Canada West Communications
Highlights:
- Trinity Western’s Regan Yee (XC), MacEwan’s Kayla Ivicak (BB), and Alberta’s Elle Hendershot (BB) are the women’s three stars
- Calgary’s Russell Pennock (XC), Lethbridge’s Dejon Burdeaux (BB), and TWU’s Eric Loeppky (VB) are the men’s three stars
- Both Yee and Pennock were the top CW finishers at the U SPORTS Cross Country Championships this Sunday in Victoria.
EDMONTON – A pair of clutch cross country performances have landed Regan Yee and Russell Pennock Canada West first star honours for the week ending Sunday, Nov. 12.
Yee and Pennock were the top Canada West finishers at the U SPORTS Cross Country Championships Sunday at Victoria’s Beacon Hill Park. Both were also the fourth-place finishers overall at the event, which doubles as the Canada West championship.
In her fifth season, Yee ended her university career with a time of 27:55 in the women’s 8 kilometre tace, while Pennock’s time of 31:36 over 10 kilometres helped Calgary to a CW men’s team title and U SPORTS second-palce finish.
Also earning stars this week were: MacEwan’s Kayla Ivicak (BB), and Alberta’s Elle Hendershot (BB) on the women’s side, while Lethbridge’s Dejon Burdeaux (BB), and TWU’s Eric Loeppky (VB)are the other men’s stars of the week
Women’s first star – Regan Yee
Trinity Western Spartans cross country
5th-year
South Hazelton, B.C.
Natural Sciences
Meet log: Sunday, Nov. 12 – Finished 1st in CW and 4th overall at U SPORTS Cross Country Championship in Victoria.
Trinity Western’s Regan Yee capped her university cross country career by winning the Canada West individual title and finishing fourth overall at the U SPORTS championships. The fifth-year crossed the line in 27:55 over the eight kilometre route at Beacon Hill Park in Victoria.
Yee caps off her cross country career having earned Canada West First Team All-Star honours in all five of her years at TWU. With her performance, Yee led the Spartans to a second-place finish in Canada West and a ninth-place finish overall amongst U SPORTS teams.
The result for Yee marks the second year in a row she has been a U SPORTS First Team All-Canadian as she finished fifth overall, and third in Canada West, in 2016. She was a Second Team All-Canadian in 2015. Her performance also continued TWU's dominance in the Canada West women's championships, as she captured the Spartans fifth individual title in the last six years.
Men’s first star – Russell Pennock
Calgary Dinos cross country
3rd-year
Calgary, Alta.
Kinesiology
Meet log: Sunday, Nov. 12 – Finished 1st in CW and 4th overall at U SPORTS Cross Country Championship in Victoria.
The University of Calgary Dinos men's cross country team won the Canada West championship with a second-place finish at the U SPORTS Cross Country Championships, claiming the conference title for the first time since 2008.
Third-year Dino Russell Pennock had an outstanding performance, finishing with a time of 31:36.35. That result was good enough to top all Canada West competitors and come in fourth nationally.
Thanks to his CW best time, Pennock earned the title of 2017 CW Men's Cross Country Athlete of the Year.
The success at nationals comes after Pennock finished first at the Stewart Cup in October – and maybe even more impressive – after missing last year due to injury.
Women’s second star – Kayla Ivicak
MacEwan Griffins basketball
Guard
4th-year
St. Albert, Alta.
Commerce
Game log: Friday, Nov. 10 – 20 points, 12 rebounds, four steals, and two assists in 70-56 W @ Manitoba / Saturday, Nov. 11 – 17 points, 14 rebounds, five steals, and one assist in 63-54 W @ Manitoba.
Kayla Ivicak led the Griffins with back-to-back double-doubles against the Manitoba Bisons to help MacEwan earn a weekend split on their road trip. In just six Canada West games this season, the fourth-year guard has four double-doubles, already eclipsing her entire 2016-17 output in that stat when she led the Griffins with three.
In Friday’s 70-56 win, Ivicak was a warrior, all over the court in recording 20 points, 12 rebounds and a game-high four steals. In Saturday’s defeat, she was still the biggest thorn in the Bisons’ side with 17 points, 14 rebounds and a game-high five steals. Ivicak is tied for first in Canada West with 3.3 steals per game, is fourth with 10.2 rebounds per game and sits 17th in conference scoring with an average of 14.8 points per game.
The MacEwan Griffins head into a bye week before next hosting UNBC on Nov. 24-25.
Men’s second star – Dejon Burdeaux
Lethbridge Pronghorns basketball
Guard
5th-year
Oakland, Calif.
Arts
Game log: Thursday, Nov. 9 – 28 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, and two steals in 96-63 W vs. Mount Royal / Friday, Nov. 10 – 23 points, 12 rebounds, two assists, and five steals in 91-76 W @ Mount Royal.
Fifth-year guard Dejon Burdeaux continued his stellar play this season, leading the Lethbridge Pronghorns men’s basketball team to their third straight weekend sweep to open the season. He combined for 51 points and back-to-back double-doubles as the Pronghorns swept the home-and-home series with the Mount Royal Cougars.
Thursday night, the Oakland, Calif. product scored a team high 28 points, none more important than a buzzer beater three-pointer to give the Pronghorns the 96-93 win. Burdeaux was 8-for-13 from the floor, while also picking up 10 rebounds, three assists and two steals.
In the rematch Saturday night, Burdeaux picked up another 23 points to go along with 12 rebounds, five steals and two assists, as the Pronghorns overcame a nine-point deficit at the half to beat the Cougars 91-76.
Burdeaux currently sits second in Canada West scoring, averaging 24.2 points per game, and leads Canada West in steals with 22.
The Pronghorns head out on the road this weekend, traveling to Kamloops to face the Thompson Rivers WolfPack.
Women’s third star – Elle Hendershot
Alberta Pandas basketball
Forward
5th-year
Lubbock, Texas
Arts
Game log: Friday, Nov. 10 – 19 points, 23 rebounds, and three assists in 67-60 W @ UBCO / Saturday, Nov. 11 – 10 points, 16 rebounds, two assists, three steals, and two blocks in 80-59 W @ UBCO.
Fifth-year University of Alberta Panda forward Elle Hendershot is the Canada West Female Third Star of the Week after leading the nationally ranked Pandas to a pair of road wins over the UBC Okanagan Heat.
Hendershot recorded a combined 29 points, 39 rebounds, five assists, three steals, and two blocks as the Pandas improved to 5-1 in conference play. Following the monster weekend for Hendershot, the veteran Panda now leads Canada West and U SPORTS in rebounds, with 81, and rebounds per game with 13.5.
The highlight of Hendershots weekend came on Friday night, as she recorded one of the biggest double-doubles in program history. The Lubbock, Texas product scored 19 points on 5/7 shooting, while adding a program-record 23 rebounds in the Pandas 67-60 win.
She followed that up with another dominant performance, recording her fourth double-double of the season with 10 points and 16 rebounds.
The No. 7-ranked Pandas will have their first ‘bye’ of the season this weekend, before hosting the Saskatchewan Huskies in Edmonton on November 24th and 25th.
Men’s third star – Eric Loeppky
Trinity Western Spartans volleyball
Outside Hitter
2nd-year
Steinbach, Man.
General Studies
Game log: Friday, Nov. 10 – 17 kills, nine digs, two aces, and two blocks in 3-2L @ Brandon / Saturday, Nov. 11 – 26 kills, six digs, two aces, and two blocks in 3-1 W @ Brandon.
The second-year Spartan had his most dominant weekend in a TWU uniform, earning a combined 43 kills and 15 digs, while hitting .330 over his team’s weekend split in Brandon.
Loeppky opened the weekend by posting a career-high 17 kills in a five-set loss to the Bobcats. However, he took his game to another level in Saturday’s bounce back win, shattering his career-high for kills, collecting 26 while hitting .469. His kill total equaled the third most kills in a four-set match in the Spartans illustrious history. Throughout the weekend, last year’s Canada West and U SPORTS Rookie of the Year also added a combined 15 digs, four aces and four blocks.
Loeppky and the U SPORTS No. 1-ranked Spartans are now 5-1 on the season. They return home this weekend to take on Mount Royal Friday and Saturday at the Langley Events Centre.