From left to right, women's basketball, men's basketball, men's cross country, and women's cross country will all be in action for the Heat this week

General 10/27/2026 2:00:00 PM Natalie Tsang

HEAT THIS WEEK: Basketball hosts UNBC in home openers, cross country competes at Canada West Championships

KELOWNA, B.C. – The 2026-27 Canada West basketball season tips off for the UBCO Heat this weekend, with both teams hosting the UNBC Timberwolves for their home openers in the UBCO Gymnasium on Friday before taking a trip to Kamloops, B.C., to face the TRU WolfPack on Sunday. Meanwhile, the men's and women's cross-country teams will head to Calgary for the Canada West Cross Country Championships.

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Women's Basketball
Friday, Oct. 30 vs UNBC Timberwolves - 5 p.m. | UBCO Gymnasium | Home Opener | Tickets | Webcast
Sunday, Nov. 1 at TRU WolfPack - 1 p.m. | Kamloops, B.C. | Tickets | Webcast

The U SPORTS No. 9-ranked women's basketball team begins conference play by hosting the UNBC Timberwolves for their home opener before a Sunday away game in TRU WolfPack territory for another matchup in the Presidents' Cup race.

The Heat closed their 7-2 preseason campaign two weeks ago with a split. Against the Mount Royal Cougars, they extended their win streak to seven games with a 68-61 victory before falling 87-40 to the Alberta Pandas. Second-year forward Sydney Lewis led the scoring both days, tallying 13 points, seven rebounds, three blocks, and three steals on Friday before being the lone player in double digits with 15 points on a 7-for-10 shooting performance, along with seven rebounds, on Saturday.

UBCO holds a 17-10 all-time conference record against UNBC, having won all three meetings last season, and will look to extend that win streak to four. Against TRU, UBCO is 15-20 all-time, falling 53-45 in their most recent meeting last January, which ended their longest win streak of 10.

Fans will get their first look at the team filled with familiar faces, highlighted by Canada West Third Team All-Star Lily Pink, leading scorer Kanani Coon, who averaged 13.0 points per game, and leading rebounder Tennyson McCarthy, who grabbed 6.5 rebounds per game. Only four rookies have joined the lineup, including guards Iyin Aina and Shae Sandhu.

Men's Basketball
Friday, Oct. 30 vs UNBC Timberwolves - 7 p.m. | UBCO Gymnasium | Home Opener | Tickets | Webcast
Sunday, Nov. 1 at TRU WolfPack - 3 p.m. | Kamloops, B.C. | Tickets | Webcast

Along with the women, the men's basketball team will also commence its season at home against the UNBC Timberwolves before travelling to Kamloops, B.C., to take on the TRU WolfPack as part of the Presidents' Cup.

The UBCO Heat wrapped up their exhibition slate at the Heat Fall Classic, coming up just short in tightly contested games against the Laurier Golden Hawks (68-67) and Regina Cougars (87-81). Fourth-year guard Lamine Conde led the scoring in each contest, with 21 points on 9-for-16 shooting against Laurier, followed by 17, including 8-for-11 from the free-throw line, and six rebounds against Regina on Sunday. Third-year forward Wil Zylyk, in his first season with the Heat, added 15 points, and rookie guard Tarun Saroya made 11, joining Conde in double-digit scoring.

Three straight wins over the Timberwolves in 2025 pushed the men to a 15-14 all-time conference record, and the Heat will look to keep the streak alive. On the opposite end, the Heat will be hunting a win against the WolfPack, as they currently sit 13-22 all-time.

The team will be led by returning veterans, including fourth-year guards Isaak Moore and Conde, and will debut six new faces. Among the new recruits to watch are Zylyk, who spent two seasons with the Ottawa Gee-Gees, helping the program capture a conference championship and a third consecutive national bronze medal, and Saroya, a highly touted recruit who spent last season at Erie Prep Academy in Pennsylvania.

Men's and Women's Cross Country
Saturday, Oct. 31 at Canada West Championships | Calgary, Alta.

Coming off a week of rest and recovery, both cross country teams head to Calgary for the 2026 Canada West Cross Country Championships, hosted by the University of Calgary on the campus of St. Mary's University.

On the women's side, Abigail Yakemchuk will be one to watch after having an outstanding year so far. She won the UBC Farm Fest race with a time of 29 minutes, 17 seconds, which placed her 11 seconds ahead of Katelyn Cotterell of the No. 3-ranked UBC Thunderbirds. That performance earned her BioSteel Canada West Athlete of the Week honours. She also placed second at the Bill Roe Cross Country Classic, finishing the 6-kilometre race in 21:02.8. At last year's championships, Sophie Hamilton finished in 10th place (30:22.4), earning her Canada West Second Team All-Star recognition, while Maraid Johnson took home an All-Rookie Team selection after finishing 23rd (31:31.7). Both will be looking to move up the standings in 2026.

For the men, John Kwon (28:06.3), Justin Monteleone (28:09.1), Ethan Nozick (28:16.8) and Basil Parkins (29:34.2) all competed at the event last year and will look to shave time off those previous durations, while rookies Ethan Peregrym and Henry Nestmann will also look to make their mark at the event.

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