HIGH ACHIEVERS: Soccer’s Stacey Siopis, football’s Jack Cassar, 2004 & 2005 basketball champs headline new inductees to Carleton Ravens Hall of Fame

By Martin Cleary

The unexpected, 26-year journey to the Carleton Ravens Hall of Fame for soccer defender Stacey Siopis started with a brief, nondescript phone call in 2000 and recently ended with a shocking email.

When Siopis played youth soccer in Pickering, ON, for West Rouge and later for the Scarborough Fury, university coaches or scouts never recruited her for their post-secondary teams.

But when she attended Carleton University, which she would later realize was “hands down, the best decision of my life,” she wanted to extend her soccer career to the university level.

“I remember calling the school to find out when the tryouts were. I was told the date and that was it,” Siopis recalled in a phone interview this week. “I wanted to play. I showed up. I stuck around.”

Siopis certainly stuck around – for five years, and she proved to be an OUA East Division all-star for four of those seasons, while she earned her B.A. arts degree.

Long after she completed her Carleton degree and graduated from York University’s Osgoode Hall law school in 2009 to become an assistant crown attorney for the past 16 years in Toronto, a former teammate filled out a nomination form to see Siopis enter the Carleton Athletics Hall of Fame.

When she received the email telling her she was part of the Class of 2026 that would be inducted into the Carleton Ravens Hall of Fame during an Oct. 2 ceremony, she was in shock. That feeling is still prevalent today.

Siopis will enter the hall of the fame with football standout Jack Cassar, women’s rugby trailblazer Natasha Flowersmith (Smith), men’s soccer notable Sean Holmes, water polo coach and builder David McClintock, football builder Kevin McKerrow and the Ravens men’s basketball national championship teams of 2003-04 and 2004-05.

“I’m still kind of a bit surprised,” admitted Siopis, who found success on the field by continually giving an extra effort every game. “I’m so honoured to be among all the other exceptional individuals.

“I never considered myself to be near deserving of such an award. It has taken time to get used to it. I’m really very, very honoured.”

When Siopis attended her first few women’s soccer team tryouts in 2000, her spirit was strong, but she wasn’t sure she would score a passing grade and make the team.

“I worried that I wouldn’t be successful. It’s one of my weaknesses. I undervalued my abilities, which made me work harder. I didn’t think I’d be successful. I have vivid memories of calling home thinking I wouldn’t make it,” said Siopis, who was Carleton’s female athlete of the year in 2004 and represented Canada at the 2003 World University Games.

During her five-year career as a Ravens defender, she scored the “very occasional” goal, but did her utmost to prevent goals for a team that struggled on offence. She remembers one of her two coaches, either Fred Jewett or Andy Mera, saying the Ravens may not be as good as the other teams, but we were fitter.

“I tried hard, gave it my all and never gave up,” Siopis added. “Some say, I was quite aggressive, but I put the team first.”

For the past two years, she has followed that direction in another sense with the Ravens women’s soccer program.

She was one of a number of former players who talked about and took action to revive the team’s alumni program.

The alumni list has about 300 names to date and they’re continually informed about upcoming games, social events and team content through newsletters.

“It’s a small drop in the bucket to give back,” Siopis said. “We’re still in our early years, but in a short time we have made an impact.

Carleton Ravens Hall of Fame Class of 2026

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The Carleton Athletics Hall of Fame Class of ’26 also will put the spotlight on:

JACK CASSAR, football

One of the best defensive players in Ravens’ football history, Jack Cassar was recognized in 2019 as a first-team All-Canadian, the winner of the OUA President’s Trophy as the top stand-up defensive player and Carleton’s male athlete of the year, the first football player to earn the award in more than 20 years.

At the 2020 CFL Draft, the linebacker was selected in the second round, 11th overall by the Toronto Argonauts. He helped the Argonauts win the Grey Cup in 2022 and 2024.

NATASHA FLOWERSMITH (SMITH), rugby

In the early years of the Ravens women’s rugby team, Natasha Flowersmith was one of the key people to develop the program. On the field, she was an All-Canadian in 2014, was named Carleton’s female athlete of the year and graduated as its all-time scoring leader.

Flowersmith also was recognized at the national level, where she represented Canada in international rugby matches.

SEAN HOLMES, soccer

When it came to defence, Sean Holmes was an anchor on the Ravens’ back line, especially during the 1984 season, when the Ravens played host to the Canadian men’s university championship tournament and lost 2-1 in extra time in the gold-medal final to the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds.

Holmes was a three-time OUA all-star and winner of the Jack Vogan Memorial Medal as the top graduating student-athlete. He is the men’s soccer program’s all-time leading goal scorer among defenders.

DAVID McCLINTOCK, water polo

For six decades, David McClintock has been a driving force behind water polo in Ottawa and at Carleton.

He has served as a head coach, assistant coach and mentor for the Ravens and contributed to numerous OUA water polo titles, while helping student-athletes be successful in and out of the pool.

KEVIN McKERROW, football

Kevin McKerrow has viewed Carleton football from three different perspectives – player, coach and long-serving president of the Old Crow Football Alumni Association.

Recognized for his leadership and dedication, he played a significant role in sustaining the football community, when the football program was put on hold for 15 years. McKerrow also was a strong supporter, when football returned to the varsity sports program in 2013.

RAVENS MEN’S BASKETBALL TEAMS (2003-04, 2004-05)

For the first time in the history of the Carleton Athletics Hall of Fame, a team category has been instituted and the Ravens men’s basketball squads from 2003-04 and 2004-05 are the first two inductees.

Read More: Carleton Ravens Hall of Fame expanding, adding team category to its roster

After Carleton won its first of 18 Canadian university men’s basketball titles in 2002-03, the Ravens kept the ball rolling and successfully defended the title in 2003-04 and 2004-05 with identical 22-0 OUA and 34-1 overall records under head coach Dave Smart.

During those two seasons, the Ravens compiled a 56-game winning streak, which was the start of one of the greatest dynasties in Canadian university sports.