Laurentian University, officially Laurentian University of Sudbury, is a mid-sized bilingual public university in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, incorporated on March 28, 1960. Laurentian offers a variety of undergraduate, graduate-level, and doctorate degrees. Laurentian is the largest bilingual provider of distance education in Canada.
The Guelph Gryphons are the athletic teams that represent the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. The university's varsity teams compete in the Ontario University Athletics conference of the U Sports (OUA's), and, where applicable, in the west division. The university teams are often referred to as the Gryphs, which is short for the school's mascot, Gryph, the gryphon.
The Nipissing Lakers are the athletic teams that represent Nipissing University in North Bay, Ontario, Canada that compete in U Sports.
TMU Bold, formerly known as the Ryerson Rams, are the varsity athletic teams that represent Toronto Metropolitan University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Toronto Metropolitan University operates 11 men's and women's varsity teams that compete provincially as part of Ontario University Athletics (OUA) and nationally as part of U Sports.
The Toronto Varsity Blues are the intercollegiate sports program at the University of Toronto. Its 43 athletic teams regularly participate in competitions held by Ontario University Athletics and U Sports. The Varsity Blues trace their founding to 1877, with the formation of the men's football team. Since 1908, Varsity Blues athletes have won numerous medals in Olympic and Paralympic Games and have also long competed in International University Sports Federation championships, Commonwealth Games, and Pan American Games.
Ontario University Athletics is a regional membership association for Canadian universities which assists in co-ordinating competition between their university level athletic programs and providing contact information, schedules, results, and releases about those programs and events to the public and the media. This is similar to what would be called a college athletic conference in the United States. OUA, which covers Ontario, is one of four such bodies that are members of the country's governing body for university athletics, U Sports. The other three regional associations coordinating university-level sports in Canada are Atlantic University Sport (AUS), the Canada West Universities Athletic Association (CW), and Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ).
The Guelph Gryphons are an ice hockey team that represents the University of Guelph. They compete in the Ontario University Athletics Conference in U Sports. The program has yielded seven McCaw Cup conference championships and one Golden Path Trophy national championship, coming in 2019.
Kathy Shields is a Canadian basketball coach. She coached the University of Victoria women’s basketball team and the 1984 Summer Olympics as an assistant coach. She is married to Ken Shields.
The Nipissing Lakers women's ice hockey program represents Nipissing University in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) conference of U Sports. The Lakers first competed in OUA women's ice hockey in the 2013-14 season and qualified for the OUA playoffs in their second season. The team has played in three McCaw Cup finals and in two U Sports national tournaments, in 2022 and 2023. The team is led by head coach Darren Turcotte, a former NHL forward and North Bay Sports Hall of Fame member.
U Sports women's basketball is the highest level of play of women's basketball at the university level under the auspices of U Sports, Canada's governing body for university sports. There are 48 teams, all of which are based in Canada, that are divided into four conferences that are eligible to compete for the year-end championship. As these players compete at the university level, they are obligated to follow the rule of standard eligibility of five years. The winning team of the U Sports women's basketball championship is awarded the Bronze Baby trophy. The championship has been played for since 1972, with the UBC Thunderettes capturing the inaugural championship.
The Laurentian Voyageurs women's ice hockey program represents Laurentian University in the Ontario University Athletics women's ice hockey conference of U Sports. Also known as the Lady Vees, the current head coach is Stacey Colarossi.
The Saskatchewan Huskies women's basketball team represents the University of Saskatchewan in the Canada West Universities Athletic Association of U Sports women's basketball. The Huskies have captured two national championships, winning the first in 2016, followed by a victory in 2020. Led by head coach Lisa Thomaidis, who first led the program for the 1998-99 season, she has also served as head coach of the Canada women's national basketball team. Holding the program record for regular season wins (281), Canada West playoff wins (49) and U Sports National Tournament wins (19), the Huskies have also won eight Canada West titles under her tutelage. Home games are contested at the Physical Activity Complex (PAC), which was constructed in 2003.
The UBC Thunderbirds women's basketball team represent the University of British Columbia in the Canada West Universities Athletic Association of U Sports women's basketball. The Thunderbirds have won the Bronze Baby a total of five times, including the first three championships, spanning from 1972 to 1974. The last two national championships took place in 2004 and 2008. Both victories took place against the Regina Cougars. In 2004, the Thunderbirds defeated the Cougars by a 60-53 mark, while the 2008 triumph resulted in a 67-46 final.
The Windsor Lancers women's basketball team represent the University of Windsor in the Ontario University Athletics conference of U Sports women's basketball. Having won the Bronze Baby for five consecutive years (2011–15), the most recent championship victory occurred at the 2015 CIS Women's Basketball Championship.
The Carleton Ravens women's basketball team represent Carleton University in the Ontario University Athletics of U Sports women's basketball. The Ravens have won two national championships, in 2018 and 2023. The Ravens have also won the OUA Critelli Cup conference championship three times, in 2017, 2018, and 2023. Between 2009 and 2018, the Ruth Coe Award, recognizing Carleton University’s Female Athlete of the Year, was won by seven female basketball players. Additionally, the program served as host team for the 2020 U Sports Women's Basketball Championship, contested at Ottawa's TD Place Arena.
The Brock Badgers women's basketball team represents Brock University in the Ontario University Athletics conference of U Sports women's basketball. The Badgers have won two OUA championships, winning the Critelli Cup in 1983 and 2020.
The TMU Bold women's basketball team represents Toronto Metropolitan University in the Ontario University Athletics conference of U Sports women's basketball. The Rams have won one national championship following their victory in the 2022 tournament.
The Calgary Dinos women's basketball team represent the University of Calgary in the Canada West Universities Athletic Association of U Sports women's basketball. In 1989, the Dinos captured the Bronze Baby, awarded to the U Sports National Champions.
The Victoria Vikes women's basketball team represent the University of Victoria in the Canada West Universities Athletic Association of U Sports women's basketball. The Vikes have captured the Bronze Baby, awarded to the U Sports National Champions, a record nine times. The McKinnon Building and Gym was the former home of the Vikes, and the basketball court itself was named "Ken and Kathy Shields Court" in 2002, honouring the Vikes legendary basketball coaches. As a side note, the facility also hosted the 1993 CIS women's basketball national championships and a 1999 Vancouver Grizzlies NBA intra-squad game.
The Carleton Ravens men's basketball team represents Carleton University in the Ontario University Athletics conference of U Sports men's basketball. The Ravens have captured 17 W. P. McGee Trophy national championship wins, more than any top division school in Canada or the United States, and are the reigning national champions (2023). In addition, the Ravens have earned the Wilson Cup, awarded to the OUA champions, 12 times: 2003 to 2005, 2008 to 2010, 2012 to 2013, 2015, and 2018 to 2020.
