The Providence University College athletics department has had a busy and exciting last two weeks. The women’s soccer team ended their season with a 2–0 win against Great Lakes Christian College, netting them the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) national championship.
This was a first for Providence, and one everyone associated with the team will be celebrating for a long time to come.
“It is a coach’s dream to have commitment and buy in like that,” says head coach Tory Walker. “We have known for a while now that this team was a special group, and winning the program’s first national championship just proves that. It has been such a joy and honour to coach this team and I am beyond proud. A special thank you to all the players for their commitment to each other and to constantly growing and learning. A special thanks to the coaches for being there day in and day out, and of course a special thanks to all our Pilots family and fans for cheering us on and supporting us along the way”
Chloe Jahn, a midfielder who hails from Langley, B.C. says that she can’t even begin to describe how she feels in the wake of the championship.
“I’m speechless,” says Jahn. “Coach has been preaching how special this group is from the start, and it couldn’t be truer! What a way to end the year. I couldn’t be prouder to be a part of this team. History. Made.”
Jessica Waytiuk of Winnipeg shares her fellow midfielder’s sentiments.
“I think I can speak for the whole team when I say that I haven’t fully processed what we have accomplished and the emotions that surround it,” Waytiuk says. “Not only do we have a special group of girls on this team, but we also have amazing coaches that have supported us through every up and down this season has thrown at us. I’m so grateful that we were able to achieve what we did, because we’ve been working so hard for each other, and we truly deserve it!”
The men’s soccer ended their season as well with a 4–2 win against Kansas Christian College and a 0–1 loss against Grace Christian College.
Volleyball
The women’s volleyball team won their games on November 11, 12, and 19 against the Assiniboine Community College (ACC) Cougars. The men’s volleyball team faced the Cougars as well, with two wins and a loss.
Men’s head coach Cody Quiring says that the first weekend, which consisted of two games, was hard fought.
“While adjusting lineups throughout the weekend, we saw more evidence of the depth the program has,” says Quiring. “It was great to see some success in areas we have been focusing on lately in practice.”
One of these areas, Quiring says, was marking 31 team aces from the service line over the course of the weekend.
Quiring was concerned that his team’s second weekend of competition would be exceptionally difficult, as they were missing some players due to illness. Then they had to take an early morning bus trip to get to their game.
“We’ve been working hard in our weekly preparations on a few key areas of our game and system work,” he adds. “Everyone made an impact this weekend, enabling success in the win column. But importantly, we found some wins within the process of details we’ve been focusing on.”
Both volleyball teams will host the Université de Saint-Boniface (USB) Les Rouges in a back-to-back on Friday and again on Saturday on PUC’s Alumni Appreciation Day.
Basketball
The women’s basketball team had a tough weekend, suffering three losses in a row. The Pilots lost to Crown College 53–91 on November 10, then fell 65–75 against Central Christian College of the Bible on November 11, and lost a close game on November 12 with a final score of 70–75 against Calvary University.
The next weekend was another rough one with a 57–70 loss against CMU.
“The weekend was about as challenging as a road trip could be,” says head coach Joel Coursey about the Remembrance Day weekend. “We played three games in three days and travelled a minimum of seven hours each day. We began the trip with a match against Crown College, which would be one of our toughest games of the season. We then proceeded to foul ourselves out of a pair of games against Central and Calvary, awarding them 30 and 37 free throws each. We didn’t get the outcomes we were hoping for or expecting, but we learned some tough lessons that we will need to take to heart. I think we have a lot to learn, but we also have an incredibly high ceiling of potential. I expect us to keep growing, and at some point this season it will come together and we will be a nightmare to play against come playoff time.”
Regarding the most recent game against CMU, Coursey says that despite the loss he felt the team showed great improvement.
“It feels like we are getting close to really understanding how we want to play,” says Coursey. “It has been a complete revamp of the way Providence plays basketball and I think we are getting there. Undoubtedly, it has been a challenging month of sickness and players getting back to game condition. With six games remaining in the semester, I hope that we can finish strong and find our groove before the break.”
The men’s basketball team lost to the Central Christian College of the Bible on November 11 with a final score of 57–90, although they then picked up two wins in a row with a 71–61 victory over Calvary University and an 83–81 nailbiter against CMU.
Of the game against CMU, head coach Pierre Dubreuil, says, “You don’t always play the perfect game, but you sometimes get the perfect ending.”
