Looking back at Lethbridge sports in 2024

By Lethbridge Herald on January 1, 2025.

The LCI Clippers celebrate their 4A Girls Provincial volleyball championship in November.

By Justin Seward

Lethbridge Herald 

Another year has wrapped up in the Lethbridge sports scene and here are some  highlights from 2024.

LCI Clippers capture first   volleyball provincial championship

The LCI Clippers varsity girls volleyball team won their first-ever provincial championship on home court in November.

LCI swept Lindsay Thurber, a team they hadn’t beat in two previous games during the season, in three sets (26-24, 25-17, 25-21) to win the provincial title game.

“Words can’t describe it,” said an emotional Clippers head coach Derek Usman.

“We put it all together when it mattered and these guys just didn’t want to lose.”

Bosch, Crozon qualify for Olympics

Local Kacie Bosch and current University of Lethbridge Pronghorn women’s basketball assistant coach Paige Crozon qualified for the Paris Olympics with Canada’s 3×3 women’s basketball team last spring.

Canada qualified with a third-place finish at the Hungary tournament after failing to do so in the first qualifier in Japan.

“It definitely feels a little bit more real,” said Bosch.

“It’s kind of starting to sink in now and it’s super exciting. I can’t believe that it’s happening and I’m so looking forward to competing at the world’s biggest stage.”

Canada finished fourth at the games.

Other notable local Olympic finishes included Lethbridge Judo Club member Christa Deguchi winning Canada’s first gold medal in the sport in the women’s 57 kg category and Vulcan’s Keyara Wardley winning silver with Canada women’s rugby 7s team.

McLachlan drafted to NFL

Tanner McLachlan’s dream of suiting up in the NFL became a reality in April.

The LCI Rams alumnus was picked in the sixth round at 194th overall  out of the University of Arizona by the Cincinnati Bengals.

“Super special,” said McLachlan, during an interview prior to his draft celebration at LCI in May.

“It’s something that I’ve been working for my whole life. So to be able to experience that with my family and (be) back in my hometown to get that phone call was just a dream come true.”

McLachlan signed with the Bengals in August.

Yavitu wins second consecutive provincial championship

 West Wind gymnast, Amalia Yavitu, was crowned a provincial champion for a second consecutive year.

She won the Level 6 provincial title after her placings in the vault and bars, beams and floors were good enough to to get her to the top.

“I did well on bars but I just worked hard this year, (and) so (I) did my best,” said Yavitu.

The win comes after a  provincial victory in the Level 5 category last year.

Eagles win back-to-back provincial titles

The Immanuel Christian Eagles senior girls basketball team won back-to-back provincial titles after winning the 2A banner on home court .

The Eagles defeated the Three Hills Royals 86-53 in the provincial final to capture the banner.

“It’s surreal man,” said Mike Greeno, Eagles head coach.

“We’ve kind of been looking forward to it since the beginning of the season, just seeing the talent we had in the gym, the way girls were playing games. It’s always nerve wracking being ranked No. 1 because there’s no room for error but these girls continue to step up to the challenge. So to see them be able to lift the banner is a super special moment.”

Nicol retires

Local swimmer Rachel Nicol retired after 26 years of competition in the pool .

“Overall, it feels good,” said Nicol.

“I feel content with the decision,  I don’t look back at it with any regrets so far … It’s nice to kind of  be on the other side of things as well. Like I went to a swim meet as a coach not that long ago with the (University of Calgary) Dinos and it was kind of nice to be on the other side of it … You worry about other things as a coach but not having to worry about all the little itty bitty details of a race day that it takes to be a swimmer. So that was kind of cool.”

Nicol topped the podium in the 100m breaststroke and 4×100m medley relay at the 2023 Pan American Games to go out a champion.

She medalled in the same events at the 2015 Pan Am games and  in the 4×100 medley relay in the long and short course world championships.

Nicol was an Olympian in 2016 where she finished fifth place.

Bulldogs three-peat

The Winston Churchill varsity boys rugby team’s quest to three-peat as provincial champions was completed in June.

The Bulldogs crushed West Central 63-0 in the final, which capped off an undefeated weekend for them.

“It’s always exciting to go win a provincial championship ,” said Jonathan Dick, Bulldogs head coach.

“But I think for the guys who are in Grade 12, when they’ve done it all three years (of) their high school career, it’s definitely something special.”

LCI rugby wins provincial gold

The LCI varsity girls rugby team beat rival Raymond Comets 19-10 in the Tier 1 provincial final.

“We went into final having beaten Raymond two of the three previous games, so there was a lot of confidence mixed with a healthy level of respect since that Raymond loss was our only loss of the season, in a tournament, and we knew they would be out for revenge,” said LCI coach Samantha Wright.

-With files from Garrett Simmons Lethbridge School Division

Canes drafted

Lethbridge Hurricanes forward Miguel Marques was drafted 87th overall by the Nashville Predators and now former goalie Harrison Meneghin went in the seventh round to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2024 NHL draft.

Another notable that went in the draft was Lethbridge’s Terik Parascak of the Prince George Cougars, who was drafted 17th overall by the Washington Capitals.