ECI coaches (Far Left: Andrea Bernal, Vlad Ilic) and (Far Right: Sarah Jackson and Brent Jackson) and players showcase their medals after winning the Ultimate Frisbee national title in Ajax. Photos courtesy of Etobicoke Collegiate Institute.
By CRAIG CHRISTIE
Etobicoke Collegiate Institute (ECI) has had a very successful athletic year.
In the fall the golf team won the city championships, their second in the past three seasons, with the boys team advancing to the provincial championships in Timmins and the girls competing in Windsor.
This past spring, the Cheerleading team captured the school’s first provincial championship, beating 15 other schools for the title. Now, the senior Ultimate Frisbee team can call themselves national champions after winning gold at the Ultimate Canada High School Invitational (UCHSI) in Ajax over the May 3-4 weekend.
“This is a culmination of all the hard work the students put in,” said Brent Jackson, community coach of the ECI team. “The early morning practices where everyone came out, rain or shine, worked hard and put in the effort to get better. I couldn’t be prouder of the team.”
After finishing second at the 2024 championships the team had one goal in mind for 2025: to win it all. Over the course of the weekend, they played six intense games highlighted by incredible defense, athletic catches and precise throws. With so many students who play other sports such as hockey, football, volleyball, or track and field it was ECI’s team athleticism that carried them to victory throughout the tournament.
Brennan Vecchio, MVP of the tournament, and Medina Icagic hoist the national championship trophy after ECI’s win at the Ultimate Canada High School Invitational.
The entire team was locked in and focused from the first point of the first game, right through until they were crowned champions. It was truly a team victory, however, with all team sports, there were some standout performances from players such as Marcus Colebrook and Medina Icagic. One player stood out from the rest, as ECI’s Brennan Vecchio was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player for his overall play on both sides of the disc. “Brennan is so deserving of this award,” claimed coach Sarah Jackson. “He’s an excellent player and athlete, with tremendous leadership abilities.”
After winning their first three preliminary round matches, the team advanced to the quarter-finals where they took on Adam Scott Collegiate and Vocational Institute from Peterborough. The Rams dominated play to defeat the Lions 13-2. In the semi-final match they faced a perennial provincial powerhouse, the Bowmanville High School Talons. This was a tight, back and forth affair with Etobicoke taking a 6-4 lead into half-time. However, the team stepped it up in the second half with their defence and won decisively 13-5. This set up the rematch from the 2024 championship between the top-seeded Kelvin High School from Winnipeg and the second seeded Rams.
“Kelvin has a solid, longstanding program with a great mix of athletes and club frisbee players, so we really had to be on our game in the final,” stated coach Brent Jackson.
It was a low-scoring affair with Etobicoke leading 6-3 at the half but the team again came out after the break and shut down the Manitoba rival, holding Kelvin scoreless and cruising to an 11-3 victory. “We knew we could score but our defense was outstanding throughout the weekend and we converted forced turnovers into quick points.”
ECI’s Ultimate Frisbee trophy case is filling up; the girls team won the TDSB City Championships in the fall and the varsity co-ed team won the City Championships in May. However, the national championship win stands above the rest. However, their work isn’t done. The team is headed to the provincial championships in Barrie to hopefully close out a storybook year on the field.