Canada West BioSteel Players of the Week: March 11

March 11, 2025 - It was one of the most exciting weekends of the year across Canada West, filled with a flurry of conference championships in basketball, volleyball and hockey, as well as incredible record-breaking performances at U SPORTS national championships in swimming and track & field.

This week's edition of our BioSteel Players of the Week celebrates the student-athletes who elevated their games on the biggest stage, whether it be leading their team to a conference championship or earning gold under the national spotlight.

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

Women's Volleyball - Laila Johnston (Alberta Pandas)

CW Semifinal vs MAN: 13 kills, 24 attempts, 0 errors, .542 attack %, 15 digs, 4 blocks

CW Final vs UBC: 15 kills, 42 attempts, 8 digs, 2 blocks

Leading the Pandas to their 12th Canada West Championship win, third-year outside Laila Johnston electrified the home crowd with an excellent Final Four performance.

Johnston finished the weekend with 28 kills on 66 attempts, leading the Pandas to wins over Manitoba and UBC to win their first CW Championship since 2017.

The third-year Education student was simply unstoppable in Friday's semifinal win over the Bisons, scoring 13 kills on just 24 swings, finishing with 0 attack errors and a stellar .542 attack %. She also added a team-high 15 digs over the three-set sweep.

Johnston added 13 kills, 8 digs and two blocks in a five-set thriller against UBC in the Final on Saturday.

The Pandas will now head to the 2025 U SPORTS Championship in Winnipeg as the No. 1 seed.

View WVB: Standings | Schedule | Leaders

Men's Volleyball - Isaiah Olfert (Winnipeg Wesmen)

CW Semifinal vs SSK: 16 kills, 10 digs, .200, ace, solo block, 18 points

CW Final vs ALB: 16 kills, .556 attacking, three digs, 16.5 points

With everything on the line, Isaiah Olfert stepped forward for the Winnipeg Wesmen.

Olfert led the Wesmen to their first Canada West men's volleyball conference title with back-to-back 16-kill matches as Winnipeg beat Saskatchewan and Alberta at the Final Four.

On Friday, Olfert put up 16 kills with 10 digs in a semifinal win over the Huskies, and the following night, had another 16 while hitting a remarkable .556 from the left side in a three-set sweep of the Golden Bears. It was the second-highest total for kills in a three-set match in the Canada West this season.

View MVB: Standings | Schedule | Leaders

Women's Hockey - Grace Glover (Alberta Pandas)

CW Final vs UBC: Game 1 - 33-save shutout in 1-0 OT win

CW Final vs UBC: Game 2 - 37 saves on 38 shots in 2-1 OT win

If any proof was needed as to why Grace Glover was named the Canada West Goalie of the Year, it came in the 2025 conference final. The sophomore Panda stopped a remarkable 70 of the 71 UBC shots she faced over two games, leading Alberta to a record 15th Canada West Championship.

Glover stopped all 33 UBC shots she faced in Game 1, including all eight shots she faced in the third period, setting up a 1-0 Pandas OT win.

Somehow she was even better on Friday in Game 2, stopping 37 UBC shots, including 11 in the third period and overtime. Through five playoff games, Glover has a 1.10 goals against average, .956 save percentage, and two shutouts.

Glover and the Pandas will now set their sights on the U SPORTS Championship, running March 20-23 in Waterloo, Ontario.

View WHKY: Standings | Schedule | Statistics

Men's Hockey - Roddy Ross (Saskatchewan Huskies)

CW Final vs MRU - Game 1: 38 saves, .927 save %, 3 GA, Win

CW Final vs MRU - Game 2: 31 saves, .939 save %, 2 GA

CW Final vs MRU - Game 3: 30 saves, Shutout, Win

The 2025 Canada West Goaltender of the Year delivered when it mattered most for the Saskatchewan Huskies last weekend. Fourth-year netminder Roddy Ross recorded a game three shutout Sunday night, turning aside all 30 shots he faced before raising the Dr. W. G. Hardy Trophy on home ice. The Meadow Lake, Sask. product was phenomenal between the pipes, making highlight-reel saves early and often while the Dogs were outshot for two periods of hockey.

Ross put together an impressive series, shutting down the MRU Cougars in game one after a rocky first period to allow the Huskies to score six unanswered and comeback from down 3-0 to pick up their first win of the series. Through the three-game Canada West Final series, Ross recorded an incredible .952 save percentage, stopping 99 Cougar shots.

View MHKY: Standings | Schedule | Statistics

Women's Basketball - Gage Grassick (Saskatchewan Huskies)

CW Final vs UBC: 31 PTS, 7 AST, 4 REB, 2 STL, 1 BLK, 12-23 FG, 4-8 3PT

Veteran guard Gage Grassick was the best player on the court in the 2025 Canada West Championship, leading the Huskies to a 10th conference title in a 71-59 win over UBC.

With the Huskie offence struggling to open the game, Grassick took control, scoring in bunches on her way to a 31-point performance. Grassick orchestrated several scoring runs for the Huskies, with the most important being an 11-4 run late in the first half to cut the Thunderbird lead to two and get the Dogs back in the game.

The fourth-year guard added seven assists, two steals, and a block to go along with an outstanding shooting performance where she connected on four triples and 12 field goals.

View WBB: Standings | Schedule | Leaders

Men's Basketball - Nate Petrone (Calgary Dinos)

CW Final at UBC: 38 PTS, 15-21 FG (.714), 10 AST, 1 BLK

Just one day after being named the Canada West Men's Basketball Player of the Year, Nate Petrone showed exactly why he deserved that title this season. Calgary's fourth-year guard led the Dinos to their latest Canada West championship.

Petrone exploded out of the gates with 19 first-quarter points on a perfect 8-8 shooting. He had 26 at halftime and 35 after three and missed just two field goal attempts over the first 30 minutes. Led by Petrone's efforts, the Dinos poured in an incredible 109 points as a team in the championship game and never trailed in bringing home the 2025 Canada West banner.

View MBB: Standings | Schedule | Leaders

Women's Swimming - Kayla Sanchez (UBC Thunderbirds)

U SPORTS National Championship

• Gold 400m freestyle relay 3:37.78

• Gold 200m freestyle 1:54.74

• Gold 800m freestyle relay 7:54.04

• Gold 50m butterfly 25.85 (U SPORTS Record)

• Gold 50m freestyle 24.18 (U SPORTS Record)

• Gold 400m medley relay 3:59.16

• Gold 100m freestyle 52.48

Winning U SPORTS Women's Swimmer of the Year, Sanchez racked up a whopping seven gold medals in Toronto over the weekend. Competing in her home town, Sanchez contributed to three gold medals for UBC as part of relay teams while winning four individually, two of which were good for new U SPORTS records (50m butterfly, 50m freestyle).

Men's Swimming - Finlay Knox (UBC Thunderbirds)

U SPORTS National Championship

• Gold 50m backstroke 23.59 (U SPORTS Record)

• Gold 400m freestyle relay team 3:11.80 (U SPORTS record)

• Gold 200m Freestyle 1:54.15 (U SPORTS Record)

• Bronze 50m Butterfly 23:35

• Gold 800m freestyle relay team 7:07.23 (U SPORTS Record)

• Gold 200m Butterfly 1:53.67 (U SPORTS Record)

• Gold 400m medley relay team 3:29.52 (U SPORTS Record)

Named U SPORTS Men's Swimmer of the Year, the rookie Thunderbird finished his first national championship meet with an astounding six gold medals and a bronze. Part of three gold medal relay teams, all of which set new U SPORTS records, Knox also set a new record in each of his three individual gold medal races (50m backstroke, 200m freestyle, 200m butterfly).

Women's Track and Field - Sienna MacDonald (Calgary Dinos)

U SPORTS National Championship

• Gold, 60m Hurdle Prelims: 8.09 - 1st of 13 - U SPORTS record

• Gold, 60m Hurdle Finals: 7.99 - 1st of 7 - U SPORTS record

• Gold, Long jump: 6.25m - 1st of 13 - U SPORTS record

• 60m Finals: 7.47 - 6th of 7

It was another remarkable showing by Calgary's Sienna MacDonald this weekend, bringing home two more U SPORTS gold medals in record-breaking fashion.

One year after winning national championships in the pentathlon, long jump and 60m hurdles, MacDonald did not enter in this year's pentathlon despite being the top ranked U SPORTS athlete in the event to focus on her upcoming trip to Nanjing, China for the World Athletics Indoor Championships.

The move paid off in spades. MacDonald stole the show on the second day of competition in Windsor. She started the day by breaking the U SPORTS record in the 60m hurdle prelims with a time of 8.09 seconds before lowering that further with an incredible winning time of 7.99 in finals. Just minutes later, MacDonald wrapped up her long jump competition with another gold medal and another U SPORTS record, clearing 6.25m on her final attempt to run away with the title.

The Airdrie, Alta. native also added more points for the Dinos in the 60m, finishing sixth overall.

After repeating as national champion in both events, MacDonald was once again named the U SPORTS Women's Athlete of the Meet at this year's championships.

Men's Track and Field - Dawson Mann (Manitoba Bisons)

U SPORTS National Championship

• Gold, 600m - 1:17.55

• Bronze, 4x400m relay

Dawson Mann's gold in the 600m was one of the major highlights for the bronze medal winning Manitoba Bisons men's team at the 2025 U SPORTS Track and Field National Championships in Windsor last weekend.

Mann -- who finished the 600m event with a time of 1:17.55 -- was one of three runners, along with Ben Tilson of Windsor and Alanzo Ryan of Guelph, who broke the facility record in a tremendously fast final.

Mann's result capped an incredible performance at nationals. In his final race as a Bison, the senior qualified for, and earned points in the 300m, and also ran the 4x200 and 4x400 anchor legs (while also qualifying for the 600m final on day one). In the 4x400, he helped the Herd take home bronze, making up serious ground along the way with a split time of 47.96 seconds.

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.