The Huskies delivered numerous outstanding performances at the OCAA Badminton Championships (Feb. 14-15) at Conestoga College.
The team took home medals in three of the five disciplines, highlighted by gold medals from Ellen Shen in Women's Singles and Kaylee Choi & Sarah Song in Women's Doubles, as well as a silver in Men's Singles by Sahil Lokhande. Plus, the Huskies won the Women's Team Championship banner for the first time since 2020.
Thanks to these impressive performances, all four student-athletes have qualified for the CCAA Badminton Championships at King's University in Edmonton, Alberta, from February 26 to March 1.
"If compared to my goals at the start of the OCAA season, of being medal contenders in 3-4 disciplines and having 1 or 2 disciplines qualify for Nationals—then we exceeded expectations, particularly with a Women's Singles gold medal," first-year head coach Howard Wong explained.
"My goals changed at Provincials once my coaching staff became aware of opposition rosters and likely matchups. We were contenders in all categories. Although I'm happy overall, I still share the sting of losing with my players in Mixed Doubles and Men's Doubles. The players and coaching staff put a lot of effort into training and preparation. Just disappointed that we came up short. Sometimes luck and good fortune work in our favor in other areas."
Women's Singles
Shen entered the tournament as the No. 2 seed in the East. During round-robin play, the second-year player finished 4-1, earning a spot in the quarter-finals.
After a three-set victory over Seneca's Mew, she took down Fanshawe's competitor in the semi-finals, setting up a final showdown against Conestoga's Ni. After dropping the opening set, Shen stormed back to take the second, forcing a deciding third set. In a back-and-forth battle, Shen led 18-17, then went on a 5-0 run to secure the gold medal, the first Women's Singles gold for George Brown since 2020. She was also named an OCAA First-Team All-Star.
Rachel Wang also played well in her first Provincials. She clinched a quarter-final spot after finishing 2-3 in round-robin play but fell to Boreal's Vane.
One story that means a lot to both the coaches and player was Ellen Shen. Last time she was at George Brown College was 10 years ago, did not make regional squad, but now a gold medalist. Ice in her veins," Howard stated.
Women's Doubles
All season long, Choi & Song dominated in Women's Doubles, and they continued that momentum at Provincials. The duo went undefeated (3-0) in round-robin play, earning a bye to the semi-finals.
They then took down Centennial's Chui & Cruz in straight sets, setting up a gold-medal match against Humber's Joshi & Vasava, a team that had dropped only one set the entire tournament. After Humber won the opening set, the Huskies stormed back, winning the next two to claim gold, which marked the second straight year in the program achieved it in the discipline. The team was also named an OCAA First-Team All-Star.
"Our female captain, Sarah Song, came up huge. In her graduating year, she showed so much dedication to improving and leading the Women's Doubles team. She is the engine behind that pair," Howard stated.
Men's Singles
Lokhande, the top seed in the East, dominated group play, finishing 4-0 without dropping a set. He continued his form in the quarter-finals and semi-finals, never allowing an opponent to score more than 10 points in a set.
In the final, he faced OCAA Men's Badminton Player of the Year, Humber's Lock, ultimately settling for silver and named an OCAA Second Team-All-Star.
Aaron Nguyen also competed in the discipline but didn't qualify for the quarter-finals.
Mixed Doubles
Wai Yan Phyo & Nancy Huang had a strong showing at Provincials. They finished 3-1 in group play, securing second place in their pool.
After winning their quarter-final match against Conestoga's Muqeem & Tu, they fell in the semi-finals to the eventual champions, Humber's Raval & Wu. They had a chance to claim bronze, winning the first set, but ultimately lost in three to Fanshawe's Ng & Kim.
Men's Doubles
Kent Ayco & Yang Jin finished 2-1 in their group, advancing to the quarter-finals before falling to Lambton's Razaq & Smith.
"Above all else, I never questioned the effort and desire of the student-athletes that all competed for us. That is something I'm most proud of," Howard shared.
