Top 10 London sports stories of 2023

It was an exciting year for sports in the Forest City — and for London athletes competing around the world. Here are our top stories of the year …

(Photo: Candice Ward / Canadian Olympic Committee).

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Let’s get right to it …

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10 (tie) | South Collegiate Lions win Western Bowl at OFSAA football championships

In late November, with flurries flying, the South Collegiate Lions senior football team won the Western Bowl at the OFSAA championships in Windsor, ON.

Leading the way was Kanye Nethersole, who scored a pair of touchdowns, as well as Chase Smith and Andre Thompson, who also found the endzone. The Lions got the job done in convincing fashion, cruising to a 33-0 win over the St. Mary’s Knights of Sault Ste. Marie at Acumen Stadium.

The Western Bowl win capped off a highly successful 2023 season for the WOSSAA champion Lions, who won the city championship two weeks prior, 22-7, over the Lucas Vikings. That made them 7-1 overall, including TVRA regular season and playoff action. The win in Windsor made it eight -- and brought the school a provincial championship banner.

(Photo: Aidan Persaud / PerShots)

10 (tie) | Women win inaugural football championships

In July, a pair of London women’s football teams made some history by winning brand new championships at the provincial level.

The London Jr. Mustangs did the honours first, winning the inaugural U16 Ontario Women’s Football League (OWFL) championship. In a close contest, the Jr. ‘Stangs came away with a 13-12 overtime win over the Cumberland Panthers. The win capped off a highly successful first season for the team. They went 8-3 on the year, earning a bye to the final before overcoming the Panthers for the league championship in thrilling fashion.

And then the Wolfpaac won — and in convincing fashion — to claim the first U19 OWFL title. The London Wolfpaac dominated their gold medal game, beating the U19 Cumberland Panthers 45-6 to capture the title.

In their first full season, the Wolfpaac made a name for themselves with a fantastic summer. The U19 squad went 5-1 in the regular season and then knocked off the Kingston Sharks, 38-13, in a semi-final before taking down the Panthers for the championship.

9 | Londoner Taylor Elgersma wins OUA football MVP

In his third year with the Laurier Golden Hawks, London quarterback Taylor Elgersma enjoyed his best season yet, leading his team to a 7-1 regular season record and a second-place finish — and it resulted in him being named Ontario University Athletics football MVP.

An Oakridge grad, Elgersma was dominant in 2023, winning Offensive Player of the Week honours four times while throwing for a league-best 206 completions, 2,641 yards, and a 75.2% completion percentage in eight regular season games. His 18 touchdowns were one behind Western’s Evan Hillock for the league lead, and he was second only to Hillock (180.1) in efficiency rating, as well, with a 174.9 mark.

“Obviously, I’m honoured to get it. It was definitely one of my goals to work for this year,” Elgersma told Gameday London. “But a lot of credit goes to my teammates and my coaches. They put me in a great position to get that award. Guys gotta go catch the ball for me, and coach [Michael Faulds, former Western Mustang] has to put me in a position to throw it that many times. So, that was my first reaction, just giving thanks to them.”

(Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography)

8 | Bridget Carleton, former London Rambler, plays in first WNBA game on Canadian soil

On May 13, Bridget Carleton, who played as a youth with the London Ramblers basketball club, played in the first WNBA game in Canada, a sold-out contest between the Minnesota Lynx and Chicago Sky at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, ON.

Carleton, in her fifth season with the Lynx, got the start in her home country. She played 12 minutes, made a bucket, grabbed two rebounds and contributed an assist, a steal and a block in a game that was won 82-74 by the Sky.

Carleton, a fixture on Canada’s senior women’s national team, is an Olympian and was named to the All-Star Five at the 2022 FIBA Women’s World Cup. She’s long been a proponent of a professional women’s basketball league in Canada — and more opportunities, in general, for girls and women playing the game in this country.

“I’ve seen firsthand the effects that having a pro domestic league can have on youth sports in a country,” Carleton wrote in a guest column at Gameday London. “How many more young females would dream big and continue playing basketball if they were able to see what they could do playing the sport right in their own backyard?

“How much longer would Canadian professionals play if they could stay in Canada and build their networks and prepare for life after basketball in their home country? I believe there is a great opportunity in Canada to invest in the women’s game.”

(Photo: FIBA)

7 | Caroline Ehrhardt breaks Canadian triple jump record

She finally did it. In May, competing on her home track at Western University at the 2023 Bob Vigars Classic, Caroline Ehrhardt broke the Canadian triple jump record that she’d been chasing for so long. With a jump of 14.03 metres, the 31-year-old claimed the record.

We had caught up with Ehrhardt back in July 2021 about her pursuit of the elusive record — and the ups and downs along the way.

“It feels like every time I get really close, something immediately happens,” she said. “I'm so close I can taste it, and then all of a sudden I’m nowhere close anymore. I feel like it’s eluded me for so long, and I’d really like to achieve it.”

She achieved it in May — wearing the London Western Track & Field Club bib. Her jump of 14.03m broke the previous Canadian mark set in 2010.

Her coaches always knew she could do it, Ehrhardt said. “They tell me all the time, ‘You’re going to find success no matter what avenue of life you choose to pursue, but we're not done here yet. There’s still so much more there.’”

There was. And now she can proudly wear the title of Canada’s female triple jump record holder.

(Photo: Howie Adams / life2photography)

6 | Ella Shelton drafted 4th overall in first PWHL Draft

In September, at the inaugural Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) Draft, London Devilette alumna Ella Shelton was selected in the first round (fourth overall) by New York. That made her the 22nd player to join a PWHL team (the first 18 players, three by each of the six teams, had been signed prior to the draft, which consisted of 15 rounds).

Shelton, a defender for Canada’s senior national hockey team, played much of her formative hockey years in the Forest City, spending three years with the London Devilettes’ junior team before heading to Clarkson University, where she won a couple of NCAA championships.

The 25-year-old made her senior team debut at the 2021 World Championships. Since then, she’s won two World titles and an Olympic gold medal — at the Beijing Games in 2022.

The New York defender, who has already played in a couple of exhibition games in December and will kick off the PWHL season against Toronto in the new year, is vocal about her pride in playing for her country.

“I remember feeling my heart fluttering, tears in my eyes, and my brain just jumbled with emotions,” Shelton said of when she learned she’d made the Olympic team in 2022. “I’m so honoured to play with this team and represent Canada.”

(Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography)

5 | London Lightning win final NBLC championship, join new league

It took a deciding Game 5 to do it, but the London Lightning successfully defended their National Basketball League of Canada (NBLC) title in late May by beating the Windsor Express in the Finals (the 11th and last season for the NBLC).

After a close, hard-fought series, the Lightning, playing on their home court at Budweiser Gardens, shocked the Express in Game 5 with a lopsided 126-88 win to claim their sixth league championship in franchise history.

The difference? A monster 3rd quarter in which the Lightning erupted for 49 points. That pushed their 11-point halftime lead to a lopsided 33-point advantage and sealed the deal on the 2023 Finals. Jeremiah Mordi, who had 16 points in that unforgettable frame, finished with a triple-double (37 pts, 13 rebs, 10 asts). Mike Nuga, who also had 16 third-quarter points, finished with 23 points and 6 rebounds.

Jermaine Haley Jr., who was named Finals MVP, produced 17 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and a pair of steals in the win -- a night after he poured in 41 points in a Game 4 loss in Windsor.

London finished the year with an overall record of 30-9, playoffs included. And it would be the last year for the Lightning in the NBLC, as the league disbanded (after 11 seasons) and the Ontario teams each joined the new Basketball Super League (BSL) for the 2023-24 season.

4 | Five London Devilettes win gold with Canada’s U18 team at World Championships

The next generation of Devilettes’ junior hockey players made waves in 2023, as a record five players from the team represented Canada — and won gold — in January at the IIHF U18 Women’s World Championships in Sweden.

And each of the five — Jocelyn Amos, Emma Pais, Abby Stonehouse, Keira Hurry and Shelby Laidlaw – had a hand in Canada claiming its first back-to-back golds at the U18 event since 2013-14.

Pais tallied seven points in Canada’s five games and was named a top 3 player for Canada by the IIHF. Stonehouse had four points and Hurry three. Laidlaw was strong in her debut with the U18 squad, while Amos, who battled through injury, captained the team.

After a hard-fought semi-final, in which the Canadians managed a 3-2 overtime win over Finland, the team dominated in the gold-medal game, winning 10-0 over the host team in Östersund, Sweden.

We caught up with the players upon their return to London. What was it like to represent your country and win a gold medal? To travel to Europe and play in front of large crowds? To experience it all alongside four of your London teammates? In their own words …

(Photo: Hockey Canada Images)

3 | The Brown twins, Chase and Sydney, are drafted into the NFL

Twin brothers Chase Brown and Sydney Brown were selected in the 2023 NFL Draft in April. Sydney, a defensive back, was chosen by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 3rd round (66th overall), while Chase, a running back, was taken in the fifth round (163rd) by the Cincinnati Bengals.

Born and raised in London, both players got their start with the London Minor Football Association (LMFA) — and then London South for high school football. They had career years in 2022 at the University of Illinois.

Sydney was a first-team All-Big Ten following a season in which he had 59 tackles and six interceptions, the latter ranking third most in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FSB) – formerly known as Division I-A.

Chase, meanwhile, rushed for 1,643 yards, good for fourth most in the NCAA’s top division. He was named winner of this year’s Jon Cornish Trophy as Canada’s top NCAA player.

Through Week 13 of the 2023 NFL season, both players had seen action in their rookie years. In a game Dec. 4 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Chase ran for 61 yards on nine carries in a 34-31 overtime win for the Bengals. In his first eight games for the Eagles, Sydney recorded 25 total tackles and had forced a fumble.

(Photo: University of Illinois)

2 | Julia Tunks wins senior women’s discus gold — at 17 years old

A discus-throwing phenom, Julia Tunks capped off a remarkable spring and summer season by becoming senior national champion with a throw of 57.17 metres at the Athletics Canada track and field championships in Langley, B.C. at the end of July — and then winning gold at the U20 Pan Am Games in August.

Most impressive, she achieved the feats at just 17 years of age. And she’s on the path to achieving more remarkable feats in the coming years. In Langley, at 17, her winning throw was roughly two and a half metres short of the Canadian record (set by Romanian-Canadian Carmen Ionesco in the late-1970s). Tunks, who has committed to attend UCLA beginning in the fall of 2024, will be eyeing that 59.58-meter mark in the years ahead.

For good measure, Tunks won the Canadian women’s U20 shot put event with a throw of 14.15 metres. Prior to winning a national discus title, Tunks rewrote the WOSSAA and OFSAA record books during her high school season. The Oakridge student achieved 54.21 metres at the WOSSAA event in late May, and then turned in a record 55.62-metre throw at the OFSAA championships in Ottawa in June. In August, her 56.98-metre throw earned her U20 Pan Am gold.

Just a Grade 11 student, Tunks will almost certainly break each of her own records next year in her final year of high school before embarking on a collegiate career — and becoming an Olympian sooner than later.

(Photo: Howie Adams / life2photography)

1 | Maggie Mac Neil wins five gold medals at Pan Am Games 

In her first appearance at the Pan Am Games, swimmer Maggie Mac Neil made history.

She won five gold medals to set a new record for most golds by a Canadian at the quadrennial event, held this year in Santiago, Chile in October. In an unforgettable week, the Londoner claimed seven medals in total (an additional silver and a bronze in relay events).

Her golds included, in order, the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay on the Saturday, the 100m butterfly (her premier event) on Sunday, the 100m free Monday, the 50m free Tuesday, and the women’s 4x100m medley relay Wednesday.

“It was my first Pan Ams, so I didn’t really know what to expect going in, but I think I definitely exceeded all my expectations,” Mac Neil told Gameday London from Chile. “I really wanted to secure the title in the 100 fly. That was my only real goal coming into this meet.”

She did that and much more. In fact, the 23-year-old even set new Games records in both the 100 butterfly event (56.94s) and the 100 freestyle (53.64s).

It was a fantastic finish to a 2023 season for Mac Neil, who earlier in the year also claimed a pair of medals at the World Championships (silver in the 100m butterfly and bronze in the women’s 4x100m medley relay).

Up next? She’ll compete in smaller meets as she continues her studies (she’s a Masters student at Louisiana State University). School will wrap up in May, and then she’ll compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

(Photo: Andrew Lahodynskyj / COC)

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Honourable mentions:

Western Mustangs win third straight Yates Cup as OUA football champs

Damian Warner wins decathlon silver at World Championships

Londoners Nick Suzuki and Nazem Kadri named all-stars for 2023 NHL all-star game

Miranda Ayim, Alex Kopacz, Don Luce and TJ Sanders inducted into London Sports Hall of Fame

Ryan Roobroeck and Parker Snelgrove win hockey gold at Canada Winter Games.

Canadians win both men’s and women’s NASH Cup for first time

Western women’s cross country team wins OUA title for first time in 25 years

London Western Track and Field U20 men win gold at Athletics Canada cross country championships

London hosts the Brier — Canada’s men’s curling championship

Jessie Fleming and Shelina Zadorsky help Canada women’s soccer qualify for Paris 2024 Olympics

London Knights win Western Conference title, reach OHL Final

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