The weekend was a busy one for NAIT Athletics, with all programs seeing action. If you didn't see, here is a quick recap of the weekend:
Basketball
The Ooks men's basketball team opened the weekend in dominant fashion Friday night, cruising to a 94–55 victory over Northwestern Polytechnic. Starters Owen Weaver and Kohl Wedman led the way, each earning 15 points to pace the offense. The momentum carried into Saturday, as the Ooks closed out the weekend with another convincing win, defeating Northwestern Polytechnic 76–53, highlighted by a sixteen-point performance from Serhat Chen.
On the women's side, the intensity matched the men's performances, as the Ooks delivered a dominant 89–35 victory over Northwestern Polytechnic on Friday night. Starter Payton Neilson led the charge with an outstanding 29-point performance, while reserve Makayla Rose added an impressive 17 points to further cement the win. Back on home court Saturday afternoon, the Ooks showed no signs of slowing down, earning another decisive victory with an 80–51 final. Mikah Reed paced the team with a strong 18-point outing. Congratulations to both Ooks basketball teams on an excellent weekend!
Volleyball
It was a challenging weekend for the Ooks men's team, who fell to Northwestern Polytechnic in four sets on Friday night. Despite the loss, the outside hitters battled hard, led by Josh Watson with 13 kills, while Kaden Bennett and Julien Phillips each added seven. Looking to bounce back, the Ooks showed resilience on Saturday evening, pushing the Wolves to a thrilling five-set match before narrowly coming up short in a 3–2 loss, as Northwestern Polytechnic completed the weekend sweep. Josh Watson once again led the left side with a strong performance, recording 14 kills in the effort.
In contrast to the men's side, the Ooks women's volleyball team delivered a strong weekend performance, opening Friday night with a hard-fought five-set victory over the Wolves. Rachel Mallett and Katie Nashim led the offense, recording nine and seven kills respectively to help secure the win. Building on that momentum, the Ooks returned Saturday evening with a sharp game plan and swept Northwestern Polytechnic in straight sets. Once again, Mallett and Nashim paced the attack, powering the team to a dominant weekend.
Hockey
Outside of ACAC competition, the Ooks men's hockey team took on the Chinese men's national team in a two-game series. The Ooks came up short in a fast-paced opener on Friday night, falling 4–2 to Team China. Showing resilience, NAIT bounced back Saturday with a 4–2 victory of their own, earning a split weekend between the two sides.
On the women's side, the Ooks women's hockey team hosted the Medicine Hat Rattlers for a two-game home series. After a tightly contested, back-and-forth battle through three periods on Friday night, the Ooks came up just short in a 1–0 shootout loss. Looking to bounce back, NAIT responded in impressive fashion on Saturday, earning a convincing 4–1 victory over Medicine Hat. Maria Ayre and Mackena Foisy powered the comeback, each finding the back of the net twice. Congratulations to both programs for showcasing resilience, heart, and determination throughout the weekend.
Curling
A beautiful weekend for curling took place at the Thistle Curling Club, hosted by NAIT. The men's team made a 3-2 record throughout the weekend.
Although they came up short in the win column, the women's team put together a valiant performance, battling through six matches with heart and effort.
In mixed curling, the Ooks managed a perfect record 3-0, winning against Concordia, SAIT and Lakeland.