91��ɫ

91��ɫ’s Red and White spirit looks just as good from the air as it does from the ground.

On March 26, faculty, staff and students celebrated 91��ɫ’s 55th birthday by posing for the University’s first aerial photograph. Several hundred people turned out in their red and white 91��ɫ gear to pose for the photograph. Red toques were handed out to the first 200 people. After some skillful organizing by staff from the Office of the President, everyone turned their best face forward for the photograph. The result is a stylized YU that brightened the wintery chill.

Just prior to the aerial photograph, hundreds of students gathered in the Student Centre on the Keele campus for a Red & White Spirit Rally to honour 91��ɫ’s varsity athletes. 91��ɫ’s President and Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri got the crowd readied for the photograph with his welcoming comments.

“What a great beginning for an afternoon of celebration for 91��ɫ’s third annual Red & White Day,” said a delighted Shoukri. “I am excited to see so many of you in red and white and here to celebrate this special day, which is a great way to raise our spirit at 91��ɫ and show the community our pride in the University.

“Today is also 91��ɫ’s 55th birthday,” he said, “and in such a short time, we’ve managed to create one of the country’s leading universities through our commitment to academic excellence, student life and community engagement. We are on our way – this is 91��ɫ’s time. We are creating a university that is second to none.

“I am pleased and excited about being here today – let’s celebrate!” he said.

Red and White Day began bright and early with an Alumni breakfast for grads working on campus. Throughout the day, volunteers from the student ambassador group 91��ɫ is U handed out luscious red velvet cake pops to students in Vari Hall. The day also included a very popular Food Truck event with street food by some of Toronto’s top road worthy gourmets, including Smokie’s Poutinerie, Food Dudes, Cornehcopia and Beaver Tails.

There were plenty of “spirited” food deals with discounts across the University. The 91��ɫ Bookstore (Keele and Glendon locations) took 25 per cent off all red and white giftware and clothing.

There was also a . The winner will be announced later this week in YFile. Faculty, staff and students were asked to submit photos showing their 91��ɫ U spirit for a chance to win some great prizes.

To view a Storify of the day’s tweets and Instagram photos, visit .

Here is a list of the 91��ɫ athletes honoured during Red & White Day:

91��ɫ Lions men's track & field team, winners of the 2014 Canadian Interuniversity Sport championship:

• Charles Akomolafe
• Sam Neal
• Chris Preece
• Anojan Sivalingam
• Muad Issa – OUA bronze medallist
• Chris Pallotta – OUA bronze medallist
• Suraj Sharma – OUA bronze medallist
• Wesley Huff – OUA silver medallist
• Ingvar Moseley – CIS bronze medallist, OUA silver and bronze medallist
• Umar Khan – CIS bronze medallist, OUA silver medallist, OUA second-team all-star
• Richard Jansen – OUA gold medallist, OUA first-team all-star
• Ayo Agusto – CIS gold medallist, CIS first-team all-Canadian, OUA silver medallist
• Bismark Boateng – CIS gold and bronze medallist, CIS first-team all-Canadian, OUA bronze medallist
• Jameel Brown – CIS gold medallist, CIS first-team all-Canadian, 2-time OUA silver medallist, OUA second-team all-star
• Ryan Charlton – CIS gold medallist, CIS first-team all-Canadian, OUA bronze medallist
• Birko Montinat – CIS gold medallist, CIS first-team all-Canadian
• David McKay – CIS gold medallist, CIS first-team all-Canadian, OUA gold medallist, OUA first-team all-star
• Eric Brathwaite – CIS gold and silver medallist, CIS first-team all-Canadian, OUA field events most valuable performer, two-time OUA gold medallist, OUA first-team all-star
• Dontae Richards-Kwok – CIS championship most outstanding performer, 4-time CIS gold medallist, CIS first-team all-Canadian, OUA track events most valuable performer, 2-time OUA gold medallist, OUA first-team all-star
• And the team’s head coach, Colin Inglis, who was also voted the CIS coach of the year.

91��ɫ Lions women's track and field athletes:

• Brittany Crew – CIS silver medallist, CIS second-team all-Canadian, OUA gold medallist, OUA first-team all-star
• Tameran Defreitas – CIS gold medallist, CIS first-team all-Canadian, OUA gold medallist, OUA first-team all-star
• Danielle Knight – CIS gold medallist, CIS first-team all-Canadian, OUA gold medallist, OUA first-team all-star
• Sheereen Harris – CIS gold medallist, CIS first-team all-Canadian, OUA gold and bronze medallist, OUA first-team all-star
• Khamica Bingham – CIS championship most outstanding performer, 3-time CIS gold medallist, CIS first-team all-Canadian, OUA track events most valuable performer, 2-time OUA gold medallist, OUA first-team all-star

91��ɫ Lions men’s volleyball athletes:

• Nicolas Pirnat – CIS all-rookie team, OUA all-rookie team
• Greg Ivan – OUA Dale Iwanoczko Sportsman Award, OUA second-team all-star
• Ray Szeto – CIS second-team all-Canadian, OUA first-team all-star

91��ɫ Lions wrestling athletes:

• Urshian Khalid – OUA and CIS student-athlete community service award recipient
• Omar Thomas – OUA bronze medallist

91��ɫ Lions women's volleyball athletes:

• Aleks Arsovic – OUA East all-rookie team
• Brittney Hopley – OUA East second-team all-star
• Melissa Humana-Paredes – OUA East second-team all-star
• Brandie Wilkerson – OUA East second-team all-star
• Michelle Pierce – OUA East first-team all-star

91��ɫ Lions women’s hockey athlete:

• Kristen Barbara – OUA second-team all-star

91��ɫ Lions women's basketball athlete:

• Kayla Pangos – OUA East Joy Bellinger Award recipient

91��ɫ Lions men’s basketball athletes:

• Nathan Culbreath – OUA East all-rookie team
• Phillip Cunningham-Gillen – OUA East all-rookie team
• Nick Tufegdzich – OUA East second-team all-star

Story and photographs by Jenny Pitt-Clark, YFile editor.
Aerial photograph by Mike Dahiroc, digital media assistant, 91��ɫ Lions.
Storify compiled by Ijade Maxwell Rodrigues, chief of staff.

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