The year 2012 was one of the most significant in the history of UNBC athletics.
In September, UNBC teams played their first-ever games in the Canada West Universities Athletic Association. The contests, held on soccer pitches in Victoria and Winnipeg, came eight years after the school first publicly announced its intention to pursue membership in the league, which is part of Canadian Interuniversity Sport.
Prior to their entrance into Canada West, UNBC's varsity squads competed at the provincial college level.
The Timberwolves men's soccer team played its inaugural Canada West game on Sept. 7 and lost 3-1 to the University of Victoria Vikes. The next day, the UNBC women kicked to a 0-0 draw with the University of Winnipeg Wesmen. By the end of the season, both UNBC clubs had earned three points, the men on a 1-13-0 record and the women on a mark of 0-9-3.
Both of UNBC's head coaches -- Alan Alderson for the men and Andy Cameron for the women -- were hired just weeks before the start of the schedule and therefore had little time to recruit players. Also, the female T-wolves were coming off a winless season in 2011-12. Considering those factors, both clubs had solid first years against elite-level competition.
"I know the men were probably chasing a few more wins but, to be quite honest, I think they were right in line with where [fellow expansion team] Mount Royal University was," said UNBC athletics director Jason Kerswill.
"The expectations for the women's team, I think people were expecting they were going to lose the majority of their games 10-0 or 15-0 and not be able to compete, and for the majority of the season, they did compete," Kerswill added. "The few lopsided losses they had were against teams that were competing for the national championship in Canada. So to come away with results in three games and be close in a few others was great."
UNBC, of course, also has men's and women's basketball teams and they tipped off in Canada West in November. The Timberwolves are roughly half way through their seasons and the men, with a 5-5 record and a 93-90 victory against the nationally-ranked University of Saskatchewan Huskies on Dec. 1, have gotten attention around the league. The UNBC women's team hasn't been quite as successful but has still posted three wins in 10 games.
The male T-wolves have a veteran-laden lineup, with four fifth-year players and two fourth-year guys in uniform, so their splashy entrance into Canada West isn't unexpected.
"They definitely had a very strong start to the season," Kerswill said. "They are showing the rest of Canada that they belong at this level."
Offensively, the Timberwolves have been led by veteran guards Sam Raphael, Francis Rowe, Joel Rybachuk and Jose Araujo.
"Our backcourt is so strong," Kerswill said. "It's not an easy task to stop all those players, guys that can all shoot at the same percentage from beyond the three-point line as they can from inside the three-point line."
As for the UNBC women, they don't have as strong a veteran presence, with Kady Dandeneau as the only fifth-year team member and Mercedes Van Koughnett and Emily Kaehn in their fourth years. Also, the female T-wolves have a roster of just 10 players, when most teams carry 12 to 15.
"The women's team is exactly where I think we all had them pegged," Kerswill said. "With their record at 3-7, they've experienced more losses than they have combined over the last few seasons, which is different for the UNBC women's basketball program and for [head coach] Loralyn [Murdoch] and for the girls that have been competing for provincial championships for a few straight years. But to beat UBCO [72-54 on Nov. 16] and to sweep Trinity Western, those were big wins and solidified that fact that we can compete at this level."
