Memorable moments and stellar performance from this year’s varsity season
Thunderfest, photo by Sajjan Sarai.
With the semester coming to a close, varsity sports have also come to an end. The Vikes varsity teams competed well, brought home hardware, and put up jaw-dropping performances. While it would be nice to name all the achievements from every team, here are some of the best moments from this year.
Team success
Vikes teams had a stellar amount of success this year, bringing home banners of all sorts. The Vikes men’s golf and basketball teams came home with Canada West Championships. Men’s basketball secured their second straight Canada West Championship, were the number one ranked team going into the U Sports Championships, and topped their conference with a 17–3 record, going undefeated at home.
Women’s rowing and field hockey secured national championship wins, with field hockey extending their banner streak to four consecutive titles. It was the perfect way to cap off Coach Lynne Beecroft’s final season. She led the Vikes to 15 national championships over 39 years, creating one of the most dominant programs this school (and nation) has ever seen.
The men’s and women’s swim teams also put together some great performances, including a 15-medal performance at the Canada West Championships, and managed to earn three more medals at the U Sports Championships. Likewise, the men’s and women’s track teams managed to secure seven medals at the Canada West Championships which included a podium sweep in the Men’s 3000 m. They also added an eighth medal at U Sports.
Individual standouts
When talking about individual performances this year, you can’t overlook Diego Maffia who was on his own level. Averaging 24.5 points per game, Maffia scored 497 points in 20 games, including a 40-point performance in the U Sports quarterfinals. This was enough to break the Vikes men’s scoring record and earn him Canada West Player of the Year, Canada West First Team, U Sports All-Canadian Team, and the U Sports Scoring Title.
Swimming had some standout performers as well. Yasmin Perry finished with five medals, Sophie Tarrant earned four, Cameron Hill won three, and Lauren Crisp came up big with a medal in each color. In addition, Crisp secured a gold medal at U Sports in the 100 m backstroke, with Tarrant capturing a bronze medal in the 200 m breaststroke.
Jennifer Erickson was a breakout candidate this year for the track team. Originally a walk-on to the team, Erickson earned a gold and bronze medal at the Canada West Championships and finished the season off with a U Sports gold medal in the 3000 m. To make the feat even more spectacular, the national win comes a year after being diagnosed with Grave’s disease.
Every member of the Vikes varsity program competed well this year, but these teams and individuals did a phenomenal job representing UVic at the highest level. Students can look forward to witnessing exceptional athletic prowess when the Vikes compete again next year.
