RDC Athletics semester review
There are many reasons to celebrate the accomplishments of Red Deer College teams from the first semester. The RDC Cross Country Running team and both soccer squads have already completed their seasons, and have impressively added five medals and ten awards to the storied legacy of RDC Athletics. With the exception of Indoor Track, all of the other RDC teams are in the midst of their schedules.
Here is a summary of the achievements so far:
Cross Country Running
The RDC Cross Country Running team had another strong campaign. The Kings earned gold and the Queens captured silver at the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) Championships. Daniel Szucs (27:48) finished fourth and Devin Saunders (28:26) was seventh over 8 km, earning spots on the ACAC Men's Cross Country Running All-Conference team. Will Cebuliak (28:51) placed eighth and was named the ACAC Men's Cross Country Running Rookie of the Year. Shayla Sklaruk (24:42) won bronze over 6 km and made the ACAC Women's Cross Country Running All-Conference team.
The RDC Kings earned national bronze in Grande Prairie. Red Deer's Devin Saunders (29:33.32) led the way for the Kings with a 10th place finish over 8 km, earning a spot on the prestigious Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Men's Cross Country Running All-Canadian team. The Queens placed fourth, narrowly missing bronze.
Queens Soccer
The Red Deer College Queens (4-8-0) finished sixth in the south division. Alisha Coules made the ACAC Women's Soccer South All-Conference team. The second-year was a force on the pitch, consistently using her quickness and playing with heart and determination. She scored nine goals which ranked in the top ten of ACAC Women's Soccer. The Bachelor of Science Nursing student had three game-winning goals and added three assists.
Alisha Coules (9)
Kings Soccer
The RDC Kings made their mark provincially and showed a tremendous amount of perseverance on the national stage. During the regular season, the Kings (7-3-2) finished third in the south. Pedro Humberto Mourao Neto and Kyle Bett were selected to the ACAC Men's Soccer South All-Conference team. In Sherwood Park the RDC Kings won silver at the ACAC Championship. Nathan Swartz and Pedro Humberto Mourao Neto made the All-Tournament team. Then at nationals, the Kings were decimated by injuries, but did not quit, and finished sixth. They were the top placing team from the ACAC.
Nathan Swartz (19)
Queens Hockey
The Red Deer College Queens have sat at, or near, the top of league standings over 12 games. The Queens (9-2-1-0) are in second spot with 19 points at the break. The MacEwan University Griffins (11-3-0-0) are first with 22 points, but have also played two more games. Special teams have been prominent. The RDC Queens boast the top penalty kill (89.7%) and share the most efficient power play (20.8%) with NAIT.
The Queens are the second best defensive team, allowing only 2.03 goals per game. The Griffins lead the pack (1.50). The RDC Queens (three goals per game), MacEwan University (3.07) and NAIT (3.08) are the top three offensive teams.
Twelve games remain for the Queens. The top four teams will qualify for the postseason.
Kirsten Baumgardt (10)
Kings Hockey
The Kings have shown they are a serious contender. At the halfway point of the season, the RDC Kings (12-1-1-0) are second in the league with 25 points, only one point back of the NAIT Ooks (13-1-0-0). They finished conference play in 2019 with nine consecutive victories and have 14 games left in the regular season.
The Kings have the most potent offence, averaging 4.93 goals per game. Sylvan Lake's Chase Thudium shares third spot in league points with 21. The top six teams will make the playoffs.
Chase Thudium (10)
Queens Basketball
The Red Deer College Queens (4-6) have shown their competitiveness despite a challenging schedule. They are tied for fifth in the south with eight points and have 11 contests remaining to complete the regular season. They lead the league with 49.5 rebounds per game and Sandra Garcia-Bernal has averaged 9.3. The offence has also been clicking, ranking third with 73.3 points per game. The top four teams from each division will qualify for the playoffs.
Sandra Garcia-Bernal (23)
Kings Basketball
Over 10 games, the Red Deer College Kings (5-5) have pushed some of the top teams in the ACAC. They share third in the south with St. Mary's (5-6) and Ambrose University (5-4). Red Deer's Spencer Klassen is having another outstanding campaign, sitting second in league scoring (23.2). The Kings have averaged 87.8 points and 45 rebounds. Eleven games remain.
Spencer Klassen (21)
Queens Volleyball
The RDC Queens (10-2) have been on a roll and enter the break on a 10 match winning streak. They share second in the south with the Ambrose University Lions (10-4), but have played two less matches. Red Deer's Emma Holmes ranks third in kills (143), kills per set (3.25) and hitting percentage (0.360). Libero Kaylee Domoney has 167 digs. The Queens have twelve regular season matches left.
Emma Holmes (11)
Kings Volleyball
The Kings (9-3) are in third spot in the south and only trail the Kodiaks (10-2) and Trojans (10-4) by two points. The SAIT Trojans have also played two more matches. Setter Thomas Wass leads ACAC Men's Volleyball with 9.20 assists per set. The Kings have recorded 80 service aces and first-year Carter Hills has 23. Twelve matches will round out the 2019-20 regular season.
Carter Hills (4)
Curling
At the Fall Regional, the Kings (2-4) and RDC Mixed team (2-3) picked up two wins each. The Queens (3-3) finished with an even record.
The ACAC Winter Regional will take place from Jan. 24 to 26.
Indoor Track
The RDC Indoor Track team will begin its season on Saturday, Jan. 25 at Running Room Grand Prix #1. MacEwan University will host the event.
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