Grad Class: VIU Mariners

The VIU Mariners are very fortunate to have several student athletes stay on campus for their entire collegiate career, growing as athletes and people within the program.

Following the 2025-2026 season, they once again have a large graduating class of fifth years that they say goodbye to.

WBB

What a finish to the season for the women’s basketball team winning a CCAA national championship and PACWEST gold medal.  Four student athletes leave the program as national champs and members of the PACWEST Class of 2026.

Mackenzie Cox was simply incredible during her time with the Mariners finishing with two national golds, one silver and three PACWEST titles.  She was named the PACWEST First Team All-Star, the Player of the Game in the gold medal game and tournament MVP and a CCAA First Team Tournament All-Star.  She was the quarterback of the offence all year as the point guard, starting and playing every game, averaging just over six points a contest.

Kaia Simpson played her second season with the Mariners from North Carolina and saved her best basketball for the final two tournaments of her college career.  She was brilliant in the Mariners semifinal win in PACWEST play and a major impact during the gold medal game.  She kept her hot playing going at the national tournament dropping in 10 points in the title game.  Her physical play was extremely impactful over the course of the season.

Rachel Labrador was a transfer from Langara a couple of seasons ago and lived for coming off the bench at VIU.  She was an instant sparkplug playing shutdown defence and contributed on the offensive side with four points a game.  Her talents coming off the bench was a true testament to how deep this Mariners team was during last season.

Sammy Shields transferred to the Mariners in preparation for this past season was a key cog in their double championship run.   She dropped 10 points off the bench and snagged six steals in the PACWEST gold medal game and was named the Player of the Game.   She added 17 points in the CCAA title game, helping her team win the national championship.  During the regular season she scored 8.5 a game and led the Mariners with 53 steals showing her talents on both sides of the floor.

MBB

Kai Leighton is the lone fifth year student athlete graduating from the Mariners following the season.  He finished his career with a CCAA silver medal on the Mariners home floor after an unbelievable finish in the PACWEST gold medal game that saw him win the title on a three-point buzzer beater! He is a highly decorated student athlete who leaves VIU with several medals around his neck.  This past regular season he dropped 12.5 points, shooting 52% and knocking down a team high 48-three pointers. He leaves behind big sneakers to fill both on and off the court.

WSC

It was a tremendous season for women’s soccer team in 2025 finishing with a 10-1-1 record en route to a PACWEST gold medal and a berth in the CCAA national championship led by a pair of fifth year grads.

Courtney Ingram was a leader at the midfielder position often controlling tempo of the game and contributing on the scoresheet with four goals.  She used her vast experience and leadership to help direct the Mariners in 2025.

Hannah Wagner, an American import graduates from VIU after scoring twice during the 2025 regular season.  She was outstanding on the back end helping to keep goals out of her own net, while often giving her teammates an opportunity for a chance with a stellar pass to the offensive side to lead the rush.

MSC

Keeper Marko Ilich graduates from the Mariners men’s team following his five seasons of collegiate soccer.   He played in nine games in his grad year (2025) holding teams to a goals against average of 2.00.  As the keeper he often came up with enormous stops to keep his team in the game. His veteran leadership will be missed next season.

WVB

It was another remarkable season for the Mariners women’s volleyball program, earning a PACWEST gold medal and advancing to the CCAA national championship where they captured a national bronze medal. 

Grace Brisbois was an initial transfer from the Capilano Blues before becoming a force with the Mariners particularly over the course of the last two years.  This past season she collected a team high 220 kills, added 30 blocks, 46 aces and 170 digs while being named a First Team All-Star.  At her final CCAA nationals she led the team with 54 kills, nine service aces, and 11 blocks and was named a First Team All-Star.

Regan Ingram joined the Mariners prior to the 2023-24 season and made an immediate impact. She matured into her game and became a primary weapon for the offence this past season recording 197 kills and 258 total offensive points.  For her efforts she was recognized as a Second Team All-Star.

Edan Wade became the Mariners starting setter in her one and only season on the island as a transfer from the University of Alberta.  In her final collegiate season, she brought her experience and competitiveness to the Mariners and helped orchestrate a very balanced offence attack that kept the opposition guessing for the second half of the season.

MVB

The men’s team earned a PACWEST silver medal in 2025-26 sending a pair of fifth year starters away with some hardware hanging around their neck.  Both were named tournament All-Stars after being named Conference All-Stars prior to the championship tournament.

Owen Dyck was arguably the best all-around PACWEST setter this past season using his versatility to set up his teammates or fool the defence with timely tips and dumps.  He created a very balanced attack like he has done throughout his incredible five-year collegiate career and will be sorely missed next season as the quarterback in the middle of the floor.

No-one had a better mullet-moustache combination in the PACWEST then Rylan Van Kooten.  He was an emotional leader of the floor growing into one of the best players in the PACWEST with incredible jumping ability.  As a Second Team All-Star he crushed 151 kills and 169 total offensive points leaving behind some serious production numbers that the Mariners will need to find next year.

The PACWEST wishes all these student athletes nothing but continued success in the next chapter of their lives.