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Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference "To be Canada's premiere collegiate athletic conference by developing and inspiring leadership through excellence in academics, sport and citizenship"
Posted: Mar 12, 2017

CCAA Badminton Championship Finals

CCAA Badminton Championship Finals

by ACAC Sports Writer Curtis J. Phillips

Looking into the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) badminton championship archives, it is evident that the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) has done quite well since the tournaments inception in 1987.

The top four performing ACAC schools to date, in regards to medal count are the NAIT Ooks 40, Mount Royal Cougars 37, MacEwan University Griffins 21 and Concordia University of Edmonton Thunder with 19.

Cougars are no longer members of the ACAC, moving to U Sports in 2012 while the Griffins participate in both U Sports and the ACAC with the ACAC sports of curling, golf, indoor track and men's and women's hockey.

So, it is no surprise that at the 2016-2017 CCAA Badminton Championships hosted by Seneca College Sting at Toronto's Newnham Campus Sport Centre, that the Ooks and Thunder would continue with their medal haul.

Four CCAA conferences competed in the three-day contest with the ACAC and Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) having two teams while singles teams were sent by the Pacific Western Athletic Association (PACWEST) and Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA).

With a total of five medals - three silver and two bronze - it was the ACAC's best finish at the CCAA finals since 2011 when they captured six.

Women's Singles

Ryo Kuramochi, NAIT Ooks

Takeisha Wang Concordia Thunder (Silver)

When you have three-time CCAA Female Badminton Player of the Year Olivia Lei (Humber College) to compete against, you have to be at your best.

On opening day Takeisha Wang was standing at 2-1, her only loss being to Lei 16-21, 16-21.

Day two would see Wang win both games in convincing fashion 21-9, 21-0 against Logi Thedchanamoorthy (Seneca Sting ) and 21-9, 21-5 versus Sam Lawther (UKC Blue Devils)..

At 4-1 in tournament play, Wang would once again meet Lei in the gold medal match.

Wang had been the only competitor in the six-women event to come close to Lei.

Lei would go on to beat Wang for gold 21-8, 21-13, becoming only the second three-time CCAA Champion in Women's Singles, joining RuiLin Huang (PACWEST) who captured four consecutive championships.

"She (Wang) played really well," said Concordia coach Kevin MacAlpine, who a few days prior was honoured as the 2016-2017 CCAA Badminton Coach of the Year at the banquet. "If you asked her, she would probably admit that at the first half of the first game, she was really nervous but then she regained her composure. She got 13 or 14 points in the second game and did not look out at place at all. There were some great rallies and we are really proud of her."

Ryo Kuramochi with a record of 2-3, would match up Helen Cheung ( 3-2) for the bronze with Cheung (VIU Mariners) victorious 21-6, 21-10.

Men's Singles

Jason Rausch NAIT Ooks

Connor Reinson, Concordia Thunder

Both players were 1-4 in tournament play with Reinson qualifying for the bronze medal match against VIU Mariners Graydon Robb, coming up short against the CCAA Men's Badminton Player of the Year...

Men's Doubles

Imran Wadia & Andy Ko, NAIT Ooks (Silver)

Luc-Ly Nguyen & Braxton Wong, Concordia Thunder

Irma Wadia selected a 2016-2017 CCAA All Canadian, was teamed up with Andy Ko, who is no stranger to CCAA men's doubles having won gold in 2015 with Sam Kim, silver in 2014 with Jake Perry and bronze in 2013 with Jason Chou.

In Day 1 the duo went 2-1 in match play losing to CCAA defending champion Ryan Chow and Adam Dong (OCAA, Humber College) 23-21, 12-21, 21-12.

They would go on to meet Chow and Dong in the gold match, losing 24-22, 21-12.

"The guys played amazingly, " said NAIT Ooks head coach Sinead Cheah. "They played the best game they could and at the end it came down to chance."

Nguyen and Wong failed to qualify for medal matches with a tournament 1-4 performance.

Women's Doubles

Rachael Smillie & Cecilia Wolski, Concordia Thunder (Bronze)

Caitlyn New & Kaitlyn Wilbee, NAIT Ooks

Smillie & Wolski were 2-1 opening day their lone loss 9-21 and 8-21 to Phuthita Nilyok and Chloe Rowe (OCAA, Humber College). Smillie had captured bronze in this event at the 2015-216 at the CCAA Championships held in Nanaimo, British Columbia. Her teammate than was Takeisha Wang, who was entered in women's singles this year.

Day 2 would see Smillie & Wolski split with one win and one loss, which would not be sufficed to qualify for the gold medal game.

In the bronze medal final it was all ACAC as Thunders Smillie & Wolski faced off against NAIT Ooks Caitlyn New & Kaitlyn Wilbee with the Thunder duo winning.

"The NAIT girls played well," said MacAlpine. "Rachel and Cecilia had not played a lot of doubles during the year, so it was a good finish."

Mixed Doubles

Kai-Li Huang & Nicholas Roque, NAIT Ooks (Silver)

Rosanna Chan & Jeffrey Ko, NAIT Ooks (Bronze)

Kai-Li Huang and Nicholas Roque were the only ACAC team to go undefeated in day 1 winning all three matches. They would go on to record a perfect 5-0 to set up a gold medal final against Yan Zhou and Vinson Wong of the Seneca Sting..

They had beat Zhou and Wong in tournament play 21-18, 22-20.

Huang, with two-previous CCAA medals in women's doubles (gold in 2016, bronze in 2015) would be winning her third ACAC medal but what would the colour be?

Falling 2-1 to the Sting, 17-21 21-15 18-2, it would be silver for Huang & Roque; giving Huang, from Nanning, China, all three coloured medals during her post-secondary badminton career.

"They (Kai-Li Huang & Nicholas Roque) were favourites coming in," said Cheah. "But it just came down to nerves. They were a little disappointed."

Rosanna Chan & Jeffrey Ko would go on to claim the bronze medal.

Concordia will host the 2017-2018 CCAA Badminton Championships.