It was a successful opening weekend for the Trent Excalibur varsity curling program, as both the men's and women's teams impressed at the 2025 Guelph Invitational, hosted November 8–9 at the Guelph Curling Club. 

The Excalibur women dominated the competition to capture the championship title in their first bonspiel of the university season. A blend of veteran leadership and rookie energy propelled the team to a perfect 3–0 record in round-robin play, with decisive victories over Windsor (10–1), Guelph (5–4), and Mohawk (10–2) on Saturday. Ranked first overall heading into playoffs, the Excalibur continued their winning streak on Sunday with a 5–3 quarterfinal win over Waterloo, followed by a hard-fought 6–5 semifinal victory against Laurier. 

In the final, Trent faced McMaster in a nail-biting matchup that came down to the final shot. With the game on the line, Skip Lauren Rath delivered a clutch draw to the button, securing a 4–3 win and the tournament championship for Excalibur. 

Rath, who took the helm as Skip for the first time in her university career, was praised by head coach Dillon Muldoon for her composure and leadership both on and off the ice. 

"Lauren stood out with her composure under pressure and outstanding shot-making to win games, including two draws to the buttons for the win in both the semi-finals and finals," said Muldoon. "Along with her on-ice performance, Lauren was instrumental during her off-ice time, bringing calming and supportive leadership to her teammates." 

The Excalibur men also had a strong showing, finishing with a 4–1 record and a semifinal appearance. The team went undefeated through round-robin play on Saturday with wins over TMU (8–3), Toronto (6–5), and York (6–4), earning the top seed heading into playoffs. 

Trent carried that momentum into the quarterfinals with a 7–4 victory over Windsor but fell 9–5 to Toronto in the semifinals after a late-game surge from the Varsity Blues. Despite the loss, the team's performance marked one of their strongest starts in recent memory. 

Rookie Skip William Jewell earned special recognition from head coach Brad Robinson for his impressive debut. 

"In his (William's) debut with the Excalibur, he shone brightly and stood out as a top-level skip despite being a rookie at the OUA stage.," said Robinson. " He made a number of outstanding shots to win ends and games for the team. He is fearless on the ice and came through with many clutch shots in high-pressure situations." 

Both Excalibur teams will return to the ice on November 22 when Trent hosts the Trent Invitational at the Peterborough Golf and Country Club.