless contributions to the quality of student life at Seneca.  Be it through her efforts at Newnham Campus to engage the student community and provide recreation programming that gets students active and involved, or her contributions to help usher in an exciting new era for Seneca’s Athletics and Recreation department, and future Seneca students and athletes; working towards new Sports Builds at Seneca’s Newnham and King Campuses, both of which are on track in the years to come. 

Also being honoured on the night were more than 35 Corporate Sponsor Bursary recipients given to student-athletes selected by an awards committee for outstanding commitment in the field of play and in the classroom from Sting sponsors including adidas, VSP Sports, Westmont Hospitality Group, Holiday Inn Toronto-Markham, Pacific Western, CASB Media and the Seneca Alumni Association.  Meanwhile more than 35 student-athletes received OCAA All-Academic Awards for academic honours distinctions, eight CCAA All-Academic Recipients, while seven of Seneca’s Campus Recreation Council members received OCCCR All-Academic awards.

 

Event Award Winners can be found here: 2011-2012 Seneca Athletics and Recreation Awards Banquet Winners

 

Event Photos can be found here: 2011-2012 Seneca Athletics and Recreation Awards Banquet Photos

Seneca Sting Varsity Men's and Women's Indoor Soccer Teams Claim 2012 OCAA Championship Silver Medals at OSA Soccer Centre in Vaughan, Ont.

The Seneca Sting Men's and Women's Indoor Soccer squads each brought home silver medals at the 2012 Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) Championships taking place at the Ontario Soccer Association Complex in Vaughan, Ont. in late March.  GTA collegiate rivals, the Humber Hawks, defeated the Sting Women, 4-0, and the Sting Men, 3-0, in both teams’ Championship Final matches.

The Sting Women advanced to the Championship match after a 3-2 victory in extra time over the Sheridan Bruins earlier in the day.  Seneca’s men, meanwhile, were victorious in their semi-final match versus Fleming College, defeating them 1-0 to advance to the gold medal game.

The OCAA silver medal marks Seneca’s first men’s indoor soccer championship honour since 2003, while Seneca’s indoor women’s squad last earned a Championship medal in 2010.

Seneca’s Varsity Women’s team tied the Humber Hawks (0-0) and the Fanshawe Falcons (1-1), and defeated the Redeemer Royals (1-0) finishing with a 1-0-2 record on Day 1, while the Sting Men earned a draw versus the Sheridan Bruins(1-1), dropped the Conestoga Condors (4-1), and beat the Durham Lords (2-1) rounding out the Championships’ first day with a 2-0-1 record.


The head coach for both teams is Vito Colangelo, who also serves as Seneca's outdoor men's and women's varsity soccer bench boss. Colangelo is assisted by Domenic Ientile, Anthony Vadori, and Carm Brutto on the men's side, and Luca Sirianni and Brutto, on the women's side.

Seneca Sting Mixed Curling Squad Brings Home Gold for Second Straight Season at 2012 OCAA Championships in Sault Ste. Marie this Weekend

 

The Seneca Sting Varsity Curling team left Sault College in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, and the site of the 2012 Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) Curling Championships with the big prize this past Sunday. 

 

The Sting Mixed Curling squad won gold, for the second straight season, defeating the Fanshawe Falcons in the final match to cement their victory.  Seneca also won OCAA Mixed Curling gold at the 2011 OCAA Championships.  Until facing Seneca in the Gold Medal Final, Fanshawe sported a perfect 5-0 record at the Championship but suffered its first loss in the tournament’s final match dropping a 9-2 decision in six ends to the Sting.

 

Seneca went 4-1 at the OCAA Championships and several of its players were named Championship All-Stars including First Team nominations for Scott Sawarzky (Position: Second; Division: Mixed),  Madisson Lank (Position: Third; Division Mixed), Joan Moore (Position: Third; Division: Women’s) and Second Team nominations for Tameka Vaters (Position: Lead; Division: Mixed) and Matt Lowe (Position: Skip; Division: Mixed).

Lowe, a Fire Protection Engineering Technology student, and Vaters, an Environmental Landscape Management student, were both members of Seneca’s 2011 OCAA gold-medal-winning mixed curling squad last season.

 

The gold medal was the Sting’s first under the watchful eye of head coach Colin Sinclair, in his first season with Seneca.  Team operations are managed by Angela James, Sr. Sport Coordinator at King Campus, who was also on-site in Sault Ste. Marie.   

 

2012 OCAA Curling Championship Results

 

Mixed

 

Gold – Seneca College

Silver – Fanshawe College

Bronze – St. Clair College

Sting Badminton Kings of the Court at Redeemer Winning OCAA Gold and Silver Medals at 2012 Championships

 

Seneca’s impressive varsity skills were also on display at the 2012 Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) Badminton Championships, this past weekend, hosted at Redeemer University College in Hamilton, Ontario.  The Sting earned gold and silver medals at the Championships, marking the second straight season in which Seneca has brought home more than one piece of hardware from this event.

 

Sting Badminton student-athletes Sanjay Ashokkumar, an International Accounting and Finance student from Mississauga, and Patricia Lau, an Early Childhood Education student from Toronto, won gold in the mixed doubles results, while team-mates, Li-Ju Chen of Maple, a Nursing student, and Carol Dela Cerna, an international student in the Aviation Operations program from the Philippines, placed second and won silver in the women's doubles competition.

 

Seneca also won OCAA medals in both these badminton divisions in 2010-2011.  The Sting Badminton team is coached by Nouri Ghazi, David Trinh and Allan Tong.  Team operations are managed by Melissa Wiseman, Sr. Sport Coordinator at Seneca @ York.

 

2012 OCAA Badminton Championship Results

 

Mixed Doubles

 

Gold: Ashokkumar/Lau (Seneca)

Silver: D'Agostina/Odorizzi (Cambrian)

Bronze: Liu/Yan (Humber)

 

Women's Doubles

Gold: Woon/Yip (Humber)

Silver: Chen/Dela Cerna (Seneca)

Bronze: Koopmans/Harvey (Redeemer)