The past 12 months have been a whirlwind for the UBC Thunderbirds — complete with championships, drafts, milestones and highlight-worthy plays. Whether you missed them or want to walk down memory lane, here are the best moments of the year.
10) Golf teams sweep Canadian University Championships
Fourth-year Una Chou and fifth-year Dylan MacDonald swept the individual titles and led the women's and men's golf teams to victory at June's Canadian University Championships. The wins marked the second time in three years both teams have won the championships.
9) Women's field hockey dominates CW awards
UBC looks to be the future of women's field hockey after the 2024 Canada West (CW) major awards were announced in October. Hannah Rumble earned Goalkeeper of the Year for the third year in a row. Sydney Le snagged CW Rookie and Player of the Year, while the T-Birds' new head coach Geoff Matthews was named with Coach of the Year.
8) Head coach Kevin Hanson earns 600th career win at Courtside
In November, men's basketball head coach Kevin Hanson earned his 600th career win after his team's 93–87 win over the University of Calgary Dinos. He became the fifth and second-fastest coach in U Sports history to reach the milestone, with 25 seasons leading the T-Birds.
7) Men's soccer win first U Sports championship since 2013
The UBC Thunderbirds defeated the Université de Montréal Carabins 1–0 on November 10, claiming the program's 14th national title and first in over a decade. Joven Mann, who was drafted 11th in the CPL draft, scored the lone goal in stoppage time with a header that slipped through traffic to hit the back of the net.
6) Swimming teams break 13 Canada West records
For the first time since 2019, both the men's and women's swim teams won the Canada West championships and did so in dramatic fashion, breaking a total of 13 conference records. Swimmers of the Year Finlay Knox and Kayla Sanchez individually broke three and two, respectively.
5) Rebecca Dutchak wins UBC’s first NAIA heptathlon
Rebecca Dutchak wrote herself into the UBC history books in May, winning the university’s first NAIA heptathlon championship. Podium finishes in the long jump, 200m and 100m hurdle events propelled her to the gold and her performance also helped capture the UBC women’s track and field team’s third consecutive NAIA championship.
4) Men’s hockey wins first CW banner in over 50 years
In March, the men’s hockey team broke a decades-old drought, winning their first Canada West championship in 53 years. After dropping the series opener against the University of Calgary Dinos 5–2, the team rallied for 2–1 and 5–3 wins to clinch it, complete with a two-goal performance from team captain Chris Douglas.
3) Women’s soccer goes undefeated entire season
The women’s soccer team was golden this year, earning a perfect 20–0 record. They earned the Canada West Championship with a 3–0 win over the UVic Vikes and repeated as U Sports national champions after defeating Université Laval 1–0.
2) Giovanni Manu becomes first UBC player chosen in NFL draft
All eyes were on the UBC football program in April when Giovanni Manu became the first NFL player to be drafted straight from UBC. The Detroit Lions drafted him at 128th overall and teammate Theo Benedet signed as a free agent with the Chicago Bears.
1) Women's rugby captures first national championship
For the first time in program history, the UBC women's rugby team became U Sports champions after a tight 8–3 win over the UVic Vikes. This comes after five years of consecutive Canada West championships and marks the end of their four year 'curse' of losing the first game of the national tournament .
Annaliese Gumboc and Lauren Kasowski contributed to this article.
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