MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – Women's curling skip Ashton Simard is the MacEwan Athletics' first star of the week after her performance at the ACAC Winter Regional bonspiel.
Simard was on point with strategy and on the mark with her last rocks in leading the Griffins to a perfect 6-0 record that qualifies them for the ACAC Championship in first place.
Other athletes recognized this week include second star Ember Large of the women's indoor track team and third star Jake Notice of the men's basketball team.
It's the second time this season that Simard has been recognized, also earning second star on Nov. 27. Notice also makes the list for the second time after being named first star on Nov. 20. Large is appearing for the first time.
1st star: Ashton Simard, women's curling
Chauvin, AB, fourth-year, Commerce
Executing an expert strategy and backing it up with solid shot-making, the fourth-year skip led the MacEwan Griffins women's rink to a perfect 6-0 record at the ACAC Winter Regional bonspiel, held at the Avonair Curling Club.
Simard and her teammates of third Erin Wells, second Andie Kurjata, and alternating leads Taitan Hagglund and Rebecca Bartz, knocked off Concordia (6-4), Lakeland (9-2), NAIT (5-3), Olds (6-4), Red Deer College (6-4) and UAlberta-Augustana (5-4) to finish with a combined 11-1 record, including the Fall Regional.
As a result, they qualified for the 2019 ACAC Championship (Feb. 22-24 in Olds) in first place.
2nd star: Ember Large, women's indoor track
Edmonton, AB, second-year, Social Work
In her first ACAC indoor track meet on Saturday, the converted cross-country skier didn't need a learning curve at all.
Large topped all female competitors during the MacEwan Invitational at the Kinsmen Fieldhouse, contributing 20 points to her team's meet leading total of 87.
Large won the women's 600m and 1000m races before running the first leg of MacEwan's first-place women's 4x400m relay performance.
Large is set to represent Canada in cross-country skiing at the Winter Universiade in Krasnoyarsk, Russia March 2-12 before returning home in time to race for MacEwan at the ACAC Championship.
Ember Large waits for her turn in the women's 4x400m relay on Saturday at the Kinsmen Fieldhouse (Robert Antoniuk photo).
3rd star: Jake Notice, W, men's basketball
Bath, UK, third-year, Arts
Notice ignited a fourth-quarter MacEwan rally on Friday night, scoring 15 of his 32 points in the final 10 minutes of a monumental 103-95 win for the Griffins.
Notice put the team on his back, adding seven rebounds, three assists in leading them to their first win of the season and first in 356 days, stretching back to the 2017-18 campaign.
A night later, Notice was again a major factor with 21 points, two rebounds, four assists and three steals as the Griffins fell just short in their final home game of the 2018-19 season.
Notice leads the Griffins with 16.7 points per game this season, 15th-best in Canada West.
Jake Notice shoots over the Brandon defence on the weekend. He combined for 53 points in two games against the Bobcats (Chris Piggott photo).
