Greg Blyde’s team from the Remax Centre (St. John’s Curling Club), fresh off a seventh-place finish in the championship pool at the recent New Holland national junior championship in Prince Albert, Sask., will be representing Memorial University in the Atlantic University Sport men’s curling championship which opens today at the Remax Centre.
The AUS women’s championship is also set for St. John’s, and wearing the Sea-Hawks’ colours is Mackenzie Glynn’s foursome. Glynn and second Camille Burt curled together at the nationals in Saskatchewan, where they finished 5-4 and tops in the seeding pool.
Joining Blyde again is Daniel Bruce, who is shooting last rocks, Ryan McNeil Lamswood and Nathan King. Hooking up with Glynn for the AUS championship are vice skip Chantal Newell, Stephanie Nadeau at lead and fifth Lauren Barron.
Leslie Anne Walsh is the men’s coach, while Gary Ryan is coaching the women’s team.
Memorial has experienced a certain degree of success in university curling of late. Adam Boland and his St. John’s rink became the first team from this province to win an official Atlantic University Sport conference title In 2017, and then went on to claim the U Sports championship.
Colin Thomas of St. John’s won the national men’s university title in St. John's back in 2011, and Erin Porter took the women's Atlantic crown the next year.
Boland’s was the first official win as it was only in 2015 the AUS and Curl Atlantic teamed up to stage a championship event that was sanctioned by the university sports body.
Curling is still not an official, fully-funded varsity sport at Memorial, but rather a “club” sport, along with track and field and wrestling.
Other universities competing in both the men’s and women’s AUS championship this weekend are Saint Mary’s, Dalhousie, St. Francis Xavier and the University of New Brunswick. There are six teams in women’s play, with Mount Allison joining the group.
Play starts 2 o’clock this afternoon with Memorial’s men and women playing Dal. Tonight at 7:30, the men play St. FX, while Memorial’s women tangle with Saint Mary’s.
The Sea-Hawks’ 10 a.m. draw Friday has the men playing Saint Mary’s and the women meeting up with UNB, while the 7 p.m. draw Friday has the Sea-Hawks’ men’s and women’s teams playing UNB and St. FX.
The Lady Birds have an additional game, 10 a.m. Saturday against Mount A.
Semifinals, with the top four teams, are 7 o’clock Saturday evening, and the finals go 10 a.m. Sunday.
Memorial’s Rebecca Roberts reached the final of last year’s AUS women’s championship, but lost 6-2 to Mount A.
