UPEI student-athletes make their mark! Go Panthers Go!

Panther Sport makes a tremendous, positive impact on the campus and across the province. UPEI student-athletes are great ambassadors and role models as they excel not only on the court, on the pitch, or in the rink, but also in the classroom and in the community. UPEI is Panther proud of its student-athletes’ efforts to juggle their academic, athletic, and personal goals, often overcoming challenges and adversity to achieve success. The University community acknowledges all Panther student-athletes as well as the faculty and staff across campus who support them.

While not all Panther teams advanced to their respective championships this year, they all competed with passion and represented the University with integrity. As the University sports calendar and winter sports season quickly come to a close, here are a few major accomplishments.

• UPEI Women’s Rugby hosted and competed at the successful U SPORTS Women’s Rugby Championship on home turf, October 30–November 3. 
   
• UPEI Field Hockey captured their third straight Atlantic University Field Hockey Championship, qualifying them to compete at the U SPORTS Field Hockey Canada National Championship at York University, October 31–November 3, 2024.
   
• UPEI Track and Field sprinter Helena Ikpotokin won a gold medal in the 300m and a silver medal in the 60 m, and high jumper Alaere Peterside a gold medal with a 1.71m jump at the recent AUS Track and Field Championships in Saint John, NB. Both will represent UPEI this weekend when they compete at the U SPORTS Track and Field Championships at the University of Windsor, March 6–8.

• And what amazing results for the UPEI Panthers at the AUS Basketball Championships this past weekend in Halifax with both the women’s and men’s teams reaching their respective finals—the first time UPEI has accomplished this feat since the eighties.

  The UPEI Women’s Basketball team had a thrilling down-to-the-wire quarter-final game on Friday, beating the University of New Brunswick Reds 75-73, advancing them to the semi-final against Acadia on Saturday, which they also won, catapulting them to the final on Sunday. While the outcome was a second-place finish against the number one-seeded Saint Mary’s team, the entire team demonstrated grit and determination.

  On the men’s side, the second-seeded UPEI Men’s Basketball team had a bye into the semi-final on Saturday, March 1, when they faced Cape Breton University. The game was close, but the Panthers held on to beat the Capers to advance to the final against the number one-seeded St. Francis Xavier X-Men on Sunday. The men’s final was another exciting demonstration of perseverance as they trailed 16 points at half-time. Never backing down, the Panthers clawed their way back to an awe-inspiring finish, beating St. FX 84-79 to win UPEI’s first AUS men’s basketball championship title in 22 years. Read more about the men’s rally in this article by UPEI Athletics and Recreation’s Thomas Becker. UPEI Men’s Basketball will now head to the 2025 U SPORTS Women’s and Men’s Final 8 Basketball Championships, hosted by the University of British Columbia March 13–16 in Vancouver.

All are welcome to the “Celebrate Panther Pride” event to congratulate members of the UPEI women and men’s basketball teams for their AUS success this Friday, March 7, from 4–6 pm at The Fox & Crow in the W.A. Murphy Student Centre. It will also be a chance to wish the men’s team good luck at the nationals! 

The entire University community congratulates all UPEI Panther student-athletes for their accomplishments in 2024–2025. Go Panthers Go!

P.S.  Both the U SPORTS track and field and basketball championships will be broadcast on one of the following CBC Sports digital platforms: CBC Gem, CBCSports.ca, CBC Sports YouTube, or the CBC Sports App. View the streaming schedule at https://www.cbc.ca/sports/streaming-schedule