Who Are The Concordia Stingers Teams?

A Look at the Stingers Teams Heading Into the Season

SportsDawn Kagan-Fleming & Ireland Compton & Samuel Boafo & John Ngala & Wala Amara & Louis Pringle & Elias Grigoriadis — Published September 4, 2018

Men’s hockey

Head Coach: Marc-André Élement
Player to Watch: Carl Neill
Exciting Rookie: Bradley Lalonde

Coming off their most successful season in over 30 years, the men’s hockey team have high hopes for the this season. Last season, head coach Marc-André Élement led the Stingers to one of the eight spots in the national championships, a first for the team since the turn of the century. It will be a battle to return to nationals with the loss of several key players, including top centre and league MVP Anthony Beauregard.

Concordia looks to remain a speedy, high intensity group. A recruiting class in the double digits should create some internal competition for roster spots with new players from NCAA Division One schools as well as top Quebec Major Junior prospects. With strong goaltending and a talented, mobile group of defenders, if the offense can continue to produce with a blend of veterans and rookies, Concordia looks to be competitive again.

Women’s hockey

Head Coach: Julie Chu
Player to Watch: Claudia Dubois
Exciting Rookie: Maria Manarolis

A fast-paced team whose 2017-2018 season culminated in a third place finish at nationals, the women’s hockey team is one to watch this year. Last season, coach Julie Chu led her team to their second national championships in as many years, emerging with a bronze medal in hand. This year the team hopes to earn a third consecutive trip to nationals, but it won’t be easy with the departure of veteran players like defender Marie-Joëlle Allard and forward Keriann Schofield. The Stingers may find solace in the return of super- stars like forward Claudia Dubois and goaltender Katherine Purchase, and the addition of talented young rookies like Maria Manarolis, of the CEGEP du St-Laurent Patriotes, who has signed a letter of intent with the Stingers ahead of the upcoming season.

Men’s soccer

Head Coach: Greg Sutton
Player to Watch: Simon Malaborsa
Exciting Rookie: Alex Fontaine

After a disappointing season where they failed to qualify for the playoffs with a 3-8-1 record, the Stingers have a lot to work on. The most pressing issue was the midfield where they would get dominated almost every game. Whether it would be through the lack of physicality or intensity, both sides of the ball suffered for it. One of the few bright spots throughout the season was rookie forward Simon Malaborsa, who lead the Stingers in scoring. His physical style of play adapted to the university game well and he will be looking to improve on what was already an impressive first season. With the loss of all-star defender and captain Olivier Georges, the Stingers also went out and picked up a promising rookie defender in Alex Fontaine, who will add some much needed depth to their back line

Women’s soccer

Head Coach: Greg Sutton
Player to Watch: Sarah Humes
Exciting Rookie: Kathleen Hilario

The Stingers women’s soccer has had its fair share of struggles in years past. Their 3-7-4 record shows that there is room for improvement. After mutually agreeing to the departure of former head coach Jorge Sanchez, Concordia’s athletic department went looking for his replacement. They didn’t have to look for too long as they opted for Concordia’s own men’s soccer coach Greg Sutton, who will carry the title of master coach for both soccer programs. There will be plenty of scrutiny to see how one coach running both teams will go.

The team will benefit from the return of third year forward Sarah Humes. She led the Stingers last year, scoring five goals and adding an assist. Coming to help out Humes, rookie midfielder Kathleen Hilario will bring her experienced leadership as a six year captain for her elite youth club. With no way to go but up, the Stingers are looking for a change this season.

Women’s rugby

Head Coach: Jocelyn Barrieau
Player to Watch: Shawna Brayton
Exciting Rookie: Jasmine Baxter

After a 4-3 season that fell below their hopes for an RSEQ title, the women’s rugby team is entering a period of change. The Stingers have a new head coach in Jocelyn Barrieau who brings more than a decade of coaching experience to the team. Barrieau previously coached at Dawson College, bringing the team to four championships between 2007 and 2011. The team is also facing a major change among players. After five years as two of Concordia’s most dominant athletes, Frederique Rajotte and Alex Tessier will both be moving on from the team. The loss of two core players opens the opportunity for new leaders for the team to lean on. After making the transition from soccer to rugby, second year player Gabriella Dobias is one of the athletes with an opportunity to play a larger role this season along with fellow sophomore player Shawna Brayton.

Men’s rugby

Head Coach: Craig Beemer
Player to Watch: Moritz Wittmann
Exciting Rookie: Thomas Goetz

Undefeated in the 2017-2018 season, the men’s rugby team is looking to make a splash. The team went 7-0 last season, claiming the RSEQ Championship and earning a trip to the national championships. A true powerhouse, this team looked nearly unstoppable last year, and they’re shaping up in the off season to emulate last year’s unbeaten season. While the team must face the departure of veteran Andreas Krawczyk, with seasoned talent in returning players like Moritz Wittman, and Krawczyk’s brother Nicolas, and promising new players like Thomas Goetz, the young team should have no trouble coming together for another standout season.

Football

Head Coach: Brad Collinson
Player to Watch: Khadeem Pierre
Exciting Rookie: Derek Acheampong

After a year of ups and downs that saw them finish third in the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec with a 3-4 record (behind powerhouses Laval and Université de Montréal), the Stingers are looking for a fresh start. In terms of positives, Concordia won the Shaughnessy Cup against cross-town rivals, McGill, and made the playoffs with four all-stars, including defensive rookie of the year, Khadeem Pierre. Unfortunately, they also lost former MVP quarterback Trenton Miller early in the season and were beaten handily in the first game of the playoffs.

The Maroon and Gold will also look to mitigate the loss of all-star running back Jean-Guy Rimpel. They head into this season with a new head coach in Brad Collinson as well as a new defensive coordinator and offensive assistant. Adam Vance, who replaced Miller after his injury, will get his first full season as a starter and will have support from last season’s strongest offensive line in the RSEQ. The new-look Stingers will have a blank slate for Collinson to make his mark.

Men’s Basketball

Head Coach: Rastko Popovic
Player to Watch: Adrian Armstrong
Exciting Rookie: Samuel Lessard

Finishing the season with an 11-5 record, the Concordia men’s basketball team will look to come out of the gates with something to prove. The Stingers punched their ticket to the RSEQ final with a semi-final win over Université Laval Rouge et Or, but the team eventually came up short against long time rival McGill. The departure of all-star Ken Beaulieu, who led the team in points, leaves the unit in a vulnerable position, but senior point guard Ricardo Monge, who averaged 11 points per game, will look to embrace the opportunity of sculpting a fresh group of players into a new unit.

The team’s success at the three point line should look to cause more problems this season for opponents with the emergence of guard Adrian Armstrong, an automatic weapon beyond the arch and a necessary option for late game situations. First-year guard from Collège Montmorency, Samuel Lessard is another piece the Stingers will look to exploit. His intensity and scoring ability deepens the roster as they look to compete for another shot at a championship title.

Women’s Basketball

Head Coach: Tenicha Gittens
Player to Watch: Caroline Task
Exciting Rookie: Areej Burgonio

The 2017-2018 season wasn’t an easy one for the Stingers women’s basketball team. They closed the season with a 4-12 record that included three consecutive losses towards the end of the season which didn’t qualify the team for the playoffs. The Stingers worked through some obstacles throughout: poor communication, not acting with enough confidence on the floor and a lack of fluidity among teammates. Despite these difficulties, the team was persistent through a tough season. Guard and third-year student Caroline Task led the team in points per game averaging 15 points while forward and second-year student Coralie Dumont led the team in rebounds averaging 6.9 per game. With the help of new recruits and the experienced sophomores and seniors, the Stingers women’s basketball team will be looking for better execution to compensate for last season’s defeats.