Like it or not, Dong is in charge of the most successful university-level esports team in North America. His squad came out of nowhere in 2015 to emerge as the most lethal university-level team on the continent.
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A brief primer: the Rugby Sevens are an annual tournament held in Vancouver. Sevens is a form of rugby with just under half as many players as a regular game, and played in two seven-minute halves. Over two days, 16 countries play 63 games.
“None of them are afraid. They’re going out and they’re getting after it,” said Pritchett. “They’re competitive kids and they’re just going to continue to do better. By the end of the year, I expect them to be more polished.”
On Friday, the ’Birds took home both games, winning 3-2 and 2-1, the second of which ended in 14 innings. UBC's Tyler Yorko, Austen Butler and Braeden Allemann recorded runs in the first game. The ’Birds split Saturday’s games — winning the first at
“A few years ago, we became more of a competitive club and we went down to California to play against some of the top teams there, which are a lot better than here,” said Wallace. This road trip helped propel the club into United States Quidditch.
Outside hitter Danielle Brisebois made 20 kills in the game. Victoria Behie and Juliana Kaufmanis followed, with 12 and 10 kills apiece. Fourth-year setter Alessandra Gentile led the entire game with assists. As the ’Birds ended their regular season
“I was about 12 [years old] and our team was kicking butt all over Vancouver Island and Victoria,” he said. “We’d beat [a team] and then I’d go out in the middle of the field with the whole team surrounding me, and we’d sing songs and chants
With the win against the Pandas, the ’Birds will now be setting their sights on the U Sport championship in Kingston, Ontario. For the team’s eight graduating seniors, it will be their last chance at a national championship. “We want [the national ch
The Golden Bears came into Thunderbird Stadium wanting revenge. They were met with the wall that was the Thunderbirds' defence. UCB was kept to just six points over the entire game — one of their worst performances of their season that included both
The ’Birds dominated Friday night’s opening game of the conference quarter-finals, winning the game in three sets. They took the first set by a score of 25-16. The Wolfpack came back strong in the next two sets, but UBC held off their attack.
UBC emerged as the victors in their Canada West quarter-final against Brandon. The other two teams moving into the Final Four are the University of Manitoba Bisons, the University of Alberta Golden Bears and the Trinity Western University Spartans.
“A lot of athletes — they get a little bit undisciplined. What happens often is that they go out too hard or they’ll run with the lead pack even though the pace is too quick,” said Johnson. “Whereas Kieran recognizes when that happens and he actua
For Mosher, the match was a good way for him to assess his squad’s needs for the upcoming campaign. “It’s a starting point for us building up to when the season starts,” said Mosher. “That’s the squad that we’re looking to build towards."
With an abundance of talented players coming in this season, Collings spoke a little bit about the team’s new acquisitions. “We got some really strong transfer students,” said Collings. “Lexie Brenneis came from Montana; we got Sydney Brown, a transf
With Butenschon at the helm, the ’Birds showed steady improvement. Although the results were still underwhelming, their late-season efforts were impressive. They played from behind numerous times throughout the season and somehow found ways to get