Oct. 31, 2023 – In the midst of a busy crossover season, there were many notable team and individual performances across Canada West last week. The action was highlighted by a dramatic final regular season weekend of football, as well as soccer playoff action and the conference’s Cross Country championships. With that, the Canada West Universities Athletic Association is proud to announce its Players of the Week.

Football Offensive Player of the Week – RB Ryker Frank (Saskatchewan)

Huskies running back Ryker Frank exploded for two touchdowns and 172 yards against his hometown team, leading the Saskatchewan Huskies to a 43-11 win at Regina.

While both offences took a while to get into gear, it was Frank who helped the Huskies take command of the game. It started with a one-yard touchdown score halfway through the second quarter, giving Saskatchewan a 10-4 lead. He would strike again just three minutes later, taking a handoff from QB Anton Amundrud and rushing up the field for a 40 yard touchdown.

Frank and the Huskies will now head to Alberta to take on the Golden Bears next Saturday in the Hardy Cup semifinals. ​

Football Defensive Player of the Week – DB Ethan Laing (Saskatchewan)

Laing raised his game to another level while facing rival Regina in the Battle of Saskatchewan last Saturday, delivering a huge defensive effort in a 43-11 win.

The defensive back was a thorn in the Rams offence all game long, grabbing five solo tackles, one assisted tackle, and three tackles for a loss – including two sacks.

The hometown Saskatoon product also picked up an interception, getting the second half started on the right note by intercepting an Owen Sieben pass at the 55 yardline on just the second play of the half. The Huskies will now head to Alberta to take on the Golden Bears next Saturday in the Hardy Cup semifinals. ​

Football Special Teams Player of the Week – K Vince Triumbari (Calgary)

With the Dinos playoff hopes on the line, Triumbari delivered a perfect performance in a pressure filled situation.

The Dinos needed to defeat Manitoba by at least 13 to leapfrog the Bisons into the playoffs, making every point crucial for Triumbari and the Calgary offence. The third-year kicker from Stoney Creek, Ont. answered the call, going 4/4 on his field goal attempts, including a long of 42 yards on what was a cold, blustery day at McMahon Stadium. He also added three extra points and scored two single points off kickoffs.

The Dinos went on to win 35-23 to finish the season on an impressive three-game win streak, but ultimately fell just short of sneaking into the final Canada West playoff spot.

Women’s Soccer – F Erin Jensen (Victoria)

Jensen led her team to a big upset in the quarterfinals as the Vikes braved the elements and shocked Prairie Division leader MacEwan with a 2-0 road victory.

She opened the scoring by finding an open lane in the 27th minute, sending a low shot to the inside right post to put Victoria out in front 1-0. She then doubled the lead by pouncing on a ball and using her speed to create just enough opening for a shot, putting the game out of reach.

The third-year forward from Nanaimo, BC has scored in three of the last four matches and will lead her team into the semifinal round, where the Vikes will take on Trinity Western.

Men’s Soccer – MID Miguel Da Rocha (Mount Royal)

Da Rocha helped the Mount Royal Cougars men’s soccer team make history last weekend, scoring twice and adding an assist while playing a key role in two extra time wins over Thompson Rivers and Victoria. The wins helped MRU advance to the CW final and the U SPORTS national tournament for the first time in their history.

On Saturday against TRU, Da Rocha headed home a corner kick from Nikolas Myroniuk late in the second overtime, giving the Cougars a dramatic game winner.

Da Rocha again provided the dramatics the next day against Victoria, as he scored in the first overtime session by finishing off a Skyler Rogers corner kick. He then salted the game away in the second overtime, breaking free of the Vikes defence and sending an easy tip-in pass to Mowbray Beghin. The fourt-year midfielder will now prepare to take on juggernaut UBC in the Canada West final next Saturday in Calgary.

Women’s Hockey – ​ F Chanreet Bassi (UBC)

Bassi’s offensive touch led the T-Birds to a pair of big wins over the MacEwan Griffins, extending their winning streak to eight games. She opened the scoring on Friday with a short side powerplay goal in a 6-2 win, then added two more tallies and a pair of assists in a 7-0 shutout the following night. The fourth year forward from Lake Country, B.C. now has five goals and five assists on the year, placing her tied for third in conference scoring.

Men’s Hockey – F Vince Loschiavo (Saskatchewan)

An offensive explosion from Loscchiavo helped the Huskies continue one of the best starts in program history, improving to 8-0 with a pair of wins over Trinity Western.

The third-year forward from Winnipeg scored a pair of goals in each contest, giving him six goals and 10 points in eight games this season. Loscchiavo and his teammates will now head to Alberta next weekend for a showdown with the Golden Bears.

Women’s Volleyball – OH Amaya Perry (UBC Okanagan)

Perry was simply unstoppable while leading the Heat to a pair of victories over the Mount Royal Cougars on the weekend.

Her fireball serve helped the Heat roar back to a 3-1 comeback win on Friday, as she delivered an incredible seven aces and 11 kills while hitting .500. The fourth-year outside hitter from Chin, Alta. and former Canada West Rookie of the Year in 2019-20 followed that up with 17 kills and three more service aces the next day in another 3-1 victory.

Perry and the Heat continue their four-game road trip next weekend as they head to Langley, B.C., to take on the defending Canada West champions, the Trinity Western Spartans. ​

Men’s Volleyball – OH Isaiah Olfert (Winnipeg)

Olfert was an all-around force while leading the Wesmen to two head turning victories over the defending national champion Trinity Western Spartans.

The outside hitter collected 28 kills over the two games, including a team high 18 in a remarkable reverse sweep comeback on Saturday. Olfert hit for an impressive .449 percentage, while also adding three aces and eight digs.

The victories were made extra sweet as they came against his former club. Olfert spent parts of three seasons with the Spartans before transferring home at the start of 2022. The Winnipeg win on Friday was their first victory over TWU since 2017, breaking a streak of nine straight defeats.

Cross Country – WXC: Katie Newlove (UBC) and MXC: Andrew Davies (UBC)

The UBC Thunderbirds continued their domination of the podium at the 2023 Canada West Cross Country Championships in Kelowna, led by gold medal performances from Katie Newlove and Andrew Davies. The performance marked the third straight year the T-Birds men’s and women’s teams swept the podium.

Newlove’s gold medal time of 28:12 was a clear ten seconds ahead of the women’s silver medallist. The performance from the third-year Ottawa, Ont. product helped lead the T-Birds to their fifth straight team title.

Davies cleared the course in an impressive 23:40 and was the first of four straight UBC finishers. The first-place finish for the first-year grad student from Sarnia, Ont. helped the T-Birds coasted to their third-straight team championship.

Having conquered the conference, Newlove, Davies and the T-Birds will shift their focus to the upcoming U SPORTS National Championships which take place on Sunday, Nov. 12 in London, Ontario.

Women’s Swimming – Alexanne Lepage (Calgary)

Lepage, a first-year Dinos swimmer from Vernon, B.C., impressed the hometown crowd by picking up four individual wins at the Dinos Invitational last weekend in Calgary.

Coming off her double gold-medal performance at the World Juniors earlier in September, Lepage dominated in the breaststroke events, winning the women’s 200m in 2:26.24 – over four seconds ahead of UBC’s Amaris Peng (2:30.37) and touched for first in the 100 with a time of 1:07.95. In addition to her signature events, Lepage showed her versatility by picking up wins in the 200 and 400 individual medley races, as well. ​

Men’s Swimming – Frank Ho (UBC)

Frank Ho, a second-year swimmer from Hong Kong, put on a dominant display as he led the Thunderbirds by finishing tops in every individual event he competed in. He placed first in the 50m Fly (24.46) and 100m Fly (54.34) events, as well as the 50m Free (23.31) and 100m Free (49.71) events. He also captured second place with his UBC teammates in both the 200m and 400m Free Relay.