Thunder Athletics: Achievements Recap
Written By: Denae Michie
As we kick off the beginning of the winter semester, our athletes have been gearing up as their season comes into full swing. As we look at the fall semester, records have been set, achievements have been made, and medals have been won. Let’s take a further look into some of the astonishing accomplishments of these athletes. As the soccer season came to an end, our Thunder women’s team ended the season with a BANG. Finishing first in the North division with an 11-0-1 record, the girls took home the third place standing at the ACAC championships! Breanna Callander, Monica Dickson, Audrey French, and Vanessa Pietramala each earned an ACAC All-Conference title, with Vanessa Pietramala also earning the CCAA All-Canadian North Player of the Year. This group broke four different team records by the end of the season. Callander now owns the record for most goals scored in a Thunder career with 40, Dickson set the record for most clean sheets in a season with 9, and Pietramala set the record for most assists with 27.
Our cross-country team has also had a semester of success, earning a national banner at the CCAA national championships. The experienced Leanord Chesoo finished top five in all three races he competed in, including a first-place finish in the 8km race at the Grand Prix #4 hosted by U of A Augustana with a time of 26:24. Chesoo qualified for the CCAA National Championships where he won the 8km race with a time of 24:37 making this is third CCAA title in five years. With an ACAC 2nd place finish and a CCAA gold medal, Chesoo was named both an ACAC All-Conference and a CCAA All-Canadian athlete for the 2023 season.
Both men’s and women’s golf teams had marvelous seasons with many successes for both groups. At the North Regional, the team finished 3rd in the mixed event, 2nd in the men’s team event, and 1st in the women’s team event. The men’s team was led by Hayden Prins finishing 5th, as well as Riley Rigdon (13th), Aaron Menor (15th), and Joby Raine (16th) all finishing in the top 20 individually. On the women’s side, all three finished in the top 10 individually with Ella Gifford finishing 1st, Lauryn Psutka finishing 7th, and Ava Stach finishing 10th. The South Regional had similar results with the men and women all finishing within the top 10. At the ACAC Championships, the team captured gold in the women’s and mixed team events while claiming 2nd in the men’s team event. Ella Gifford, Riley Higdon, and Hayden Prins were all considered ACAC All-Conference athletes. Their successes in ACAC led Ella Gifford and the entire men’s team on a trip to the CCAA National Championships.
With a fantastic start to the year, we can’t WAIT to see what our indoor sports have in store for us this winter semester.
