Dinos Playoffs Week 2: Dinos’ men’s basketball lives on and women’s wrestling dominate the mat
By Maggie Hsu, March 9 2025—
Men’s Basketball: Dinos take down undefeated Vikes for the CW Championships
The Dinos’ men’s basketball team have handed the Victoria Vikes their first loss of the 2024-25 season and will play for the 2024-25 Canada West banner against the UBC Thunderbirds.
The Dinos’ two-headed monster of Nate Petrone and Noah Wharton once again proved to be too difficult for their opponents to defend as they combined for 44 points of the 77 Calgary dropped on the Vikes.
The Vikes started the game off strong, forcing seven turnovers to take a 9-2 lead early in the game but the Dinos quickly responded with a 12-4 run to end the first quarter up by a single point 14-13. The Dinos built up their lead further in the second quarter to enter halftime at 32-26.
Not backing down, Calgary dominated the third, going on an 11-0 run, pushing their lead to the greatest of the game at a 20-point differential, giving up just one turnover in the quarter and outsourcing the Vikes 27-15 to enter the fourth quarter up 59-41.
However, the Vikes would fight back, showing off why they went undefeated on the season, managing to cut the deficit to 66-62 with three minutes left in the game. But a lack of discipline would cause the Vikes to pick up a number of inopportune fouls, putting Noah Wharton, who has an .835 free throw percentage on the line for some easy points.
First-year Dino Declan Peterson would add to their point differential to secure the win for the Dinos.
Calgary will now face the U SPORTS Final 8 hosts, UBC Thunderbirds in the Canada West Championship final as they continue their quest for their ninth banner in program history.
Men’s Volleyball: Dinos swept by Golden Bears in Quarter-Final Series
The University of Calgary Dinos men’s volleyball team saw their season come to an end after a 2-0 series sweep by the number one ranked Alberta Golden Bears in the Canada West quarter-finals.
Game 1 showcased razor-thin margins, with 22 tied scores across three sets. The Golden Bear’s efficiency proved decisive, hitting .377 en route to a 25-18, 25-20, 25-21 victory. Isaac Heslinga led the Bears with 14 kills, while Louis Kunstmann paced Calgary with nine. Despite a competitive showing, Dinos head coach Graham Vigrass pointed to costly attack errors as the difference-maker.
Facing elimination in Game 2, the Dinos fought to keep their season alive but fell 25-19, 25-16, 25-17. A tight opening set swung the Golden Bears’ way after Heslinga continued to deliver with four consecutive aces. The Dinos gained momentum in the third, jumping to a 7-3 lead, but their cross-province rival would show poise and depth to steal the set.
With the loss, the Dinos bid farewell to seniors Austin Ellchuk, Tyler Funk, Kunstmann, and Jackson Meier. While the Golden Bears advance to the Canada West Final Four in Winnipeg.
Wrestling: Dinos Shine at U SPORTS Wrestling Championships
The Dinos delivered a dominant showing on the mats at the 2025 Wrestling Canada Lutte U SPORTS Invitational in St. Catherines, Ontario, securing five national titles and finishing as the women’s national runners-up.
Day 1 saw 12 Dinos advance to medal matches, with standout performances from Gabriela Cross (56kg), Mackenzie Cayer (65kg) and Nick Hooper (76kg), who all went undefeated in the day. By the end of the tournament, Calgary claimed nine medals, with the women earning 67 points — just three shy of Brock’s team title. The men tied for fourth place with 36 points.
Cross defended her national title with a commanding tech fall win, her performance would earn her the honour of being named U SPORTS Women’s Outstanding Wrestler of the Year. Cayer won gold as well and earned her the U SPORTS Rookie of the Year award, while head coach Mitch Ostberg was named Women’s Coach of the Year, his fifth time winning this award and his first since 2009. Additional golds came from Annika Fines (62kg) and Angelina Ellis-Toddington (68kg), who pinned her opponent after a comeback. Eve Maxwell-Nikiforuk (59kg) took silver and Maya Johnston (53kg) secured bronze to add to the Dinos’ hardware collection.
On the men’s side, Nick Hooper dominated his way to back-to-back national titles at 76kg, becoming Calgary’s first repeat men’s champion since 2003. Fred Calingay (57kg) and Jack Pye (100kg) added bronze medals, while Joseph De Maio (90kg) placed fourth.
With strong individual performances and team success, the Dinos once again proved their national wrestling pedigree.