CW BioSteel Players of the Week: Dec. 2

Dec. 2, 2025 - It was the last jam-packed weekend of the fall semester across Canada West, with fans treated to world-class swimming and heated rivalry matchups across basketball, volleyball, wrestling and hockey.

Multiple conference records fell at the 2025 Canada West Swimming Championships in Lethbridge, highlighted by two record-breaking swims from UBC superstar Kayla Sanchez. The two-time Olympic medallist set new conference marks in the 50-metre freestyle and 50-metre backstroke, earning honours as the conference’s Female Swimmer of the Year. UBC’s men’s and women’s teams were dominant throughout the meet, sweeping the team titles.

It was also the final weekend of the semester in volleyball, and things wrapped up with a bang. The TRU WolfPack women continue to turn heads, closing their semester with a sweep of the Manitoba Bisons. TRU sits atop the standings at 10-2, setting a new program record for wins before the winter break.

In men’s volleyball, the UBCO Heat stayed red-hot with a road sweep of Brandon, while rivals Alberta and Trinity Western split a tightly contested weekend series.

On the hardwood, the basketball standings remain razor-thin. In women’s basketball, four teams - Alberta, Calgary, Regina and Saskatchewan - head into the break with perfect 10-0 records. Victoria leads the way on the men’s side at 9-2, with UBC, Alberta and Mount Royal close behind with eight wins apiece.

On the ice, UBC’s Grace Elliot continues to rewrite the program record book. The dynamic forward scored two game-winning goals in a weekend sweep of Saskatchewan and is now tied for the all-time program points lead with 116. She’ll look to set a new standard before the semester ends as the T-Birds take on Trinity Western in a home-and-home this weekend.

In men’s hockey, there was no love lost between bitter rivals Mount Royal and Calgary, as the teams split a Crowchild Classic home-and-home. Trinity Western also made headlines by sweeping Alberta for the first time in program history, with Artem Hrabovetskyi recording TWU’s first-ever hat trick in Canada West play.

Wrestling was also in action, with Saskatchewan hosting a dual meet against Calgary on Friday before staging the Huskie Open on Saturday. It was a strong showing for the hosts, as the Dogs swept the team titles at the Open.

Let's get to our BioSteel Players of the Week.

Women's Swimming - Kayla Sanchez (UBC Thunderbirds)

Named CW Female Swimmer of the Year at 2025 CW Swimming Championships

Olympian Kayla Sanchez put on a world class display at the 2025 Canada West Swimming Championships, earning Canada West Female Swimmer of the Year honours while also leading her team to the team title.

Sanchez opened the event with a stunning swim in the 50m backstroke, setting a new Canada West record with a time of 25.98 - the eighth-fastest time in the world this year. She also helped the T-Birds cap the opening night with a team gold in the 800m freestyle relay.

She kicked off night two by setting another individual Canada West record at 23.90 in the women's 50m freestyle, after breaking her own previous record set last year. She added another gold with a dominant swim in the 200m freestyle, touching the wall in 1:55.49.

Men's Swimming - Aiden Kirk (UBC Thunderbirds)

Named Male Rookie of the Year & Male Swimmer of the Year at 2025 CW Swimming Championships

Talk about making a splash in your first conference championship. Kirk completed a historic weekend in the pool, as the first year sensation earned the rare honour of being named both the Canada West Male Swimmer of the Year and Rookie of the Year. His performance helped lead the UBC men's team to a decisive team title victory at the 2025 Canada West Swimming Championships.

His dominance started in the very first event of the weekend, claiming gold in the 1500m freestyle with a time of 15:02.62, over 22 seconds faster than the next finisher. He struck gold again on Saturday with a terrific swim in the 400m IM, touching the wall just ahead of his T-Birds' teammate Jaque Harrison. He then capped his weekend with two golds on Sunday, in the 200m butterfly and 400m freestyle.

Women's Hockey - Grace Elliott (UBC Thunderbirds)

Nov. 28 vs SSK: 1 G, GWG, 7 shots, +1 in 4-1 win

Nov. 29 vs SSK: 1 G, GWG, 3 shots in 1-0 win

The reigning Canada West Player of the Year hit another milestone last weekend, tying the all-time Thunderbird program record with 116 career points.

Elliott tallied two game winners in a weekend sweep of the Huskies. She scored the game winner on the power play in a 4-1 win on Friday, before adding her conference leading 15th goal of the season the next day in a 1-0 shutout victory.

View Women's Hockey: Standings | Schedule | Leaders

Men's Hockey - Artem Hrabovetskyi (Trinity Western Spartans)

Nov. 28 vs ALB: 3 goals, 1 assist in 7-3 win

Nov. 29 vs ALB: 1 goal in 3-2 shootout win

Artem Hrabovetskyi had five points over two games in what stood as a historic weekend for the Spartans, as they swept Alberta for the first time in program history.

Hrabovetskyi tallied TWU's first-ever hat-trick in men's hockey since entering Canada West to lead the Spartans a 7-3 Friday night win over Alberta. The following night, the second-year from Kyiv scored again to help TWU to a 3-2 shootout win.

Hrabovetskyi is now second in team scoring with eight goals and five assists in 16 games.

View Men's Hockey: Standings | Schedule | Leaders

Women's Volleyball - Libby Meldrum (Thompson Rivers WolfPack)

Nov. 28 vs MAN: 35 assists, 3 service aces, 7 digs, 3 block assists in 3-0 win

Nov. 29 vs MAN: 42 assists, 2 service aces, 3 digs in 3-0 win

Setter Libby Meldrum led the way for a TRU WolfPack women's volleyball team that completed a monumental sweep of the Manitoba Bisons last weekend.

Meldrum, a product of North Vancouver, tallied 35 assists in just three sets while also adding three service aces and three block assists in TRU's 3-0 victory over Manitoba Friday night. Meldrum was even better on Saturday, finishing with 42 assists - just one shy of the 10th most in Canada West history in a three set match - and two service aces as the WolfPack completed a perfect weekend with another 3-0 sweep over the Bisons.

Meldrum leads the entire nation so far this season with 10.42 assists-per-set and has played a massive role in TRU's best start to a season in program history. The WolfPack enter the winter break with a record of 10-2 and ranked seventh in the U SPORTS Top 10.

View Women's Volleyball: Standings | Schedule | Leaders

Men's Volleyball - Seba Manuel (UBCO Heat)

Nov. 28 at BDN: 20 kills, .529 hitting %, 8 digs, 1 block, 1 ace, 22 points in 3-1 win

Nov. 29 at BDN: 19 kills, .304 hitting %, 7 digs, 3 blocks, 3 aces, 23.5 points in 3-2 win

Manuel had the best weekend of his career to help lead UBCO to a weekend sweep over the defending national champion Bobcats.

He opened the weekend with a 20-kill performance on Friday, setting a new career-high for kills in a match, while committing just two errors to lead the Heat to a four-set win. The fourth-year outside hitter followed that up with 19 more kills in Saturday's five set win, recording a career-best 39 kills over two matches. He would add three crucial service aces in consecutive fashion in the fifth-set that created the cushion needed for the Heat to close out the match and set a new school record for most wins in a Canada West season with 11 through just 12 games played.

View Men's Volleyball: Standings | Schedule | Leaders

Women's Basketball - Colette Van der Hoven (Trinity Western Spartans)

Nov. 28 vs LET: 27 pts, 3 steals, 3 reb while shooting 68.8% from the field in 87-66 win

Nov. 29 vs LET: 16 pts, 4 steals, 7 reb while shooting 41.2% from the field in 70-57 win

The second-year Van der Hoven averaged 21.5 points per game in a decisive weekend sweep of Lethbridge, including a career-high 27 points while shooting 68.8 per cent from the field in Friday night's win.

She also averaged 3.5 steals per game and five rebounds per game to help lift Trinity Western to its eighth straight win and send the 10-2 Spartans into the break leading their division for the first time in program history.

View Women's Basketball: Standings | ​ Schedule | Leaders

Men's Basketball - Bennett O'Connor (Fraser Valley Cascades)

Nov. 28 vs TRU: 13 pts, 5 reb, 5 assists, 1 block, 3 steals, 36 min in 72-66 win

Nov. 29 vs TRU: 21 pts, 9 reb, 7 assists, 35 min in 72-66 win

Point Guard Bennett O'Connor led the Cascades to a pair of impressive wins over the Thompson Rivers WolfPack last week, helping UFV (7-4) pull even with the WolfPack in the standings.

O'Connor found himself all over the stat sheet on Friday with 13 points and five assists, but the third-year player was even more impressive on Saturday. O'Connor was just one rebound and three assists shy of a triple double, while scoring a team-high 21 points in the four-point win.

View Men's Basketball: Standings | Schedule | Leaders

Women's Wrestling - Myah Phillips (Saskatchewan Huskies)

Nov. 28: Win by pin (0:28) in Huskie Duals

Nov. 29: 1st-Place (83kg) in Huskie Open

It was an impressive home weekend for Myah Phillips as Saskatchewan hosted the Huskie Duals and the Huskie Open.

On Friday night, the fourth-year Saskatoon product needed just 28 seconds to earn a pin, the second-fastest fall in the duals. She followed that with a perfect record on Saturday, finishing atop the podium in the women’s 83-kilogram weight class to close out an undefeated weekend.

Men's Wrestling - Donovan Neudorf (Saskatchewan Huskies)

Nov. 28: Win by pin (4:33) in Huskie Duals

Nov. 29: 1st-Place (65kg) in Huskie Open

Veteran Huskie wrestler Donovan Neudorf delivered a flawless weekend in a pair of home events.

On Friday night, Neudorf earned a pin of Calgary's Kaden de Castro to help the Huskies defeat the Dinos 22-17 in the Huskie Duals. The following day, the Arts & Science student topped the podium in the men's 65kg weight class, securing a perfect weekend at home.

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.