It was a busy and in many cases, brilliant week across University of Regina Cougars athletics, with championship stages, emotional finales, and major recruiting wins all taking centre stage.
Hosting the U SPORTS/CCAA Curling Championships at the always-electric Caledonian Curling Club brought big moments and big crowds.
The Cougars women battled their way into the semifinals before finishing fourth overall, while Carter Williamson closed out his five-season U SPORTS career with true distinction. The veteran skip claimed the event’s prestigious Spirit Award, a recognition reserved for competitors who elevate their sport well beyond the scoreboard.
On the championship sheets, the Memorial University Seahawks captured the women’s national title, while the University of Calgary Dinos took gold on the men’s side.
On the hardwood, the women’s Cougars went into a hostile environment to face the UBC Thunderbirds in the Canada West semifinal, falling 74–68 in a tight battle in Vancouver.
But the night belonged to Jade Belmore, who poured in a game-high 28 points in what became her final U SPORTS appearance, an exclamation point on an outstanding Cougar career.
The result sets up a Canada West title game hosted by UBC, which will meet the University of Calgary Dinos after Calgary stunned previously unbeaten University of Saskatchewan Huskies on Saturday in Saskatoon.
In Track and field, it felt like every time you looked at the results sheet in Saskatoon, the Cougars were on the podium.
Competing at the Canada West Track & Field Championships, Regina hauled in 10 medals, including a gold and silver 1-2 finish in the 3000-metre run, with Brett MacLean taking the top step and teammate Ian Teichler grabbing silver.
Shelaine Pritchard had a monster meet, earning two silvers and a bronze while breaking her own school record in the 60-metre hurdles. Faith Adebogun added a silver in the weight throw and a bronze in the shot put.
The men’s 4×200 team sprinted to silver, with Kaidyn Keith and Femi Akinloye each earning bronze medals of their own.
Next up: nationals. The team now turns its attention to the 2026 U SPORTS Track & Field Championships, running Mar. 5–7 in Winnipeg.
In the pool, another Cougar is heading to nationals.
Chloe Hegi punched her ticket to the U SPORTS Championships after posting a 26.29 in the 50-metre freestyle during a time trial at the Lawson Aquatic Centre, a time good enough to make her the fourth U of R swimmer to qualify this season.
Hegi will join teammates Sadie Anderson, Matthew Brough, and Ovesh Purahoo at the U SPORTS Swimming Championships, running Mar. 12–14 in Markham, Ont.
Meanwhile, on the ice, Cougars men’s hockey head coach Trevor Keeper has wasted no time shaping next year’s roster.
This week brought commitments from Noah Asmundson, Riley Fequet, and Rylan Pearce, followed by another big addition: Merik Boles from the Niverville Nighthawks, a team currently ranked No. 2 in Canada. Boles brings speed, scoring touch, and a strong two-way game.
Meantime, women’s head coach Brandy West-McMaster continues to build ahead of 2027-28, securing another commitment from the Edmonton Jr. Oilers program—forward Alexandra Haug.
Haug becomes the second Edmonton Jr. Oilers standout to pledge to the Cougars for that season, joining last month’s commitment from teammate Gracie Dengler.
