Nov. 5, 2024 – Now fuelled by a new presenting sponsor in BioSteel, this edition of the Canada West Players of the Week features 15 standout student-athlete performances from across the conference.
It’s the largest edition yet this year, coming off a jam packed weekend loaded with playoff and championship action across the conference.
In football, the Canada West semifinals provided fans with two pulsating finishes. In the end, Regina and Saskatchewan both pulled off late comebacks against higher seeded opponents to turn the 87th BioSteel Hardy Cup into an all-Saskatchewan affair. The championship game will be hosted by the Huskies this Saturday, Nov. 9 at 1 p.m. CST at Griffiths Stadium in Saskatoon.
It was a big championship weekend for the UBC Thunderbirds, who added a trio of trophies to their ever growing cabinet. The ‘Birds captured Canada West titles in both men’s and women’s soccer, and saw their women’s rugby team make history by capturing the program’s first U SPORTS national title with a 8-3 win over Victoria in the gold medal game.
Victoria women’s field hockey also kept their U SPORTS dynasty alive with their sixth straight national championship.
Elsewhere, a new conference basketball season tipped-off with a flurry of opening weekend games, while swimming, volleyball and hockey action continued.
Here are your Canada West Players of the Week, presented by BioSteel.
Nov. 1 vs TWU – 1G, GWG, 3 Shots, 90 mins in 1-0 win in CW Semifinal
Nov. 2 vs VIC – 2G, GWG, 2 Shots, 80 mins in 3-0 win in CW Final
Thompson was nothing short of spectacular, scoring three of UBC’s four goals at the Canada West Final Four in Calgary last weekend, including the game winners in both the semifinal and final games.
The forward from Ontario scored the only goal of the game in the T-Birds’ semifinal win vs Trinity Western, sending UBC to Saturday’s final while also earning a berth at this week’s U SPORTS National Championship. Thompson opened scoring in the 18th minute vs the Vikes in the gold medal match while adding an insurance marker in the 51st, a superb effort to blaze past a pair of defenders before scoring her third of the weekend.
The championship win is UBC’s 17th conference banner in program history, keeping the team’s perfect season going now at 17-0. The ‘Birds head into the national championship as the number one seed and face the host Dalhousie Tigers in a quarter-final on Thursday in Halifax.
Nov. 1 vs MRU – 1G, GWG, 3 Shots, 90 mins in a 1-0 win in CW Final
The second-year midfielder scored the only goal of the Canada West Final, a beautiful left-footed strike in the 54th minute which powered the T-Birds to their 23rd conference title in program history.
Fuerst’s first goal of the campaign also helped UBC secure the number one seed at this week’s U SPORTS National Championship tournament in Oshawa, Ontario where the blue and gold will have the UNB Reds in quarter-final action on Thursday.
Field Hockey Player of the Week – Anni Kleinschmidt (Victoria Vikes)
4 G, 3 GWG in 4GP at U SPORTS National Championships
Anni Kleinschmidt scored in all four games at the national tournament for the Vikes, netting the game-winner in three of the four contests, with none bigger than a second-minute penalty stroke in the championship final that helped the Vikes to its sixth-straight national title.
Kleinschmidt ends the year having scored in the last five games for the Vikes, scoring game-winners in four of them.
Women’s Rugby 15s Player of the Week – Rachel Smith (UBC Thunderbirds)
3GP, 1 try, Tournament MVP at U SPORTS National Championships
The fourth year veteran proved why she was named the 2024 Canada West Player of the Year, leading the Thunderbirds to the program’s first ever U SPORTS national championship.
Smith was instrumental in all three victories, leading to her being named the tournament’s MVP. She scored her team’s first try of the championship against UPEI and played airtight defence throughout the entire week. She raised her game to new heights in a hard fought national final against Victoria on Sunday, as her defensive play was crucial to preventing the Vikes from scoring a try in what would be a hard fought 8-3 T-Birds win.
Football Offensive Player of the Week – Ryker Frank (Saskatchewan Huskies)
Nov. 2 at UBC: 25 Carries, 192 Yds, 2 TDs, 4 Receptions, 29 Yds in 38-33 win
Fourth year running back Ryker Frank was a key piece to the Huskies 38-33 semifinal win over the UBC Thunderbirds Saturday afternoon. Carrying the ball 25 times and averaging 7.4 yards per carry on his way to a total of 192 yards on the ground, his performance was another impressive outing in an all-star season.
Frank’s most important plays of the game came in final minute when he was handed the ball on four consecutive plays for a total of 52 yards, ending the drive in the end zone to seal the win.
Football Defensive Player of the Week – Cameron Mah (Regina Rams)
Nov. 2 at MAN – 6.5 tackles, 0.5 TFL in 28-25 win
Cameron Mah was one of the leaders of a staunch University of Regina Rams defence which helped set the table for a 28-25 semifinal win over Manitoba on Saturday.
The fifth-year mac linebacker tied for the game high with 6.5 tackles and also shared a key fourth-quarter tackle for loss with Toryn Swystun-Bernes which helped force a two-and-out for the Manitoba offence in a one-point game.
Football Special Teams Player of the Week – Katley Joseph (Saskatchewan Huskies)
Nov. 2 at UBC – 1 onside kick recovery
Veteran defensive back Katley Joseph made one of the biggest plays of the weekend for the Saskatchewan Huskies.
The product of Ottawa, Ont. recovered an onside kick with 54 seconds remaining in the Dogs’ semifinal game against the UBC Thunderbirds, setting up an eventual game-winning drive to send the Huskies to the Hardy Cup.
In the most prolific weekend of her four year Canada West career, Grace Elliott finished with six points to help lead the Thunderbirds to the two-game series sweep over the MacEwan Griffins.
The White Rock, B.C. product scored twice on Friday night, including the game winner, while adding two assists for her first career four-point game. She then added a pair of assists Saturday afternoon.
Elliott now leads the conference in goals (6), assists (9) and points (15). Winners of six in a row, the T-Birds now sit atop the West Division and will host the second place Mount Royal Cougars for a weekend series starting Friday night.
Men’s Hockey – Vince Loschiavo (Saskatchewan Huskies)
Nov. 1 at MAN: 1 G, 1 A, +2, 7 Shots in 4-3 SO win
Nov. 2 at MAN: 1 G, 1 A, 0 +/-, 1 Shot in 5-0 win
A fifth-year student-athlete on the No. 8-ranked Saskatchewan Huskie men’s hockey team, Vince Loschiavo led the way offensively for the Dogs in Manitoba this past weekend.
On Friday night at the Wayne Fleming Arena in Winnipeg, Loschiavo opened the scoring for the Huskies, capitalizing on a Manitoba turnover in the offensive zone to tie things up. The product of Winnipeg then added an assist on the Dogs’ second score of the game.
On Saturday he was back on the score sheet, recording a powerplay goal and an assist in a 5-0 Huskie win.
Nov. 1 vs TWU – 14 kills, .419 hitting %, 5 total blocks, 7 digs, 17.5 points in 3-0 UBC win
Borowski was a force once again, leading the T-Birds’ attack in a straight sets win over the Spartans on Friday night at War Memorial Gym. The fourth-year outside hitter racked up a match-high 14 kills on .419 hitting while adding solid defensive play with five blocks and seven digs.
The win kept the ‘Birds perfect on the season now at 5-0 while also handing Trinity their first loss. The two arch-rivals battle it out again Friday night in Langley.
Men’s Volleyball – Emmett Graham (Saskatchewan Huskies)
Nov. 1 vs MRU: 14 Pts, 10 Kills, .769 Attack %, 2 Total Blocks, 2 Service Aces, 9 Digs
Nov. 2 vs MRU: 18.5 Pts, 17 Kills, .406 Attack %, 1.5 Total Blocks, 13 Digs
Veteran outside hitter Emmett Graham was sensational in the Dogs’ weekend sweep of the Mount Royal Cougars. On Friday night, Graham recorded 14 points and 10 kills on just 13 attacks for a highly-efficient .769 hitting percentage to help the Huskies to a straight-sets victory. He returned to his impressive form the next evening, totalling a game-high 18.5 points with 17 kills and 1.5 blocks while converting on .406 percent of his attacks.
Nov. 1 vs SSK – 24 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 block in 64-54 win
Nov. 2 vs SSK – 18 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal in 65-63 win
It was a perfect start to the 2024-25 season for the Dinos, with Myriam Kone leading Calgary to a sweep of preseason favourite Saskatchewan. Kone had a game-high 24 points in a 10-point win Friday before saving her best for last in Saturday’s thriller. The Edmonton native’s jumper with 4.9 seconds left brought the home crowd to its feet in the two-point win over Huskies.
Kone finished with 18 points, six rebounds and four assists as the Dinos finished off the weekend sweep.
Nov. 1 vs REG – 18 points, 14 rebounds, 9 assists, 3 steals, 1 block in 75-62 win
Nov. 2 vs REG – 19 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, 1 block in 73-71 win
Mbituyimana had a phenomenal weekend, leading the Pronghorns to two big wins over the Regina Cougars. On Friday, he nearly recorded a triple-double, finishing with 18 points, 14 rebounds, and 9 assists in a 75-62 victory.
He followed that performance with 19 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists in a nail-biting 73-71 win on Saturday. His all-around play and leadership were crucial to the team’s success, making him the Horns’ standout player of the weekend.
It was another impressive start to the season for Alexanne Lepage. The defending Canada West and U SPORTS Rookie of the Year won all four of her individual events at the busy Colleges Cup meet in Vancouver. Lepage also helped three Dinos relays to silver medals and finished with the most points (men’s or women’s) of any athlete at UBC’s home meet.
Men’s Swimming – Finlay Knox (UBC Thunderbirds)
Colleges Cup – Vancouver
1st in 100m individual medley (52.20)
1st in 100m breaststroke (58.68)
1st in 50m backstroke (23.78)
1st in 200m butterfly (1:54.55)
Amassing a meet-high 96 points, Knox led the Thunderbirds to the team victory at UBC’s Colleges Cup meet by a margin of 434 points. The first-year Olympian claimed first in the 100 metre individual medley, the 100 metre breaststroke, the 50 metre backstroke and the 200 metre butterfly in a show of dominance leading up to the Canada West Championships also set to take place in Vancouver later in November.
About Players of the Week:
The Canada West Players of the Week, Presented by BioSteel is a weekly celebration of athletic achievements across the conference. Each week, deserving student-athletes are nominated by SIDs from each member institution. Canada West office staff review nominations and select the recipients.
About BioSteel
BioSteel is a leading sports hydration and nutrition brand, delivering clean, high-performance solutions trusted by professional athletes, top universities, and teams across North America and Europe, including major organizations like the NHL, MLB, NFL, MLS, NBA, and their affiliates. Alongside hydration, BioSteel offers premium protein and sports nutrition products, catering to athletes, fitness enthusiasts, and those striving for a healthier lifestyle. Committed to excellence, BioSteel equips top athletes and active individuals with the essential tools to reach peak performance and sustain wellness every day.
About Canada West:
As the leading university athletic conference in the country, Canada West is home to student-athletes that excel in the classroom and their communities. The conference is comprised of 17 member institutions spanning from Victoria to Winnipeg, with over 3,200 student-athletes competing across 14 sports. Canada West’s mission is to train leaders and build champions by providing leadership in the delivery, regulation, and promotion of university level high performance sports programs throughout western Canada.
