The NAIT women’s basketball team is headed back to nationals for the first time since winning the championship in 2022. They’ll attempt to reclaim their title at Dawson College from March 18-21.
NAIT entered the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) Conference Championships as the north division’s second seed and defeated the St. Mary’s University Lightning on day one of provincials, winning 70-49. The Ooks followed that up with a 71-57 win over the SAIT Trojans the next day to secure their spot in the gold medal game.
The women fell 81-44 in the gold medal game against the King’s University Eagles, but came away with silver and a trip to Montreal for the national championship.
“It’s a little disappointing that we didn’t win,” says head coach Kiera Lyons. “But we had such a wonderful season, our quarterfinal and semifinal we played so tough and so good that we’re not allowing one game to define how things have gone in the ACAC. If anything, it’s motivation heading into nationals.”
The ACAC North Women’s Basketball Coach of the Year said the gold medal loss makes heading into the finale more exciting. “Every time that we’ve lost, especially this year, we’ve come back swinging,” she says.
| Player | School | Points per game |
|---|---|---|
| Chloe Sutherland-Deklerk | Concordia University of Edmonton | 21.9 |
| Payton Neilson | NAIT | 18.4 |
| Kendal Russell | St. Mary’s University | 18.1 |
| Aneilia Ayotte | The King’s University | 17.6 |
| Mackenzie Mrazik | University of Alberta, Augustana | 16.7 |
NAIT dominated the regular season with a 17-3 record and allowed the second fewest points in the conference. The team was led by fifth-year guard duo Payton Neilson and Mikah Reed — both of whom were named to the ACAC All-Conference team this season and led the team in scoring. Neilson’s 18.4 points per game was the second-best in the conference, trailing only Concordia’s Chloe Sutherland-Deklerk’s 21.9 points per game.
Not only did the Ooks have one of the league’s best scorers this season, but the team was also among the top four in the conference in field goal percentage and three-point percentage, shooting 39.2 per cent from the field and 29.7 per cent from beyond the arc.
At least four players will be suiting up for their final bit of action in an Ooks jersey, but Lyons says the team is focusing on being present and enjoying the moment while at nationals.
“We’ve put in the work, we’ve done what we can up to this point, it’s taken four years of a lot of hard work and a lot of struggles and challenges that they have continuously overcome. And now it’s just about enjoying all of that hard work,” Lyons says.
“The energy with the girls is contagious, they are loud and laughing and just absolutely taking everything in,” says Lyons. “Something that we’ve talked about all year is just really being grateful of being present for all the opportunity.”
Ahead of what will be a weekend of final send-offs for the team, the Ooks’ goal for the tournament is clear: to go out on top like they did four years ago.
“We want to win. That’s the goal,” Lyons said.
NAIT will open the tournament against the Géants de St-Jean from St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., in the quarterfinal on Wednesday, March 18 at 1 p.m.
Featured image by Abraham Arietta/The Nugget
