Alberta works their way to top of U Sports

With the first semester halfway over, students have seen insane performances from University of Alberta athletics teams. On top of that, teams are bound to improve heading into next season.

Golden Bears volleyball keep up their championship behaviour

After winning a U Sports championship in 2024, fans may have wondered, can they keep it up? Turns out they can.

The Golden Bears volleyball team won both games during their home opener weekend series on November 1 and 2. Friday night’s game saw a clean sweep over the Manitoba Bisons with a 3-0 score for the Bears. They then took a 3-1 win on Saturday after coming back from a sloppy second set. Friday and Saturday’s games took the Bears to a 4-0 win streak and first place in U Sports.

Fans should keep an eye on the Bears’ versatile outside hitter, Jacob Sargent, who moves around the court with ease while keeping the play in motion. When paired with middle Trent Cherewaty, the two have complete control of the front row.

Can the Golden Bears hockey team keep it up?

After bolstering a 7-1-0 record, the Golden Bears hockey team maintained their status as first in the Canada West Eastern conference, but dropped to fifth place in U Sports after a 4-1 loss to the University of British of Columbia Thunderbirds on October 26.

They have their leadership lineup spread out over all lines, including captain Josh Prokop who leads the special teams, distributing a more consistent skill level over all areas of play. On the higher end of the spread is the Bears’ new goalie, Tyler Palmer, who has shocked the crowd with his stellar performance and critical puck awareness.

Even with a blemish on their previously undefeated season, the Bears have demonstrated that they can keep up a winner mentality. With an insane 11 new rookies to their roster and a strong senior lineup, fans have already seen why the Bears have kept up such a healthy record.

Pandas Hockey look to regain a high scoring record

The Pandas hockey team maintains a 5-3-0 record while sitting fifth in Canada West and sixth in U Sports.

Throughout multiple games, Taylor Anker, Sara Kazeil, Maia Ehmann, and Izzy Lajoie have taken over the Pandas’ defence and forward lineup.

Where they stand out, aside from last week’s performance, is their speed and aggression into the offensive zone to gain immediate shots on goal.

After coming off a tough weekend against the Thunderbirds, the Pandas are looking to take over against the MacEwan Griffins on November 8 and 9.

Ron MacLean takes over Canada West

Ron MacLean dominated the Canada West cross country championships after winning gold on October 26 and setting a personal best. With a time of 25:33.9, MacLean crushed his previous record that won him silver at the 2022 Canada West championships.

Just two weeks prior, MacLean had won the Stewart Cup in Calgary where the Golden Bears and Pandas came in fifth.

While MacLean has generated quite a bit of attention, the men’s and women’s cross country teams did not even place in U Sports top ten. A rather interesting turn of events when you consider one members’ success.

MacLean and the rest of team will have a chance to continue, and for some, gain success at the U Sports national championships in Kelowna on November 9.

What’s next for the Golden Bears football team?

‘What just happened?’ is probably the only way to think about the Golden Bears’ football team this year after their less than stellar performance.

Verging away from the U of A’s top teams, is the Golden Bears’ football program that generated a poor record of 2-6 and placed last in Canada West. This is quite a a fall for a team that made it to the Hardy Cup championship game the season prior.

To add insult to injury, former head coach Chris Morris left the Bears on October 30 as the new president and CEO of the Edmonton Elks.

Perhaps a bad season, and a new coach, is just what the team needs to get back into a championship mentality. New leadership and a different insight into the game can put a fire behind these players heading into the 2025-26 season.