The NAIT Ooks teams had an outstanding season this year. After the loss of the 2020-21 season, the 2021-22 season was deemed a transition back to play with a shorter season. The NAIT Athletics Manager, Jordan Richey, said, "this past season was definitely unlike any other. Student-athletes and coaches had to adapt constantly, and there were several changes mid-year. The programs that did a better job of adjusting were more successful."
The last two years haven't been easy on anyone, but the NAIT Ooks handled the challenges with grace, said Richey, "our NAIT student-athletes and coaches should be proud of how they handled the pandemic. Their patience and perseverance led to one of NAIT's most successful years ever."
Even with the pandemic's uncertainty, the season started with a bang as the NAIT Ooks men's and women's soccer teams earned silver in the ACAC Championship. The men's soccer team was granted a spot in the CCAA National Championship Tournament because first-place seed, SAIT, was the host. The Ooks left it all on the pitch and won the bronze medal on the national stage.
Although court sports started later than usual this year, the NAIT Ooks volleyball and basketball teams showed their enthusiasm on the court this season. The women's volleyball team missed out on playoffs after a loss in a close five-set match, but even though they weren't going to make it into the playoffs, they bounced back to win their last game of the season 3-0 against a higher-ranked team. The men's basketball team finished the season in fifth place, earning their spot in the ACAC playoffs. In the quarterfinals, they played a hard-fought game against GPRC but lost 71-63, effectively ending their season. Each team had to pivot repeatedly, but two teams were nationally ranked by the end of the season even with the adversity. The men's volleyball team was ranked throughout the season, making it all the way into second place. The women's basketball team was the wild card that snuck into fifteenth place during the last week. The NAIT Ooks men's volleyball team went on to earn a silver medal in the ACAC Championship on home turf after winning the ACAC final four hosting rights for coming in first place in the North.
The Cinderella story of the 2021-22 season was granted to the NAIT Ooks women's basketball team. After going 8-8 in the regular season, the Ooks were ranked third in the ACAC north division. After an incredible playoff run, bypassing all higher-ranked teams, they earned a silver medal in the ACAC Championship game. The silver was good enough for them to earn a spot in the CCAA Women's Basketball Championship. The team came alive on the national stage and brought home the CCAA Gold medal for the first time in program history.
That wasn't the only CCAA National gold medal brought home this year. The NAIT Ooks badminton team started their season in January, and the team quickly pulled together. At the ACAC Championship, Smit Patel brought home the ACAC silver medal in men's singles. Our pairs rose to the top as men's doubles pair Brandon Gendre and Jay Patel and mixed doubles pair Ivy Ung and Davis Wong brought home the gold. Seven of the ten badminton players earned their right to compete at the CCAA Nationals held at NAIT. The home-court advantage gave our athletes an edge over the competition. Men's singles player Smit Patel used that to his advantage, bringing home the gold medal in men's singles for the 2021-22 season.
Although Nationals is an exciting tournament to strive for, not all teams got the chance this year. It was announced earlier in the season that the 2021-22 CCAA Nationals for curling would be cancelled. That didn't discourage our student-athletes, as they still brought their A-game in hopes of bringing home some ACAC hardware. The men's and women's teams got ACAC bronze, and the mixed team earned the ACAC silver medal.
Curling wasn't the only program not gunning for a bid to nationals. Hockey doesn't have a national tournament. Instead, the league emphasizes the ACAC playoffs, and this season, our teams didn't disappoint. In the regular season, the women's team came in second, and the men's team finished first. They both worked hard to position themselves well for the season's biggest games. The NAIT Ooks women's team earned the bronze medal this season. The men's team took it all the way bringing home the ACAC gold medal for the first time since 2016.
The NAIT Ooks were recognized for all their hard work this season as multiple players were named to the all-conference team for various sports. The NAIT Ooks also earned more covenant awards, such as Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year.
Badminton 2021-22 Season:
All-Conference – Smit Patel
All-Conference & Rookie of the Year – Jay Patel
Curling 2021-22 Season:
Mixed Curling All-Conference – Matt Hannah
Rookie of the Year – Tyler Brodt
Women's Soccer 2021-22 Season:
All-Conference – Sarah Moorji
All-Conference – Eleni Stamatakis
All-Conference – Kailey Harder
Men's Soccer 2021-22 Season:
All-Conference – Ousman Maheshe
All-Conference – Cristian Lima
All-Conference – Chris Gakona
All-Conference – Javier Cassie
Men's Volleyball 2021-22 Season:
All-Conference – Carter Hills
All-Conference & North Player of the Year – Shae McIntyre
All-Conference – Ross Bishop
All-Conference – Karter Godin
Women's Basketball 2021-22 Season:
Second Team All-Conference – Aphia Ward
Men's Basketball 2021-22 Season:
First Team All-Conference – Griffin Lorenz
Women's Hockey 2021-22 Season:
First Team All-Conference & Top League Scorer – Bre Martin
First Team All-Conference – Wynona Creyke
Second Team All-Conference – Brittney Savard
Second Team All-Conference – Kaitlyn Slator
Men's Hockey 2021-22 Season:
First Team All-Conference – Dylan Stewart
First Team All-Conference & Top Scholastic Achiever – Dalton Hamaliuk
First Team All-Conference & Player of the Year – Jordan Papirny
Second Team All-Conference – Nicholas Leyer
Second Team All-Conference – Jaynen Rissling
Congratulations to all of our 2021-22 ACAC All-Conference winners!
The NAIT Ooks had two players acknowledged on a national stage, winning the CCAA All-Canadian Award. The two players were Cristian Lima from the men's soccer team and Shae McIntyre from the men's volleyball team.
Although there were ups and downs this season, the NAIT Ooks worked with what they had and made it one of the most successful seasons the department has seen. Jordan Richey said, "I am really looking forward to the 2022-2023 NAIT Athletics season. It looks like it could be a regular competitive season without restrictions. In addition, the ACAC made a few format changes that will see the North Division teams playing regular-season games with the South Division teams in volleyball and basketball, which will be exciting."
We can't wait to see all the teams back in action! #ooksNAITion