CALGARY – Alberta’s Austin Cole and Saskatchewan’s Avery Pearson were named the CW Track and Field Athletes of the Week by the conference Tuesday.

Cole hauled three national medals home from the U SPORTS Championships in Saint John, NB. He captured an individual silver in the 300-metre race after a photo finish with Saskatchewan’s Karson Lehner. The Sherwood Park, AB product was half a second off his own record in the event. His 2019 mark (32.89) remains the one to beat on the U SPORTS stage.

Cole also helped Alberta to two golds in the relays, first leading off for the 4×200-metre team that finished nearly two seconds faster than the second-place Saskatchewan Huskies. He then anchored the golden 4×400-metre team with a blazing personal time of 47.701.

Meanwhile, a rookie runner finished off a memorable season of her own at the U SPORTS Championships. Avery Pearson also took home three national medals after being named the U SPORTS Rookie of the Year.

Pearson earned herself a bronze in the 600-metre race where all three medalists crossed the line within a third of a second of each other. Pearson’s time of 1:32.47 proved she can run with anyone in just her first year of U SPORTS competition.

The Meadow Lake, SK product then anchored her 4×400-metre team to a silver medal a few hours later. This all came a day after Pearson anchored the Saskatchewan squad to a silver medal in the 4×800-metre event. The Huskies finished a second back of the Western Mustangs, but gave everyone something to worry about in the years to come.

CALGARY – Winnipeg’s Faith Hezekiah and Saskatchewan’s Marquavian Stephens were named the Canada West Basketball Players of the Week by the conference on Tuesday.

A veteran of the country’s number three ranked team, Hezekiah put together a series of gutsy performances on the national stage this weekend.

She began her hunt Thursday, posting 18 points in the team’s 81-67 victory over Laval in the quarter-finals. Hezekiah was the most efficient player on the court, finishing eight of 13 from the field and two of three from deep while grabbing up six rebounds.

On Saturday, the Wesmen battled the Queen’s Gaels and their hometown crowd, but the opposing noise and the grandeur of the moment did little to unnerve Hezekiah. Seal the team’s largest lead with a three pointer in the first half? Check. Quell Queen’s deafening momentum with a fourth-quarter dagger from well beyond the arc? Check. Seize back the lead on two free throws with the anxiety of the late-game moment palpable in the air? Not a doubt. Hezekiah’s nerves of steel punched her team’s ticket to the national finals as she put up a 26-point double-double.

In the finals, Hezekiah again helped lead her team’s offence, posting 27 per cent of the team’s points with 13 but it wasn’t enough to overcome the undefeated, top-seeded Rams. Hezekiah and her Wesmen finished the weekend with a national silver medal while the East St. Paul, MB product earned a spot on the Championship all-star team.

Meanwhile, Stephens takes home the honour on the men’s side for the second straight time after leading his number eight ranked Saskatchewan Huskies to the U SPORTS national finals over the weekend.

Saskatchewan earned the tournament’s final seed after placing third in the CW Championships on March 18 & 19. But Stephens and his team embraced the underdog title as they pushed through a tough field to land themselves a national silver.

On Friday, Stephens led his Huskies to a remarkable upset of the number-one ranked Brock Badgers by putting up five of his team-leading points in the final minute of a barn-burning game. With his team stuck three heading into the final minute, Stephens took charge, first hitting a three then finessing his way through a double team to the basketball to put his team up by one with five seconds left. He stole the ball back in the dying seconds to punctuate his statement.

Stephens has established himself as the epitome of a clutch player after hitting a game-winning three-pointer in the final moments of the team’s bronze medal game at the CW Championship, their ticket to nationals.

In Saturday’s semi-final match, Stephens again led his team’s charge as they trampled the fifth-seeded Queen’s Gaels, 86-60. Stephens posted 25 points, five rebounds, seven assists and a steal in another electric performance. The Flint, MI product fuelled the Huskies in their second-straight upset and into the National Championship Final.

In the Finals, the Huskies ran into a roadblock, falling to the Carleton Ravens despite a valiant effort. Stephens put up 16 points, five assists, three rebounds and a steal but it wasn’t enough to overcome a second-quarter lead built by the Ravens. The Huskies took home a national silver medal, while Stephens earned a spot on the Championship’s all-star team.