Ontario University Athletics handed out the 2017-18 OUA Honour Awards in May, and the Western Mustangs football team adding another piece of hardware to their trophy case as the league’s Male Team of the Year.
The purple and white were simply unstoppable last season, galloping their way to their 31st Yates Cup championship and seventh Vanier Cup title with leading marks on both sides of the ball each time they took the field.
The Mustangs finished the regular season with a perfect 8-0 record, and were somehow still able to find a whole new gear come the postseason. Making their third consecutive trip to the provincial final, Western was able to come out on top in their highly-touted rematch with Laurier, taking home the 110th Yates Cup with a convincing 75-32 win in front of their home crowd.
The Mustangs continued their dominance on the national level, routing Acadia in the UTECK Bowl by a final score of 81-3. Going toe-to-toe with the Laval Rouge et Or in the 53rd Vanier Cup, the Mustangs were able to pen the storybook ending they were hoping for, putting the feather in the cap of their postseason push in which they outscored their opponents 261-64 over their four games.
With 17 OUA All-Star nods on the year – leading the conference – while also seeing Nick Vanin capture the U SPORTS Russ Jackson Award, the Western Mustangs football team once again showed their championship-caliber skill from top to bottom.
Western will be back on the gridiron in short order, with the 2018 edition of the squad set to begin training camp in mid-August before hitting the field for their season opener on August 26 against the Carleton Ravens. The Mustangs’ home opener is set for Saturday, September 8, at 4 p.m. against the McMaster Marauders at TD Stadium.
Submitted by Western Mustangs
