Canada West BioSteel Players of the Week: Feb. 4

Feb. 4, 2025 - Exciting playoff races and rivalry matchups took centre stage across the conference last weekend as the calendar turned to February.

The 11th annual Crowchild Classic between the Mount Royal Cougars and Calgary Dinos kicked off the weekend last Friday, attracting a U SPORTS record-breaking crowd of 13,139 fans at the Scotiabank Saddledome. The Dinos earned bragging rights over their rivals, with the women's team earning a comeback 2-1 OT victory and the men skating to a dominant 4-0 win.

Calgary also played host to the 2025 CW Curling Championships, with the Regina Cougars pulling off the sweep of both men's and women's banners.

Two provinces over, the heated rivalry between the Winnipeg Wesmen and Manitoba Bisons renewed in both volleyball and basketball. The Bisons women's basketball team secured the Duckworth Trophy for Manitoba after winning a 77-74 thriller on Saturday.

The Alberta Pandas women's basketball team also had a big weekend, sweeping Regina in a matchup of two top Prairie Division teams. That included a big 78-72 overtime thriller on Friday. The Pandas and Saskatchewan Huskies are now tied atop the division with 14-2 records.

Teams across the conference are now ready for the stretch drive of the season, as the penultimate weekend of regular season action is upon us in basketball, volleyball and hockey.

Here are your Canada West Players of the Week - Presented by BioSteel.

Women's Volleyball - Lucy Borowski (UBC Thunderbirds)

Jan. 31 vs TRU: 18 kills, .500 attack %, 3 aces, 7 digs, 21.5 points in 3-0 win

Feb. 1 vs TRU: 11 kills, .391 attack %, 1 ace, 5 digs, 12 points in 3-0 win

The veteran outside hitter was spectacular on home court, helping lead the Thunderbirds to the weekend sweep of the No. 8 ranked WolfPack. Boasting a match-high 18 kills in just three sets Friday night, Borowski led the way in Saturday's straight sets victory with another 11 kills. The fourth-year from Vancouver finished the weekend hitting .481 while defensively amassing 12 digs.

Borowski sits second in conference kills-per-set with 3.79. The 14-2 T-Birds face their old foes the Alberta Pandas in Edmonton this weekend for their final road series of the regular season.

View WVB: Standings | Schedule | Leaders

Men's Volleyball - Mason Greves (UBC Thunderbirds)

Jan. 31 vs TRU: 36 assists, 10 digs, 1 kill, 2 points in 3-0 win

Feb. 1 vs TRU: 56 assists, 12 digs, 1 kill, 1 ace, 3.5 points in 3-2 win
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The Canada West assists leader racked up another combined 92, helping UBC to a weekend sweep of the Thompson Rivers WolfPack. Greves put up a match-high 10 digs in Friday's straight sets sweep and another match-high 12 digs in Saturday's five-set win.

The fourth-year from Calgary leads the conference in assists-per-set with 11.08 and sits second in digs-per-set with 2.23. Riding an 11-match win streak, the T-Birds head to Alberta for their final road series of the regular season this weekend.

View MVB: Standings | Schedule | Leaders

Women's Hockey - Aliya Jomha (Mount Royal Cougars)

Jan. 31 at CGY: 5 shots in 2-1 SO loss

Feb. 1 vs CGY: 2 goals, 2 assists, 5 shots in 5-2 win

Jomha continued to be an offensive driver for the Mount Royal Cougars, helping the team come away with a three point weekend against the rival Calgary Dinos.

She was buzzing all night in the 11th annual Crowchild Classic last Friday, landing five shots on net in a shootout defeat. She broke through the next night, scoring two goals and two assists as the Cougars got their revenge in a 5-2 win over the Dinos.

The fourth year from Edmonton has is currently third in conference scoring with 23 points in 20 games.

View WHKY: Standings | Schedule | Statistics

Men's Hockey - Josh Prokop (Alberta Golden Bears)

Jan. 31 vs TWU: 3 goals, 7 shots, +2 rating in 5-0 win over TWU

Feb. 1 vs TWU: 1 goal, 1 assist, 2 shots, +1 rating in 5-2 win over TWU

Recording his first hat-trick in regular season play as a Bear, captain Josh Prokop led Alberta to a pair of home wins over the Trinity Western Spartans.

Prokop netted four total goals over the weekend, scoring three on Friday night and adding a goal and an assist on Saturday, as Alberta outscored TWU 10-2 over two games.

The wins allows the Bears to keep pace with the Huskies for top spot in the division, with both teams now having 40 points.

Now with 27 points in 26 games this season, Prokop is on pace for his fourth-straight point-per-game season with the Bears. The 79th captain in team history has 113 points in 102 career conference games.

View MHKY: Standings | Schedule | Statistics

Women's Basketball - Claire Signatovich (Alberta Pandas)

Jan. 31 vs Regina: 14 points, 10 rebounds, 3 steals, 3 blocks in 78-72 OT win

Feb. 1 vs Regina: 10 points, 14 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 assist in 75-50 win

Two-time defending U SPORTS Defensive Player of the Year Claire Signatovich proved once again why she is one of the best two-way players in the conference this weekend in Winnipeg.

Just three weeks removed from setting the Pandas all-time double-doubles record, Signatovich added two more to her total in a pair of significant wins over the Regina Cougars.

Both entering the weekend with 12-2 records, the Pandas sweep gives them a leg up on the Cougars to finish with a top-two seed in the Prairie Division, and host at least one weekend of playoff basketball.

The fifth-year forward tallied 24 points, 24 rebounds, six steals, three blocks, and three assists in the two Pandas wins.

View WBB: Standings | Schedule | Leaders

Men's Basketball - Mason Kraus (Manitoba Bisons)

Jan. 31 vs WPG: 18 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 6 steals in 62-60 loss

Feb. 1 at WPG: 27 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks in 78-74 OT win

Guard Mason Kraus was at his best in a gritty two-game battle against the No. 4 ranked team in the country, the Winnipeg Wesmen.

On Friday, he tied his single game best with six steals, the fourth-most in a game in school history, adding to his school record of 187 and counting (the most of anyone in the country over the last four year). He tallied three more on Saturday and is second in Canada West, with 47 steals on the year.

On Saturday, the Winnipeg native had the game of his life, helping the Bisons knock off Winnipeg for the second time this season, 78-74 in OT. Of Winnipeg's three losses, two have come to their city rivals.

Kraus played a career-high 40 minutes of a possible 45 against the U of W, and sunk the game-tying shot plus the free throw in the final ten seconds of the game to take the contest to overtime. He finished the contest with 27 points, marking the seventh time this year he's scored over 20 in a game, while his eight rebounds were also a season-high.

Kraus is now fifth in Canada West, with 18.4 points per game.

View MBB: Standings | Schedule | Leaders

Women's Swimming - Hannah Johnsen (Calgary Dinos)

50m Backstroke - 29.12 - 1st of 6

100m Backstroke - 1:02.68 - 1st of 7

200m Backstroke - 2:16.88 - 1st of 5

It was a perfect home finale for Hannah Johnsen. The fourth-year Dinos swimmer swept the backstroke events at the annual Colleges Cup meet at the UCalgary Aquatic Centre.

Johnsen - who brought home another four medals at this year's Canada West Championships - won the 50, 100 and 200 meter backstroke events all in the span of just over two hours at Friday's home meet to finish the regular season on a high note before turning attention to the 2025 U SPORTS Championships.

Men's Swimming - Thomas McDonald (Calgary Dinos)

100 Backstroke - 55.96 - 1st of 6

200 Medley Relay - 1:39.87 - 1st of 4

Thomas McDonald capped the regular season with a perfect 4-for-4 performance at the final home meet of the season for the Dinos. McDonald won both the 50 and 100 meter butterfly events, the 100 meter backstroke and helped the 200 medley relay squad to a win, as well. The highly decorated swimmer will now turn his attention to the 2025 U SPORTS Championships, scheduled for March 6-8 in Toronto.

Women's Track and Field - Avery Pearson (Saskatchewan Huskies)

Penn State National Open: 1st place 600m, 1:27.34 (Huskie record, Saskatchewan record, 2nd best in Canadian history - won by over 3 seconds), 5th place 800m, 2:05.91

Avery Pearson continues to improve on an already exceptional season during the 2024-25 track & field season. The Canada West All-Star and All-Canadian raised the bar once again this past weekend at the Penn State National Open, capturing 1st place in the 600m and 5th in the 800m competing alongside some of the best collegiate athletes in both U SPORTS and the NCAA.

Her 1st place finish in the 600m was made more impressive with her time of 1:27.34. Not only did she improve upon her Huskie program record, her time also set a Saskatchewan provincial record and was the second-best in Canadian track & field history.

Freshman middle distance runner Michael Hussey has burst onto the collegiate Canadian track & field scene this season. The local Saskatoon product has impressed in just a handful of events this year and just this past weekend had a record-setting performance at the Penn State National Open. Hussey finished 4th in the 600m with a time of 1:18.17, missing out on the podium by just one hundredth of a second. His time was also good enough to set a new U20 Canadian record while also being the 3rd fastest in USask track & field history.

Men's Track and Field - Michael Hussey (Saskatchewan Huskies)

Penn State National Open: 4th 600m, 1:18.17 (3rd fastest in program history, U20 Canadian record - missed out on podium by .01 seconds)

Freshman middle distance runner Michael Hussey has burst onto the collegiate Canadian track & field scene this season. The local Saskatoon product has impressed in just a handful of events this year and just this past weekend had a record-setting performance at the Penn State National Open.

Hussey finished 4th in the 600m with a time of 1:18.17, missing out on the podium by just one hundredth of a second. His time was also good enough to set a new U20 Canadian record while also being the 3rd fastest in USask track & field history.

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.