Courtesy of Ontario University Athletics

Burlington, Ont. – Banner season is back and the first Ontario University Athletics (OUA) championship offering of the 2022 calendar year will decide which of the 15 women's curling teams claims the conference crown this weekend. From February 25 to 27, rinks from across the OUA, including the reigning champion McMaster Marauders, will head to the Westmount Golf & Country Club looking to take out the competition and hammer out a banner-winning victory at the 2022 OUA Women's Curling Championship.

2022 OUA Women's Curling Championship | Fan Guide | Schedule/Results

With the conference's most recent curling title in tow, the Marauders are poised for a repeat this weekend, as they enter the competition with three returning members of their championship-winning rink from 2020, including Maddy Warriner (Burlington, Ont.) and Maddy Fischer (McDougall, Ont.).

The former was skip for the 2020 champions and is no stranger to success on the big stage, having also been an Ontario U18 women's champion. The fourth-year biology major is joined once again by Fisher, who is also familiar with provincial success as a current Ontario U21 women's champion. Grace Lloyd (Dundas, Ont.) rounds out the returning contingent on the ice, but the team also sees former member Kaelyn Gregory, McMaster's 2019-20 female athlete of the year, in her new role as assistant coach, along with returning head coach John Gregory.

Despite not having an opportunity to compete against their fellow OUA teams leading up to this weekend's finale, Gregory is confident that this team has what it takes to win. "These ladies have been preparing all season for the OUA Championship. They have the skill and desire to repeat as Ontario champions. I look forward to a great weekend of competition from all the talented teams that will be there."

Among those many talented teams taking part in this weekend's festivities are the 2020 runners up, the Queen's Gaels, who will join the Marauders in Pool C. With 10 provincial titles to their name, including their most recent 2019 triumph, the Gaels are quite familiar with banner season success, and they'll turn to an experienced all-star to continue that trend this year.

Kenna Bartlett, an Oshawa, Ont. native, returns for another run at the title after receiving first-team all-star recognition at the lead position – both from the OUA and U SPORTS – in the 2019-20 season. The third-year standout is joined by second-year Gael Nicole Massey (Richmond Hill, Ont.), who after serving as an alternate for the silver-medal winning squad in 2020, is looking to take on a larger role to bring her team to the top of the podium this time around. Also looking to help the Kingston rink bring home some hardware are a trio of curlers making their debut for the Gaels rink this season.

It is also a former Gael that is helping to bolster the Rams rink this weekend, as Courtney Auld is set to compete for the Toronto school in what will be her third OUA championship appearance overall. The Toronto, Ont. native, who won a silver medal with Queen's in 2020, is one of the many accomplished student-athletes suiting up for the Rams this year, with all players having experience and positive results at the junior and/or women's level.

Another of these accomplished curlers is Celeste Gauthier, and even though this will be her first year of OUA competition, her junior experience is extensive. The graphic communication management student from Ottawa, Ont. was a runner-up at the 2019 Canadian U18 women's championship, then won gold at the 2020 Ontario Winter Games.

While some of their fellow Pool C competitors have found recent success, Toronto has been held without a women's curling banner since 2001, with their latest efforts ending in a quarterfinal defeat after an undefeated run through the round robin.

An alternate for their 2019-20 squad, Danielle Serra (Oshawa, Ont.) is the lone returnee from that group, but she is confident that the team, despite the challenges they've faced this season with COVID-19 restrictions and time off the ice, will go into this weekend's competition ready and able to execute. "Being on Zoom during the lockdown has allowed us to take time to assess the mental and strategic aspect of the game, which we hope to leverage into the OUA Championship. We feel confident about each other's strengths and will take those into consideration when calling shots."

While fellow Varsity Blues Sara Cumby (Canaan, N.S.) has not been to an OUA curling championship before, she is no stranger to banner season, as she did compete in a conference finale on the links as a member of Toronto's golf team. The dual-sport student-athlete echoes the importance of focusing on each shot and is hoping the young rink can ultimately work as a team, do their best, and have fun.

The Brock Badgers round out the pool's contingent, as the five teams prepare to begin their respective round robin matches on Friday morning.

Headlining Pool B are the 2020 semifinalists from Guelph, as the Gryphons get set to take to a run at a podium spot and their first OUA title since 1980.

Two members of that fourth-place rink will be staples for the Gryphons once again in 2022, as Rebecca Smith (Cambridge, Ont.) and Rachel Steele get set to don the red and yellow once again. Steele, a biological science major from Port Perry, Ont., not only brings her OUA experience to the table, but also her provincial resume, which includes competing at the Ontario U21 event the past three seasons and attending the 2021 U21 Nationals as part of Team Ontario.

The Waterloo Warriors rink also features members with success on the U21 stage, and after bowing out in the quarterfinals last time out, the black and gold have greater aspirations as hosts for this latest outing.

Among those hoping to help the team make good on their title goals are Shannon Warriner (Burlington, Ont.) and Adrienne Belliveau (Ottawa, Ont.). The second-year standouts saw their U21 rink make the playoffs while representing Ontario at the New Holland World Junior Qualifier in November, and they'll look to parlay that experience into success on the university stage as well. Caitlyn Evely is also eyeing a strong outing in what will be her first championship experience, as the Springfield, Ont. product was unable to compete last year amidst the COVID-19 related cancellations.

Fellow 2020 quarterfinalists, the Laurentian Voyageurs, bring a similar excitement to this weekend's event, as the young squad looks to navigate their way back to the top of the OUA mountain. The Sudbury squad is not far removed from accomplishing that feat, having won their lone conference banner in 2017, and will boast a capable rink for the 2022 competition once again.

Abby Deschene (Sudbury, Ont.) is one of those capable curlers eyeing a strong debut to her university career, and if she is able to translate her strong U21 career into varsity success, should be in a great position to do so as skip. Joining Deschene is a UNB-transfer who has already found success on the university scene, as Keira McLaughlin (Fredericton, N.B.) comes to Laurentian as a 2020 U SPORTS silver medalist and a two-time Canadian Junior bronze medalist representing New Brunswick (2016, 2018).

While new faces are coming together for the Voyageurs, the connections run long and deep for the Windsor Lancers, as the pair of Rachel Katzman (Windsor, Ont.) and Aiden Banks (Windsor, Ont.) have curled together for seven years, dating back to high school. Not only is there a connection on the ice for these curlers, but also in the classroom, as four of the team members are enrolled in STEM programs.

Katzman, who will serve as skip for Windsor in her third OUA Championship showing, previously represented Israel at the World Mixed Doubles Championship in 2016 and 2017, and will combine with Banks (vice) and the rest of the Lancers rink to try and improve upon their 2-5 showing at the 2020 finale.

Improvement is also the name of the game for the Western Mustangs, the final Pool B rink, as they came away with just one win in their 2020 championship push. The London team, which is focused on staying consistent throughout their upcoming banner season bouts, boasts the talent to build on that recent result, as the likes of Mikaela Cheslock and Erin Tester are bringing impressive curling resumes to this weekend's OUA finale.

Cheslock, a Sudbury, Ont. native who previously competed with Laurentian during her undergraduate degree, joins the Mustangs as an OUA silver medalist and national champion, while also earning a gold medal at the 2015 Canada Winter Games. The Mustangs are hoping she can add yet another chapter to her decorated curling career while donning the purple and white, much like they are with Tester. The third-year standout from Fort McMurray, Alta. has previously been tabbed as the Mustangs most valuable player (2019-20) and a recipient of the Bronze W Award (2020-21), and in her third championship outing, will seek even more hardware to add to that already impressive collection.

Said Tester, "I'm really looking forward to competing with this group of girls and seeing the results of all our hard work and preparation".

Among those competing in Pool A, lastly, are the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks, who are looking to continue their strong stretch of storied curling after adding a bronze medal to their program's medal haul in 2020. With nine titles to their name, including four in a five year stretch from 2014 to 2018, the purple and gold have long soared among the conference's curling elite and have a talent-laden roster taking flight for them once again this weekend.

"We had a great showing as a fairly new team two years ago and we're all motivated to build on that result," said Kelly Middaugh. "There's lots of talented and experienced players in our curling program this year and we're all focused on doing our best to try and win another OUA banner for Laurier."

A member of the 2018 championship rink, Middaugh returns for her fourth championship run. The senior from Victoria Harbour, Ont. is one of three returnees from the team's recent bronze medal run. She is joined by Isabelle Ladouceur (Bedford, N.S.), who enters the weekend as a 2018 Canadian U18 champion, a 2019-20 U SPORTS academic all-Canadian, and as Team Canada skip for the 2022 World Junior Curling Championships.

The team as a whole recognizes that returning players doesn't equate to guaranteed success, but Middaugh, a former OUA all-star and U SPORTS all-Canadian, is looking forward to seeing this year's team test themselves against the quality OUA competition.

Unlike Laurier's veteran-heavy presence, Ontario Tech is bringing a full class of first-year curlers to Waterloo, and despite the lack of university experience, the group is prepared to face of the top teams in the province. "The girls are excited to compete in their first OUA Championship," said coach Mike Stauffer. "They've been working hard over the four months to prepare and can't wait to get started."

Jasmine Groleau (Hearst, Ont.) and Olivia Lupsa (Kitchener, Ont.) are two of the Ridgebacks who are anxiously awaiting their banner season debuts, both bringing their OFSAA competition experience to the varsity level for the Oshawa squad. Groleau's on-ice play, meanwhile, also extends internationally, as she was able to curl at an advanced level while spending her 2018-19 high school year on exchange in Switzerland.

The Algoma Thunderbirds have also been working hard in preparation for this weekend, especially in terms of the speed of the ice at the Westmount Golf & Country Club. As the Sault Ste. Marie rink looks to shake off the rust and finish strongly following a season of uncertainty, being prepared for these quicker speeds has been a point of emphases for head coach Josh Porco's team.

Hoping to make the necessary adjustments and do the Thunderbirds proud come the start of round robin play on Friday are a pair of academic all-Canadians, including music major and member of the Soo Curlers Club Nicole Costello (Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.), who is making her championship debut, and second-year political science major Breanna Hamilton (Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.).

With a variety of high-level tour experience in hand, including a 2017 Ontario U18 championship for Mikayla Gemmill (Perth, Ont.) and numerous junior tour provincial qualifications from Lindsay Thorne (Ottawa, Ont.), the Carleton Ravens are hoping to make some noise among the conference's championship contingent this year. And after competing head-to-head numerous times in the past, the black birds are hoping that Gemmill and Thorne teaming up will help lead the Ravens team that is primed for a championship push.

Rounding out Pool A are the Trent Excalibur, who will compete alongside the aforementioned quartet in round robin play.

Round robin play gets underway at the Westmount Golf & Country Club on Friday, February 25 at 9:00am before wrapping up the following day with the 2:00pm matches. The knockout stage kicks off that evening with the quarterfinals, before the semifinals and gold medal match take to the ice on Sunday, February 27.