WATERLOO, Ont. - Women's Rugby's Olivia Larssen (Burlington, ONT/Hillfield Strathallan College) and Field Hockey goalkeeper Grace Miller (Waterloo, ONT/Sir John A. Macdonald Secondary School) have been named the W Store Warriors Athletes of the Week, presented by Imprint.
Larssen was a force to be reckoned with in Waterloo's 43-10 victory at Toronto on Saturday, dominating on both sides of the ball.
The fourth-year Computer Science major scored three tries, including a highlight reel score that saw her start her run from 80 yards out, knock one defender to the ground with a straight arm then swim by another before sprinting the remaining 40 yards to the try zone. She was also a "defensive vacuum," cleaning up line breaks and stealing two rucks, and was named the team's defensive player of the game.
"Olivia was a key player against U of T this past weekend," said Warriors Head Coach Jay Shaw. "She expertly swept the backfield and defended the Warriors try zone with perfectly timed chase tackles. Olivia exposed the opponents' defensive line to bring 15 points to her team."
Larssen and the Warriors are back on the road next week as they travel to St. Catharine's to face the Brock Badgers. Their next home game is Sunday, October 4 against York.
Just a few hours earlier on the same campus, Miller shut out the Varsity Blues in a 0-0 draw. It was a hard-earned shutout, as she and the Warriors successfully defended 10 short corners in the second half alone. She led Waterloo to another draw the next day at home against York.
"Grace was a dynamic force in net, keeping a very competitive game with the York Lions (2025 U SPORTS champions) to a 1-1 draw," said Warriors Head Coach Maria Haig.
Miller and the Warriors are back home to face the Western Mustangs this Friday at 7:00 PM.
This is the third Warriors Athlete of the Week award for Larssen, and second for Miller.
