HAMILTON, Ont. — Women's Water Polo,
Karima Al-Aoussi (Kitchener, Ont.), and Men's Wrestling,
Blayne Helou (Pickering, Ont.) have been crowned this week's Marauder Athletes of the Week for their excellent showings over the weekend.
Michelle Wang - (Port Elgin, Ont.)
McMaster women's water polo captain
Karima Al-Aoussi delivered a standout weekend at the National Collegiate Water Polo Championship at Queen's University, leading the Marauders with a composed and determined presence in every match. Al-Aoussi was McMaster's top offensive threat across all three games, helping the team open the tournament with a strong 10–6 win over the University of Ottawa on Friday, where her scoring touch set the tone early. Despite a tough matchup against Toronto on Saturday, she remained a consistent driver of McMaster's attack. In Sunday's bronze medal game against Queen's, Al-Aoussi once again paced the Marauders with key goals that kept the match within reach throughout.
Blayne Helou - (Pickering, Ont.)
McMaster's
Blayne Helou turned in an outstanding performance at the U of Toronto Open, earning a first-place finish in a deep 61kg field while showcasing dominant technical ability throughout the day. After receiving an opening-round bye, Helou stormed through the bracket with four straight technical fall victories, each coming in under two minutes. He opened with a 10-0 win over Anish Das (Carleton), followed by an 11-0 victory against Grason Belton (Algoma) in just 58 seconds. Helou continued his momentum with a 12-1 win against Javier Tonita-Charriez (Brock) and capped the run with a 13-2 TF over Brayden McInroy (York). His podium finish adds another strong result to the Marauders' campaign as they build towards the OUA Championships.