CW Announces Players of the Week

Oct. 29, 2024 - The Canada West calendar has hit high gear with multiple fall sports beginning their championship stretch.

The Final Four in women's soccer is now set, with Calgary, UBC, Trinity Western and Victoria all advancing. On the men's side, UBC and Mount Royal are set for a CW Final rematch after both teams used late dramatics to claim victory in their semifinal matches.

The final week of the football regular season also featured fireworks, with Regina wrapping up the fourth and final playoff spot thanks to a comeback win over Alberta. Meanwhile, Manitoba secured the first seed and home field advantage throughout the Hardy Cup Playoffs with a 51-38 win over UBC.

The Hardy Cup semifinals are set for next Saturday, with Manitoba hosting Regina and Saskatchewan travelling west to face UBC.

Elsewhere, the conference's best runners ran for the podium at the CW Cross Country Championships in Camrose, swimmers met in Calgary for the Dino Cup, while volleyball and hockey schedules continued regular season play.

Here are your Canada West Players of the Week.

Women's Soccer - Sienna Gibson (UBC Thunderbirds) 

Oct. 26 - 2G, 3 SOG, 57 mins in a 7-0 UBC quarter-final win vs ALB

The rookie midfielder posted her first career multi-point game, scoring twice to help power the Thunderbirds to a resounding 7-0 win over the Alberta Pandas in Canada West quarter-final action last Saturday night.

Gibson scored twice within an 11 minute span in the first half. The rookie midfielder has appeared in all 15 regular season and playoff games this year for UBC.

The T-Birds now head to Calgary for the Canada West Final Four which gets underway Friday night with UBC facing the TWU Spartans in a rematch of last year's conference and U SPORTS National Championship Finals.

View WSOC: Standings | Schedule | Leaders

Men's Soccer - Jackson Cowx (UFV Cascades)

Oct. 25 vs CGY: 11 saves, 0 goals allowed, 1 PK save in regulation, 120 minutes played, 1 PK save in a 0-0 (5-3) PK quarter-final win

Oct. 27 vs UBC: 7 saves in 120 minutes played in 4-2 extra time semifinal loss

Jackson Cowx proved once again that he is one of the most clutch goalkeepers in Canada West. The fifth-year senior kept a clean sheet on Friday, stopping a penalty shot during the game, and another in the shootout as the Cascades picked up a 0-0 (5-3 on PK's) victory over Calgary.

Cowx left everything on the field in the Cascades final game of the season, as he made seven saves to keep his team in the game as they pushed the No. 2 ranked UBC Thunderbirds to the brink in another extra time game in Sunday's Canada West semifinal. Cowx led the Cascades to their best ever regular season record and a CW final four finish after being ranked 10th in the MSOC coaches pool earlier this year.

View MSOC: Standings | Schedule | Leaders

Women's Cross Country - Constance Nankivell (TWU Spartans)

Oct. 26 - Won Canada West Championship, Named Athlete of the Year

Nankivell was named Canada West Athlete of the Year after winning the championship by 38 seconds with a time of 28:38.9 over the eight-kilometre course at Stoney Creek Park in Camrose, Alta.

It was Nankivell's third win of the season. Prior to this weekend Nankivell won the Pacific Lutheran Invitational in Seattle, WA, the Bill Roe Classic in Bellingham, WA, and finished second at the Stewart Cup in Calgary, AB.

Men's Cross Country - Ron MacLean (Alberta Golden Bears)

Oct. 26 - Won Canada West Championship, Named Athlete of the Year

Fourth-year Golden Bear Ron MacLean electrified the home crowd with a sensational gold medal performance. The Stewart Cup Champion from two weeks prior, MacLean won the men's race with a time of 25:33.9, besting his previous high of silver from the 2022 Canada West Championship.

MacLean held a lead of less than a second over Trinity Western Spartan Yemane Mulugeta after the first loop of the course, before stretching his lead over the final two kilometers.

Next up for MacLean and fellow runners will be the 2024 U SPORTS Championship, hosted by UBC Okanagan on Nov. 9 in Kelowna.

Football Offensive Player of the Week - Christian Katende (Regina Rams)

Oct. 25 vs ALB: 228 rushing yards, 2 TDs, 8.8 yards per carry, 1 catch for 18 yards, 246 all-purpose yards

Christian Katende put the Regina Rams on his back on Friday night at Leibel Field and carried his squad into the postseason.

It was a historic night for the third-year running back, with his career-high 228 rushing yards standing as the third most ever recorded by a University of Regina player in a single game. Katende finished with 246 all-purpose yards and scored two touchdowns, including the game-winning score late in the 29-22 victory over Alberta.
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View CW Football: Standings | Schedule | Leaders

Football Defensive Player of the Week - Mitchell Townsend (UBC Thunderbirds)

Oct. 26 at MAN - 12 solo TKL, 5 TKL assists

The veteran defensive lineman amassed a career-high 12 solo tackles while adding another five assisted tackles to lead all defensive players in UBC's week eight matchup with the Bisons.

Townsend finished the regular season second in the conference with 37 solo tackles (just one off the pace) and 53 total (just 0.5 off the lead) along with a pair of sacks. Townsend and the T-Birds host the Saskatchewan Huskies in a Canada West semifinal this Saturday with UBC looking for a third straight berth in the Hardy Cup Final.

View CW Football: Standings | Schedule | Leaders

Football Special Teams Player of the Week - Kieran Flannery-Fleck (UBC Thunderbirds)

Oct. 26 at Man - 1/1 FG (44 yards), 5/5 XP

The fourth-year kicker was perfect on the day, nailing his only field goal attempt from 44 yards out, and successfully converting all five point-after attempts. Flannery-Fleck finished the regular season a perfect 23-for-23 on touchdown conversions while three of his 10 field goals were 42-yards or longer.

The T-Birds host the Saskatchewan Huskies in a Hardy Cup semifinal battle this Saturday afternoon at Thunderbird Stadium.

View CW Football: Standings | Schedule | Leaders

Women's Hockey - Elise Hugens (UBC Thunderbirds)

Oct. 25 at ALB - 28 saves, win, shutout in a 3-0 win

Oct. 26 at ALB - 33 saves, win, 1 GA in a 2-1 win

Elise Hugens led the Thunderbirds to a weekend sweep on the road over the Pandas, posting back-to-back wins including a 28 save shutout, the 17th of her career to set a new program record. That win Friday night also set a new UBC record which she extended Saturday, now with 45.

Conceding just the one goal on 63 shots, Hugens finished the weekend with a .984 save percentage. The 6-2 Thunderbirds are now two points back of Mount Royal for first in the West Division as UBC hosts the MacEwan Griffins for a pair of contests this weekend starting Friday night at Father Bauer Arena.

View WHKY: Standings | Schedule | Statistics

Men's Hockey - Ty Thorpe (UBC Thunderbirds)

Oct. 25 vs ALB - 1G, 3 Shots, even +/- in ​ 5-3 loss

Oct. 26 vs ALB - 2G, GWG, 1A, 3 Shots, +2 in 4-1 win

Finishing with a four-point weekend, Ty Thorpe scored twice including the game winner while adding an assist in UBC's 4-1 win over the Golden Bears on Saturday, earning a key weekend series split while handing the No. 3 ranked Alberta their first loss of the season.

Thorpe was in on UBC's final three goals Saturday, scoring the game winner late in the second period before assisting on Jake Wright's insurance marker in the third and then scoring again for his first career Canada West three-point game.

The 3-4-1 Thunderbirds kick off two straight weekends on the road this Friday night in Edmonton when they take on the MacEwan Griffins.

View MHKY: Standings | Schedule | Statistics

Women's Volleyball - Rida Erlalelitepe (Thompson Rivers WolfPack)

Oct. 25 at MAN - 31 kills, .419 hitting %, 2 aces, 12 digs in 3-1 win ​
​Oct. 26 at MAN - 14 kills, .444 hitting %, 1 solo block, 3 block assists, 11 digs in 3-0 win

It was a debut weekend to remember for Rida Erlalelitepe as the outside hitter from Izmir, Turkey helped power the Thompson Rivers WolfPack women's volleyball team to a sweep over the reigning Canada West champion Manitoba Bisons.

Erlalelitepe wrote her name into the conference record books Friday night with an astonishing 31 kills, a mark that ties her with former WolfPack legend Iuliia Pakhomenko for the most kills in a four-set match in Canada West history.

Hitting an incredibly efficient .444 percent on Saturday, Erlalelitepe followed up her record tying performance with 14 more kills as the WolfPack dispatched the Bisons in straight-sets.

View WVB: Standings | Schedule | Leaders

Men's Volleyball - Zach van Geel (UBC Okanagan Heat)

Oct. 25 vs GMU - 35 assists, 3 kills, 5 digs, 2 aces, 1 block in 3-0 win
​Oct. 26 vs GMU - 41 assists, 4 kills, 7 digs, 1 block in 3-1 win

Zach van Geel led the Heat this weekend to several offensive program records for attack efficiency and his distribution was impressive with three players on the Heat registering double digit kills in each match against the Griffins.

On Friday, van Geel posted 35 assists, tying him for fourth all-time in team history for assists in a match, and his play led the team to a .476 hitting percentage, the second-best single-game in team history.

He would add another 41 assists on Saturday and his 10.9 assists per set ranks him 3rd in the conference early in the season.

Currently his offence leads Canada West in attack efficiency (.414 percent) and kills per set (15.0) in the team categories and there are 3 players in the top 10 in attack efficiency, led by Thys Weststrate and Jack Taylor.

View MVB: Standings | Schedule | Leaders

Women's Swimming - Kayla Sanchez (UBC Thunderbirds)

Oct. 25/26 - Dino Cup:

200 Freestyle Relay - 1st of 4 (1:42.85)

100 Butterfly - 1st of 24 (59.92)

400 Freestyle - 1st of 16 (4:13.27)

100 Freestyle - 1st of 22 (51.96)

100 IM - 1st of 14 (59.04)

400 Freestyle Relay - 1st of 4 (3:42.53)

The Olympian set two new UBC program records (100 free and lead off split of the 200 free relay) as part of four first place individual finishes and two first place relay performances at the Dino Cup over the weekend. The Thunderbirds claimed 141 points to edge the host Dinos by 20 for the overall team victory.

Men's Swimming - Stephen Calkins (Calgary Dinos)

Oct. 25/26 - Dino Cup:

50 backstroke - 1st of 21 (25.79)

50 butterfly - 1st of 10 (24.46)

50 freestyle - 1st of 25 (22.73)

100 freestyle - 1st of 18 (49.53)

200 freestyle relay - 1st of 3 (1:31.13)

400 freestyle relay - 2nd of 3 (3:21.25)

It was an emphatic start to the season for the reigning Canada West Male Swimmer of the Year, as Stephen Calkins helped the Dinos to a team win at their annual Dino Invitational. Calkins won all four of his individual events on the weekend and helped the Dinos to a win in the 200 free relay and a silver medal in the 400 free relay.

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.