McMaster Marauders football, rugby teams nationally ranked
Published September 6, 2022 at 2:07 pm
Two McMaster Marauders squads have squeezed into the national rankings, both in the No. 10 spot.
The football Marauders returned to the U Sports top 10, which is a mix of a media poll and a rating system. McMaster (1-1) rolled to a 39-1 win last weekend in Hamilton against the traditionally lower-tier York Lions, with quarterback Andreas Dueck passing for 338 yards and two touchdowns before exiting after three quarters. The Marauders received 27 points in media polling, but got 84 from the Elo rating system, which draws on previous seasons, including Mac’s Yates Cup-championship season in 2019.
The defending Vanier Cup champion Western Mustangs, quarterbacked by Hamilton native Evan Hillock, are ranked No. 1 thanks in part to garnering 11-of-12 first-place votes. The Queen’s Gaels and Waterloo Warriors, at Nos. 5 and 8, are the other two ranked teams from Ontario University Athletics (OUA).
McMaster hosts the Ottawa Gee-Gees (also 1-1) at Ron Joyce Stadium on Saturday (Sept. 10, 1 p.m., OUA.tv).
The women’s rugby Marauders got the nod at No. 10 following their decisive 34-19 win in their season opener against the Trent Excalibur at Peterborough. Forward Katie McLeod, who was a top-10 OUA scorer in 2021, contributed to the tally with her running and kicking as Mac scored 19 unaswered points.
Rugby has a compact six-game regular season. The Marauders’ home slate is back-loaded. Their home opener is against Laurier on Sept. 17, followed by a matchup against defending national champion and currently No. 1-ranked Queen’s (Sept. 24, 6 p.m.) and a Thanksgiving weekend showdown against the Brock Badgers (Oct. 7).
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U Sports sponsors a national championship in women’s rugby. On the men’s side, the Canadian University Men’s Rugby Championship was first organized in 2017.
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