THIS WEEK IN COUGAR ATHLETICS

At Home – Friday
Women’s Basketball vs. Calgary, 7:00 p.m. (CKHS)
   
At Home – Saturday
Women’s Basketball vs. Calgary, 7:00 p.m. (CKHS)

At Home – Sunday
(if necessary) Women’s Basketball vs. Calgary, 7:00 p.m. (CKHS)

On the Road – Thursday
Men’s Basketball at Thompson Rivers, 7:00 p.m. PST (Kamloops, B.C.)

On the Road – Friday
Men’s Basketball at Thompson Rivers, 7:00 p.m. PST (Kamloops, B.C.)

On the Road – Saturday
(if necessary) Men’s Basketball at Thompson Rivers, 7:00 p.m. PST (Kamloops, B.C.)

Women’s Basketball (CIS Ranking: No. 5) – After a week off, the Cougars return to the hardwood this weekend for a best-of-three Canada West quarterfinal series against Calgary at the Centre for Kinesiology, Health & Sport. The two teams clashed twice late in the Canada West schedule in Calgary, with the Dinos pulling out an overtime win before the Cougars responded for an 83-71 win the following night. The first two games are scheduled for Friday and Saturday night, with the third and deciding game to be played on Sunday if it’s needed. Start time for all three games is 7 p.m., with the winner of the series to advance to the Canada West Final Four.

Men’s Basketball – The Cougars overcame a Game 1 loss to record back-to-back wins over Winnipeg last weekend at the CKHS as they advanced to the Canada West quarterfinals. Despite having several players battling illness, the U of R was able to shake off a 15-point second-half deficit in Game 2 and held on for a series-clinching 75-69 win in Game 3. Next up for the Cougars is Thompson Rivers, as they’ll head to Kamloops, B.C. for a best-of-three series that starts Thursday night. The winner of that series will move on to the Canada West Final Four.

Swimming – Noah Choboter burst onto the national scene last weekend at the CIS Championships in Quebec City, winning both the 100-metre and 200-metre backstrokes to collect just the second and third CIS gold medals in the history of the University of Regina’s swimming program. Choboter also finished just off the podium in the 50-metre backstroke, placing fourth in that event. The women’s team combined for three fourth place finishes at the CIS meet – Eva Madar in both the 100-metre and 200-metre butterfly, and Lexy King in the 800-metre freestyle.

Wrestling – Kayla Brodner and Kristine Longeau both earned bronze medals at the CIS Championships hosted by Brock University on the weekend. Brodner wrestled her way to a 2-1 record in the 67-kilogram class, while Longeau also went 2-1 at 72 kilograms. Gaelan Malloy was the top finisher on the men’s side, placing fourth at 72 kg.

Track & Field (Men’s CIS Ranking: No. 8) – Kahlen Branning was named the Canada West Track Performer of the Year after winning three medals at the conference meet, including a gold in the 300-metre dash, a silver in the 60-metre dash, and a bronze with the 4×200-metre relay team. The men’s team also got gold medals from Ahmed Alkabary (long jump), Tevaughn Campbell (60-metre dash), and Greg Hetterley (1000-metre run) while the women’s team saw both Joy Becker (long jump) and Reagan Fedak (weight throw) win silver medals. The teams will now prepare for the CIS Championships hosted by York University from Mar. 10 to Mar. 12.

Women’s Hockey – The Cougars fell victim to a pair of defeats to the UBC Thunderbirds after taking Game 1 of the best-of-three semifinal series 3-0 on the weekend. 1-0 and 3-2 losses in Game 2 and 3 ended the U of R’s season as UBC advances to the Canada West final. Four Cougars were recognized as conference all-stars earlier this week, as Toni Ross and Kylie Gavelin received first-team honours and Alexis Larson and Jaycee Magwood were named to the second team. Magwood was also named to the Canada West all-rookie team.

(Courtesy Braden Konschuh/Cougar Athletics)