Laurier QB Cal Wither Transferring? Let’s Spill the Tea ☕️
+ WVB and MVB national champions crowned, records fall at U SPORTS swimming championships, World Athletics Indoor Championships preview
Quick rundown: Big news shook the Canadian football landscape as news broke that all-Canadian quarterback Cal Wither will be returning to the NCAA to join the University of Maryland after spending a season with the Laurier Golden Hawks.
Wither has previous NCAA experience, competing for the Ohio Bobcats before returning to his hometown of Waterloo to play for the Golden Hawks last season.
The impact:
In his debut season with the purple and gold, Wither led the conference in:
Passing touchdowns (26)
Completion percentage (72.7%)
Pass efficiency (190.7)
Ranked second in the conference in:
Passing yards per game (309.0)
Total passing yards (2,472)
Set a new single-season program record with 26 touchdown passes, breaking a 31-year-old Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks football mark.
Behind the decision: Wither expressed his appreciation for the opportunity to compete for his hometown squad, but his dream of playing in one of college football’s biggest conferences took priority.
“I want to express my deepest gratitude to the Laurier community, the coaches and players,” said Wither. “I have created some of my best memories and experiences playing for my hometown team. I will always bleed purple and gold.” (Via Laurier Athletics)
The impact beyond the numbers: Even though his numbers sit atop the Laurier ranks, Wither’s impact on the program digs deeper. Laurier’s two previous quarterbacks, Taylor Elgersma and Wither, have proven that the team can produce top-tier talent while consistently ranking among the best teams in the nation. With Elgersma and Wither both moving on to bigger opportunities down south, having Laurier on their resumes will pay dividends for the Golden Hawks program going forward in recruiting top-tier Canadian talent.
Wither will be joining a University of Maryland program that went 1–8 in Big Ten conference play, with a 4–8 overall record, and will enter a Big Ten conference that includes perennial powerhouses Ohio State and the University of Michigan.
Panda-monium at the Top 🏐
Quick rundown: The Alberta Golden Pandas are back after winning their eighth national title in program history and their first since 2007.
Alberta came out firing offensively, with 41 kills and a .340 team hitting percentage, with their counterpart, the Sherbrooke Vert et Or, hitting 0.42 with just 26 kills. Sherbrooke’s hitting woes were a true testament to Alberta’s defensive effort, which saw them finish the match with 12 blocks and 39 digs.
Outside hitters Laila Johnston and Abby Guezen both showed up. Johnston finished with 12 kills and a .500 hitting efficiency with zero errors, while Canada West Player of the Year Guezen had 11 kills, with four aces and a game-high 15 points.
In her first three years as head coach of the Golden Pandas, Carolyn O’Dwyer has won bronze, silver, and now U SPORTS gold — medalling at the national championship in each of her first three years as a U SPORTS head coach.
This is Sparta 🏐
Quick rundown: The Trinity Western Spartans have won their eighth national championship in program history and their second championship in four years.
The Spartans defeated the UBC Thunderbirds in five-set fashion, 3–2, led by tournament MVP fifth-year setter Anselm Rein, who had 47 assists in the national final. Both outside hitters Kaden Schmidt and Piers De Greef had huge matches, with Schmidt checking in with 24 kills and De Greef recording 21 kills to lead the Spartans’ offensive charge.
Trinity hit an impressive .625, taking the first set 25–22. UBC cruised through the Spartans 25–15 in the second, while Trinity Western responded with a third-set victory, 26–24. UBC once again dominated the fourth set, 25–11, while Trinity took the fifth set, 15–8, and also took the match. It was a true back-and-forth battle, to say the least.
The debate: With the top three spots in the national tournament going to teams from the Canada West conference, the distribution of national championship berths has come into question.
If we look at the wins and losses of each conference at the national championship, the Canada West teams had a combined record of 7–2, the OUA had a record of 1–6, and the RSEQ had a record of 0–4. Not to mention the University of Alberta, which finished the regular season ranked 5th nationally, didn’t qualify for the national championship, even though it ranked higher than 5 of the 8 teams that did.
Let’s be honest, the Canada West conference is the strongest when it comes to men’s volleyball in U SPORTS, with the last 11 national champions coming from Canada West.
Should the Canada West conference have an additional berth to the national championship?
Making Waves 🏊
Quick rundown: Records were falling left and right this past weekend at the U SPORTS National Swimming Championship, with a total of 18 championship records broken.
Women’s 100m Breaststroke – Alexanne Lepage (Calgary) – 1:04.11
Men’s 100m Butterfly – Kai Lilienthal (UBC) – 50.79
Men’s 50m Backstroke – Andrew Herman (Toronto) – 23.31
Women’s 4x100m Freestyle Relay – UBC (Bridget Burton, Kayla Sanchez, Eloise Allen, Emma O’Croinin) – 3:34.76
Men’s 4x100m Freestyle Relay – UBC (Joel Blanco, Yuri Kisil, Jake Gaunt, Zach Parise) – 3:11.20
Women’s 50m Freestyle – Kayla Sanchez (UBC) – 24.03
Women’s 200m Breaststroke – Alexanne Lepage (Calgary) – 2:20.06
Women’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay – UBC – 7:04.50
Men’s 50m Freestyle – Yuri Kisil (UBC) – 21.31
Men’s 200m Breaststroke – Nathan Thomas (Toronto) – 2:06.26
Men’s 100m Backstroke – Andrew Herman (Toronto) – 50.56
Men’s 50m Butterfly – Kai Lilienthal (UBC) – 22.66
Men’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay – UBC – 7:04.50
100m Freestyle (Women) – Kayla Sanchez (UBC) – 51.76
4×100m Medley Relay (Women) – University of British Columbia – 3:54.03
200m Butterfly (Men) – Benjamin Loewen (Toronto) – 1:53.22
100m Freestyle (Men) – Yuri Kisil (UBC) – 46.77
4×100m Medley Relay (Men) – University of British Columbia – 3:26.64
UBC swept the field, winning both the men’s and women’s championships for the second year in a row, with the men’s squad earning their eighth championship in the past nine years.
U SPORTS on the World Track
Quick rundown: The World Athletics Indoor Championship will be taking place this week in Toruń, Poland — and both current and former U SPORTS athletes will be on display.
Audrey Leduc — Université Laval
Avery Pearson — University of Saskatchewan
Keon Rude — University of Guelph
Lucia Stafford — University of Toronto
Maeliss Trapeau — University of Ottawa
Sarah Mitton — University of Windsor
Sienna McDonald — University of Calgary
Travis Campbell — University of Guelph
Tyrell Davis — University of Manitoba
Zoe Sherar — University of Guelph
10 of the 18 names on the Canadian roster will be set to compete at the 21st edition of the event.
Love to see it.