LANGLEY, British Columbia – The Trinity Western Spartans open the Canada West season ranked No. 5 in the Canada West preseason coaches' poll. The Spartans kick off the season next Thursday night at 5:30 p.m. with a trip to Vancouver to face the No. 3 UBC Thunderbirds at War Memorial Gym. TWU will return to the Langley Events Centre to host the No. 10 Victoria Vikes. Game time is set for 4 p.m. on Saturday night. Both games can be seen live on Canada West TV.
2026-27 CW WBB PRE-SEASON COACHES POLL
Team - Points (First-place votes)
- Alberta Pandas - 249 (12)
- Saskatchewan Huskies - 245 (5)
- UBC Thunderbirds - 209
- UBCO Heat - 205
- Trinity Western Spartans - 196
- Calgary Dinos - 189
- Mount Royal Cougars - 149
- Manitoba Bisons - 137
- Regina Cougars - 135
- Victoria Vikes - 131
- Thompson Rivers WolfPack - 126
- Fraser Valley Cascades - 97
- Brandon Bobcats - 68
- Winnipeg Wesmen - 67
- Lethbridge Pronghorns - 59
- MacEwan Griffins - 33
- UNBC Timberwolves – 17
Team Overview: After a season in which they hosted a playoff weekend, the Spartans will look to build on that success with an experienced core returning. Fifth-year guards
Cassidy Buchanan, a Canada West All-Star, and
Myrlaine Shelvey are expected to lead the team on both ends of the floor, while
Moriah Jansen,
Blessing Ibekwe, and
Mavleen Chahal are poised to take on bigger roles after another year in the highly competitive Canada West conference. The additions of
Kiki Tupas-Singh and
Julianna Reimer will add depth and let the Spartans play at a faster pace for longer stretches.
From the coach: "We are excited to build on what we were able to accomplish last season in hosting a play-off weekend. We have a strong returning core of senior guards in
Cassidy Buchanan and
Myrlaine Shelvey, who are prepared to carry a big part of our offensive and defensive game plan. With a year under their belt, we anticipate bigger contributions from
Moriah Jansen,
Blessing Ibekwe and
Mavleen Chahal, knowing how tough it is to get wins in our Canada West conference. With the additions of
Kiki Tupas-Singh and
Julianna Reimer, we are prepared to play a little faster and a little longer so we'll see how that impacts our style of play." -
Cheryl Jean-Paul
Key Performer: Cassidy Buchanan
?Guard | 5th Year | Aldergrove, B.C.
"Cassidy is our leader both on and off-court. She has improved on her ability to create offense since last year, and that step forward will support our team's growth as we see her lead a group of hungry teammates, high on accountability and focused on being the best version of ourselves every time we step on court." -
Cheryl Jean-Paul
About Spartan Athletics
As official members of U SPORTS, the Spartans currently compete in 13 sports in the Canada West conference, including women's and men's soccer, volleyball, basketball, hockey, cross country and track & field, as well as women's rugby sevens. TWU also competes as an independent team in men's rugby and women's and men's disc golf. Since TWU entered U SPORTS in 1999, the Spartans have won 15 U SPORTS team championships and 35 Canada West team championships.
About Trinity Western University
Recognized for quality, TWU has received seven consecutive A+ rankings for Quality of Teaching and Learning, holds three Canada Research Chairs, and wins national championships in CIS sports. More importantly, lives are changed at TWU through its whole-person, Christ-centred approach to education. With a wide array of undergraduate, graduate, and adult degree-completion programs, TWU equips leaders of character and competence to make a positive impact in the lives of others.
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