A summer of SFU athletics updates

By: Isabella Urbani, Sports Editor

Men’s basketball

Recruitments

2018 Canadian Basketball U15 silver medalist Victor Bonsu: averaged 23 points per game last season.

Irish Coquia: won three championships with his high school team, which was co-coached by an SFU alum. SFU head coach Steve Hanson referred to Coquia as one of the “most dynamic and accomplished athletes in BC high school history.”
Burnaby’s Sasha Vujisic: transferred to SFU after sustaining an injury playing for U SPORTS’ Thompson Rivers University in 2021. This season will mark his first time in the NCAA.

News

SFU will host the NCAA Div. II Tip-Off Classic for six men’s teams from November 3–5 at the Langley Events Centre.
The Toronto Raptors, Canada’s only professional NBA basketball team, will be holding a day of their training camp on October 6 in the West Gym.

Women’s basketball

Recruitments

Bree Neufeld: averaged 21 points, nine rebounds, and three steals as the captain of her basketball club, BC United.
Natalie Charity: from Britain to BC, Charity is looking to replicate the same success she had with her high school basketball team, advancing to two championships and being given player of the week honours twice.

News

SFU alumni Marie-Line Petit, a member of the women’s basketball team that advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time in NCAA program history, is named assistant coach.
SFU will host the NCAA Div. II Tip-Off Classic for six women’s teams from November 3–5 at the Langley Events Centre.

Upcoming senior Jessica Wisotzki represented Canada at the 3×3 U23 international competition, finishing second. In her final game last season, she recorded her 1,000th point as a Red Leaf.

Awards

Senior Sophie Klassen was one of 18 SFU athletic recipients of the Academic Achievement Award for having a 3.5 CGPA, and a Faculty Athletic Representative Scholar-Athlete Award for having over a 3.85 CGPA as a kinesiology major.

Cross country

News

Senior Emily Chilton won SFU’s Excellence in Leadership Award for her work in SFU’s student-athlete advisory committee to address athlete mental health.
Emily Chilton was named SFU’s nominee for NCAA Woman of the Year for “academic achievements, athletics excellence, community service, and leadership.”
SFU men’s and women’s teams picked to finish second in the coaches’ preseason polls.

Awards

Cross country and track and field runner, Emily Chilton, was a recipient of the Academic Achievement Award and won her sixth Faculty Athletic Representative Scholar-Athlete Award for having over a 3.85 CGPA, as a biomedical physiology major.
Sophomore Mitchell Gibbs, sophomore cross country and track athlete Ella Marion, senior cross country and track athlete Joel Perriard, and senior cross country and track athlete Jordan Schmidt were recipients of the Academic Achievement Award.
Junior cross country and track and field runner, Charlie Dannatt, is one of two winners of SFU’s Athlete of the Year.

Golf

News

Former Div. II athlete Krysta Schaus named SFU men’s and women’s golf assistant coach.

Awards

Senior Ryan Stolys wins SFU’s senior award, recording the school’s 11th-best stroke average.
Ryan Stolys was a recipient of the Academic Achievement Award and won his sixth Faculty Athletic Representative Scholar-Athlete Award as a computer engineering major.
Senior Aidan Goodfellow wins SFU’s award for courage after coming back from shoulder and Achilles’ heel injuries.
As an engineering science major, Freshman Aneesh Kaura is the only first-year to win a Faculty Athletic Representative Scholar-Athlete Award.

Men’s soccer

Recruitments

Michael Hennessy: finished third in scoring in the Fraser Valley Soccer League Premier Division while playing for the Whitecaps U-19 team.
Bernardo Poniaczykilloz: transferring from McMaster University, where he won a championship with his team to advance to the U SPORTS league championship. This will be his first season in the NCAA.
Hanish Ogden: fellow transfer from UVIC who played in all three of his team’s matches at the U SPORTS league championship.
Koji Poon: spent the summer with the Whitecaps U-19 team, winning the championship, and scoring a goal in his seven appearances.
Ty Pound: represented BC at last year’s Canada Summer Games.
Devi Romero: Captain and MVP of his high school soccer team.
Twins Kyle and Ryan Torresan: Athletes of the Year at their high school.
Cole Toupin: BC Soccer’s 2022 Player of the Year winner; captained his high school and club team.
Deyan Vujovic: Led his club team in goals.

News

SFU men’s soccer spent nine days playing three games against teams in Norway for their preseason.
Anticipated to finish first based on coaches’ preseason poll.

Awards

Junior Mark Talisuna is one of two winners of SFU’s team sports Athlete of the Year.
Senior Matt Hobson was a recipient of the Academic Achievement Award and a top-10 student-athlete scholar, as a molecular biology and biochemistry major.

Women’s soccer

Recruitments

Noémie Merlen: transfer from Div. I school, Flordia International University.
Jensa Napier-Ganley: Advanced to the finals of the BC championship with her club team, and captained both her basketball and soccer team in high school.
Mikayla Tupper: transfer from Div. I school, University of Miami. Scored the first goal in history for her club team.

News

Awards

Sophmore Mackenzie Almeida was a recipient of the Academic Achievement Award, won her third Faculty Athletic Representative Scholar-Athlete Award, and was a top-10 student athlete scholar, as a business and economics major.

Softball

Recruitments

Monica Bourque: this season’s only pitcher to be recruited. Named top pitcher at last year’s U-17 Canadian Championship.
Taylor Henley: club team finished second at the 2018 national championship.

News