OAKVILLE, Ont. - The Sheridan Bruins athletics program will have some new faces and new teams in the fall of 2012 as the double-blue will add two new varsity teams to the fold.

Premiering in September of the New Year, Sheridan will enter the OCAA leagues in both men's and women's rugby. Both teams will practice in Brampton, but play their home games on the soon-to-be finished field-turf stadium at the Trafalgar Campus in Oakville.

"We are very pleased and proud to add these teams to our varsity offerings," said Ian Marley, Sheridan Vice-President of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management. "The strength and tradition of rugby programs in Peel and Halton will be a natural feeder for our teams."

New programs need new coaches, and the men's rugby team will be directed by Carlos Moniz, a teacher at North Park Secondary School in Brampton. Moniz served as the coach for the York University Rugby Program from 1992 to 1996, and was co-founder of the "Red-Hot" rugby tournament at York, now the largest high-school tournament in Ontario.  He was also a member of the Yeomen Rugby Club for many years, winning four McCormick Cup championships as both a player and a coach.

"I am as excited as can be," said Moniz.  "To be involved in the birth and foundation of this program is truly an honour. We will begin immediately looking for student-athletes that are ready to step in and compete."

Sheridan men's soccer will also have a new face at the helm.  After seven years as head coach Tony Silvestri will step down following the completion of the 2012 indoor season to make more time for his pursuit of a Master's degree. He has compiled an incredible 52-18-10 record in the OCAA during his tenure as head coach, guiding his squads to the championship game six times.
In 2010, Sheridan won the OCAA indoor title, the first gold the Bruins had notched in almost 20 years.

Taking over for Silvestri will be Andrew Seuradge, a teacher at Royal Orchard Middle School in Brampton. Seuradge played for Sheridan during the 2001-03 seasons, and has been a member of the Bruin coaching staff the past three seasons.

"The program won't miss a beat," said Silvestri.  "Andrew is an educator, and that's who we want as our coach. School first, soccer second, and when we succeed, it will be with integrity. We hand-picked Andrew for that very reason."

The Lady Bruins basketball program will have a new coach in the fall as well, as long-time OCAA veteran Willy Delas will take over the team in 2012-2013. For the remainder of this season, the team will be coached by the triad of Veneshia Morrison, Colleen Robertson and Paul Lewin that took over for Shane Bascoe, who stepped down in October.

Delas is an experienced coach, having run both the men's and women's programs at George Brown. At present, he is very active in the Toronto Triple Threat girls program and he is excited to join the double-blue.

"This is a great opportunity to coach in an area that is a hotbed of talented players," Delas said. "With the foundation that has been created in the last six years, I am really looking forward to continuing Sheridan's success in women's basketball."

In referencing all the changes in Sheridan's programming, Athletic Director Jim Flack believes it runs parallel to the evolution of the College.

"As an institution, Sheridan is heading in some new and exciting directions; the athletic department is no different," he said. "We have built our team profile at a responsible pace, never forgetting that varsity must be balanced with recreational and fitness opportunities for all students. The addition of our new coaches and teams will follow our philosophy completely. We are after success on the fields and courts, but we are after success with integrity. More than anything, we are cementing an educational-sport model that pushes for graduation of athletes first and foremost. There is no other way."

Source: Sheridan I.T.