NAIT’s men’s curling team took home their first gold at conference championships in over a decade after defeating SAIT at the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) championships on Feb. 1. They’ll head to nationals in Regina on Feb. 17 to take on the league’s top teams.
The win marked the end of a dominant regular season for the men’s team, who finished 8-3 and were first in the conference heading into the championship weekend. In the three preliminary games held on day one, NAIT defeated Red Deer Polytechnic and SAIT, but lost to Concordia, putting the blue and gold as the second seed in the playoffs.
The Ooks started the second day needing two wins to clinch the gold medal. They secured their first by taking down the Concordia Thunder 7-4 in the semi-finals and punching their ticket to the final, where they eventually won gold against SAIT.
“I think it was a matter of us all just kind of finding our footing, finding what works, finding what doesn’t work … to get that winning equation together,” said head coach Karynn Flory-Simmons about what went right for the men’s team to win its first conference title in a decade.
“They came in really hungry. I have some veteran players that really wanted to cap off their five years here. And I think they’re really proud of how they played this season.”
The team also took home more than gold — Flory-Simmons was named ACAC Curling Coach of the Year, and Nolan Peters, a third year Business student, was named ACAC Men’s Player of the Year.
“It means so much knowing that was two of our teammates’ fifth and final year and final shot at getting that gold, and the fact that we pulled it off was just very special for the whole team … it’s been something that the men’s team has been building on each year ever since I joined,” said Peters.
The curler from Red Water, Alta. credited his teammates for their efforts along the way to the team’s medal.
“I’m so grateful to win this special award,” Jones explained. “At the time of the award ceremony, we were just sitting down, kind of listening to the other players get announced, and I figured that one of our team members would have a solid shot at getting it this year after winning gold on the men’s side.”
“I was shocked when my name was called, because I think it could have gone to any one of my teammates … we’ve all curled a great season so far, and I wouldn’t be able to win this award without my team and my coaches.”
The next and final chapter in the team’s journey this season will see them heading to nationals to compete for the team’s first medal at the tournament since 2019.
“We want to go in optimistic, and we know that if we can put together some of our top performances, we can be a winning team there for sure. I have no doubt in my mind that they have the capability to do so, ” Flory-Simmons said. “I want them to enjoy the experience and have fun at the same time. And sometimes I know winning and fun can go hand in hand. And I just want them to really bring their best … and anything’s possible.”
The Canadian Collegiate Athletics Association (CCAA) National Curling Championships get underway in Regina from Feb 17-21.
