CW Announces Players of the Week

Nov. 7, 2023 – It was another busy crossover weekend in Canada West, highlighted by conference championship wins for Trinity Western University women's soccer and Mount Royal University men's soccer. On the national stage, Victoria women's rugby claimed their first U SPORTS medal in program history while the Vikes field hockey team captured its fifth straight national title with a series win over Toronto. With 13 student-athletes to recognize, the Canada West Universities Athletic Association is proud to announce its Players of the Week.

Football Offensive Player of the Week – WR Carter Kettyle (Alberta)

Kettyle’s speed was a major factor as the Alberta Golden Bears successfully defended home turf in their first playoff home game since 2005.

The second-year receiver from Spruce Grove, Alta. scored a touchdown and racked up 136 receiving yards on six receptions in the Bears' 40-17 win over Saskatchewan. Among the biggest plays was Kettyle’s 75-yard TD, a second down strike that gave Alberta an 18-10 lead early in the second quarter. He also added 38 yards on two punt returns.

Football Defensive Player of the Week – DL Mitchell Townsend (UBC)

With his team needing a big play, Townsend delivered in a big way.

Playing their first playoff home game since 2018, the T-Birds found themselves trailing a scrappy Bisons side 20-11 late in the third quarter. That’s when Townsend made arguably the biggest play of the game. The fourth year DL from North Vancouver forced a fumble by knocking the ball out of Manitoba running back Noah Anderson's hands on the Bisons' first play of the drive.

The fumble gave UBC quarterback Garrett Rooker instant field position and a Lucas Robertson touchdown just two plays later completely changed momentum in the T-Birds favour, as they would eventually go on to win 29-21. Townsend also added five solo tackles and had three assisted tackles in the win.

Football Special Teams Player of the Week – K Jonathan Giustini (Alberta)

Just as he’s been all season long, Giustini was a model of consistency when called upon in the Golden Bears 40-17 semi-final over Saskatchewan. The fourth year DB/K from Calgary, Alta. was a perfect 3/3 on his field goal attempts - including hits from 31, 32 and 39 yards. He was also 4/4 on extra points and scored a rouge, totalling 14 points in the rout.

Women’s Soccer – F Hannah Miller (Trinity Western)

Miller was unbeatable, quite literally, last weekend while leading the Spartans to a Canada West championship. The fifth year Langley product made two saves in a 2-0 semifinal win over Victoria on Thursday, then made six saves against top ranked UBC in the final on Friday. With the championship on the line, she made the decisive save in the sixth round of the penalty shootout, diving to her left and narrowly pushing the incoming shot wide and off the post.

Men’s Soccer – GK Aidan Dumoulin (Mount Royal)

After setting a Canada West record for shutouts (10) during the regular season, it was only fitting that Dumoulin shut out the top seeded UBC Thunderbirds in the CW Final last Saturday.

The first year keeper from Calgary made five saves in the 1-0 win, making a first-half goal from Ethan Keen stand up as the winner as the Cougars claimed their first conference championship in program history.

Women's Rugby - ​ Maggie Mackinnon (Victoria)

Mackinnon was instrumental to Victoria’s success at the 2023 U SPORTS Women’s Rugby National Championships, recording at least half of the Vikes' points in all three games at the national championships while leading her team to a silver medal – the first U SPORTS medal in the history of the program.

The second-year from Sooke, B.C. was named player of the game as the Vikes upset top-seeded Ottawa in the quarterfinals, where she scored three penalty goals and three conversions for 15 total points. She then added another three penalty goals and a conversion in the Vikes semi-final win over Guelph, then added two penalty goals and a conversion in a hard-fought loss in the final against host Laval.

She was also named a U SPORTS championship all-star alongside teammates Faith Tilley, Larah Wright, and Maelle Reed.

Field Hockey - ​ Libby Hogg (Victoria)

Hogg was named the U SPORTS championship MVP last weekend after leading the Vikes past Toronto for their fifth straight national championship.

It wasn’t easy for Victoria, who lost game one of the best of three series in a shootout and had to win games two and three with their backs against the wall to retain their title. Hogg scored a goal in game one and was named the Vikes Game MVP, and continued to make important contributions beyond the scoresheet. She controlled the midfield in each and every game, allowing the Vikes to retain their national champion status.

"I am very honoured and grateful to have received the (MVP) award,” said Hogg during the championship celebrations. “I think from Day 1 we were a younger squad and we’ve just been building and building all season, so to keep growing even this weekend and come out on top is just awesome.”

Women's Hockey - ​ F Paige Hubbard (Regina)

The fourth year forward from Brandon, Man. had a big weekend while helping the Cougars to two crucial road wins over the Calgary Dinos. Hubbard scored a goal and added two helpers in a 7-6 OT win on Friday, then added a goal and an assist in a tight 3-2 win the following day. She now has four goals and five assists in ten games this season.

Men's Hockey - D Clayton Hanus (Mount Royal)

The second-year defender from Excelsior, MN played a key role as the Cougars handed UBC their first loss of the season last weekend. Hanus scored two goals and added an assist in a 4-3 win on Friday, then added another goal and an assist the following night in a 7-4 defeat. He leads all CW defencemen in scoring with seven goals and nine assists in ten games, which places him third in conference scoring overall.

Women's Basketball - F Emily Johnson (Manitoba) ​

Johnson got her season started in a big way last weekend, helping the Bisons to a pair of wins over the Brandon Bobcats. The fourth-year Winnipeg product scored 19.5 PPG, while also adding 19 rebounds, seven assists and six steals.

Men's Basketball - G Diego Maffia (Victoria)

The reigning Canada West Player of the Year picked up where he left off during an opening weekend series against the Calgary Dinos. He scored 34 points with three assists and two steals to lead the Vikes to a 122-87 win on Friday, then added another 35 points with four assists and a block in an 88-79 defeat the following day.

Women's Volleyball - OH Gabrielle Attieh (UFV)

The 2022-23 Canada West Player of the Year had a huge weekend while leading the UFV Cascades to a weekend sweep of the MacEwan Griffins. The fifth year outside hitter from Surrey, B.C. struck for 29 kills over the two straight sets victories, hitting for an incredible .426 percentage while committing just three errors. She also added 12 digs and two block assists.

Men's Volleyball - S Sam Elgert (TRU)

The fifth-year setter from Athabasca, Alta. was key to the WolfPack knocking off a nationally ranked opponent for the second time in three weeks. His smart offensive decision making was key to a five set victory on Friday, with a match high 51 assists along with two digs and three block assists. He added another 34 assists the following day as the WolfPack fell to the Huskies in another five set match, adding two aces and nine digs. ​ ​