Keefe, Kone, Smith named OUA athletes of the week
Burlington, Ont. – Vanessa Keefe, Myriam Kone, and Colton Smith have been named OUA athletes of the week for the period ending March 1, 2026.
Vanessa Keefe, Brock Badgers, Wrestling
Improving off her consecutive silver-medal showings the past two national championships, Keefe from the Brock Badgers did not give up a single point over the weekend, earning her first career U SPORTS gold medal in the 68kg division.
Round 1 saw the kinesiology student defeat McMaster's Juliana Skaljin viatechnical fall 10-0 in just 1:10. The fourth-year student athlete matched up against Queen's Enija Plavina in Round 2, quickly winning 4-0 via fall at just 29 seconds into the contest.
Building off her momentum, Keefe quickly defeated Saskatchewan's Alexis Lavers 10-0 by technical fall, earning her a spot in the gold medal match. On the other side of the mat was Alberta's Maria Sawiak. Keefe broke out to an early 4-0 lead and continued this dominance throughout, ending the match at 1:30 via technical fall 10-0, claiming the coveted national gold medal.
Myriam Kone, TMU Bold, Basketball
Kone delivered two outstanding performances in the OUA semifinal and Critelli Cup championship, showcasing elite efficiency, versatility, and championship-level impact. In the semifinal win over Windsor, the education student set the tone with 24 points on an impressive 58 percent shooting in just 28 minutes, while adding five rebounds and four assists, along with a block and a steal on the defensive end. Her ability to score efficiently within the flow of the offence helped power a 97-38 victory and demonstrated her control and presence on both ends of the floor.
In the Critelli Cup Championship against Carleton, Kone elevated her performance even further when the stakes were highest. Playing 38 minutes, she scored 22 points and filled the stat sheet with nine rebounds, six assists, three blocks, and four steals. Her seven combined blocks and steals proved to be game-changing contributions in a competitive 75-60 title-clinching victory.
Beyond her scoring, she controlled possessions, created opportunities for teammates, protected the rim, and disrupted passing lanes, highlighting her complete two-way dominance.
Colton Smith, Windsor Lancers, Hockey
Smith, the conference’s top rookie scorer in the regular season has continued his torrid pace in the OUA quarterfinal round, averaging two points per game in the Windsor Lancers sweep of the Guelph Gryphons. The Windsor, Ont. local netted a hattrick in Wednesday’s 5-2 win at home. He scored all three on the power play as his powerful shot could not be stopped by the Guelph goaltending.
Following that dominant performance, Smith had an assist on Logan Linklater’s first goal of the game in game two, which almost stood as the series-winner before the Gryphons forced the game into overtime. His two points per game is tied with Linklater for the playoff lead and his three goals are tied for second in the province despite playing in just two games.
