MOHAWK'S CALIC NAMED OCAA COACH OF THE YEAR

TORONTO - The Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) is proud to announce that Betty Calic of Mohawk College has been named its 2024-25 Coach of the Year.

Calic has been a curling coach at Mohawk for 14 years, helping lead the program to great success. This last season was memorable for many reasons.

Under Calic's guidance, Mohawk men's team has been particularly dominant the past several years, entering the 2025 campaign as three-time defending OCAA champions. Unfortunately, their proficiency over their rival Humber Hawks didn't last beyond provincials, with Humber winning two straight national titles.

After going 3-0 in their home bonspiel, the Mountaineers sought an unprecedented fourth provincial crown at the OCAA championships last February. In a battle of the unbeaten in round robin play, Mohawk conceded a 6-1 outcome to the Hawks. Destined to meet in a fifth-straight OCAA gold medal game, it looked as if the Mountaineers would be on the losing end to the Hawks once again, but rallied for four points in the seventh and another two in the final end to take the game and gold medal 7-4.

Having won silver and bronze medals at the previous two national championships, Mohawk finally reached the summit, going undefeated to win its first Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) banner. This included an opening 7-5 win over Humber in the round robin and an 8-4 victory over the SAIT Trojans in the gold medal game. Like the Mountaineers, SAIT had also earned bronze and silver medals the last two nationals.

Mohawk's strength has been the quality of its student-athletes of which Calic is instrumental in developing. Men's skip Jacob Jones was named OCAA Championship MVP for the fourth straight season, while Jones, Jarrett Matthews, Eric Just and Joel Matthews were all named OCAA and CCAA First-Team Championships All-Stars.

Calic also helped restore the prominence of the women's team that went through a rebuilding period. After going 0-4 at the 2024 OCAA championship by one-sided outcomes, the Mountaineers went 3-2 in round robin play and went on to win the OCAA bronze medal in 2025. Natalie Scholtens was named an OCAA Championship Second-Team All-Star and the entire team was given the Vern Dow Fair Play Award.

Both of these Mohawk's teams were strong against other post-secondary programs as well, with the men going 8-0 and the women winning twice against U Sports competition.

The Mountaineers almost captured a third medal at OCAA provincials, placing fourth in a competitive mixed doubles competition. Mohawk was edged by the Niagara Knights 8-7 in the bronze medal game.

These accomplishments came in the face of personal adversity for both Calic and the Mohawk program. Calic's partner Simon Ouellet, a long-time assistant coach with the Mountaineers, passed away last May. An individual with an infectious personality and passion for the sport of curling which created lasting bonds with the student-athletes, Ouellet's leadership and guidance were important to the success of the men's team.

Despite this heartbreaking loss, Calic continued to coach and lead the Mohawk curling program, achieving two provincial medals and one national gold.

2024-25 OCAA MAJOR AWARDS

Apr. 8 - Matthew Ferreira, Athletic Administrator of the Year
Apr. 9 - Betty Calic, Coach of the Year
Apr. 10 - Rookies of the Year
Apr. 11 - Athletes of the Year

- OCAA -

ABOUT ONTARIO COLLEGES ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION

For over 50 years, the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association has been a dedicated leader in amateur athletics through the provision of quality varsity and recreational athletic opportunities at the collegiate level.

For additional information please contact:
Josh Bell-Webster
Marketing and Communications
Ontario Colleges Athletic Association
Tel: 416-426-7041
E-mail: bell-webster@ocaa.com