Stefanie Smith, Corey Bellemore and Paul JanikowskiCross country all-stars Stefanie Smith, Corey Bellemore and Paul Janikowski will lead the Lancers in the national championship meet Saturday in Guelph.

Varsity sports set for heavy weekend schedule

In a weekend full of Lancer action, the cross country team will compete in the national championship meet, basketball will take to the St. Denis Centre on Friday, and volleyball will hold court Saturday and Sunday.

The Lancers cross country team is looking to end the season with on a high note, heading to Guelph on Saturday for the Canadian Interuniversity Sport Championships. The Lancer men, ranked second in the nation, boast a strong group of runners that includes Ontario University Athletics silver medalist Paul Janikowski and all-stars Corey Bellemore and Joseph Kagumba. The team was just one point shy of defeating the Guelph Gryphons at the provincial championships.

On the women’s side, OUA all-stars Stefanie Smith and Allie Parks, along with a veteran core of Lancers, are back at the championships after a one-year absence and will also be aiming for a podium finish.

The women’s race starts at 11:30 a.m. and the men’s at 12:30 p.m. Both races can be seen live at www.cis-sic.tv. A bus will transport fans, leaving the Human Kinetics Building at 7:15 a.m. and returning after the awards presentations. Tickets are $20; there is no charge for admission to the meet. To reserve a spot, e-mail Nick Scali at nickscali33@gmail.com by noon Friday.

Both basketball teams are undefeated with 2-0 league records as they host Western on Friday. The women, ranked eighth in the nation, are tied with the Mustangs for first in the OUA West division. The Windsor men also hold first place, ahead of the 1-1 Mustangs. The women will tip off at 6 p.m. and the men at 8 p.m. in the St. Denis Centre.

The volleyball teams will play Queen’s on Saturday and Royal Military College on Sunday. The 2-2 women are tied with the Gaels for third in the OUA West; the Paladins are 1-4 on the season. The 0-4 men are looking for their first win; Queen’s has a 4-1 start and the Paladins are winless in six. The women will play at 2 p.m. and the men at 4 p.m. both days in the St. Denis fieldhouse.

The Lancer women’s hockey team will host a pair of games this weekend at South Windsor Arena, taking on the York Lions at 7:30 p.m. Friday and coming back for a 4 p.m. face-of Saturday against the Guelph Gryphons.

Two losses last weekend dropped the men’s hockey squad to 6-3-1 and third place in the west division standings. It’s on the road for games Friday against Brock and Saturday against York.

Read a full weekend preview at goLancers.ca.

Lancer named to all-Canadian soccer squad

The CIS selected Lancer forward Leighton Speechley-Price as a first team all-Canadian, the league announced Wednesday. Named the OUA west division’s most valuable player and a first team all-star, Speechley-Price finished 10th in Canada with 11 goals, while appearing in 15 of 16 games this season for the Lancers.

Footballers earn provincial accolades

The OUA named Windsor linebacker Matt Gayer a first-team all-star in football, after he led the league with 45 solo tackles, and finished second with 55 tackles overall.

Three Lancers were named to the all-rookie team: quarterback Liam Putt, defensive back Spencer Trinier, and offensive lineman Drew Desjarlais.