Jadyn Wilkinson (#23) won a National Basketball Championship in her first season with the Vancouver Island University Mariners. (Submitted photos/Jadyn Wilkinson)

By Martin Martinson

A Dream first season

N.B. local, Wilkinson reflects on National Championship with VIU

Mar 29, 2023 | 4:51 PM

It was a fairytale first season on the hardcourt for North Battleford’s Jadyn Wilkinson with the Vancouver Island University Mariners.

The Mariners women’s basketball team took home their first National Championship in 25 years in Hamilton, Ont., to cap off a memorable rookie year for Wilkinson she won’t soon forget.

“Coming into this year, it was a huge change from what I was used to. Obviously, my role was a lot different, and it was just amazing see how great of athletes my team were and how hard they worked,” Wilkinson said.

“That just made all the rookies work so much harder. The [vets] were such great influences on us and it was great to see all the hard work and hours put in lifting and watching film all come together in the end. It was extremely emotional, and it just felt like an out-of-body experience; it was amazing.”

Wilkinson and her Mariners teammates explode with jubilant celebration following the women’s basketball program’s first National Championship victory since 1998. (Submitted photo/Jadyn Wilkinson)

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The victory was a big one for the returning players as well, as VIU was coming off a finals loss at Nationals on their home court last year, leading to a determined group from the start of the season to get back to the top for a shot at redemption. Wilkinson said that drive was evident from the get-go, making the victory even sweeter.

“It was so special and especially because we had three graduating players, and last year the team had come short in the finals, so just seeing how happy they were after winning just made everything worth it,” she said.

Wilkinson said as she looks back at the road to the championship, a real turning point for the team came following a pair of back-to-back losses midway through the season, their only two of the 17-game schedule.

“To be honest, that was probably the best thing for our team, as then we really realized what we needed to work on,” she said. “Everything really came together from there and we just really started to trust each other. [By the time we were] going into provincials, we were all really excited and confident and knew how good we could be.”

Playing two games at provincials, the Mariners won their semi-final matchup over the Camosun Chargers 67-44, before adding a big 67-61 victory over the top-seeded Capilano Blues in the finals.

With the victory, the team won the Pacific Western Athletic Association Championship in Victoria, punching their ticket to the National tournament in Hamilton, Ontario as well.

Despite going into the fourth quarter of the National Championship game down by 11, Wilkinson said the team never really wavered in their self-belief. The Mariners roared back b outscoring their opponents from Quebec’s Geants de Saint-Jean 14-6 in the final quarter to take the 60-54 final.

“For some reason, we all just had a really good feeling about it, even though we were down 11, and then one of our vets, Chloe Scaber hit a three right at the start of the fourth quarter and all the vibes just started to shift,” she said. “Everyone was super uplifted, and I think in the final 10 seconds we were up by six and on the bench we all just knew…

“When the final buzzer rang we all just ran together and it was super emotional; we all just started to cry,” Wilkinson said with a laugh. “It was such a good feeling.”

As she reflects on what was a whirlwind first season of post-secondary basketball at VIU, Wilkinson said she couldn’t have asked for a better experience all the way around.

“It was an amazing first year, I learned so much from my teammates, from my coaches and from school,” she said. “Just the countless hours we had put in, to win, everything just paid off. The dedication it took to get there was [something else] and still I can’t even believe it.”

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1