Martlet Hockey wins its fourth national championship 

Winning the fourth National Championship in program history involved excitement, intrigue, and drama for the McGill Martlet ice hockey squad. Thirty-seven seconds into the second overtime frame, defenceman Brittany Fouracres put a slap shot into the back of net to put the Martlets on top against their archrival Montreal Carabins. For the Martlets, the victory meant revenge that was as cold as the ice they skated on—Montreal dethroned them from the top of the RSEQ the past two seasons and won the title last year. With Olympian Melodie Daoust returning to the fold, this dynasty is not stopping any time soon.

Rugby runs through RSEQ

Eight straight was the name of the game for the Redmen rugby squad as they won their eighth consecutive RSEQ banner this past season. They emerged victorious over the Concordia Stingers—the most team other than the Redmen to win the RSEQ—in the final. Success on the field was not limited to the men this season, as the Martlets hoisted their own RSEQ banner. The program had previously disappointed in the conference semifinal, the ending spot for their previous five seasons. This season, however, the team reached new heights behind the speed and agility of a wildly talented backline, featuring CIS Player-of-the-Year Brianna Miller.

Basketball RSEQ championships

For the second time in as many seasons, both the McGill Martlets and Redmen basketball programs hoisted the RSEQ championship, this time on back-to-back nights in Quebec City. For the Redmen, this year’s team was comprised almost entirely of underclassmen, while the Martlets returned a core group that had previously tasted championship success. The Redmen will return RSEQ Player-of-the-Year Vincent Dufort and all but one member of this year’s squad. The Martlets will lose Françoise Charest and Hélène Bibeau, two fifth-year seniors who provided skill, and poise. However, the team will return RSEQ Player-of-the-Year Mariam Sylla. With the systems in place and the coaching on point, three straight conference championships is not out of the question.

Laurent Duvernay-Tardif enters NFL draft

Fourth-year McGill medical student, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, made national headlines this year, with extensive news coverage over his decision to commit to the NFL draft. Despite the Redmen football team’s disappointing season, Duvernay-Tardif impressed recruiters from the CFL—in which he was a projected no. 1 overall pick—as well as the NFL. NFL.com has the 23-year-old lineman going in the third-to-fourth round of the draft, with numerous teams already expressing interest in him. Duvernay-Tardif was also awarded the Forbes Trophy this year by McGill Athletics, given to the male athlete who has demonstrated the most academic and athletic success. He is also one of the first CIS athletes to be featured in Sports Illustrated (March 24, 2014).

Jessica Porfilio leads Martlets to RSEQ cross-country championship

The McGill Martlets extended their championship streak to four this season, after Jessica Porfilio led the squad to another cross-country banner. The third-year nursing student completed the championship race in 23:01.20, finishing in second place overall. Porfilio has steadily improved her performance from her rookie year, and will be key once more in helping the Martlets contend for the championship next season.