Weekly Dino Digest: Pack the Jack Edition: Jan. 17- 19

By Maggie Hsu, January 15 2025—

It’s a big weekend for Dinos basketball so here’s a special edition of the Weekly Dino Digest has everything you need to know before heading into the big weekend. From season highlights to why you should Pack the Jack Simpson Gym on Friday night, we’ve got you covered. As always, all Dinos home games are free (including Pack the Jack!) with your UCID. Tickets can be purchased online with your student ID number. Check out the master schedule and grab a couple of friends to cheer on your Dinos!

Track and Field

Last weekend, the Dinos Track and Field team made themselves known at the Sanderson Classic in Saskatoon with multiple athletes punching their tickets to the U SPORTS Championships. 

• The women’s 4x200m relay team featuring Georgia Oland, Dawn Richardson-Wilson, Hannah Hurtubise and Kristen Fox autoqualified a stellar time of 1:39.85. 
• Middle distance runner, Tatum Wade secured her spot in the 600m with a blazing time of 1:29:72. 
• This week’s Canada West Men’s Track and Field Athlete of the Week, Noel Vanderzee topped the men’s high jump field with a massive jump of 2.10m, earning him his championship spot.

The incredible crop of Dinos’ track athletes are back on the road this weekend as they visit Edmonton for the Golden Bear Open, aiming to keep this momentum going.

Volleyball

With Jack Simpson Gym booked for a weekend of basketball, the Dinos Volleyball teams are on the road to Abbotsford, BC to visit the Fraser Valley Cascades. 

Both teams are looking to bounce back after dropping their matches against the Saskatchewan Huskies last week. The women’s team is rallying for that final playoff spot while the men’s squad is fighting to hold onto their position in the standings or improve so they can have a bit more breathing room at the end of the season.

Basketball: Pack the Jack 2025

This Friday, Dinos basketball takes the spotlight with Pack the Jack 2025, the basketball version of KICK OFF, to celebrate the start of the winter semester. Attendees can expect an exciting night of basketball paired with special giveaways, including a special edition t-shirt for the first 200 to show up and a chance to win a fresh pair of Nikes.

With the women’s game opening up the night with a 6 p.m. tip off against the Manitoba Bisons, launching an eight-game homestand to capitalize on home court advantage for the 7-3 women, ranked seventh in the latest U SPORTS Top 10 rankings. With their only three losses of the season coming on the road, this is an opportune time for the women to rack up some wins and built momentum before heading into the Canada West Playoffs.

Historically, the Dinos have kept the Bisons at bay for the past 20 years, with Manitoba’s last win dating back to Jan. 7, 2005. Adding to the hurt, the Bisons have failed to win a game in Calgary in almost 25 years with their last road win on Nov. 24, 2000. Will the Bisons manage to break their curse or will the Dinos continue this streak into the second quarter of the century?

Player to watch: Third-year guard, Myriam Kone has been dominant this season having started all 10 games so far, putting up 168 points, placing her third in the Canada West rankings in average points per game. 

After the women’s game concludes, the men will tip off on Friday at 8 p.m. for their turn with the Pack the Jack crowd against the Bisons

After almost two months away from Jack Simpson, the Dinos are in need of a home crowd to cheer them on before they embark on the last half of the season with their eyes on the Canada West and U SPORTS Championships after being dismissed from the Final Eight early last post-season.

With efforts trained on containing their record to just one loss, the Dinos split their weekend against the Winnipeg Wesmen, earning just their second loss of the season by just 10-points. They now return home to try and regain that momentum they had going into the winter break in hopes of using that to end the season strong but Manitoba won’t make it easy on the Dinos as they drop into Calgary with one win over the Dinos in the Canada West Prairie standings despite being ranked nine spots below the hometown team in the recent U SPORTS power rankings.

Player to watch: Nate Petrone is on peak form as he continues to carry the Dinos in scoring, averaging 24.5 points per game, placing him definitively at the top of the Canada West scoring leaderboard in the category.

Encore Night: Staff Appreciation

While our eyes are trained on Pack the Jack, the Dinos return to the Jack on Saturday for Staff Appreciation Night to recognize the dedicated individuals who support the Dinos basketball teams through every game, training and practice sessions. The women tip off at 4 p.m., followed by the men at 6 p.m.