CW Announces Players of the Week

Sept. 24, 2024 - With football and soccer hitting the halfway point of their seasons, playoff races are beginning to take shape around Canada West.

Week 4 in football saw UBC and Alberta get back to 2-2 with impressive wins, while Manitoba survived a scare from Calgary to improve to 4-0.

In women's soccer, UBC handled rival Trinity Western 4-0 in a rematch of last year's conference and national championship. Calgary also had an impressive weekend, improving to 5-1 after wins over Saskatchewan and Regina.

On the men's side of the pitch, UBC is undefeated as they lead the Pacific Division. Meanwhile, Alberta, Calgary and Mount Royal remain in a heated race for the top of the Prairie Division, with each side sporting just a single defeat.

This edition also features our first cross country runners of the week, while CW golfers continue to hit the links at tournaments across the west.

Here are your Canada West Players of the Week.

Football Offensive Player of the Week - Isaiah Knight (UBC Thunderbirds)

Sept. 20 vs SSK: 187 YDS rushing, 24 carries, 2 TD, 213 all-purpose yards

Isaiah Knight had a career-high 187 yards rushing, including a 59-yard touchdown that secured UBC's 38-24 win over Saskatchewan.

He added 26 yards on three receptions and now has over 2,600 career rushing yards in Canada West.

Looking ahead to Week 4: Knight and the Thunderbirds (2-2) will look to get over the .500 mark for the first time this season when they take on Calgary (1-3) this Saturday. Fans can watch the game exclusively on Canada West TV.

View CW Football: Standings | Schedule | Leaders

Football Defensive Player of the Week - William Hunter (UBC Thunderbirds)

Sept. 20 vs SSK: 4 solo tackles, 7.5 total tackles, 1 INT, assisted tackle for loss

William Hunter set a career-high with 7.5 total tackles in UBC’s 38-24 win over Saskatchewan.

Filling in for an injured teammate, he also intercepted a pass in the fourth quarter, securing the victory.

Looking ahead to Week 4: Hunter and the T-Birds (2-2) will look to run their win streak to three games as they take on the Calgary Dinos (1-3) this Saturday. Fans can watch the game exclusively on Canada West TV.

View CW Football: Standings | Schedule | Leaders

Football Special Teams Player of the Week - Daniel Conway (Manitoba Bisons)

Sept. 21 at CGY: 1 tackle, 1 forced fumble, 1 blocked punt

In an impressive Canada West debut, Daniel Conway delivered one of the biggest plays of the game. The Winnipeg product and former Dakota Collegiate star blocked a punt with five minutes left in Manitoba’s comeback win against Calgary. It was a pivotal play that led to the game-winning touchdown, leading to a 22-17 win.

The victory allowed Manitoba to stretch their perfect start to 4-0.

Looking ahead to Week 4: The Bisons will look to stretch their unbeaten run to five straight games when they host Regina next Saturday. Fans can watch the game on SaskTel maxTV and maxTV Stream or stream live on Canada West TV.

View CW Football: Standings | Schedule | Leaders

Women's Rugby 15s - Adia Pye (UBC Thunderbirds)

Sept. 22 vs ALB: 6 tries, 30 points

Adia Pye scored six tries, five of them in the first half, in UBC’s dominant 85-7 win over Alberta. The reigning Rookie of the Year has been a key player in UBC’s 2-1 start to the 2024 season so far, as the Victoria, B.C. product has been a dominant offensive threat in each game.

Looking ahead: Pye and the T-Birds will face their final prairie opponent of the regular season this Thursday when they host the Calgary Dinos. Game time is 4:30 PDT, and fans can stream the game live on Canada West TV.

View Women's Rugby 15s: Standings | Schedule

Women's Field Hockey - Anais Chace (Victoria Vikes)

Sept. 21 vs UBC: 0GA, 2-3 SO loss

Sept. 22 vs UBC: 1GA, 4-2 SO win

The Vikes goalkeeper was pivotal in the net, helping Victoria to a strong weekend performance against UBC.

On Saturday, she recorded a shutout in an eventual narrow shootout loss. She then helped the Vikes to a pivotal shootout win on Sunday, surrendering just one goal in regulation before making two key saves in the shootout.

Looking ahead: Victoria will enjoy a bye week before returning for home games against Calgary on Oct. 5 and 6.

View Women's Field Hockey: Standings | Schedule

Women's Soccer - Makenna Van der Veen (Alberta Pandas)

Sept. 21 at WPG: 1G

Sept 22 at MAN: 3G, GWG

The third year midfielder from Stony Plain, Alta. had a big weekend, scoring four total goals to help the Pandas secure a six point road trip to Manitoba.

She opened with a goal against Winnipeg on Saturday, then delivered an impressive hat trick against Manitoba on Sunday. Her three goals proved to be the difference in a 4-2 win over the Bisons. She got the Pandas on the board with an unassisted tally in the 21' minute and then scored the eventual game winner in the 34', before adding her hat trick tally in the 58'.

Looking ahead: Alberta returns home this weekend to face Saskatchewan and Regina. Fans can stream the games live on Canada West TV.

View WSOC: Standings | Schedule | Leaders

Men's Soccer - Owen Antoniuk (Calgary Dinos)

Sept. 21 vs TRU: 4 shots, 3 SOG

Sept. 22 vs UFV: 3G, 1A, GWG

Antoniuk was an offensive driver last weekend for the Dinos, who remain unbeaten on home turf so far this season.

The third year midfielder led the team with three shots on target in a 1-1 draw with Thompson Rivers on Saturday. He broke through the following day against UFV, scoring a hat trick and adding an assist in a 5-0 win. He set the tone early with a goal in the sixth minute, a tally that would stand as the eventual game winner. He added markers in the 18' and 31', and also assisted on a late marker from Dominic Anamali.

Looking ahead: Calgary has just a single game next weekend, but it's a big one as they travel across the city to face rival Mount Royal on Saturday. Fans can stream the games live on Canada West TV.

View MSOC: Standings | Schedule | Leaders

Women's Golf - Julia Alexander-Carew (UBCO Heat)

Grisham Memorial Shootout Round 1: 71 (-1), featuring 17 pars and 1 birdie

Grisham Memorial Shootout Round 2: 69 (-3), featuring 5 birdies and 2 bogeys

Alexander-Carew earned her second career university level individual title as she brought home gold from the Grisham Memorial Shootout, hosted by the Saint Martin's Saints in DuPont, Wash.

The NCAA Division II tournament featured 13 universities and 67 golfers from across Canada and the United States. The second-year management major was on fire over the 36-hole tournament, finishing at four-under par 140 to win by one shot over SFU's Dana Smith. Her performance also helped the Heat to finished tied for 2nd in the team standings in their first tournament of the fall.

View GOLF: Schedule

Men's Golf - Ethan Howes (Alberta Golden Bears)

U of C Invitational Round 1: 68 (-4)

U of C Invitational Round 2: 65 (-7)

For the second time in three weeks, Ethan Howes is a tournament champion. Entering Monday trailing by two shots, Howes fired a seven-under 65 to win the UofC Invitational. It's the second tournament win of 2024 for Howes, after he won the UofA Invitational two weeks ago. ​
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​Howes was trailing by one shot at the turn on Monday, before carding an eagle and two birdies to start his back nine to jump atop the leaderboard. Howes parred the final four holes to hold onto his lead.

View GOLF: Schedule

Women's Cross Country - Elise Coates (Victoria Vikes)

Vancouver Spirit Run: 1st place in Women's 8km, 29:54

It was an impressive start to the season for the second year from Nanaimo, B.C.

Coates took first place in the women’s 8k race at the Vancouver Spirit Run, besting a strong field of university and local competitors from Vancouver.

View XC: Schedule

Men's Cross Country - Jaiveer Tiwana (UBC Thunderbirds)

Vancouver Spirit Run: 1st place in Men's 8km, 25:59

The fourth-year Thunderbird finished first among a strong field of 81 competitors in the annual Vancouver Spirit run at Jericho Beach on Sunday.

Tiwana finished the eight kilometre course in 25:59, less than a second ahead of former Thunderbird Andrew Davies and eight seconds ahead of Victoria's Ian McAllister. Among the entires were competitors from the University of Victoria, UBC Okanagan as well as many club teams from across the Lower Mainland.

View XC: Schedule

About Players of the Week:

The Canada West Players of the Week 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 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.