GUELPH, Ont. -
Claire Merrick (women's hockey) and
Alexander Chaves (wrestling) have been named
Gryphon Muscle MLK Athletes of the Week for the period ending January 21, 2018.
Claire Merrick (Women's Hockey)
Claire Merrick has developed a reputation as one of the more unselfish players in OUA women's hockey. The talented, pass-first forward from Oakville, ON leads all Gryphons in assists this season with 12, which also ranks her second in the conference in that stat category. Merrick's coaches and teammates love her creativity and ability to find others but they have also been clamouring for her to score more goals. The third-year landscape architecture student did just that in an important 4-3 OT home win over the Toronto Varsity Blues, notching the opener before burying a beauty in the third period that gave Guelph a 3-2 lead. Merrick got the Gryphons on the board just 3:04 into the game but it was her second of the night that showed off her goal-scoring potential. With the game tied 2-2, Merrick skated hard to the right side of the net, made a quick hesitation move in front and then beat the Toronto goaltender with a low shot on the far side. She almost netted a hat trick but was stopped on a point-blank attempt with just 43 seconds left in regulation. "We basically threatened Claire and said that if she didn't shoot the puck more on the power play, we would take her off the ice," head coach Rachel Flanagan said after Merrick's two-goal effort. "It's a bit of a running joke here." Merrick is tied for sixth in OUA scoring with 17 points.
Alexander Chaves (Wrestling)
There was an extremely competitive field in the men's 70kg division at the 2018 Guelph Open this past weekend. But Alexander Chaves wasn't phased and ultimately proved to be the class of a talented field with several poised performances. Chaves won the division among a group of wrestlers from all across Canada and some American athletes, as well. He had three matches, all of which were decisive results for the third-year, landscape architecture student from Guelph. One of those wins came against two-time U SPORTS medalist Caleb Rutner from Western, who has beaten Chaves in past competitions. In the final match, Chaves won against club teammate Gunnar Sales, a member of Canada's junior world team last year, by superiority, meaning he took a dominating 10-point lead in the match. Gryphons' wrestling coach Doug Cox said that it's a pleasure having Chaves in the program as he sets an example for all of the athletes. "Alexander is the team leader in our room," added Cox. "He is always the first one there and the last to leave."
