Lakeland College was honoured to host the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) Curling Championships from March 3 – 5. Lakeland College’s Mixed Team went into the tournament in 3rd place and made their way to the gold medal game against NAIT.
During the opening ceremonies, ACAC Curling Convener Gregg Meropoulis said, “I think curling has one of the most loyal fan bases. Thank you to Lakeland College (LC) for hosting and the Vermilion Curling Club (VCC) for the facility.
On behalf of LC, the Town of Vermilion, and the VCC, LC Athletic Director Alan Rogan welcomed everyone to the competition.
“It’s great to see this many student-athletes; this is the best of the best. Thank you and good luck to everybody,” said Rogan.
Of all the LC teams that played throughout the season, the mixed team was the only ones to make it to Provincials. Coach Dusty Makichuk said, “We’re very proud of all of the team members. They worked hard and we were looking forward to a good weekend of curling, and encouraged them as athletes no matter what.”
After he noted that some of the players were returning members, Grace Christensen said that having done it before, there wasn’t as much pressure. Teammate Sam O’Reilly said, “We’ve gotten to know the different ice over the years. It changes the game when you can connect with people you met last year, and build friendships.”
Following the competition, the top teams will head to Sudbury, Ontario from March 15 -19 for the National Collegiate Championships.