Day 1 Recap:
The opening day of the CCAA Badminton National Championships saw excellent play mixed with nerves as the top collegiate badminton players embarked on Seneca Polytechnic.
Women's Singles
National Player of the Year and defending national champion Ritu Shah of the University of King's College Eagles had an unblemished 3-0 opening day to sit atop the women's singles standings. Shah's undefeated record was tested in the final match of the day, going three sets with Jasleen Kaur of Concordia (ACAC) before prevailing 21-11, 19-21, 21-15. Sitting one game back at 2-1 is a trio which includes Kaur, Prarthana Deuba (Centennial/OCAA 2) and Moti Shams (Seneca/OCAA). The four should be battling for positioning in the semi-finals as they each hold a minimum two-win lead over the fifth and sixth place players.
Men's Singles
The reigning gold and silver medalists from 2023 sit atop the men's singles standings. Colin Zhou (Centennial/OCAA) and Thomas Ashton (UKC/ACAA) outscored their opponents 287-144 while going a combined 6-0. Ashton was extended to three sets twice, against each ACAC player. A three-way tie at 1-2 includes SAIT's (ACAC) Eason Wong, NAIT's (ACAC 2) Smit Patel and Seneca's (OCAA 2) Val Wong. Patel defeated Eason Wong 23-21, 21-12 while Eason Wong defeated Val Wong 21-16, 21-19. Patel and Val Wong play in round five (1pm) Friday.
Women's Doubles
The King's University's Abby Ledda and Cecilia Wolski (ACAC) sit atop the standings with an unblemished 3-0 record. The duo defeated ACAC 2 to open the championship 21-12, 21-9 to kickstart their day. The ACAC champions defeated OCAA 2 21-9, 21-16 before outlasting ACAA in three sets 21-15, 20-22, 21-8. Sitting at 2-1 are the team of Tanya Sharma and Hedeih Abbasbeiglou (Seneca/OCAA 2) and Monique Lee and Giselle Kochapanya (George Brown/OCAA). Mount Allison and University of King's College sit in a tie for fourth at 1-2.
Men's Doubles
The SAIT Trojans (Jason Chiu and Paul Ouano) control the men's doubles division, thanks to a perfect 3-0 record. The team defeated ACAC 2 (21-14, 21-18), OCAA 2 (21-17, 21-18) and ACAA (21-13, 21-17) in three closely contested matches. NAIT (Greg Friske and Anirudh Sharma) are tied with Fanshawe's Arpi Sinha and Roshan Jacob in second place after each team with 2-1. The NAIT holds the tie-breaker after defeating Fanshawe in round three 18-21, 21-19, 21-18. Seneca (Anthony Tso and Eric Peng) and Mount Allison (Jacob Lamothe and Mike Ta) each sit at 1-2, but will meet first thing tomorrow morning in round four.
Mixed Doubles
Mahdi Ahmadi and Khushi Vaniya of The King's University remain the only undefeated team (3-0) following victories over Davis Wong and Manasi (NAIT/ACAC 2) 21-11, 21-6, Jason Kao and Vanness Lam (Seneca/OCAA 2) 21-13, 21-13 and Krishna Vaibhov and Sydney Arsenault (UNBSJ/ACAA) 22-20, 21-13. A showdown with Humber's Gokul Kumar and Zeel Rohit (OCAA) remains on the schedule as the Hawks currently sit in a tie with Vaibhov and Arsenault at 2-1. Battling for the final semi-final spot are Seneca and NAIT at 1-2 and Mount Allison (Ben Broadbent and Brianna Warwick) at 0-3.
The championships will continue on Friday at 10am with round four, featuring OCAA 2 vs. ACAA, ACAC 2 vs ACAA 2 and OCAA vs ACAC. Round five will commence at 1pm followed by the semi-finals at 4pm. The championships will conclude on Saturday with the bronze medal and consolation (5th/6th) matches at 10am followed by the gold medal matches at 1:30pm.
NAIT Ooks at Nationals
The NAIT Ooks badminton team is gearing up for an exciting challenge as they send six talented players to compete at the CCAA Nationals hosted by Seneca Polytechnic, starting on February 29th. The CCAA Nationals will feature players from Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA), Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC), and Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA).
The Ooks have displayed exceptional skill and determination, with six players qualifying for nationals and earning their spots on ACAC Team Two. The lineup features Smit Patel, who will be showcasing his prowess in men's singles, while Noel Do takes on the women's singles category. In men's doubles, the dynamic duo of Greg Friske and Anirudh Sharma promises thrilling matches. Rounding out the team are the formidable mixed doubles pair Manasi Pandit and Davis Wong. The NAIT Ooks are poised to make a significant impact at the Nationals, and fans eagerly anticipate their outstanding performances on the badminton court.
The action-packed tournament begins on February 29th at 10:30 a.m. EST, so make sure to mark your calendars and tune in to support the Ooks! We'll be providing daily updates on the team's progress, so be sure to check back every evening. And for even more information, including a live stream of the tournament, click the links below. Let's go Ooks!