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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday January 3, 2009 - 11 Van Koeverden won silver Continued from page 10 13-14 girls' 100m backstroke record. St. Thomas Aquinas sprinter Miana Griffiths earned senior girls' 100m gold at the OFSAA track and field championships, while Abbey Park speedster Michael Trnkus was golden in the 400m distance at the youth national championships. Oakville Trafalgar's Rachel Petford won OFSAA swimming gold in the 50m backstroke and 100m individual medley. Greg Westlake scored the game-winning goal with nine seconds left in regulation to lift Canada to the world sledge hockey title. Oakville Gymnastics Club members Cory Paterson, Matt Albrecht, Rebecca Carrique, Nathan Bollinger, Luke MacKinnon and Anthony Gentili each won overall titles at provincials. Figureskaters Jacquie Varey, Maddie Ruton, Amber Scott, Kendra Lange and Maddy Varey helped the Gold Ice Novice Synchro team to gold at the Canadian Synchro Skating Championships. Brothers Dan and Paul Dawson were part of the Brampton Excelsiors' Mann Cup national major lacrosse championship team, and Sean Gillies won a national junior A title with the Orangeville Northmen. Matt Mapletoft and his Laurier teammates won the Canadian Interuniversity Sport men's curling championship, while Brock Pehar earned MVP honours as his University of Alberta Golden Bears took the CIS men's volleyball title. Significant accomplishments were not limited to those who finished atop the podium, however. The Burloak Canoe Club's Adam van Koeverden was perhaps Oakville's biggest name in sports in 2008 (once again), carrying the Canadian flag in the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Summer Games in Beijing. The pressure was on van Koeverden to perform, coming off a double-medal showing at the 2004 Games in Athens, and the Loyola grad struggled to an eighthplace finish in the 1,000-metre kayaking singles final. Van Koeverden rebounded the next day, however, to claim silver in the 500m distance. Kara Lang and Diana Matheson were part of Canada's first-ever women's soccer team to compete in the Olympics. Lang went down in the history books by scoring the game-winning goal in Canada's first Olympic victory, a 2-1 win over Argentina. Canada reached the quarter-finals and extended the topranked United States into extra time before bowing out with a 2-1 loss. See Johansson page 12 Toronto welcomes NCAA football across the border as the University of Connecticut Huskies face the University at Buffalo Bulls in the third annual International Bowl. Be there as two teams square off in the only college bowl game played outside the U.S. Order your tickets today!