SARNIA – Made waves on the provincial stage.
The Men’s Doubles pair of Mirza Razaq and Milton Smith and Women’s Doubles pair of Lauren Goldsack and Carolina Huete-Jacobs have been named the Lambton Student-Athletes of the Week for the week of February 10th to 16th for their efforts on the provincial stage this past weekend at the 2025 OCAA Badminton Championships in Kitchener.
It marks the first Athlete of the Week honour for all four student-athletes during the 2024-25 season.
On the Men’s side, the tandem of Razaq and Smith made headlines for the Lions, bringing home an OCAA Bronze Medal with their third-place finish. Their Bronze Medal was the first for the Lambton Badminton Program since Paul Gendron won a Silver Medal back in 1995-96.
Going one further, Razaq and Smith are the first Lambton Men’s Doubles team to medal since 1987-88 when Mike Mullen and Wayne McCann won an OCAA Silver Medal.
Heading into the tournament, Head Coaches Rick Brown and Shashank Naik had high hopes for their Men’s Doubles pair, and they lived up to those expectations. Razaq and Smith finished third in their pool with a 2-2 record, securing their spot in the quarterfinals.
A win over George Brown in the quarterfinals set the Lions up with a rematch against the team from Fanshawe, who finished atop the West Pool with a 4-0 record. After dropping a closely contested first set, 21-18, the Lions ran out of gas in the second to lose in straight sets.
Still, they advanced to the Bronze Medal Game, where they had a rematch with Humber. In another back-and-forth contest between the Lions and Hawks, much like their matchup in pool play, the Lions were able to exact some revenge following their loss from the morning. After winning the first set by five, 21-16, Razaq and Smith persevered in the second to win the match in straight sets and securing the OCAA Bronze Medal.
On the Women’s side, the pair of Goldsack and Huete-Jacobs made headlines of their own over the two-day tournament. While they would ultimately fall just shy of the medal round, the team advanced to the quarterfinals after a strong showing in pool play.
Goldsack and Huete-Jacobs opened the tournament with three straight wins, closing out Day One with a perfect 3-0 record. Wins over Cambrian, Fanshawe, and Conestoga set the Lions up for a showdown with Humber on Saturday morning for top spot in the West Pool.
While the Lions fell short, they still secured second place and advanced to the quarterfinals. There, they squared off with Centennial with a spot in the Medal Round on the line. Ultimately, Goldsack and Huete-Jacobs fell short of their goal, bowing out in the quarterfinals.
Still, the pair put together a stellar 3-2 record over the two-day event.
Congratulations to Mirza, Milton, Lauren, and Carolina on being named this week’s Lambton Student-Athletes of the Week!
The 2024-25 Athlete of the Week awards are presented by the Lambton College Student Administrative Council.
For more information, or for any media inquiries within Lambton College Athletics, please contact:
Tyler Bennett
Lambton College Sports Information & Marketing Coordinator
tyler.bennett@lambtoncollege.ca