TORONTO - The following student-athletes have been recognized by the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) for their accomplishments during the seven-day period ending Sunday, Jan. 19.
Natasha Desjardins
School: Niagara
Program: Educational Assistant
Year of Eligibility: 3
Sport: Women's Volleyball
Hometown: Welland, Ont.
Desjardins had a match-high and team season-high in kills and points with 18 and 22, respectively in Niagara's five-set win over Mohawk on Jan. 16. She also contributed four blocks. A leader on and off the court, the third-year outside hitter is third among OCAA players with 162 total points. Although its fitting that she wears No. 3 on her uniform, seven is also an appropriate number for Desjardins as she is seventh in the league averaging 2.93 kills and 3.6 points per set along with 22 total blocks. Niagara is comfortably in a playoff position with a record of 7-4.
David Gomez Jr.
School: St. Clair
Program: Sport & Recreation Management
Year of Eligibility: 4
Sport: Men's Basketball
Hometown: Pontiac, Mich.
St. Clair fourth-year point guard Gomez Jr. scored a team-high 31 points, one shy of his season-high total, including 10-of-10 from the charity stripe in a key 85-75 home court victory over West Division rival Fanshawe on Jan. 17. He shot 10-of-17 in the field and contributed four assists, three rebounds and three steals. Gomez Jr. is currently in the OCAA's Top 5 in scoring averaging 21.7 points per game. St. Clair became the first West Division team to reach 10 wins and now holds a one-game lead over a trio of teams fighting for first place in the standings.
Alex Krstonosic
School: Humber
Program: Family and Community Social Services
Year of Eligibility: 3
Sport: Women's Volleyball
Hometown: Toronto, Ont.
Third-year middle blocker Krstonosic put together a big week for Humber, helping the Hawks pick up two straight-set victories. Picking up home wins over Sheridan on Jan. 15 and Mohawk on Jan 18, Krstonosic recorded 28 points combined. The Toronto native's 15 kills against Mohawk were a new career-high. Through nine matches, Krstonosic's .354 hitting percentage is the third-best mark in the conference. Humber (10-2) heads into its Saturday showdown against defending champion and undefeated Fanshawe (11-0) having won eight straight matches.
Steven Lemay
School: Mohawk
Program: Child Youth Care
Year of Eligibility: 1
Sport: Men's Basketball
Hometown: Hamilton, Ont.
In Mohawk's 92-76 win over Lambton on Jan. 15, the freshman sixth man came off the bench and scored 22 points on 8-of-13 shooting over 24 minutes. He also added eight rebounds. Three days later, Lemay continued his sixth man dominance as he scored 24 points on 8-of-14 shooting in 27 minutes off the bench. These totals are well above the forward's 11.7 points per game average. The Mountaineers (8-4) have won six straight regular season games dating back to last November and are only two games behind first-place St. Clair in the West Division.
Vivek Mathimakki
School: George Brown
Program: Computer Programer Analytics
Year of Eligibility: 2
Sport: Men's Volleyball
Hometown: Scarborough, Ont.
Mathimakki was an offensive force for George Brown in two matches last week. The second-year right-side hitter combined for 31 points on 25 kills, three assists and three blocks, while also adding seven digs over seven sets. In a Jan. 15 loss to Durham, Mathimakki was the driving force on offence posting a game-high 14 points on 10 kills, two aces and two blocks. On Jan. 18 against Loyalist, Mathimakki had his best match of the season registering a match-high 17 points off 15 kills, a block and an ace. His 3.4 points per set average leads the Huskies.
Rita Sibo
School: Algonquin
Program: Forensic Accounting
Year of Eligibility: 4
Sport: Women's Basketball
Hometown: Gatineau, Que.
Algonquin currently sits with a perfect 10-0 record and Sibo is a huge part of that. She is an absolute Swiss army knife on the court, being able to deliver a little bit of everything or a whole lot of whatever her team needs on any given night and this past weekend was no different. At Seneca on Jan. 18 she scored 28 points on 50 per cent shooting, grabbing eight rounds, dishing out two assists and snagging a steal. At UTM the following day, she scored 19 points on 67 per cent shooting to go along with 11 boards, six dimes and three steals for her fourth double-double of the season.
- OCAA -
ABOUT ONTARIO COLLEGES ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
The Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) is the recognized leader in intercollegiate athletics in the province, dedicated to student-athlete and sport development. The OCAA has 27 members sponsoring 12 varsity sports.
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