HIGH ACHIEVERS WEEKEND WRAP: Carleton University Ravens repeat as FISU America women’s 3×3 basketball champions

By Martin Cleary

When it comes to basketball, the Carleton University Ravens women’s team certainly knows how to run the court, whether it’s five-aside or 3×3.

For the past 15 years, the Ravens have been one of the most consistent and successful programs in Canada, reaching eight national championship tournaments and winning three Canadian titles as well as one silver and one bronze medals. In their OUA conference, the Ravens have four gold and three silver medals to their credit in 12 Final Four appearances.

The Ravens are now spreading their wings and building a reputation as a strong squad on the international stage in the 3×3 platform.

For the second consecutive year, Carleton captured the FISU America 3×3 women’s championship in Brasilia, Brazil, with a dominating performance for a perfect 6-0 record.

The Ravens will advance to the FISU women’s 3×3 World Cup in the fall.

Carleton made a huge impact on the international 3×3 platform in 2024 by winning the America gold medal and travelling to China to earn a World Cup silver last fall.

The Ravens’ roster featured Kyana-Jade Poulin, Dorcas Buisa and Jacqueline Urban, who were returning players from the 2024 team, as well as Tatyanna Burke. Dani Everitt Sinclair was the Carleton head coach.

The impressive offensive and defensive skills of the Ravens permitted them to score an average of 19.7 points a game and allow only 9.3 points. In the fast-paced game of 3×3 basketball, the match is decided by the team that is the first to score 21 points or when the buzzer sounds to indicate the 10-minute time limit.

Carleton played its closest match in the final, when it defeated the Universidad de Chile 21-14 in a physical match. Strong defence by the Ravens broke open a tight game, which was 6-5 for Carleton in the first three minutes.

The Ravens turned back the Universidad de Azuay of Ecuador 18-8 in the semifinals, and the Universidad Nacional de La Matanza of Argentina 22-12 in the quarterfinals.

In its three-game round-robin, Carleton defeated Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia 19-10, the Universidad Autónoma Chihuahua of Mexico 17-5 and Universidad Nacional Autônoma de Honduras 18-8.

“What an amazing performance from this group,” Sinclair said about her team’s overall effort. “They prepared themselves so well for these moments and each of them stepped up in a big way every game.”

“We’ve had an amazing time,” said Urban, who won her third FISU medal in about a year. “We’re grateful to be here to represent Carleton and play with each other one last time.

“It feels good to finish off the season this way because our season hadn’t ended the way we wanted it to.”

The two-time defending national champion Ravens lost the 2025 U Sports women’s basketball championship tournament gold-medal game 85-66 to the University of Saskatchewan Huskies in March.

DEREK GEE CLIMBS TO FOURTH OVERALL IN SECOND GIRO D’ITALIA

Derek Gee of Osgoode, ON, can now consider himself a world-class General Classification cyclist, competing for the top positions in the overall time standings.

Racing for Israel Premier Tech, Gee bravely conquered a variety of 21 courses in his second Giro d’Italia and slowly moved up the GC ladder to finish an astonishing fourth overall.

Great Britain’s Simon Yates of Visma-Lease a Bike made the penultimate move in Stage 20 on Saturday to boldly surge into the lead over Mexico’s Isaac Del Toro of UAE-Emirates and cement his Giro victory. The 21st and final stage on Sunday was simply a relaxed ride around Rome, including a stop to visit Pope Leo at the Vatican.

For the first seven stages, Gee worked his way from an opening race 47th-place finish to 20th overall. In the second set of seven races, he moved into 12th and then up to 10th, sixth and fifth. The critical final seven stages saw Gee shift into fifth and for the last five stages he was ranked fourth overall. In Saturday’s Stage 20, he wanted to shake the upper level of the standings along with the top three, but he said he couldn’t join the attack with “fourth-place legs.”

After stages 17 and 18, he was only one minute and 57 seconds behind the leader, but all the pieces of the puzzle didn’t snap together for him to be on the Giro GC podium.

Yates finished in 82:31:01, while Del Toro was second 3:56 back, Ecuador’s Richard Carapaz of EF Education-Easypost took third 4:43 back and Gee settled for a personal-best fourth 6:23 back.

In Gee’s first Giro in 2023, he won the hearts of many cycling fans for his daring breakaway-style of racing, four second-place finishes, two fourth-place results and second-place finishes in both the points and mountains classifications.

“I didn’t want to put a number on it at the start. But, the number I had in my head was a top five. So, I’m relieved and I’m very, very happy to have been able to achieve that,” said Gee, whose GC result ranks right up there with his ninth-place result at the 2024 Tour de France.

“I don’t think two years ago I ever could have imagined this. And, to be honest, it just makes me a lot hungrier for more because I know there are still areas we can improve. We’ve only been doing this GC project for a year now, so I’m really looking forward to more.”

Israel Premier Tech sports director Sam Bewley, who followed Gee and his teammates in the team car, could see the Canadian becoming a future GC rider after his Grand Tour debut at the 2023 Giro.

“Over the last 12 months or so … we’ve invested more in that project to try to develop him into a GC rider with the Giro as his first really big objective of riding GC at a Grand Tour,” Bewley said. “And I think the result here is validation.

“Validation to Derek and validation to the team that he is that type of rider and he can be successful in these types of races. With the right preparation, the right hard work and the right teammates around him, it can be effective.

“So, it’s a very, very rewarding result for the team and for Derek and, like I say, validation of where we can go with him.”

OLIVER BONK, WILLIAM NICHOLL CELEBRATE MEMORIAL CUP WIN

Defenceman Oliver Bonk of Ottawa and forward William Nicholl of Manotick are Memorial Cup champions.

The second-ranked London Knights, the OHL champions, outscored the Medicine Hat Tigers 4-1 in the championship game to trigger a season-ending celebration for Bonk, Nicholl as well as their teammates and coaching staff.

Bonk, who was drafted in 2023 by the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers, contributed two assists, 11 shots on goal and was a plus-seven. A 2024 draft pick by the Edmonton Oilers, Nicholl was pointless in five games, but won 25 faceoffs and added eight shots on goal.

The Knights finished second in the round-robin of the four-team championship at 2-1, while Medicine Hat was first at 3-0. In the semifinals, London defeated Moncton Wildcats 5-2.

CANADA TAKES SILVER AT WORLD PARA HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP

Defending champion Canada was overwhelmed 6-1 by the United States in the final of the world men’s para hockey championship in Buffalo.

Canada, which upset USA to win the last world title on home ice, reached the gold-medal game with an undefeated record. The Canadians went 3-0 in preliminary play and won their semifinal, but couldn’t match the play of the Americans in the final.

In the semifinals, Canada turned back Czechia 3-1. Canada shut out Germany 11-0 and South Korea 12-0 before defeating China 4-2 in round-robin group play.

Anton Jacobs-Webb of Gatineau scored two goals and added one assist, while Ottawa’s Tyrone Henry counted two assists and Rob Armstrong had a goal and two assists for Canada.

“We’ve played them four or five times this year and this was their best game,” Jacobs-Webb told Sportcom. “They came out strong. They started the game well and we couldn’t respond.”

OTTAWA PLAYERS HELP CANADA REACH FIFA WOMEN’S U20 WORLD CUP

Canada has qualified for the semifinals of the CONCACAF women’s U20 soccer championship in Costa Rica, which earned them a berth in the 2026 FIFA U20 women’s World Cup.

After winning its first two games over Panama 7-1 and Nicaragua 4-1, Canada fell 4-2 to Mexico. Teegan Melenhorst of Ottawa scored one goal and assisted on Canada’s second goal by Annabelle Chukwu of Ottawa. Chukwu has four goals in her first three games.

Canada will play its semifinal games Friday.

ELLA LINDSAY NAMED FOR INTERNATIONAL MEET, KATE MILLER WINS GOLD

Ella Lindsay will compete in her first senior international meet during the Canada Cup of Diving from Thursday through Sunday in Gatineau.

The Nepean-Ottawa Diving Club athlete earned that berth after posting impressive women’s open results at the Summer Senior Nationals in Saskatoon. She is scheduled to compete in the three-metre springboard, three-metre synchro, 10-metre platform, 10-metre synchro and mixed team event at the Canada Cup.

Lindsay placed fourth on the 10-metre platform with 293.10 points and was 11.15 points out of third place. She also was eighth in the three-metre final with 222.05 points.

Olympian Kate Miller of Nepean-Ottawa Diving Club was the women’s open 10-metre champion with 349.50 points.

BRONZE MEDAL FOR ELMWOOD AT SECONDARY SCHOOL ROWING NATIONALS

The Elmwood School rowing program qualified two boats for finals at the Canadian Secondary School Rowing Association championships in St. Catharines and emerged with one medal.

Bridgette Schwartz, Poppy Klotz, Madeleine Turner, Tamsen Taylor and coxswain McKenna Wu earned the bronze medal in the women’s junior quads with coxswain. They finished in seven minutes, 55.53 seconds, while E.L. Crossley was first in 7:54.55.

Taylor and Turner combined to place fifth in the women’s junior doubles in 8:35.34.

PODIUM FOR NATIONAL CAPITAL WRESTLER AT U17 NATIONALS

Dexter Bates of the National Capital Wrestling Club put himself in position to be selected for opportunities to represent Canada internationally thanks to his performance at the U17 national championships in Edmonton.

A 2025 OFSAA provincial high school champ, Bates won his first match in the men’s 65-kilogram category and then lost to the eventual champion before reeling off three more victories, including the the true second place match to earn the chance to wear the maple leaf.

Competing for the host Edmonton Wrestling Club, Ottawa native Devan Larkin placed fourth in the senior men’s 74 kg division.

EXTRA POINTS

· Sergei Kozlovskiy of Atlético Ottawa was invited to the Canadian boys’ U17 soccer training camp as the team prepares for the FIFA U17 World Cup in November in Qatar. Canada will play exhibition games against Japan on Thursday and the United States on Saturday.

· Ottawa’s Shaïnah Joseph and Vicky Savard were left off the Canadian women’s volleyball team’s 16-player roster for the upcoming Volleyball Nations League stop in Ottawa. B.C. veterans Kiera Van Ryk and Brie O’Reilly will be the leaders when Canada hosts Netherlands, Japan, Dominican Republic, Serbia and Bulgaria from June 4-8 at TD Place.

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