By Patrick Sharp - Medicine Hat College Rattlers

Rattlers teams look back on hectic first semester

Jan 6, 2019 | 7:55 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – The first semester of competition is in the books for Medicine Hat College Rattlers teams and it is time to look back and see how they did.

From soccer to golf, to basketball and volleyball, it was an extremely busy first semester for local athletes with an even busier second semester on the horizon.

Women’s Soccer

It was a rebuilding year for Rattlers women’s soccer under new coach Stephen Newton.  The women battled hard each and every game on their way to a 2-9-1 record.  The ladies were competitive in games and wins against Lakeland College (3-1) and Ambrose University (3-0) highlighted their season.  The women were led offensively by Kayleigh Hole (three goals) and Aleena Matthews (two goals, two assists).  Cassidy LaRochelle, in her fifth year, was a pillar of strength on the back end and Kassidy Suberlak provided quality goaltending all season long.

Men’s Soccer

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Like the women, the men’s Rattlers squad also had a new coach as Ian Tully took the reigns this season.  The men had an up and down year and ended the season in fourth place in the ACAC South Division with a 4-7-1 record.  Highlights of the season included wins over Olds College (2-0 and 2-0), Ambrose University (3-0) and Lakeland College (1-0).  The Rattlers were led offensively by Albert Woodroofe-Brown (three goals, one assist) and Colton Pacheco (three goals).  Connor Ismond provided strong defensive play all season and Matt Wilson was a force on the pitch.  Joao Batista and Devin Simon also gave the Rattlers a strong one-two punch in goal.

Women’s Golf

It was an outstanding year for Rattlers women’s golf.  The team, consisting of Becky Martin, Sierra Zukowski, Ciara Bonogofski and Nicole Schultz, combined to win the ACAC North Regional tournament.  The ladies also brought home a banner and gold medal at the 2018 ACAC Golf Championships and they capped off an amazing year with team CCAA silver medals at the 2018 PING CCAA Golf National Championships hosted by Medicine Hat College at Desert Blume.  Becky Martin was the individual champions at both the North Regionals and the ACAC Championships on her way to being named the ACAC Female Golfer of the Year and a CCAA All-Canadian.  Becky was also a part of the MHC team that won a silver medal in the ACAC Mixed Teams Championship.

Men’s Golf

It was also a good year for the Rattlers men’s golf team.  The team was led by veteran Matt Taylor, who recorded a sixth place finish at the 2018 ACAC Golf Championships.  First year golfers Derek Whitson, Brady Resch, David Coldham and Keaton Sulz were joined by second year golfer Kent Lesko to make up the rest of the team.  In the ACAC North Regional the men placed seventh and at the 2018 ACAC Golf Championships, the team finished sixth.  The men’s year was capped off with a spot at the 2018 PING CCAA Golf Nationals were the team combined to finish 10th.  Many of the men had outstanding rounds along the way and with several returners look to build a strong team going forward.

Women’s Volleyball

It has been a strong start to the year for women’s volleyball.  Through 12 games the ladies were 7-5 which was good for fourth place in the tough ACAC South division.  The ladies have battled hard all season and wins over the previously unbeaten Briercrest Clippers and the SAIT Trojans helped them finish the semester strong.  The Rattlers have been led on the offensive side by Amber Stigter (99 kills – ninth in the ACAC) and Brooke Christie (87 kills – 16th in the ACAC).  Shaya Suchy has been outstanding defensively with 157 digs which is good for fourth in the ACAC.  Janelle Neyron has been strong on both sides with 70 kills and 96 digs.

Men’s Volleyball

The men’s volleyball team finished the first half of the season with a 6-6 record, which is good for a tie for fourth place in the ACAC South.  The men opened the season with five straight wins including a five set victory on the road in Red Deer.  The Rattlers have received strong play from rookie KeAndre Evans (101 kills and 52 digs) and Alfred Dalevik (113 kills and 54 digs).  Libero Austyn Ducharme leads the team with 116 digs on the season.

Women’s Basketball

The women’s basketball team has continued strongly after last season’s ACAC silver medal and trip to nationals.  The Rattlers currently sit with the best record in the entire ACAC at 10-1 which is also good for first place in the competitive ACAC South Division.  The women are also currently ranked fourth in the CCAA National Rankings.  The only blemish on their record is a three-point loss on the road at Olds but the Rattlers also hold a 24 point victory over those same Broncos.  On the court, the Rattlers have been led by fifth year player Kendell Kuntz who’s 17 points per game ranks fourth in the ACAC.  Kiana Mintz (11.3 ppg and 3.7 rpg) and Katelyn Rozdeba (10.8 ppg), who is 12th in the ACAC with 8.2 rebounds per game are both helping out on the offensive end.  Morgan Muir has also had great first half of the season with 7.8 points per game and she is second in the ACAC with 3.8 steals per game.

Men’s Basketball

The men’s basketball team finished the first semester with a record of 6-3 which is good for second place in the ACAC South.  The men moved into the CCAA National Rankings at 13th after a win over previously ranked Ambrose University.  The men have been led on the court by Jon Sappleton with 15.1 points per game, 6.3 assists (third in the league) and 13.1 rebounds per game which is first in the league.  DeAngelo Ashley has chipped in 13.1 points per game and 8.9 rebounds per game (fifth in the league) and Jaamel Slack has been the leading scorer with 16.1 points per game.

Both Rattlers basketball teams will enjoy lengthy home stands in the second half of the season with ACAC Championships scheduled for February 28 at Lakeland College for the men and Keyano College for the women.

A week earlier the men’s and women’s ACAC Volleyball Championships will be held, with the Rattlers splitting their time between home and road games over the coming weeks.

Closing out the second half of the Rattlers season will be the men’s and women’s futsal teams, who will be looking to carry over last year’s success later this winter.