Men’s Baseball (21–8): A
After two years of cancelled seasons and uncertainty, the McGill men’s baseball team is finally back, and they did not disappoint. With a roster mainly composed of players in their first year of eligibility, no one quite knew what this season would hold for the Redbirds. Concerns that the team would be unable to keep up with those who played in 2021 arose after the team dropped three straight games in early September. But the Redbirds refused to let that define their season, winning 13 of their next 14. The remarkable record carried over to the Quebec semi-finals where they silenced the Université de Montréal in a double-header before facing off against Concordia (12–10) in the final. The Stingers were no match for the Redbirds as McGill swept the best-of-three series to win the Quebec championship. The impressive season was highlighted by breakout stars all around the diamond. Starting pitcher Arthur “Cinch” Smith went 4–0, leading the team with 30 innings pitched. On the other side of the ball, Jett Jarvis and Chris Bodine carried the team’s offence, slashing .377/.448/.481 and .421/.515/.491 respectively. Overall, the championship, combined with a number of impressive individual seasons, earns the Redbirds’ baseball team an A from us.
Men’s Lacrosse (8–5): A-
What can we say about the men’s lacrosse team? Records were broken, history was made, and fans were more than entertained. After dropping their season opener to the Trent Excalibur (11–1), the Redbirds went on to win their next four games, averaging a goal differential of over five. The team defeated Queen’s (7–4) in a sudden-death playoff game to advance to the Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association (CUFLA) Baggataway Cup Championship Tournament. After defeating Western (10–2) in a remarkable comeback victory in the quarter-finals, McGill faced off against the top-seeded Trent in the semis. Missing their leading scorer Cameron McGinnis due to injury, the Redbirds fell to the Excalibur for the third time this season. Despite a disappointing final outcome, the Redbirds’ first year back after two lost seasons due to the pandemic was marked by impressive individual performances. On Oct. 28, McGinnis scored eight goals, breaking the McGill record for goals in a single game. With two multi-goal games in the playoffs and four in the regular season, Isaiah Cree was named to the Baggataway Cup All-Tournament team. Samuel Macdonald was selected as the team’s lone CUFLA East All-Star, with honourable mentions Chris Parkinson and Logan Glick. With eight graduating seniors, the team is bound to look different but hopefully, the incoming rookies will avenge the ‘Birds next season.
Men’s Rugby (10–2): A+
The 2022-2023 season marked a historic one for Redbirds rugby. The team not only attended Nationals for the second time in the rugby program’s 150 years of existence, but came home with silver medals for the first time. Their 48-5 defeat by the University of British Columbia (10–3) marked their second loss in a strong and exciting season. Fourth-year Zachary Auger was named player of the game for McGill. Meanwhile, three Redbirds were named All-Tournament first-team All-Stars: Fourth-year captain Monty Weatherall, third-year Brad Hunger, and third-year Alexander Armstrong. This comes after these same players, along with three others—Alexandre Laurendeau (also named rookie of the year), Owen Cumming, and Gaspard Poiré—were named RSEQ All-Stars after the RSEQ final. The Nationals final play marked an emotional last game for over a dozen seniors on the team. Redbirds rugby was phenomenal this year, setting an example for varsity athletes both on and off the field while giving fans something to cheer about all season long. For both their play and their overall impact on the McGill community and beyond, with activities such as teaching coding at an elementary school, we award men’s rugby the coveted A+.
Cross Country: Martlets B+/ Redbirds A-
With the women only having enough runners to score as a team in one meet this season, grading the team as a whole is quite difficult. However, Sophie Courville and Ann-Rebecca Drolet stood out on the Martlets’ side as both runners qualified for U Sports Nationals and earned RSEQ all-star status. Second-year Sophie Rashid-Cocker also put up some impressive races throughout the season, finishing second for the Martlets at the McGill Open and placing fourth overall at the Sherbrooke Invitational. While the team is small, they are mighty, and for that The McGill Tribune gives the Martlets Cross Country team a valiant B+.
While the men’s team consistently had enough runners to score, they lacked depth for much of the season. When three of the top runners were taken out of the equation, as was the case at the Rouge et Or Interlocking Meet, the team was no longer competitive. However, four runners earned RSEQ All-Star honours, there were several strong team finishes throughout the season, and an impressive end to the season at Nationals. Therefore, the Redbirds score slightly higher than the Martlets with an A- overall.
Women’s Soccer (7–6–3:) B
With a record just a lick above .500, the Martlets soccer team had a very average season earning them a very average B. There was little to complain about early on as the Martlets opened their preseason with a win over the Atlantic University Sport (AUS) defending champions, Acadia University. With rookie Sophie Guilmette, a transfer student from the NCAA Division I Vanderbilt, between the pipes, all signs pointed to a promising year for the Martlets. After dropping their first RSEQ regular season game to UQÀM, the Martlets bounced back and forth between wins and losses. The squad finally strung together back-to-back wins in late September but was unable to maintain the pace, finishing off the month with a draw. The Martlets headed into the RSEQ semifinals against Laval (10–1–3) with a 2–2–2 record in October. Despite falling 1-0 to the Rouge et Or, many individual Martlets had standout showings. Midfielder Mara Bouchard was named to the RSEQ All-Star first team and U Sports All-Canadian second team, while defender Stephanie Hill was given the RSEQ second-team All-Star honours. As for the rookies, midfielder Chloe Renaud made the U Sports National All-Rookie team, the RSEQ second team, and the RSEQ All-Rookie team alongside defender Giselle De Leon.
Men’s Football (1–7): D
For Redbirds’ football, D stands for do not disturb. As in, do not disturb their two consecutive years of ending the season with a 1–7 record. Keeping in this tradition, we, at The McGill Tribune, also do not want to disturb the D grade they got in last year’s Varsity Report Card. Between their home opener and the end of the season, their only win was a 50-36 finish against Sherbrooke. Despite the team’s overall performance, four stand-out players received All-Star honours from RSEQ: Second-year offensive line Zachary Aboud, third-year receiver Darius Simmons, and first-year defensive back Benjamin Labrosse, first-year quarterback Eloa Latendresse-Regimbald. We look forward to seeing how this team evolves considering their impressive young players like Regimbald, who was named RSEQ most outstanding rookie and RSEQ offensive rookie of the year. As the third-ever McGill player to win the Peter Gorman Trophy, Regimbald has left fans excited for the team’s future. Until then, we wish them a terrific off-season and hope the Redbirds football squad is not getting too comfortable in their current funk.
