Ex-Laurier point guard Felicia Mazerolle made a smooth transition to the Fanshawe Falcons of the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) in 2012-2013.
The former Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Rookie of the Year spent two seasons with the Golden Hawks women’s basketball team before transferring due to academic reasons to Fanshawe College in London, Ont.
Mazerolle departed less than four months after being named the team’s Most Valuable Player for the 2011-12 season under head coach Paul Falco last April.
Averaging 15.2 points, 3.5 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game, she led the Falcons to a first-place finish in the OCAA West Division.
In addition, Mazerolle led the OCAA with 73 steals and was named the OCAA Defensive Player of the Year and a first-team all-star.
“In the OUA, you are matched up with very talented and competitive guards, but the number of them increases a lot in the OCAA,” Mazerolle said.
The 5’3 Elliot Lake, Ont., native played in 17 of 18 regular season games as a newcomer on the Falcons.
“Although we had established captains, my coach gave me the opportunity to be a leader,” Mazerolle said.
“I used my experience as a tool to be successful both on and off the court.”
The Falcons held opponents to 51.6 points per game en route to a 16-2 regular season record.
Despite losing 74-42 to Algonquin College in the OCAA gold medal game, the Falcons earned a berth in the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association (CCAA) women’s basketball championship.
Fanshawe finished the season ranked eighth in the CCAA and were eliminated after a first-round loss to St. Thomas University.
“We want to win our provincial championship and improve our impact at nationals [in 2013-2014],” said Mazerolle.
Previously, Mazerolle pursued a bachelor of arts (BA) in sociology at Laurier and switched to an Ontario College Diploma (OCD) in business and insurance upon transferring to Fanshawe this year.
After having to transfer at the end of the 2011-12 season due to academic reasons and being ineligible to play with the Hawks, Mazerolle was named a CCAA academic all-Canadian with Fanshawe this year.
The award is the most prestigious student-athlete honour for the CCAA, where it puts forth commitment to academic success and athletic achievement.
The award is typically given to a student-athlete that attains academic honours at their institution while achieving a conference award.
However, she does give credit to her former university.
“Laurier provided me the opportunity to succeed both athletically and academically,” expressed Mazerolle.
“I learned to always work harder, don’t be afraid to open up and seek help, and persevere at even the toughest of times.”
“The transition from Laurier to Fanshawe was definitely easier than from [Elliot Lake Secondary School] to Laurier,” she continued. “The homesick feeling was completely gone, allowing me to focus and excel athletically and academically.”
Mazerolle has two remaining years of player eligibility in the OCAA.
“Being a Golden Hawk was one of the best experiences I’ve had,” said Mazerolle.
