Another U Sports season full of excitement, disappointment and triumph is in the books, leaving one team standing amongst each sport at the end of a grueling season.
Here are the champions of the men’s and women’s basketball, hockey and volleyball divisions and their journeys to the top of the podium.
Men’s Basketball – Victoria Vikes
The Victoria Vikes have reached the top of the mountain for the first time in 28 years after a near-flawless season where the Vikes won 25 of their 26 competitive matches this year.
Their lone loss came in the semi-final of the Canada West playoffs to the Calgary Dinos; however, the Vikes got their revenge when they defeated Calgary by 29 points, 82-53, in the national championship final to hoist the W.P. McGee Trophy.
Victoria, who entered the U Sports tournament as the No. 4 seed, shined throughout the weekend as they beat both the No. 5 Bishop’s Gaiters and the No. 1 Ottawa Gee-Gees en route to their ninth U Sports title in school history.
Women’s Basketball – Saskatchewan Huskies
The Saskatchewan Huskies closed their season on a 30-game win streak after dropping their opening two contests of the campaign to win both the Canada West and U Sports Championships.
After becoming Canada West Champions, the Huskies were slated as the top seed in the U Sports tournament. As expected, they cruised during the competition, beating the Alberta Pandas by nine points in the quarterfinals before defeating the UBC Thunderbirds in the semi-final by double figures to set up a championship rematch with the Carleton Ravens.
After losing to the Ravens by three points in last season’s final, the Huskies came out on top, smashing Carleton 85-66 to win their third Bronze Baby Trophy in school history with all three coming within the last decade (2016, 2020).
Men’s Hockey – Ottawa Gee-Gees
The Ottawa Gee-Gees did the unthinkable as they became the first host to win the University Cup since 2017, when the UNB Reds accomplished that feat.
En route to their first championship in program history, the No. 8 Gee-Gees dethroned the No. 1-seeded Reds — who won the last two titles and five of the last seven tournaments — before eliminating the No. 4 TMU Bold, 4-3, in the semi-finals.
In the championship match, Ottawa outclassed the No. 3 Concordia Stingers, 3-2, as they were able to withstand a third period barrage by the Stingers to claim the gold medal on home ice.
Women’s Hockey – Bishop’s Gaiters
The Bishop’s Gaiters made school history as they became the first Bishop’s team of any sport to win a national championship in the 21st century, with the 1998 men’s basketball team being the last Gaiters squad to win a university banner.
The RSEQ Champions, who defeated the Concordia Stingers in three games to win the Quebec division, squeaked past the No. 6 UBC Thunderbirds with a 4-3 overtime victory before beating the No. 2 Toronto Varsity Blues, 2-1, in the semi-final.
The No. 3 Gaiters then shut out the No. 8 Waterloo Warriors, who were the hosts of the women’s tournament, by three goals to claim what is only the school’s fourth national championship in any sport and the first women’s hockey title in program history.
Men’s Volleyball – Brandon Bobcats
The Brandon Bobcats are one of the most unlikely teams in U Sports history to win a national title, yet the Bobcats hoisted the Tantramar Trophy for the first time in program history this year.
After finishing the season with a 13-12 record and getting swept in the quarterfinals of the Canada West playoffs, Brandon only qualified for the national championships as the automatic host berth, but they showed their fight throughout the weekend.
As the No. 8 and undeniably weakest seed in the competition, the Bobcats and their fans rallied to upset the No. 1 Winnipeg Wesmen, 3-0, before winning a five-set thriller to the No. 5 Saskatchewan Huskies in the semi-finals.
In the championship match, the Bobcats stunned the No. 3 and reigning national champions, the Alberta Golden Bears, by winning 3-1 to become the first victorious host at the men’s volleyball championships since the Laval Rouge et Or in 2013.
Women’s Volleyball – Manitoba Bisons
The Manitoba Bisons continued their dynasty in women’s volleyball, winning their eighth national championship and 19th podium appearance, which are both ranked second all-time behind the UBC Thunderbirds.
After cruising past the No. 6 Saint Mary’s Huskies in three sets, the No. 3 Bisons battled the No. 2 Thunderbirds — winners of three of the past four tournaments, who have won a U Sports-leading 14 banners — to a 3-1 victory, setting up a showdown with the No. 5 Montreal Carabins in the championship final.
Manitoba came out swinging, winning the first two sets before ultimately defeating the Carabins in four sets to claim the Bisons’ first national title since 2014.
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As the varsity calendar has now flipped to the 2025-26 season, teams across the country are beginning their preparations as they seek a magical journey to the top of the U Sports pyramid and hoist the national championship next season.
For more information on U Sports, visit usports.ca.