Heartbreak for UVic as Vikes fall in two national championship finals

Host Thunderbirds flock to win over Vikes in rugby final For the second year in a row, the UVic Vikes women’s rugby team came up just short in the U Sports national championship, losing 15-13 to the UBC Thunderbirds on Nov. 2. The low-scoring final was a nail-biter, and fourth-overall meeting on the season between UVic and UBC. The Vikes had beat the Thunderbirds in all of those occasions, including a 18-17 win in the Canada West final on Oct. 19. But, on Nov. 2, the host Thunderbirds got the upper-hand. In the dying seconds, Claremont Secondary School graduate Adia Pye scored the game-winning try for UBC, sealing the Vikes’ fate. > The crowd goes wild!???? Adia Pye scores a breathtaking try, putting UBC ahead! > > La foule est en délire!????Adia Pye marque un essai époustouflant, mettre > @ubctbirds [https://twitter.com/ubctbirds?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw] avant ! > > Watch live ???? Regardez en direct : https://t.co/B2EnlWxShC > [https://t.co/B2EnlWxShC] > > UBC: 15 > UVic: 13#ChaseTheGlory > [https://twitter.com/hashtag/ChaseTheGlory?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw] | > #ViserHaut > [https://twitter.com/hashtag/ViserHaut?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw] > pic.twitter.com/j2BVYfIOlR [https://t.co/j2BVYfIOlR] > > — U SPORTS Rugby (@USPORTS_Rugby) November 3, 2025 > [https://twitter.com/USPORTS_Rugby/status/1985159087705792577?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw] “I want to start off by saying that UVic are an absolutely outstanding team,” said UBC head coach Dean Murten. “They’ve got some world-class players, they’re well-coached, they’re aggressive defensively and knew it was going to come down to the wire, but not the last play of the game, absolutely not.” The Vikes entered the tournament with strong credentials, coming in as the number one ranked team in the country. On the individual side, Olympic silver medalist, Carissa Norsten was named U Sports player of the year, while head coach Brittany Waters received U Sports coach of the year. “She comes to practice early, she works as hard as anyone in this league,” Waters said before the tournament. “You often see the superstars get the recognition, and with this one, it really is so well-deserved. She’s a leader for our group in more ways than one.” Norsten, along with Olivia Newsome, Justine Blatt-Janmaat, Emily Findlay and Sierra Gillis, earned spots on the tournament all-star team. Victoria opened the U Sports Final 8 tournament with a 41-8 victory over the University of Ottawa, followed by a 42-0 semifinal win against the University of Guelph. Vikes historic field hockey run ended by York University Lions Victoria’s hopes of a seventh consecutive field hockey national title ended in heartbreak on Nov. 2, as the Canada West champions fell 1-0 to York University in Charlottetown, PEI. The Vikes went 2-0-1 in round-robin play, starting with a 0-0 draw against York before defeating Dalhousie 3-0 and the University of Prince Edward Island 4-0. Juliet Redelaar of York broke through with just three minutes remaining in the national championship, scoring the only goal of the match past Victoria goalkeeper Anais Chace. It was the only goal that the Vikes conceded in the entire tournament. Libby Hogg, a fifth-year defender and Oak Bay High graduate, was named the U Sports Liz Hoffman player of the year prior to the tournament. Hogg, who led the conference with 10 points in 2025, leaves UVic with a storied career that includes five Canada West championships, four U Sports titles, five conference all-star nods, and three U Sports all-Canadian selections. Hogg was named a tournament all-star alongside Julia Boraston. Midfielder Maeve Connorton, a Lambrick Park graduate, also earned U Sports all-Canadian honours.