MONTREAL – The UBCO Heat men's rugby team wrapped up their 2025 season by finishing eighth at the Canadian University Men's Rugby Championship (CUMRC) hosted by the ÉTS Piranhas that wrapped up on Sunday, November 16.
The Heat, who were making their second consecutive appearance at the event, opened the tournament against the eventual champions, the Guelph Gryphons, in the quarter-finals losing 59-0.
Finding themselves on the consolation side of the bracket, the Heat battled the snow and the Montreal Carabins in the consolation semifinals. In a hard-fought match, UBCO came up just short, losing 17-7.
Jean-Louis Desgouttes provided all the scoring for the Heat, scoring a try and successfully hitting a convert.
The setback would send UBCO to the seventh-place match where they face the Dalhousie Tigers. Playing their third match in five days, the Heat ran out of steam, falling 75-7.
Ethan Cummings scored a try in the match for the Heat, which was converted by
Nathan Holmes.
"The 2025 national championship was a fantastic opportunity for rugby players at UBC's Okanagan campus to take their talent to the national stage," commented Heat head coach
Dan Haynes following the event. "This year's group has been a pleasure to work with both on and off the field and I look forward to continuing to develop university level rugby talent here in the Okanagan. Though we did not get the results we worked for, it is my hope that this experience provided my players with some insight into just how much more it will take to play at that level."
During the championship, the CUMRC host committee recognized the 2025 major award winners and all-Canadians. The Heat's
Evan Vodarek was honoured as a Second Team All-Canadian, joining
Patrick Williams and
Jack McCallum as the only UBCO athletes to be honoured as All-Canadians.
Reflecting on another strong year for his program, which saw the Heat go undefeated in the Prairies U conference en route to their second conference title, Haynes was appreciative of the support the team received from numerous individuals.
"I am extremely grateful for the support of UBC Okanagan, player parents, the community, and our sponsors, without whom this incredible opportunity would not have been possible. Additionally, I want to extend a thank you to my coaching staff who volunteered countless hours over the past season. We will continue to work on attracting top tier talent to our school as we look to return to the national stage in coming seasons as a genuine competitor. I believe we are beginning to build something special here at UBCO and look forward to continuing to raise the standards and competition within our program."
