Men’s basketball:
The Ryerson men’s basketball team had its best season in program history this year, finishing third at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) Final 8, which the school hosted for the first time in history.
The Rams have firmly cemented themselves as the third best team in the country behind perennial powers Ottawa and Carleton. Ryerson lost to Ottawa in the national semifinals 84-75 in a closely contested game, before beating Victoria for the bronze medal.
The Rams posted a 17-2 regular season record in Ontario University Athletics (OUA) conference play with the two losses coming to Ottawa and Carleton. Ryerson was defeated by both teams again in the OUA playoffs, finishing fourth.
The Rams were led by second-team all-Canadian Jahmal Jones who averaged a team-high 17.2 points per game in his final season with the team.
Aaron Best also had a solid season for the Rams, averaging 14.6 points per game, good for second on the team as well as being named an OUA first-team all-star.
Men’s volleyball:
Ryerson’s men’s volleyball team made the OUA playoffs for the third consecutive season this year.
The Rams finished second in the OUA in the regular season with a record of 15-5, behind only McMaster.
Ryerson was upset by Windsor in the quarter-finals 3-1 despite having beat them in both regular season meetings.
The Rams were led by sophomore Lucas Coleman, who was a CIS second-team all-Canadian and an OUA first-team all-star. Coleman led the team in kills and points per set.
The Rams were ranked as high as eighth in the country during the season and spent much of the year in the Top 10 of the CIS rankings.
The Rams also recorded season sweeps of rivals: The University of Toronto and Western University.
Men’s soccer:
The Ryerson men’s soccer team built on last season’s historic run to the CIS championship tournament with another successful season.
The Rams finished 12-4 in OUA regular season play, winning eight straight and 10 of their first 11 games to start the season.
Ryerson’s penalty kick struggles would continue from last year into this season’s OUA playoffs as they lost both the semifinals and bronze medal games in heartbreaking fashion.
Those losses ended the Rams season and they failed to reach the CIS tournament as they did last season.
Ryerson dominated the OUA-East all-star selections, placing four players, including the team’s leading scorer Viktor Anastasov, and two second-team selections. Midfielder Raheem Rose was also the OUA-East rookie of the year.
The Rams were also a strong defensive team having the fourth most shutouts in the CIS with nine.
Men’s hockey:
Ryerson’s men’s hockey team put together another playoff season under head coach Graham Wise.
The Rams finished the regular season with a 15-11-1 record and the fourth spot in the OUA West standings.
Ryerson would play its rival, the University of Toronto, in the first round of the OUA playoffs and be swept two games to none, ending the team’s season.
The Rams battled inconsistency, never recording a win-streak longer than three games on the season, while having multiple three-game losing streaks.
The Rams were led by second-year player Domenic Alberga who had team-highs in goals with 18 and points with 31. Alberga left the Rams program after the season to play for the ECHL’s Greenville Road Warriors.
The Rams had a balanced attack with four players having over 10 goals but struggled defensively, allowing 3.43 goals per game.
Women’s basketball:
Ryerson’s women’s basketball team had a historic season reaching the OUA final four and CIS championship tournament, both of which were firsts for the program.
The Rams finished sixth at nationals and won their first ever game at the tournament, defeating Saint Mary’s 76-60 in the consolation semifinal. Ryerson also had an impressive run in the OUA playoffs, earning a silver medal after being defeated by eventual national champion Windsor.
The team compiled a regular season record of 16-3, highlighted by a 10-game win streak to end the season.
The Rams were led all season by Keneca Pingue-Giles who led the team in scoring with 17.5 points per game while being named an OUA first-team all-star.
Pingue-Giles is also a finalist for Ryerson’s female athlete of the year award.
The Rams also received major contributions from guard Mariah Nunes who was named an OUA second-team all-star.
Women’s volleyball:
Ryerson’s women’s volleyball team had another strong season highlighted by a trip to the OUA playoffs.
The Rams were defeated in the OUA quarter-finals in straight sets by the Ottawa Gee-Gees, who went on to earn a silver medal in the provincial playoffs. Ryerson compiled an impressive 13-6 regular season record in conference play, including an 8-1 start to the season.
The Rams struggled down the stretch though, as they were unable to beat the OUA’s top two teams, the University of Toronto and Ottawa.
In their last three games, Ryerson fell to the Varsity Blues before losing two straight to the Gee-Gees to finish the season. Veronica Livingston was named the Rams lone OUA-East first-team all-star in her third year with the program.
Theanna Vernon also made a splash in her first season as a Ram, winning the OUA-East rookie of the year and being named a second-team all-star.
Women’s hockey:
The Rams women’s hockey team continued the theme of historic seasons at Ryerson this year, making the playoffs for the first time in program history.
Ryerson would be swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Guelph Gryphons, but both games were decided in overtime.
The Rams registered a regular season record of 13-10-1 and won three of their last four games in order to make the playoffs.
Melissa Wronzberg led the Rams in scoring, with 18 points, while Emma Rutherford had a team-high nine goals on the season.
The team also received strong goaltending from Alex Armstrong who had a 1.96 goals against average and a .931 save percentage.
Women’s soccer:
Just like the last three seasons, Ryerson’s women’s team missed the playoffs. It exited in the first round in its last appearance, in 2011.
The Rams did improve this season, going 6-9-1. The six wins were more than the total the team achieved in the previous two seasons combined.
The team’s disappointing performance caused head coach Kevin Souter to step down after the season.
The Rams started off the season with five straight losses, but rounded into form going 6-4-1 down the stretch. However, it wasn’t enough to end the playoff drought.
The bright spot for the Rams this season was defender Sarah Slattery, who was named an OUA second-team all-star while starting in all 16 games.
Pierce graduated from the Ryerson School of Journalism in 2015. @PierceOLeary