CUE Athletics: Achievement Recap
Written by: Denae Michie
Over the last few weeks, many sports teams at CUE have seen their seasons end. With all seasons ending successfully, let’s take a look at the teams’ accomplishments over the fall and winter semesters. We'll look into badminton, curling, basketball, and volleyball.
Let’s start with badminton! The team this year has been the youngest compared to past years, with 6 out of 10 players in their first year. Over the fall semester, the team hosted the first tournament of the year at CUE. In men's singles, Raphael Motel finished second place. Jasleen Kaur and Emma Tran led the group to first and second place in women's singles. Men’s doubles had a first-place finish, while the women finished third after a three-set victory over SAIT. As the season progressed into the new year, the team maintained a strong positioning in the standings. Raphael Motel and Jasleen Kaur were selected as ACAC All-Conference players, and Kaur was also nominated for ACAC Player of the Year and CCAA All-Canadian. Jasleen continued to CCAA Badminton Nationals, where she won silver.
The Thunder curling team came out with a BANG to start their season, with both women’s and men’s teams winning the fall regional. In the Winter Regional, the women recorded a 6-0 win! Gabrielle Wood led the charge as skip, giving her the “Athlete of the Week” title alongside Raphael Motel (badminton). As the team progresses into championships this March, Matthew Wasylenko (ACAC All-Conference), Brenna Bilassy (Rookie of the Year), and Sean Borkovic (ACAC Curler of the Year) all enter having a title in the ACAC conference.
Basketball is next on the list. Both men’s and women’s teams ended the season close at 10-10. Both teams clinched a playoff spot in the 2023/24 ACAC Championships, seeding 3rd (women’s) and 4th (men’s). Although neither team could secure a podium position, four outstanding Thunder athletes were named within the ACAC All-Conference (Rachel Harvey, Jenna Rinsky, Yadvir Dhaliwal, & Nick Gibb). Shoutout to Nick Gibb for reaching 1000 points in his ACAC career!
As the volleyball season came to a close, both teams were able to set new highs for team stats and within the ACAC. On the women’s side, Sydney Horyn now holds 5th place for most service aces (29). Renae Regal continues to hold the record for most digs per set at 4.64, a record set in the previous season! This year, the men’s side had the youngest volleyball team in the program, if not in the ACAC. Kai Rosneau and Alexi Dufour have taken the 5th place position within the program for assists and service aces, respectively. Alexi has also taken the 3rd rank for the most kills per set at 2.43.
