One Herd, many victories

The Bisons’ presence was felt on the court and the ice, with five teams—men’s football, men’s basketball, men’s volleyball, women’s hockey and women’s volleyball—securing Canada West post-season berths. The men’s volleyball and women’s hockey programs led the charge, capturing conference silver medals and punching their tickets to their respective U SPORTS national championships. For volleyball, it was their first return to the finals since 2017; for hockey, the first since 2018.  

The men’s volleyball team ultimately secured a U SPORTS national championship bronze medal, their first national podium finish in 14 years. Fifth-year Eric Ogaranko says the team rose to the challenge of “hostile gyms” and ended the season on a high note

“It’s pretty cool to say that we got to end it on a win, not many teams and not many seniors can say that. Looking back on the whole career, it was a perfect way to end things,” he says. 

The women’s hockey team entered their national competition with eight other teams to close out their season after a rocky start in regular-season play. 

Fourth-year women’s hockey team captain, Dana Goertzen says it was easy to get discouraged after an 11-game losing streak early in the season. But, the team found ways to stay positive, which was crucial to their late-season successes. 

“We just kept building. Every point that we did happen to steal during that losing streak, it just proved who we were as a team,"  says Goertzen. 

On the track and field, the Bisons dominated the U SPORTS national championships held on their home track, bringing home four golds, a silver, and two bronze medals. Tyrell Davis claimed gold in the 60m with a school-record time of 6.59s and anchored the men’s 4x200m relay team to their first gold in 31 years.  

In the field, Daxx Turner won his second national gold with a 16.17m triple jump—shattering both school and provincial records—while Adebare Adegbosin earned silver to secure the school’s first-ever one-two national finish in the event. Meanwhile, Lara Denbow secured her third consecutive national gold in the high jump with a jump of 1.73m. 

“I'm just so grateful for this sport. It's shown me the self-respect to show up, and to do steps to accomplish what you want to achieve every day," says Denbow. “Bisons have given me so much and helped me become who I am today." 

Beyond team rankings, Bisons student-athletes earned significant individual recognition for their outstanding performances. Julia Martens was honored as the Canada West Rookie of the Year for women’s volleyball, highlighting a bright future for the program. On the field, Daxx Turner’s record-breaking season was capped off by being named the Canada West Field Athlete of the Year. 

Women’s basketball player, Taylor Schepp was named to the Canada West All-Rookie Team in February 2026. This honor followed a standout debut season where she led the team in scoring (averaging 11.4 points per game).

From the men’s hockey team, three-year captain and forward Jonny Hooker was called up the AHL’s San Diego Gulls in February, the primary affiliate of the NHL's Anaheim Ducks.

The football program also continues to produce top talent with five players earning CFL Combine invites this spring. Receiver Nathan Udoh headed straight to the National Combine, while Victor Olaniran earned a promotion to the national stage following his performance in Invitational Combine in Waterloo alongside teammates Nic Pereira, Kaleb Mackie-Mcleod, and De Shawn Le Jour.

Seven student-athletes completed their final game as members of the women's soccer team, including Paris Sidhu, Alex Paul, Taylor Sousa, Tabata Bravo, Chloe Morin, Breyanna Johnson-Krulicki and Sydney Arnold. Head coach Mark Clovin says he was very grateful for the players and their contribution to shaping the program.

Several Bisons players were named as Canada West First and Second Team All Stars and will be recognized at the annual Brown and Gold Banquet on March 29.