And with that, the 2025-2026 regular season, draws to a close - but there was nothing regular about it - as there rarely is when our Warriors make magic. Across Athletics, the push is a go for the Critelli, Forsyth, and McCaw Cups; as well as the Track and Field, Swimming, Nordic Skiing, Badminton, Men's Fencing, and Figure Skating provincial titles. All eyes are on the Gold Rush.  

Basketball: It's a Whole New(ell) Ball Game 

Men's and Women's Basketball entered the final week of the regular season looking to send off the campaign in the right way. A mid-week clash with the McMaster Marauders this past Wednesday on Carl Totzke Court marked the first Unity in Motion night in Waterloo, a celebration of diversity, culture, and community in bringing people together through sport. After kicking off the night with a 4-0 run, the Marauders started to take over quickly. In her penultimate game as a Warrior, Jaime Newell (Brussels, Ont./) came to play. Her team-high six points and three rebounds in the first quarter had the Warriors down only by seven after 10 minutes.  The second saw both teams net 18 points each, and the squad turned the channel to perhaps its favourite program; the Ghiselle show. Ghiselle Poblete (Brampton, Ont./), in the quarter, has shot a near perfect 6 for 7 from the field, with two clutch three pointers. Her percentage from beyond the arc, was in fact perfect. Poblete, who has lit the court up on occasion this season, set five season-highs on this night; points (31), field goals (12), field goal attempts (21), three-pointers made (4), and three-point attempts (8). That point total, accounted for 52.5% of the team's total scoring. Even with a ferocious first half, in which they kept pace with the visitors, McMaster's defensive prowess shone in the fourth quarter specifically; with the Warriors shooting for less than 25% from all areas of the court. McMaster took the 71-59 victory. 

Wednesday night for the men's team displayed a similar first quarter to the previous women's matchup. With McMaster looking to press the Warriors' backs to the wall once again, Waterloo had other plans. Down 20-11 after one, the black and gold exploded out the turn in the second. Isaiah McRae shooting a perfect quarter from both the field and the free-throw line, set the tone for a crushing display of offensive flair. The Warriors outscored the Marauders 27-12 in the frame, with the home defense not letting a McMaster attacker net more than three points throughout. 10 points in the second transformed to 13 in the third for McRae. Shooting an exceptional 56.9% in the quarter, McRae's dominance was accompanied by the ferocious rebounding of Cristian Craciun (Hamilton, Ont./) and Thach Wal Nger (Cambridge, Ont./); both picking up two boards a piece. McRae's game-high 31 points on the evening was all the more astounding, considering he did not score a point in the first quarter at all. A 22-point surge from the group all together in the fourth including another clutch three-ball from Stefan Prica (Etobicoke, Ont.), only playing three minutes in the fourth, sealed the victory for the home side in a rare Wednesday-nighter; in an 84-69 triumph. 

Season finale. Senior night. A senior night to celebrate the sole collective Warrior graduate from varsity basketball this season. Jaime Newell (Brussels, Ont./). Celebrating the legacy she has curated through her time in Waterloo, Newell will go down as one of the greatest all-around players in Warriors history. From 2021-2026, her tenacity, strength, and consistency has resulted in her name gracing the Warriors history books on occasion. 

Rebounds: 

1. Gillian Maxwell (2003-2008) | 893 

2. Jaime Newell (Brussels, Ont./) (2021-2026) | 772 

3. Julie Devenny (2001-2005)  | 541 

Rebounds per Game: 

1. Nehita Oko-Oboh (Ottawa, ON/) (2022-) | 9.7 

2. Jacalyn White (1994-1996) | 8.4 

3. Jaime Newell (Brussels, Ont./) (2021-2026 | 8.1 

Field Goal Percentage 

4. Julie Devenny (2001-2005) | 43.7 

5. Jaime Newell (Brussels, Ont./) (2021-2026) | 43.1 

6. Amanda Kieswetter (2000-2004) | 41.8 

Assists: 

8. Marti Kileen (2011-2015) | 121 

9. Jaime Newell (Brussels, Ont./) (2021-2026) | 121 

10. Ghiselle Poblete (Brampton, Ont./) (2022-) | 118 

Blocks: 

1. Julie Devenny (2001-2005) | 104 

2. Jaime Newell (Brussels, Ont./) (2021-2026) | 88 

2. Nehita Oko-Oboh (Ottawa, ON/) (2022-) | 88 

Blocks per Game: 

1. Nehita Oko-Oboh (Ottawa, ON/) (2022-) | 1.6 

2. Julie Devenny (2001-2005) | 1.2 

3. Jaime Newell (Brussels, Ont./) (2021-2026) | 0.9 

Games Started: 

1. Emily Wilk (2013-2017) | 77 

2. Jaime Newell (Brussels, Ont./) (2021-2026) | 69 

3. Kaitlyn Overeem (Brantford, ON/) (2018-2023) | 62 

Most Minutes Played: 

1. Julie Devenny (2001-2005) | 2,482 

2. Emily Wilk (2013-2017) | 2,437 

3. Jaime Newell (Brussels, Ont./) (2021-2026) | 2,208 

The numbers speak for themselves; and so did Newell's performance in her final regular season appearance in Waterloo. Leading the game with 14 rebounds on the night, to also add a team-high 13 points, Newell's final showing summarized her career as a Warrior perfectly, going above and beyond in contributing to a collective team effort. Unfortunately for the Warriors, their opponent was the second seed in the Central division, the Brock Badgers; who had outscored Waterloo in every quarter, bar the fourth. 61-54 was the final, in the season finale.  

A resilient regular season for the women on the court, has led Warriors nation to a one-game play in for the Critelli Cup Playoffs, tomorrow night in Guelph, against the Gryphons. You can catch coverage live at 6:00 PM on OUA.tv. 

The men's team wrapped up their season against the Badgers in a thriller. Up 20-16 after one, the Warriors had shot for an even 50% from the field. In a duel of the Pockar brothers, Ross Pockar's (Calgary, Alta.) younger brother Birch led the way for Brock on the evening with 22 points of his own. Throughout the game for Waterloo, McRae, Prica, and Moses Anvari (Ajax, Ont.) all went to work. Prica's eight points in the second, led the quarter on both sides, while Mac Steenburgh (Vancouver, B.C./) hit both of his three-point attempts in six minutes on the court. Late in the game, McRae had to break through the Badger defense to make a statement, which led to foul after foul for the visiting side. McRae went 5-7 from the line in the quarter, as Brock were aware number six would be the Warriors primary holder of the rock. In the end, the Badgers held off the Warriors..just. A late make at  the line from Prica with 0:05 left on the clock made it 77-76 Badgers; the lead they would turn into a final. 

A crushing loss in the season finale did not come without the classic push and fightback these men in black and gold demonstrated all season long, and their heads will be held high, as all eyes are on a new season forthcoming; just like that. 

McRae's efforts in both valiant victory and defeat, earned him W Store Athlete of the Week honours, presented by Imprint, for the fourth time this season. 

Figure Skating: Rhythm, Heart and Soul 

Travelling to St. Catharines for the Brock Winter Invitational this past week, figure skating came out of the event with some incredibly impressive results; placing in the top seven in 14 events. The highlight was a first-place stunner in the Open Rhythm Dance event, delivered by a phenomenal skate from Annika Zamora (Georgetown, Ont./Christ the King Catholic Secondary School) and Rebecca Brown (Waterloo, Ont./Waterloo Collegiate Institute). The Open Synchro event also delivered a milestone for the Warriors; a second-place finish, and their first medal in the event since 2016. Alex Lee and Mikaela Moyer (Aylmer, Ont./East Elgin Secondary School) continued this momentum, also picking up second-place in Senior Pairs, and Brown, Zamora, as well as Kyra Marotta (Virgil, Ont./Eden High School) and Kaitlyn Brushey (Huntsville, Ont./Huntsville High School) all combined for a strong second-place in the Dance Fours. The podiums would keep on coming as Moyer, joined by Isabelle Wang (Mississauga, Ont./Craig Kielburger Secondary School), placed third in the Star 8/9 Couples Dance. The glorious showing from the Warriors was capped off in the Open Men's Dance event, with a shining third-place from Jesse Wang (Mississauga, Ont./Craig Kielburger Secondary School). 

These exceptional efforts secured the team third-place overall in the tournament, defending their honour from a season ago. Next up for the group are the OUA Championships from the Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto, from March 10-11. 

Women's Hockey: Queens of the Castle 

Entering their final day of the season, women's hockey, who had secured third-place in the West division standings a week ago after sweeping their final weekend at Columbia Icefield Arena, journeyed to Kingston to face the East-leading Queen's Gaels. This past Friday was yet another result, typical of a team who screams synergy. Being outshot 8-6 after the first period, the game was still scoreless. Just past the halfway mark in the second, the visitors in black and gold broke the ice. After drawing a boarding call which sent them to the power play, Emma Thornton (Kitchener, Ont./Huron Heights Secondary School), in the right corner, delivered a beautiful saucer pass to the backdoor, which Keiara Raitt (Ancaster, Ont./Ancaster High School) one-timed home. 1-0 Warriors, on Raitt's 11th goal of the season; and that would mark the only goal in the frame. Up 2-0 after 40 minutes, the Warriors lead was a byproduct of what Kara Mark (New Hamburg, Ont./Waterloo Oxford District Secondary School and Victus Academy) produced in the Warriors net. Stopping all 19 shots she faced, she was replaced for the third by Lauryn Busseri (St. Catharines, Ont./Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School). In the third, Waterloo killed off a huge penalty midway through, with Busseri standing on her head in the Warriors goal. The Gaels penalty trouble would continue, much to Waterloo's delight. After a Queen's timeout, the reliable five of Katina Duscio (Kitchener, Ont./St. Mary's High School), Carly Orth (Bolton, Ont./Humberview Secondary School), Tia Lascelle (Lancaster. Ont./Ontario Hockey Academy), Nikki McDonald, and Tatum James (Stratford, Ont./Northwestern Secondary School), went to work. With Lascelle tapping the puck to James at the net front, she passed it cross-crease to McDonald, who instead of going for goal, tapped it straight back to James sitting in the same spot. With the Warriors making the opponent look silly in the slot, James had a wide-open cage, for her team-leading 13th goal, program leading 47th goal, and sixth power play goal of the season. TJ-88, made it 2-0 Waterloo. A third goal for Waterloo, less than three minutes later, the fifth of Brooke Williams' (Valley, N.S./Cobequid Educational Center) first season -  a beautiful wrister from the dot on a drop pass from Teagan Gray (Burlington, Ont./Dr. Frank J Hayden Secondary School) – made it 3-0 Warriors. The lead they would carry to the end. A combined 25 save shutout from Mark and Busseri marked the Warriors second-straight clean sheet in goal. The team wraps their regular season up on a high away from home, and now face their toughest test. 

The team will now embark on their journey for a third-straight McCaw Cup Championship appearance; facing the Guelph Gryphons in round one of the Playoffs. Game one will take place next Wednesday, February 25, in Guelph at 7:30 PM. You can tune into all the action live on OUA.tv. 

Volleyball: Royal City Standoff 

One more weekend set was what our volleyball squads had left to play, this regular season. Taking to the court in Guelph, both squads looked to break out on the other side, with records at or above .500 to end the year. 

Friday night for the women was an offensive showdown. After trailing early in the first set, the Warriors climbed back, courtesy of the consistency of Stella McKenna (Calgary, Alta./Western Canada High School) and Molly White (Fall River, N.S./Lockview High School) up front. Down 7-5, the Warriors took a 9-7 lead; and they would remain close by throughout. A tight set was decided with only three points in it; 25-22 for the Gryphons. In the second, Ashlynn Freiburger (Kitchener, Ont./St Mary's Highschool) opened things off with back-to-back service aces, followed by a smashing attack from White to make it 3-0. In a set where Madison Seo (Ancaster, Ont./Westmount Secondary School) would claim the opening assist, she would also claim the winning assist, off a kill from Avery Isaacs (Calgary, Alta./Bishop Carroll High School).  

Isaacs, who will close the season as the national leader in hitting percentage (.429), secured a second-set victory for Waterloo; 25-18. 

The third and fourth sets are where Guelph took command. Despite a game-high 20 kills from McKenna, and 21 digs from defensive specialist Samantha Loshusan (Markham, Ont./Father Michael McGivney Catholic Academy), Waterloo dropped the first of back-to-backs, 3-1; their first loss to the Gryphons, since February 22, 2020.  

Friday night for the men's team was also back and forth. With the Warriors offense on full lock, it was another huge effort from their premier attackers. A game-high 22 kills for Lucas Redmann (Winnipeg, Man./Dakota Collegiate), two aces from AJ Nichols (Aurora, Ont./St. Andrew's College), and 51 assists from Cohen Peters (Vancouver, B.C./Pacific Acadamy) set the team up for success. A game-high seven digs from Will McIntyre (Waterloo, Ont./Laurel Heights Secondary School) also looked to have the Warriors in full control. Down 2-1 however going into the fourth set, Waterloo needed a hero to keep them in the game; and multiple heroes answered the call. With the final six kills for Waterloo all involving Nichols, Daniel Nikashov (Vaughan, Ont./Hodan Nalayeh Secondary School), Redmann, Peters,  and Owen Paddock Thiessen (Brandon, Man./Vincent Massey High School), the black and gold would not go down without a fight. Paddock Thiessen's kill was the winner, to extend the game into a fifth and decisive set; one that Guelph would take 15-11. A 3-2 loss was a resilient one on this night for the Warriors. 

Saturday night on the court produced a thriller for the women's team. After dropping an emotional first set 29-27, the Warriors answered back with two straight set victories, to put them one win from the end. Adyson Kelly's (Calgary, Alta./Bowness High School) 36 assists stood out above all else, with Loshusan's 29 digs deserving admirable praise all the same. The defense also locked down their side of the court in not allowing a single service ace from the Gryphons all night. In the fourth and fifth sets however, Guelph took matters into their own hands, to snatch victory from the hands of defeat; ending our Warriors' season in defeat. 

The men's nightcap on Saturday from the second set onward, got away from the Warriors unfortunately. Redmann once again delivered a strong 15 kill performance and adding seven digs too, while Paddock Thiessen, in his final regular season game, came up with 10 kills. Cohen Peters (Vancouver, B.C./Pacific Acadamy) was once again the prime assist man on the evening, coming up with 35. Drawing close to victory in the third set, only falling by three, it was sandwiched between two sets where the Warriors caught steam when it was too late. A 3-1 loss in the season finale will light a motivational fire under the saddles of the team, as a new season is just beginning. 

The team will travel west to Windsor this weekend, to face the Lancers in the Forsyth Cup Quarterfinal; this Friday night at 7:00 PM. All the action can be caught live on OUA.tv. 

The regular season may have concluded - but with our Warriors in competition, once again – there is never anything regular about it. A campaign of magical upsets, comebacks, milestones, and senior sendoffs have made the first month and a half of 2026 as memorable as can be. Gold Rush season is upon us...buckle up.