March 19, 2024 – Canada West student-athletes brought home a haul of U SPORTS medals last weekend, highlighted by national championship performances in both curling and volleyball.
The UBC Thunderbirds women’s volleyball team defended their national title with a 3-1 win over CW rival Alberta in the national championship game on Sunday, with the Manitoba Bisons claiming bronze. On the men’s side, the Alberta Golden Bears rallied for an epic five set victory over top seeded Sherbrooke to earn their record tying 10th national championship in program history.
CW curling teams also swept the U SPORTS curling championships, with Alberta’s women winning their third straight national banner and Regina’s men’s team winning the second national title in program history and first since 2009.
Here are your Canada West Players of the Week.
Women’s Volleyball – Lucy Borowski (UBC)
The third year outside hitter from Vancouver was the driving force behind UBC’s run to a second straight national championship, being named the championship MVP after leading the T-Birds back to glory in Hamilton, Ont.
Burowski started the championship with a dazzling performance against host McMaster, striking down 16 kills on 39 swings with just three errors, hitting .333% in the quarter-final win. She was efficient again in the semifinals against Acadia, grabbing nine kills with just one error and hitting .364% in a dominant three set sweep.
She delivered again with the title on the line on Sunday against the rival Alberta Pandas, pounding home 13 kills while also adding 17 digs in a four set victory.
Men’s Volleyball – Isaac Heslinga (Alberta)
The U SPORTS Player of the Year took his game to yet another level at the national championships in Kingston, Ont. last weekend, earning championship MVP honours while leading the Golden Bears to a record-tying 10th national championship in program history.
In an instant classic of a national final against Sherbrooke, the third year from Orangeville, Ont. led Alberta to glory with 28 kills, adding 10 digs and five blocks. That came after two dominant performances to start the tournament, including a 32 kill effort in the quarter-finals against Laval, where he hit for a ridiculous .481%. He was also a force in the semifinals against UBC, striking for 20 kills with just one error on 44 swings.
The Pandas have now won six national titles in nine seasons, and become the first team in U SPORTS Curling history to win three-straight national banners. Their six national titles are also a record.
The Pandas lineup of Serena Gray-Withers, Zoe Cinnamon, Brianna Cullen and Catherine Clifford is identical to the team that captured gold last year in Sudbury. The Alberta women went a perfect 9-0 at the 2024 Championship, going 7-0 in round robin play, before defeating Dalhousie 8-3 in the national semifinal on Saturday morning, and Waterloo in the final.
Win nine wins this week, the Pandas have now won 13-straight games at the U SPORTS Championship.
Men’s Curling – Regina Cougars
The University of Regina’s men’s curling team won the second national title in school history, and first since 2009, on Saturday after defeating Dalhousie by a score of 8-5 in the final of the U SPORTS Championship in Fredericton, N.B.
Skipped by Joshua Bryden, the Cougars went 4-3 in the round robin to finish in fourth place in the team standings. Matched up against Canada West rival Alberta in the semifinals, the Cougars scored one in the eighth, ninth, and tenth to take a 7-5 win over the Golden Bears and book their ticket to the final against Dalhousie.
Both of Regina’s playoff victories were against teams that had beaten the Cougars in the round robin portion of the tournament. Dalhousie took out Regina by an 8-4 score on Thursday afternoon and Alberta took a 6-3 win over the Cougars on Friday morning.
Besides Bryden, the Cougars also consisted of third Adam Bukurak, second Carter Williamson, lead Ryan Grabarczyk, and fifth Ayden Whittmire. The team’s coach, Jamie Schneider, was named the U SPORTS Coach of the Year following the final victory.
Women’s Hockey – Sophia Gaskell (UBC)
While the T-Birds had to settle for a consolation final victory, Gaskell’s play at both ends of the ice was a bright spot for the Thunderbirds at the 2024 U SPORTS national championships in Saskatoon, Sask.
The third year defender from Port Moody, B.C. had a goal and three assists in three games and was a key contributor to the T-Birds offence all weekend. Boasting a dangerous shot from the point, she scored a goal against Montreal in the quarter-finals in a game that eventually ended in a heartbreaking 4-2 defeat. She then had two assists in a consolation semifinal win over UNB on Saturday, before finishing her tournament with an assist in UBC’s 4-1 consolation final win over the host Huskies, where she ripped a point shot that was tipped home by Grace Elliott.
Men’s Hockey – Carl Tetachuk (Calgary)
While the Calgary Dinos suffered a heartbreaking 2-1 double-overtime defeat to the host Toronto Metropolitan University Bold in the quarter-finals of the 2024 U SPORTS University Cup, Tetachuk once again showed why he’s one of the best netminders in all of U SPORTS.
The second year from Lethbridge Alta. made 44 saves in the contest, continually frustrating the TMU offensive attack while allowing just two goals in 84:31 of game time.
