By: Kaja Antic, Sports Writer
As the academic year begins, so does the season for many Red Leafs teams. Here we look at all the teams that begin their competitive seasons this September.
Cross Country
The Red Leafs cross country team began their season on September 14 at the Green River Gator Invitational in Lakewood, Washington. Last season, both the men’s and women’s teams earned a first place ranking at their first races, at the 2023 Pacific Lutheran University Invitational in Tacoma, Washington.
Golf
Krysta Schaus will take the helm as interim head coach for the men’s and women’s golf teams this season, as former head coach Matthew Steinbach departs the team after eight seasons to pursue his masters in sports psychology in Scotland. Schaus joined the team as an assistant coach in October 2023, and was previously an assistant coach for Gardner-Webb University. She also competed in NCAA Division II golf at Erskine College, winning four individual tournaments.
Both teams are coming off successful seasons, with the men’s team earning second place, and the women’s team earning first, at the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championships. 2023–24 senior Michael Crisologo won his final GNAC tournament as well as GNAC Athlete of the Year honours in men’s golf. SFU’s Meera Minhas, who is now entering her junior season, took the Athlete of the Year title for women’s golf.
The future looks bright for the Red Leafs golf teams, with Denby Carswell and Dana Smith taking Freshman of the Year awards for men’s and women’s golf, respectively. The men’s team begins their season on September 23 at SFU’s True North Classic in Burnaby, while the women’s team starts on September 20 at the Saint Martin’s University Grisham Memorial Shootout in DuPont, Washington.
Men’s soccer
The men’s soccer team is looking to replicate the success they reached in 2023 — where they topped the GNAC standings — though with a roster that looks much different than the previous season. New freshmen on the roster are Luca Aiello, Dominic Di Paola, Kundalini Dominique, Justin George, Daniel Hobson, Mario Lefevre, Alexandre Marcoux, and Christopher Nicolaisen. Former Trinity Western University Spartans sophomore Brandon and senior Tristan Torresan also join the Red Leafs. Sophomore Lionel Kabangu from Iowa Western Community College, senior Jacob McCall from Douglas College, and Canada West second team All-Star sophomore Kian Proctor from the University of the Fraser Valley were also acquired by SFU. The team has begun their season, but has yet to face any GNAC competition.
Women’s soccer
The 2023 season saw the Red Leafs win their first ever GNAC Women’s Soccer Championship title, with the team looking forward to repeating the same form. Carlo Basso has been named permanent head coach ahead of the 2024 season after leading the Red Leafs to the title as an interim head coach. The team has added two freshmen, Dariella Lopez and Isabella Santoianni, and two transfers, junior Elyse Beaudry from Radford University and sophomore Sofia Faremo from the University of the Fraser Valley. At the time of writing, the team is undefeated. They will take on their first GNAC opponent, Western Washington, at home on September 26.
Swimming
The swim team starts their 2024–25 campaign at Biola University in La Mirada, California on September 27. The 2023–24 was their inaugural season in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC), where the women’s team placed third and the men’s team placed fourth in the conference championship. During the overall NCAA Division II championships, the women’s team placed eighth while the men’s team placed 23rd. Heading into the 2024–25 season, the team has added Daniel Pinto as an assistant coach. Pinto has prior competing experience in Venezuela, along with sixteen years of coaching experience across Venezuela, Chile, and at the North York Aquatic Club in Toronto. Pinto will assist head coach Demone Tissira as the Red Leafs look to reach higher conference and divisional results.
Volleyball
The 2023 season saw the Red Leafs post a winning record, yet miss out on the NCAA Division II West Regional Championships, placing fourth in GNAC standings. The team started the 2024 season on a good note, going 3–1 at the San Diego invitational, with their only loss being a 3–2 set result against Point Loma Nazarene University. The Red Leafs also added three new freshmen to their roster in the offseason; outside hitter Katarina Damnjanovic, and middle blockers Elianna Gerbrandt and Logan Remington.
