A recap of the Dinos competitive club teams’ amazing seasons
By Kristy Koehler, April 11 2019—
The annual Night of the Dino banquet, held on April 9 at the Red and White Club, celebrated the remarkable achievements of the University of Calgary’s athletics program — well, the varsity program anyway. The one thing missing from a well-planned and beautifully executed evening was a celebration of the club-level athletes who contribute so much to the rich culture and history of Dinos sporting prowess.
Two awards were handed out to competitive club athletes -— rower Courtney Kruschel and baseball player Jordan Smith. While these awards are a step in the right direction, more must be done to find a way to include all of the athletes who compete under the Dinos banner. Here’s a look at the successes had by competitive club teams over the last year.
In October, Dinos men’s rugby team ended their undefeated regular season with a trip to the Canada West finals. The team had a monster season, even taking down their arch rival, the University of British Columbia Okanagan Heat, for the first time.
Over Thanksgiving weekend and facing adverse weather conditions, the women’s fastball team won the bronze medal at the national championships in Saskatoon. It marked the second time in history the team has medalled at the national championships after winning a silver medal in 2011.
In December, Dinos ringette brought home their second-consecutive University Challenge Cup. With the win, the Dinos earned their 10th UCC victory and become the most successful team in the history of the championship.
Calgary hosted the University Prairie Regional Championships in tennis in February. With the University of Alberta and UBCO as competitors, Dinos players Andrew Ochotta and Shane Nicholls won their singles matches while Nicholls and Ayush Gupta won their doubles match. Kelsea Gorzo and Maya Dukaric won their singles matches on the women’s side.
The Dinos rowing team competed at the Alberta Indoor Rowing Championships in Blackfalds, Alberta on March 9. The regatta isn’t just for university clubs — rowing clubs from all over the province are eligible to compete. The Dinos won the most gold medals and the most hardware overall, capturing 23 of 33 possible individual medals. They also won the team relay race for the third consecutive year.
Other Dinos club sports include golf and synchronized swimming. Schedules, rosters and news about both club and varsity teams can be found at godinos.com.