Women’s Basketball Nationals heading to Lakeland
The Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Women’s Basketball National Championship will be hosted by Lakeland College in 2024.
The Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) institution will host the event in Lloydminster, AB, from March 13-16, 2024.
“In the past few years, Lakeland has produced a strong Women’s Basketball program,” said Mai Nguyen, CCAA Women’s Basketball Convenor. “They will provide students-athletes across Canada an incredible experience, and we are looking forward to visiting the community of Lloydminster in Alberta.”
The 2023-24 season will mark the 20th anniversary of the first Women’s Basketball team at Lakeland College, and Rustlers Athletics are excited to celebrate this milestone with the CCAA. All games will take place inside the Lakeland College gymnasium.
The Rustlers have been one of the most successful programs in the ACAC over the last seven years, having been nationally ranked in six of those seasons while compiling a conference record of 126-34 during that period.
They captured back-to-back conference titles in 2020 and 2022 and earned a bronze medal at the 2022 CCAA Women’s Basketball National Championship in Nanaimo, BC.
Lakeland has strived to involve Lloydminster youth in sport and the induction of the Rustlers Youth Basketball program has produced admirable results, with a growing number of participants and returning athletes in the five years since its inception. The increased local support continues to grow as the Rustlers provide positive female role models in the community.
The Rustlers last welcomed the country’s top collegiate programs when they hosted the 2013 CCAA Women’s Volleyball National Championship. Lakeland has played host to a variety of ACAC Championships over the past 10 years, including the 2015 and 2022 Women’s Basketball Conference Championships.
“Rustlers’ Nation is an enthusiastic group of Lakeland staff, students, alumni and community members who rally behind our Rustler athletic teams and support our programs in every way,” said Alan Rogan, Director of Athletics at Lakeland. “The Lloydminster community has a strong history of hosting many provincial and national championships with a great level of success in supplying a quality experience to all of those who have participated.”
The tournament will feature eight teams from across Canada: conference champions from the Pacific Western Athletic Association (PACWEST), ACAC, Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA), Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) and Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA), as well as two wildcard teams and the host Rustlers.
Lakeland College is located on traditional Treaty 6 territory and Region 2 of the Métis Nation of Alberta.
The 2023 CCAA Women’s Basketball National Championship will be hosted by Mohawk College in Hamilton, ON, from March 15-18.
Media Contact:
Rodney Wilson / rodney@ccaa.ca
Manager, Communications & Events