Martlets Artistic Swimming: A
Synchronized swimming had an outstanding season marked by dominance, consistency, and poise in the pool. The Martlets brought home 17 titles, culminating in a silver medal finish at the Canadian University Artistic Swimming League (CUASL) nationals in Victoria, B.C. They made waves at every invitational they entered, earning multiple golds in all varieties of routines. Led by standout swimmer and serial medalist Sonia Dunn, McGill proved to be a force each time. Dunn was recognized individually on March 23 for her triple-medal performance at nationals. Head coach Lindsay Duncan won the Anne Smeeton Award for significant contributions to the CUASL. Despite a season this decorated, and a national podium finish to cap it off, Martlets Artistic Swimming are used to bringing home the gold. For that reason, the team earns a solid A for 2024-2025.
Martlets Badminton (10–2): A-
Martlets Badminton had an impressive season and finished with a second-place spot in the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) behind the Université de Montréal (UdeM) Carabins. They started strong, sweeping their first meet in October, and in November, they triumphed over most of their competitors but fell to UdeM. At the RSEQ Championships in February, they lost in the semifinals to Université Laval (ULaval) for the first time this season in a close 2-3 loss. Senior Eliana Zhang was triumphant in the individual category, demolishing the competition and securing the final match in two straight sets (21-6 and 21-9). Zhang was named RSEQ Player of the Year and is a first-team all-star.
Redbirds Badminton (5–7): B
The Redbirds competed in six inter-Quebec tournaments, including two RSEQ tournaments, before making an appearance at the YONEX Canadian College Championships in March. They started the season flying, with Captain Nicholas Germain taking home a silver medal in the A-elite men’s doubles division at the first individual tournament. From there, the Redbirds went 3-3 at home, 2-4 at Université de Montréal (UdeM), and placed third at Sherbrooke. McGill achieved third place at the RSEQ provincial championships, the weekend before nationals. There, the Redbirds took seventh place. The encore may have been disappointing, but it was not for lack of trying. McGill has not won the national championships since the 1981-82 season, when both Redbirds and Martlets took home the gold.
Martlets Basketball (13–12): B-
The Martlets started off the preseason with narrow wins against York University and the University of New Brunswick, but also faced tough losses to Toronto Metropolitan University and the University of Ottawa. Their performance during the McGill Basketball Classic was strong, winning two of three games, including a significant 75-50 victory over the University of Northern British Columbia. Once regular RSEQ play began, the team showed some resilience. A highlight was their 66-55 win over the Concordia Stingers and a close 66-64 victory on the road at Bishop’s University. However, they also faced challenging losses to ULaval, falling in both their home and away matchups. Overall, the Martlets have demonstrated solid potential, with a balanced record reflecting both promising wins and opportunities for growth.
Redbirds Basketball (6–22): C-
It was a sputtering season for the Redbirds. Following the preseason, they went 4-17 in all competitions, finally managing to take off with a win—by one point—in the season’s final game, away at Université du Québec à Montréal (UQÀM). This was one of their four wins after the pre-season. Two players, Noah Sincere and Georges Lefebvre, managed to shine, earning conference rookie of the year and all-star status, respectively. The 2025 Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) draft reveal, set for April 10, will hopefully combine with an undeniably disappointing season to fuel a successful 2025-2026 campaign.
Martlets Hockey (7–24–0): C
The Martlets hockey team faced a challenging 2024-25 season, finishing with a 7–24 record. Despite showing effort and resilience, they struggled to close out games and fought through a losing streak of four matches. Offensive leaders included Taylor Garcia, who topped the scoreboard with 22 points, and Mika Chang with 13 points. Olivia Pridham and Syrine Kacem each contributed 12 points. Goaltenders Sophie Lajeunesse and Jade Rivard-Coulombe shared the workload but were under pressure in most matchups. Though the team managed to win a few tough games, they were not fully able to turn the momentum for the majority of the season. But despite the circumstances, the Martlets showed resilience and stayed competitive throughout the season.
Redbirds Hockey (25–16–0): A-
Redbirds Hockey had a great run in their gruelling 41-game season. They battled past the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR) in the Ontario University Athletics East Quarter-finals to face off against the rival Concordia Stingers in the semis, but their season ended in a heartbreaking 4-5 loss in game three of the three-game series. The season saw impressive opportunities for some star Redbirds; centers William Rouleau and Mathieu Gagnon, along with Coach David Urquhart, competed in the Fédération Internationale du Sport Universitaire World University Winter Games in Torino, Italy, in January. Additionally, forward Brandon Frattaroli earned first team all-star pick and defenceman Igor Mburanumwe secured all-rookie. Most recently, Zach Gallant was called up to the American Hockey League for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Though the season did not end with a new RSEQ banner, Redbirds Hockey has fostered some incredible players this season.
Martlets Volleyball (16–12): B+
The Martlets’ volleyball season may not have gone as planned—with the team narrowly missing a ticket to the RSEQ Finals—but it is a season that showed great progress. The regular season started strong with a home-court victory against UQTR, but the Martlets, unable to gain traction, fell short for the next five games. Despite these losses, the team persevered; coming back after New Year’s, they were poised to achieve an eight-game win streak in early 2025. Their triumphs were captained by pin hitter Elyssa Lajmi, who led the team with 336 points and 290 kills. They gained a spot in the RSEQ playoffs and attempted to win their second championship in the 53 years of tournament history. Unfortunately, the Martlets fell on the third of a three-game semifinal series to the reigning champions, the UdeM Carabins. Their 16–12 record does not capture the full story of this season; the Martlets’ retiring coach, Rachèle Béliveau, has much to be proud of.
Track and Field: Martlets B / Redbirds A-
The McGill Redbirds had a fruitful season, winning the McGill Team Challenge, their first team victory at the meet since 2002, edging out ULaval in a tight finish. Standout performances of the season included Markus Geiger’s school record in the 600m, Samuel Hepworth shattering the McGill record for the 1,000m race at the Valentine Invitational, and a top-10 national time in the 4x400m relay. The Redbirds placed second at the RSEQ Championships, while the Martlets placed third. Placing 16th out of 27 teams at the U SPORTS national championship, Donna Ntambue put the Martlets on the board with a phenomenal performance in the 60m dash. While they opened the season strong, the Martlets struggled to place highly in track events at nationals and did not have entries in several relays, which limited their overall impact at major meets.
Swimming: Martlets A+/ Redbirds A
Both Martlets and Redbirds Swimming could not manage to lose this season and came out in the gold medal spot for every regular season cup they competed in. The combined team dominated, breaking 1,000 points and winning by a margin of at least 200 points in every regular season cup. Their success was highlighted by a group of especially strong swimmers, including seniors Naomie Lo and Elizabeth Ling, who earned five and six gold medals, respectively, at the RSEQ Championships. The future of McGill Swim looks just as bright, with rookie Loïc Courville-Fortin and sophomore Mats Baradat both earning silver and breaking school records at the National Championships. Junior Emilia Mastromatteo cannot be forgotten, as she broke multiple school records throughout the season, earned McGill Athlete of the Week four times and RSEQ Athlete of the Week. With a final standing of first in the RSEQ for both teams, as well as second in the nation for women’s and fourth for men’s, McGill Swimming has rightfully received top ratings, and The Tribune cannot wait to see what they accomplish next season.
