The Western Mustangs head into 2015 in the midst of yet another successful athletic year. With three national and four provincial championships under their belts so far (many of those repeat titles), the Mustangs have continued to prove they are some of the best athletes in the country.
Two Mustangs’ teams were literally perfect this year. Both the women’s softball and the women’s lacrosse teams recorded undefeated seasons in 2014, with both claiming their respective championship titles. For a fifth straight year, the women’s softball team won the Ontario Intercollegiate Women’s Fastpitch Association Championship along with their fourth consecutive CCSA National Championship title.
Women’s lacrosse continued their reign as the best in the OUA, with the 2014 campaign marking the fourth year in a row the team has claimed both an undefeated season and the OUA Championship title. Western’s Jesse Porter was named the OUA top defensive player for her performance..
On the water, the Mustangs’ rowing program was strong once again, putting up impressive performances at numerous regattas throughout the year. The women’s crew won their second consecutive provincial and national titles, coming out on top at both the OUA Women’s Rowing Championships and the Canadian University Rowing Championships. Mustang Jill Moffatt earned honours as the Canadian University Outstanding Female Rower of the Year, along with the title of OUA Women’s Rower of the Year.
Heading to the courts, the Western Mustangs’ men’s tennis program concluded another successful season, claiming the OUA Men’s Tennis Championship title for the third year in a row. The title marks the 18th in program history.
Also keeping up with Mustang tradition of excellence, the Western cheerleading team captured its seventh consecutive National Championship at the University and Open National Cheerleading Championships. With 29 total titles, the success of the Mustangs program is unprecedented at the Canadian championships, having claimed all but one title since the event’s inception.
With the completion of a successful fall campaign and the winter campaign already off to a strong start, the Western Mustangs will look to carry the success of the first half through to the end of the 2014-15 athletic season and continue to build on their purple reign.
— By Ciara Maynard
