MIKE JONES AWARD NOMINEES: Westman teams thrived on provincial, national stages
Mike Jones Team of the year nominees
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Another impressive year for western Manitoba teams is in the books.
Westman teams won massive provincial and national titles, representing the region with pride.
The finalists for the Brandon Sun’s Mike Jones team of the year, listed alphabetically, are as follows.
Boissevain Centennials capture their fourth straight championship and first provincial title in eight years. (Submitted)
BOISSEVAIN CENTENNIALS
The Centennials did it again, winning eight of nine games in the playoffs to capture their fourth consecutive South West Baseball League championship. That followed a 12-2 regular season that allowed them to win the South Division pennant.
They allowed just 48 runs in 23 regular season and playoff games, less than half of the second best team.
BRANDON UNIVERSITY,
WOMEN’S SOCCER
The Bobcats completed their first MCAC women’s soccer three-peat, defeating the Providence Pilots 3-0 in the final.
Brandon Wheat Kings forwards Reid Nicol (7), Cole Dupuis (27) and Jaxson Brick (8) celebrate Dupuis's goal in the third period against the Kenora Thistles during Manitoba U18 AAA Hockey League action at J&G Homes Arena last season. They won the regular season title again but fell in the league final. (Perry Bergson/The Brandon Sun) Jan. 26, 2025
Head coach Diego Rodriguez Sr. guided the team to the No. 1 seed, earning the right to host the final four. The Bobcats blanked the Canadian Mennonite University Blazers 14-0 in the semifinals.
BRANDON UNIVERSITY BOBCATS,
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
The Bobcats took over the city for one unforgettable weekend in March, entering the 2025 U Sports men’s volleyball championship as the No. 8 seed and riding a raucous Healthy Living Centre crowd to three consecutive upsets.
Head coach Grant Wilson’s team won its first-ever national volleyball title with a 3-1 triumph over the Alberta Golden Bears, with Philipp Lauter being named tournament MVP.
The Westman Heat celebrate their 6-1 victory over the Westman Fury during Softball Manitoba's under-13 AA provincial final in July at Ashley Neufeld Softball Complex. (Perry Bergson/The Brandon Sun) July 27, 2025
BRANDON VOLLEYBALL CLUB,
18U BOYS
The BVC boys pulled off a remarkable run in 2024, and ran it back in May on home court.
The 18-and-under squad that captured a 17U title in Winnipeg beat a Winman superteam 2-0 in the club provincial championship final at the Healthy Living Centre.
Head coach Rylan Metcalf’s starting lineup featuring four players from the Neelin Spartans AAA high school title run, plus two Vincent Massey Vikings — one being provincials MVP Ethan Baraniuk — and Hamiota’s Jaxen Dziver finished fifth at Volleyball Canada nationals.
BRANDON WHEAT KINGS
Westman Heat pitcher Haleigh Cuvelier, centre, is mobbed by her teammates after they beat the Westman Storm to win Softball Manitoba’s under-15 AA provincial final in July at Ashley Neufeld Softball Complex. (Perry Bergson/The Brandon Sun) July 27, 2025
U18 AAA
One season after posting a record-breaking season that led all the way to the Telus Cup final, a much less highly touted Wheat Kings squad went 40-5-1-2 to earn another Manitoba U18 AAA Hockey League regular season title, but after a pair of sweeps in the playoffs, fell in the league final against a familiar opponent, the Winnipeg Wild.
VINCENT MASSEY VIKINGS,
VARSITY GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
Vincent Massey set out to defend its first-ever AAAA provincial girls volleyball championship and did just that, remaining one of the top-ranked teams in the province all year under head coach Kelly DeRoo.
The under-15 Westman Magic celebrate the western Canadian championship they won in Calgary las summer. The team went 6-1 and were leading in the eighth game when the weather put an end to the event. (Submitted)
Manitoba’s top-ranked player, Grade 11 outside hitter Hannah McGregor, guided the Vikings to the No. 2 seed, then led them to a pair of 3-0 wins to reach the provincial final, where they defeated the Jeanne-Sauve Olympiens 3-1 for the second year in a row.
McGregor was named MVP, with Zoe Redekop and Reece Cowan making the all-star team.
NEELIN SPARTANS,
VARSITY BOYS VOLLEYBALL
Even though the Spartans lost six of seven starters from their 2024 AAA provincial championship run, the new group grew more than anyone in Manitoba and turned into a contender at the right time.
The Westman Magic and Eastman Wildcats combined to to field a team in the U19 AAA softball league this year. The team, dubbed the "Magic Cats" went undefeated, winning the provincial championships. (Eastman Wildcats Social Media)
Provincial all-star Lucas Gamache, all-Manitoba middle blocker Sam Rempel and provincial MVP Aiden Moore led the Spartans to a top-four ranking heading into provincials, and they didn’t lose a match during the three-day tournament.
Head coach Jake Thomson’s team avenged a handful of losses to Winkler’s Garden Valley Zodiacs to bring home the third-straight AAA boys’ banner, something no team has ever done in Manitoba.
U15 WESTMAN MAGIC
If your season can be boiled down to how you did in your last game, the Magic had a pretty darn good season. They went 18-6 in the regular season and finished second behind an outstanding Eastman Wildcats club, but then struggled at provincial, finishing fourth.
That meant they earned a berth at western Canadians in Calgary, where they won the one-two game in the Page playoff and were handed the title when the final was rained out.
U19 WESTMAN MAGIC
The Brandon University Bobcats won their third MCAC women'’s soccer title in a row, defeating the Providence Pilots 3-0 in the final. (Thomas Friesen/The Brandon Sun)
The Magic were unbeaten all season and handily won the Manitoba Premier Softball League pennant and Softball Manitoba’s provincial championship, but their combined 18-0 record came with just three Westman players on the roster as they combined with Eastman on a club largely comprised of the provincial team that went to the Canada Games.
U13 WESTMAN HEAT
Heidi Figol’s club went 7-0 at the Softball Manitoba’s provincial AA champions at Ashley Neufeld Softball Complex, topping the Westman Fury 6-1 in the final.
The game was a repeat of the provincial AA showcase in June in which the Heat earned a 9-7 victory and also went 7-0 in Brandon.
U15 WESTMAN HEAT
Marc Lyver’s club fell behind 1-0 in the fourth inning of the rain-delayed provincial AA final, but stormed back with three three runs in the bottom of the inning en route to a 4-2 victory. In the U15 showdown final in June, the Heat took a 4-0 lead before the Storm rallied for a 7-4 victory.
The Heat dominated all weekend at Ashley Neufeld Softball Complex, going 4-0 in the round-robin and outscoring their opponents 50-4 with three shutouts.