Say it four times for the first time: the VIU Mariners are number one.
According to the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA), the Vancouver Island University Mariners have "made history" by topping four CCAA national rankings simultaneously in women's basketball, men's basketball, women's volleyball, and men's volleyball.
The four Mariners squads boast a combined regular season record of 48-5 with two weekends of Pacific Western Athletic Association (PACWEST) regular season conference competition remaining.
"It's a testament to our coaches and the hard work the athletes have put in over the past year or two years," said Danielle Hyde, VIU Director of Athletics & Recreation. "They are so excited to be back and competing."
VIU's basketball teams are both undefeated in league play with 14-0 records. Men's volleyball is in top spot in the PACWEST at 10-3. Women's volleyball holds down the second sport in the conference with a 10-2 record, but defeated the top-ranked Douglas College Royals (New Westminster) in their most recent matchup on February 4. This win also gave the Mariners a 2-1 season advantage versus the 11-2 Royals and VIU has a game in hand in the battle for playoff seeding.
"Number one in the country is a great place to be, but none of the teams are satisfied or complacent," Hyde said. "They are putting in the work knowing that being number one at the end of the national championship is their end goal."
The CCAA national rankings are drawn from six member conferences across Canada and are typically updated weekly during the school year. However, the rankings have been paused until this week due to unbalanced scheduling between conferences. The six member conferences across Canada are:
- Pacific Western Athletic Association (PACWEST)
- Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC)
- Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference (MCAC)
- Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA)
- Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ)
- Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Assocation (ACAA)
VIU will host women's basketball champions and wild-cards from these conferences (except the MCAC) at the 2022 CCAA National Women's Basketball Championship, March 25-27 at the VIU Gymnasium.
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