University of British Columbia Okanagan

Capturing the first conference medal of her career, Abigail Yakemchuk raced to a third-place finish at the 2026 Canada West Championships in Calgary. The Surrey, B.C., native crossed the finish line of the eight-kilometre race in 30 minutes and 44 seconds, finishing 19 seconds ahead of Elissa Frielink of the Victoria Vikes. Yakemchuk ran with the lead pack early before pulling away from the main group of runners in the latter half of the race. Her bronze-medal performance was capped off with Canada West First Team All-Star recognition. The applied sciences student has been named a UBCO Athlete of the Week for the second time this season, having previously earned the honour on Sept. 28 after placing second at the Bill Roe Cross Country Classic.