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Calgary Dinos women's hockey and rugby headed to CIS in 2009-10
WINNIPEG - The Canada West membership formally approved the
University of Calgary's application to re-join the conference in
women's ice hockey and to add women's rugby to the conference at
its annual general meeting Wednesday, paving the way for the Dinos
to begin Canadian Interuniversity Sport competition in the 2009-10
season.
The Dinos were one of the founding members of women's hockey in
Canada West, hosting the first-ever conference championship
tournament in 1998 and the 2001 CIS championship. After beginning
as one of the dominant teams in the nation, winning the conference
silver medal in both 1999 and 2000, eligibility rule changes and
struggles on the ice led the University of Calgary to move the
Dinos into the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) for the
2002-03 season.
"We are grateful for the opportunity to play in the ACAC while
developing our women's hockey program to the level that it can
return to CIS," said Athletic Director Kevin Boyles. "As one of the
larger universities in Western Canada, it has always been our goal
to have all of our programs competing in CIS where possible. This
is an important step in achieving gender equity and putting our
athletes in the best possible competitive environment."
The move to the ACAC gave the Dinos the chance to rebuild the
program, a process that gained considerable momentum with the
hiring of three-time Olympic medalist Danielle Goyette, the most
decorated female hockey player in the country, as head coach of the
team in April 2007. In her first season, Goyette took the Dinos to
their best-ever record and the ACAC silver medal, following that up
with a first-place finish and the conference championship in
2009.
Goyette's hiring, coupled with the notable improvement in the
team's on-ice performance, led the University of Calgary to apply
to Canada West to rejoin the league, a process that culminated in
Wednesday's decision.
"We're fortunate to have one of the most recognized figures in the
world of female hockey running our program," said Boyles. "Danielle
has turned the program around in a very short time, and we're
confident that she will continue to be successful at the Canada
West level."
With the young nucleus of talent she has brought into the program,
Goyette is confident the Dinos will be competitive when they make
the jump to Canada West next season.
"Our team is very eagerly anticipating our return to CIS," said
Goyette. "I am extremely grateful to the University of Calgary for
giving our team the opportunity to challenge ourselves at the next
level. We have had some great competition and have been given the
chance to make our team more competitive in the ACAC over the past
two years, but we are looking forward to the challenges that await
us in CIS."
Women's rugby will also join Canada West in the fall of 2009,
joining UBC, Victoria, Alberta, and Lethbridge in the varsity
league. The Dinos rugby program has been a competitive club on
campus since 1999, and head coach Jenny Vincent is eager to take
her team to the next level.
"I am excited to have the opportunity to take this team into the
CIS," said Vincent, a former Canadian national team member. "Canada
West is a competitive conference having produced seven of the last
11 national champions and we look forward to making an impact on
the league.
"The University of Calgary is an excellent school and many athletes
have been waiting for the chance to play varsity rugby here. I am
proud to be a part of it."
Source:
Ben Matchett
Sports Information Director
University of Ca
