Windsor Lancers

The Windsor Lancers are the varsity athletic teams that represent the University of Windsor in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. The school's varsity program supports 9 different sports. Their mascot is a lancer and the team's colours are blue and gold. The varsity teams compete in the Ontario University Athletics provincial conference and the national U Sports organization.[1][2] The school joined the Ontario-Quebec Athletic Association (now known as the OUA) in 1952.[3]

Windsor Lancers
University	University of Windsor
Conference	Ontario University Athletics
Athletic director	Mike Havey
Location	Windsor, Ontario
First year	1952
Varsity teams	17 (8 women's teams and 9 men's teams)
Football stadium	University of Windsor Stadium
Arena	Capri Pizzeria Recreation Complex
Soccer field	Alumni Field
Natatorium	St. Denis Centre Pool
Mascot	Lancer
Nickname	Lancers
Colours	Blue and Gold
Website	www.golancers.ca

The university offers 8 sports for women and 9 sports for men.[4] Additionally, there are 2 sports clubs offered: men's baseball[5] and women's fastpitch.[6]

As of the 2015–16 season, the Lancers have won 33 national titles and 87 provincial titles.[7] From 2010 to 2016, the Lancers have won more national championships than any other Canadian university.

Since 1990, the Windsor Lancers track and field teams have done well provincially and nationally, with the men's team winning 23 OUA titles and 9 national titles and the women's team winning 17 OUA titles and 11 national titles respectively.[8][9]

Varsity teams

The Windsor Lancers participate in the following varsity sports:

• Basketball (men's and women's teams)
• Cross country (men's and women's teams)
• Curling (men's and women's teams)
• Football (men's team)
• Golf (men's and women's teams)
• Ice hockey (men's and women's teams)
• Soccer (men's and women's teams)
• Track and field (men's and women's teams)
• Volleyball (men's and women's teams)

Windsor Lancers football

The Windsor Lancers football team began competing in the Central Canada Intercollegiate Football Conference in 1968, and have continued play uninterrupted since then. The team plays on Alumni Field out of University of Windsor Stadium located on the campus grounds at the University of Windsor. The program is notable for featuring three Hec Crighton Trophy winners, most recently being former Canadian Football League running back, Daryl Stephenson, when he won the award in 2006. The Hec Crighton Trophy was also claimed by Andrew Parici in 1972, becoming just the second quarterback to win the award, and Scott Mallender, also at quarterback, in 1979. The football team itself has won a Yates Cup championship in 1975.

Windsor Lancers men's hockey

Lancers at Windsor Arena vs. York Lions in playoff game (February 16, 2012)

History

The Windsor Lancers men's hockey team began in the early 1960s as members of the Ontario Intercollegiate Athletics Association (as the Assumption College Lancers). The Lancers won their division in 1965, but lost the OIAA final to Laurentian University in a sudden-death 4–2 loss. In 1968, the Lancers were promoted to the QOAA. In 1971, the QOAA was dissolved and the Lancers joined the newly formed Ontario University Athletics Association, now known as the OUA.

The Windsor Lancers men's hockey team is currently led by Head Coach Kevin Hamlin. Coach Hamlin has led the Lancers to tremendous success including the 2013–14 OUA Queen's Cup Championship and two straight CIS national championship tournament appearances.

In 2008–09, Hamlin's first season, he was named the OUA Men's Hockey Coach of the Year after leading the Lancers to a 15-point turnaround in the standings from the previous year. In 2010–11, Hamlin's Lancers finished the regular season with a 12–12–4 record as he led Windsor back into the playoffs for the second straight season. His second year behind the Lancer bench came in 2009–10 where led the Lancers back to the playoffs as they advanced to the OUA West Semi-Finals. In 2011–12, he led the Lancers to their best season in over a decade as they finished 15–12–1 and advanced the Western Conference finals. Coach Hamlin's squad finished the year ranked #11 in the country. In 2012–13, Coach Hamlin's squad finished 18–9–1 and in second place in the OUA Western conference. The Lancers finished as one of the top scoring teams in the nation including 8th in Canada in goals and 6th in the CIS in power-play goals.

In 2013–14, Coach Hamlin led his squad to the Queen's Cup Ontario Championship for only the second time in school history. They also finished the season ranked #5 in Canada – the program's highest ever finish in the national rankings. Hamlin was honoured with both the Windsor Essex Sports (WESPY) Coach of the Year award and the Gino Fracas Coach of the Year award for his outstanding work behind the bench.

En route to winning the Queen's Cup, the Lancers enjoyed a tremendous playoff run that included playoff series wins over Toronto, Western, Lakehead and McGill to earn the title. At the CIS National Championship tournament, Windsor also earned their first ever victory at Nationals as they knocked off the A.U.S. champion Acadia Axemen 4–2 in pool play.

In 2014–15, Hamlin was named the Ontario University Men's Hockey Coach of the Year for the second time in his career and was a finalist for the CIS National Coach of the Year after leading the Lancers to a program best 22–4–1 record and first place overall in the OUA. The Lancers were ranked in the CIS top ten for 17 straight weeks and captured an Ontario bronze medal while earning their second consecutive trip to the CIS national championships. Individually, the team received tremendous recognition for their outstanding season. Senior forward Spencer Pommells, a native of Grande Prairie, Alta., became the first Lancer to claim the Joseph A. Sullivan Trophy as CIS player of the year and only the third Windsor player to capture a CIS major award in men's hockey. Forwards Chris Gignac (1999) and Ken Minello (1989) had previously merited the R.W. Pugh Award presented annually to the most sportsmanlike player. The senior forward racked up 50 points in 27 league games, including 16 goals and a CIS-leading 34 assists, to win the national scoring race by eight points and the OUA crown by 11. Of his team-leading 16 goals, five were game-winners, leaving him one short of the nation's lead. Kenny Bradford was named the OUA Defenseman of the year and a CIS All-Canadian after he led the CIS in scoring by a defenceman with 28 points, scoring eight goals and adding 20 assists. He was a key cog in the Lancers third-ranked power play, scoring six of his eight goals on the man advantage. Senior netminder Parker Van Buskirk was named the OUA goaltender of the year after he led the conference with 20 wins and made the second most starts of any goaltender with 24. His 2.86 goals against average was the second-best of any western conference goalie, and his .904 save percentage was sixth best overall. Dylan Denomme was named the OUA West rookie of the year as he finished second on the Lancers in points with 31, scoring 13 goals and 18 assists, while appearing in all 27 games. He led all CIS rookies in scoring and tied Bradford for the team lead with six power play goals as well.

2013–14 home opener vs. Carleton Ravens

Season-by-season standings

Season	Games	Won	Lost	Tied	OTL	Goals for	Goals against	Points	Standing	Playoffs
1964–65	OIAA Statistics Not Available									Lost Final
1965–66	10	1	9	0	-	36	55	2	6th OIAA	No Playoffs
1966–67	12	7	5	0	-	--	--	14	3rd OIAA	No Playoffs
1967–68	12	6	6	0	-	--	--	12	4th OIAA	No Playoffs
1968–69	15	5	8	2	-	59	76	12	5th QOAA-W	DNQ
1969–70	15	4	9	2	-	50	84	10	5th QOAA-W	DNQ
1970–71	15	3	9	3	-	40	83	9	6th QOAA-W	DNQ
1971–72	19	8	8	3	-	79	90	19	4th OUAA-W	DNQ
1972–73	17	9	8	0	-	78	83	18	4th OUAA-W	DNQ
1973–74	18	2	14	2	-	52	119	6	6th OUAA-W	DNQ
1974–75	17	1	15	1	-	43	132	3	8th OUAA-W	DNQ
1975–76	20	3	14	3	-	78	130	9	5th OUAA-W	DNQ
1976–77	18	5	12	1	-	55	68	11	5th OUAA-W	DNQ
1977–78	20	6	9	5	-	84	113	17	3rd OUAA-W
1978–79	16	8	7	1	-	70	69	17	2nd OUAA-C
1979–80	22	1	20	1	-	58	163	3	12th OUAA
1980–81	22	8	13	1	-	77	126	17	8th OUAA
1981–82	22	7	13	2	-	91	147	16	9th OUAA
1982–83	24	11	12	1	-	111	134	23	8th OUAA
1983–84	24	8	15	1	-	117	139	17	10th OUAA	DNQ
1984–85	24	12	8	4	-	137	111	28	7th OUAA	DNQ
1985–86	24	13	6	5	-	132	102	31	5th OUAA	Lost Quarter-final
1986–87	24	9	9	6	-	107	109	24	6th OUAA	Lost Semi-final
1987–88	26	16	7	3	-	157	92	35	1st OUAA-W	Lost Semi-final
1988–89	26	14	11	1	-	125	101	29	2nd OUAA-W	Lost Division SF
1989–90	22	12	9	1	-	101	95	25	3rd OUAA-W	Lost Conf. SF
1990–91	22	13	8	1	-	100	81	27	2nd OUAA-W	Lost Conf. SF
1991–92	22	12	10	0	-	109	95	24	5th OUAA-W	Lost Conf. QF
1992–93	22	9	12	1	-	106	139	19	5th OUAA-W	Lost Conf. SF
1993–94	24	8	14	2	-	83	99	18	4th OUAA-FW
1994–95	24	8	11	5	-	79	93	21	4th OUAA-FW	DNQ
1995–96	26	14	11	1	-	112	101	29	3rd OUAA-FW
1996–97	26	15	8	3	-	134	101	33	2nd OUAA-FW	Lost Division SF
1997–98	26	22	3	1	-	133	71	45	1st OUA-FW	Won League
1998–99	26	17	6	3	-	115	72	37	1st OUA-FW	Lost Semi-final
1999-00	26	11	9	6	-	79	77	28	2nd OUA-FW	Lost Division SF
2000–01	24	8	14	2	-	82	114	18	4th OUA-FW	DNQ
2001–02	24	8	15	1	-	58	110	17	3rd OUA-FW	Lost Division SF
2002–03	24	8	15	1	-	80	107	17	3rd OUA-FW	Lost Division SF
2003–04	24	7	17	0	0	85	90	14	4th OUA-FW	DNQ
2004–05	24	7	10	4	3	73	85	21	4th OUA-FW	DNQ
2005–06	24	7	12	3	2	62	66	19	4th OUA-FW	DNQ
2006–07	28	10	17	0	1	99	133	21	4th OUA-FW	DNQ
2007–08	28	6	21	-	1	72	147	13	5th OUA-FW	DNQ
2008–09	28	13	13	-	2	76	81	28	5th OUA-FW	DNQ
2009–10	28	10	13	-	5	87	104	25	7th OUA-W	Lost Conf. SF
2010–11	28	12	12	-	4	75	77	28	8th OUA-W	Lost Conf. QF
2011–12	28	15	12	-	1	106	95	31	5th OUA-W	Lost Bronze Medal Game
2012–13	28	18	9	-	1	101	80	37	2nd OUA-W	Lost Conf. Final
2013–14	28	17	11	-	0	91	80	34	4th OUA-W	Won Queen`s Cup Championship
2014–15	27	22	4	-	1	114	73	45	1st OUA-W	Won OUA Bronze Medal

Windsor Lancers women's basketball

The Windsor Lancers women's basketball program is led by Head Coach Chantal Vallée, a native of Montreal, has become one of the top women's basketball programs in the country, having capturing five straight CIS national titles in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015.

In 2008–09, Vallée and the Lancers made history as she led her team to a 21–1 record, their first ever OUA Provincial Championship title and a trip to the CIS National Championships in Saskatchewan, where they finished fourth. In 2010–11, the Lancers won their first ever CIS National Championship title in the program's 50th year. With a 20–2 regular season record, the Lancers were ranked in the top two in the CIS Top Ten all year long and claimed their third straight OUA Provincial Championship. At Nationals, her Lancer squad defeated the Quebec champion Laval Rouge et Or, the AUS champion Cape Breton Capers and the Canada West champion Saskatchewan Huskies to claim the CIS National Championship. With the win, the Lancers became the first host school to ever win a CIS national championship title in women's basketball at home and were also the first team outside of the Canada West Conference to win the Bronze Baby Trophy in the last 19 years.

In 2011–12, Coach Vallée and the Lancer women's basketball team captured their second straight CIS national title with a 69–53 over the second seeded UBC Thunderbirds. Ranked fourth heading into the national tournament, the Lancers defended their 2011 title by defeating AUS champion Acadia in the quarter-final, host Calgary in the semi, and the Canada West winner Thunderbirds to take the Bronze Baby back to Windsor.

In 2012–13, Vallée's squad made program history as they completed an undefeated regular season with a 21–0 record and the No. 1 ranking in Canada. It was the first time in OUA women's basketball history that a team has gone undefeated since moving away from the 12-game schedule and placed first overall in the OUA west division for the fourth consecutive year. In the playoffs, Windsor became only the fourth team in CIS women's basketball history to capture three straight CIS national titles. Coach Vallée's Lancer squad held off Carleton to win their fourth provincial title in five years, and capped off their undefeated season at the national championships with a convincing win over the host Regina Rams in the gold medal game.

In 2013–14, Coach Vallée led her team to an incredible fourth straight CIS national championship title, winning at home for the second time in four years. The Lancers finished the regular season with a sparkling 21–1 record and the No. 1 ranking in Canada. After capturing their fifth OUA title in six seasons, the Lancers knocked off Laurier, Fraser Valley and Saint Mary's to capture the prestigious Bronze Baby trophy as national champions for the fourth consecutive year.

In 2014–15, the Lancers won a historic fifth straight CIS national championship. They finished with an impressive 19–1 conference record and their sixth OUA title in the past seven seasons. Ranked #1 heading into nationals, the Lancers knocked off Laval, Saskatchewan, and McGill to make history and claim their fifth consecutive Bronze Baby trophy as national champions, becoming only the second team in CIS history to do so. The Lancers extended their CIS post-season win streak to 21–0 and Chantal Vallee was honoured as the CIS women's basketball coach of the year for the second consecutive season.

Windsor Lancers track and field

The Lancers are the most successful track and field program in Canadian Inter-University Sport history.

Led by head coach Dennis Fairall, the Lancers have captured 25 Canadian university cross country and track and field championships (20 track and field, 5 cross country), in addition to the 46 Ontario University championships (39 track and field, 7 cross country).

In his 29 seasons at the helm of the program, Coach Fairall has been honoured 65 times as either the CIS national coach of the year or the OUA Provincial Coach of the Year in Track and Field and Cross Country.

As of 2015–16, the Lancers have won 23 of the past 25 OUA provincial championships in men's track and field, and 17 of the past 25 OUA provincial championships in women's track and field.

The Lancer track and field program has featured a number of high-profile athletes over the years including national standouts O'Brian Gibbons, Andrea Steen, Mike Nolan, Ryan McKenzie and most recently Melissa Bishop. Bishop, who is still coached by Dennis Fairall, won a gold medal at the 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto, Ontario. She also set a new Canadian record in the 800 metres in the summer of 2015 while also capturing a silver medal at the 2015 IAAF World Championships in Beijing, China.

Gallery

• 
  Lancers women's hockey goalie during 2013-14 season
• 
  Lancers women's hockey player during 2013-14 season

References

1. "Ontario University Athletics (OUA)". oua.ca. Retrieved 2020-03-03.
2. "Member Universities". U SPORTS HQ. Retrieved 2020-03-03.
3. "Lancer History". University of Windsor Athletics and Recreation. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
4. "University of Windsor Athletics - Official Athletics Website". University of Windsor Athletics. Retrieved 2020-03-03.
5. "Windsor Lancers Home Page". HomeTeamsONLINE. Retrieved 2020-03-03.
6. "Lancers Fastball Team - (Windsor, ON) - powered by LeagueLineup.com". www.leaguelineup.com. Retrieved 2020-03-03.
7. "All-Time Windsor Lancer Team Championships" (PDF). University of Windsor Athletics and Recreation. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
8. "Ontario University Athletics (OUA)". oua.ca. Retrieved 2020-03-03.
9. "History". U SPORTS. Retrieved 2020-03-03.

External links

• Official website