For our third award, we’re recognizing the most impactful moment of the year — a play, an off-the-field story, a celebration — a single point in time that has resonated for months after. The easy winner here was the last-second try that clinched a championship for Women’s Rugby, in front of their home crowd, no less.
For the second award, we’re recognizing the best sporting event of the year, a single game that stood above the rest in terms of tension, excitement and stakes. In the closest vote of all our awards, Men’s Basketball’s semifinal comeback win against Winnipeg took the win here.
After watching UBC’s varsity teams throughout the year, The Ubyssey’s Sports team has come together to bestow awards on the best athletes, teams and moments of the year. Up first, Team of the Year.
Last year, Women’s Soccer finished the season as one of the best defences in the country. Next year, you can expect more of the same.
After a Waterloo goal gave the Warriors a lead a minute in, it looked like UBC’s season might end with a loss. Instead, UBC flipped the script early, dominating from then on — including a four-goal second period — to easily oust the host team and secure a fifth-place finish.
Playing mostly for pride, the T-Birds looked much more like themselves in the consolation semifinal against Ottawa. Despite Gee-Gees goalie Clara Genier standing on her head in net with 37 saves, the ‘Birds dominated play to take the 2–0 win.
The most talented roster that UBC women’s hockey has likely ever assembled went out with a whimper. In a stunning shootout loss, the T-Birds continued their historical struggles at nationals, being eliminated in the first round as the higher seed for the third time in the past five years.
Consolation brackets present a unique challenge. The ultimate goal is lost. Instead of playing for first, you play for fifth. Motivation has to come from elsewhere. For this UBC team, they found the drive they needed to end the season on a high note, allowing the T-Birds’ graduating all-star, Lucy Borowski, to end her career on a win, securing fifth.
Against Montréal, UBC’s season came dangerously close to ending after a disappointing opening set, but they didn’t let the deficit faze them. Responding by winning three straight sets, they gave themselves new life from the service line, with 11 service aces to the Carabins’ three.
After these in-province rivals had battled to the final point of the fifth set in their last two meetings, it felt like a given that this game, on the national stage, would also go the distance. Instead, Trinity Western swept the T-Birds, taking advantage of UBC’s inability to convert late in all three sets.
It was a fitting end to their Canada West campaign. After a season where the ‘Birds won the most games in conference history with a lineup that featured Canada West’s top player, defender and coach, they took home the conference title as well, sweeping Manitoba in a tight 1–0 contest.
After a crushing collapse against the TMU Bold ended their shot at a medal in the quarterfinals, Men’s Basketball came out flat in their consolation semifinal against Laval. While they put up a fight in the second half, the early deficit — and the loss of all-star Nikola Guzina — was too much to overcome.
Coming off a five-set playoff thriller against Trinity Western that they lost by only two points, taking them out of contention for the conference title, the T-Birds weren’t given much time to process. It didn’t matter. They scored a decisive win in the bronze medal game, giving them crucial momentum before nationals.
After last stepping on the court as a UBC Thunderbird more than 20 years ago, ‘Birds basketball alumni Julie Smulders continues to make an impact on the program. Establishing her non-profit “She’s Got Next” nearly two years ago, she’s driven to promote and support women’s sport — both at UBC and beyond.
After another round of terrible seeding luck — having to face the best team in the country, Saskatchewan, in the quarterfinal — UBC was faced with the No. 1 seed in the tournament in the consolation semifinal. They put up a good fight, but couldn’t fight their way back in the fourth, ending their time at Final 8.