With another exciting season of university sports coming to a close, The Brunswickan takes a look back at some of the best moments of the year involving UNB athletes.
- Javon Masters breaks U Sports all-time scoring record
With 2017-18 marking Masters’ final season of U Sports eligibility, followers of the Varsity Reds men’s basketball team were already well aware of his standing as one of the best athletes to have ever represented UNB. His status as a V-Reds legend reached another level in late January in a home game against the St. Mary’s Huskies where the fifth year guard from Kitchener, Ontario put up 39 points to overtake former University of Calgary player Boris Bakovic for first place in all-time U Sports scoring. Finishing his career with a total of 2,407 points, Masters has cemented his legacy as one of the greatest basketball players in the history of Canadian university sports.
Photo: Caroline Mercier
- Women’s rugby wins third straight ACAA championship
UNB’s domination of the Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association’s women’s rugby league continued this year as the team went undefeated in its six regular season games before defeating rival St. Thomas University in the championship game by a final score of 32-22. Following the game, UNB players Taran Price, Julija Rans, Olivia Cornier, Maria Muise, Taylor McAulay and Amy Andrews each received the honour of being named to the ACAA all-conference team.
Photo: submitted
- Red Bombers break championship drought
In early November, the UNB Red Bombers took home their first Atlantic Football League championship since 2012, defeating the Dalhousie Tigers in a thrilling game by a final score of 39-35 in a back-and-forth game. The victory capped off an excellent season that saw them rebound from a disappointing semi-final loss to the Holland College Hurricanes the year prior. The final game against Dalhousie also had historic significance as it marked the first time the two teams played each other in a championship game since 1953 when the Tigers defeated the Red Bombers.
- Men’s basketball wins first AUS title since 1967
The Varsity Reds made the most of Javon Masters’ final season with the team, ending a 51-year AUS championship drought. The team clinched the title with a narrow 84-81 win over the St. FX X-Men. Masters led his team once more in his final career AUS game, putting up 28 points and 8 rebounds in 36 minutes of play. While the team was defeated by McGill in the opening round of the U Cup, their AUS championship win remains one of the most notable accomplishments in the team’s history.
Photo: Caroline Mercier
- UNB hosts men’s hockey U Cup for second straight year
Despite the Varsity Reds’ disappointing third place finish in the men’s hockey national championship, the tournament itself still stands out as one of the bright spots of the UNB sports season. The raucous atmosphere created by UNB fans throughout the tournament, particularly during the V-Reds’ semi-final loss to St. FX, was a perfect example of what makes collegiate athletics special. While the tournament will move to Lethbridge next year, there is little doubt that U Cup organizers will want to bring it back to Fredericton again in the not-too-distant future.
