Lakeland Rustlers Weekend Update - Jan 15, 2024
Lakeland students, faculty and staff enjoyed a much needed break prior to the weather turning cold this January, but Rustler athletes were back in action quickly after Christmas, several teams going south of the border!
Women's hockey journeyed south to Arizona, where they faced a team from Arizona State University three times, winning 4-2, 5-2 and 6-3. This past weekend, they kicked off the second semester with a road and home matchup with the defending champion RDP Queens. The Rustlers dropped the first game 3-2, but bounced back to win in a 1-0 shutout at home, with Hailey Carothers scoring the lone goal and Janae Neufeld making 23 saves.
This has women's hockey at 11-4, two wins back of Red Deer and one from NAIT.
Women's and men's basketball also went south of the border, playing a series of games against NAIA teams in Montana. Both teams lost to Montana Tech and Montana State University-Northern, while the women were able to get a win against Carroll College. The men used every minute available to work on their new lineup, having lost Abul Al-Tammi, but gained Asa Bray.
Then, the squads faced off against elite high school players at home in the new year, hosting Western Canada Prep Academy of Edmonton. In the one sanctioned women's matchup, the Rustlers won 94-37, while the men's team split two contests 88-99 and 93-53.
The regular season began on the road with a solo matchup against the Augustana Vikings. Both Lakeland squads blew out their competition in mid-November, but expected stiff competition in a loud building. The women's game wasn't close still, winning 85-46 off solid bench efforts from Susan Ayaa and Ellie Lieffers (17 points, 8 rebounds and 10 points, 9 rebounds) but the men had to hold off the home team late in the game 81-74. Baha Salma lead the scoring with 23 points, while Andre McFadden added 20 points.
The undefeated streak now sits at 12 for the women, who now sit atop the CCAA rankings, while the men are 9-3, still a clear second in the ACAC North.
Women's volleyball went on a trip as well, but stayed within Canada, as they flew out to Victoria BC, where they scrimmaged against the host Camosun (last year's National Silver Medalists) and Douglas College, two of the top teams in the PACWest, winning the lone sanctioned match 3-0 over Camosun. Men's volleyball hosted the NWP Wolves, playing them multiple times in three days and winning the two sanctioned matches 3-0 and 3-2.
Both squads then opened the semester officially with a road trip to Red Deer, where the women's team faced last year's ACAC Bronze Medalists and this year's CCAA hosts, while the men were up against last year's ACAC Silver Medalists and the 2nd ranked team in the country. The women's match was another 3-0 sweep for the Rustlers, while the men battled the Kings hard, leading them in the third set, but ultimately lost 3-1. Lana Matthews had a monster showing with 14 kills, 2 service aces and 4 blocks, while Gabe Bjorkas had a team high 12 kills for the men.
Bolstered by the return of middle Sarah Hogue and MVP Jenay Varga to the front court, the women are 10-1 and ranked 1st in the country, while the men drop to 8-3, one win ahead of third place NAIT in the ACAC North.
This weekend will be a busy one for Athletics, though most teams are on the road. Men's and women's volleyball travel to Fort McMurray, where the Keyano men's team is two wins ahead of Lakeland. Men's and women's futsal head to Lac La Biche, where Portage College hosts the first ACAC North Futsal Regional of the season. Women's hockey travel to Olds on Saturday, where they will play two games against the Broncos.
The Rustlers Basketball squads are the lone home teams for the weekend, as they host the Keyano Huskies, featuring a women's team in the playoff hunt and a men's team sitting first in the ACAC. Friday evening tip off is at 6:00 PM for the women, 8:00 PM for the men, while Saturday's games are at 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM respectively. Friday's game falls on National Tin Can and Popcorn Day, so the first 10 fans to buy a canned drink and a popcorn will receive an additional popcorn for free!