BC Bears U16 and U18 Rosters Announced

Four BC teams across U16 and U18 Boys and Girls Divisions competing in Calgary

August 1, 2023 – BC Rugby is delighted to announce the BC Bears U18 and U16 Boys and Girls squads that will represent the province at the 2023 Western Canadian Championships in Calgary, Alberta on August 3-6, 2023.

The 2023 Western Canadian Championships will be hosted at the Calgary Rugby Club and will see four BC provincial Representative teams travel to Alberta to compete for top honours across four divisions against Rugby Alberta, Rugby Manitoba, Rugby Saskatchewan, Rugby Ontario, Atlantic Rock and the Pacific Northwest.

Team selections have been made following the 2023 Provincial Regional Championships and successful BC Bears U16 and U18 Development Camps held at UBC’s Gerald McGavin Rugby Centre in Vancouver this July. Across four days, over 100 players from across BC took part in an array of drills, skill development challenges, and team-building exercises to help coaching staff identify BC’s top athletes.

The 2023 Western Canadian Championships promises to be an exciting and highly-competitive event, featuring some of the best young Rugby talent in Western Canada.

The purpose of the Western Canadian Championships is to foster the growth of competitive Rugby and provide an important pathway step through best-on-best Age-Grade competition to develop athletes towards National Team honours.

The Championships aim is to provide an appropriate development stage of competition to motivate, challenge and inspire young players, as well as Coaches and Officials.

BC Rugby will be filming BC Bears matches where possible and will release the footage on YouTube after the tournament. A full schedule for the tournament can be found here.

The BC Bears U16 and U18 Boys and Girls Squads are as follows:

BC Bears U16 Boys

• Angus Brown – UBCOB Ravens (Vancouver)
• Ayden Radke – Non-Affiliated (Chilliwack)
• Benard Bjorndal – Abbotsford RFC (Abbotsford)
• Brek Ball – Non-Affiliated (West Kelowna)
• Cade Handy – Abbotsford RFC (Abbotsford)
• Chaz Zimmer – Kelowna Crows RFC (Kelowna)
• Christopher Macgregor – Capilano RFC (West Vancouver)
• Connor Smeenk – Bayside Sharks RFC (Surrey)
• Declan Stove – Castaway Wanderers RFC (Victoria)
• Dennis Banks – Salish Sea Warrios (Calgary, Alberta)
• Elijah Palov – Castaway Wanderers RFC (Victoria)
• Evan Smyth – Non-Affiliated (Surrey)
• Ewan Webber-Smith – Castaway Wanderers RFC (Victoria)
• Gavin Kelly – Non-Affiliated (Kelowna)
• James Gold – Bayside Sharks RFC (Surrey)
• Jasper Keast – Castaway Wanderers RFC (Victoria)
• Lennon Lazare – UBCOB Ravens (Vancouver)
• Michael Oughtred – Castaway Wanderers RFC (Victoria)
• Milo McDonald – Non-Affiliated (Shawnigan Lake)
• Nicholas Yovanovich – Bayside Sharks RFC (Surrey)
• Oliver Lenahan – Langley RFC (Maple Ridge)
• Robert Jaques – Meraloma RFC (Vancouver)
• Robert Reid – Castaway Wanderers RFC (Victoria)
• Thomas Steinke – Non-Affiliated (Vancouver)

Head Coach: John Mergui – Vancouver Rowing Club (Vancouver)

Assistant Coaches: Remi Antcil – Salish Sea Warriors (Shawnigan Lake), Scott McGinley – Meraloma RFC (Vancouver)

BC Bears U16 Girls

• Adalyn Dutchak – Peace Rugby (Fort St John)
• Amelia Handysides – Cowichan RFC (Duncan)
• Aveena Zhao – Non-Affiliated (Richmond)
• Ayana Titifanua – Bayside Sharks RFC (Richmond)
• Ayva Kennedy – Langley RFC (Langley)
• Belle Rousseau – Westshore RFC (Victoria)
• Emilie Sinclair – United RFC (Coquitlam)
• Gwenlili Jones – Non-Affiliated (Sooke)
• Haley Jones – Non-Affiliated (Surrey)
• Joey Schauff – Castaway Wanderers RFC (Victoria)
• Jojo Offerein – Non-Affiliated (Port Alberni)
• Kira Mossman – Rapids Rugby (Cumberland)
• Kodi Connoll – Abbotsford RFC (Abbotsford)
• Lauren Quinn – Rapids Rugby (Comox)
• Mila Maksymetz – Abbotsford RFC (Abbotsford)
• Novah Burley – Rapids Rugby (Comox)
• Poppy-Anne Elcock – Non-Affiliated (Coquitlam)
• Rafielle Barrack – Cowichan RFC (Duncan)
• Sasha McKee – United RFC (Coquitlam)
• Sierra Hamilton – Langley RFC (Langley)
• Sophie Hayes – Castaway Wanderers RFC (Victoria)
• Sophie Weeks – United RFC (Coquitlam)
• Therese Nguyen – Bayside Sharks RFC (Surrey)
• Zoe Mycroft – Cowichan RFC (Ladysmith)

Head Coach: Sherry Spence – Cowichan RFC (Duncan)

Assistant Coaches: Nicole Simoneau – Vancouver Thunderbirds (Edmonton, Alberta)

BC Bears U18 Boys

• Annan McAllister – Castaway Wanderers RFC (Victoria)
• Brandon Ng – Langley RFC (Langley)
• Charles Huntingford – Capilano RFC (North Vancouver)
• Charlie Hassed – UBCOB Ravens (Vancouver)
• Charlie Shepard – UBCOB Ravens (Vancouver)
• Dajean Clarke – Non-Affiliated (Langley)
• Finnley Lillis – Castaway Wanderers RFC (Victoria)
• George Pritchard – Bayside Sharks RFC (Surrey)
• Jackson Powell – Castaway Wanderers RFC (Victoria)
• Josef Paradis – Nanaimo Hornets RFC (Nanaimo)
• Josh Ketch – Salish Sea Warriors (Duncan)
• Joshua du Toit – Capilano RFC (North Vancouver)
• Kale Jones – Salish Sea Warriors (Victoria)
• Keeegan Sheridan – Bayside Sharks RFC (White Rock)
• Liam Turnbull – UBCOB Ravens (Vancouver)
• Mason Levin – Castaway Wanderers RFC (Victoria)
• Nicholas Mao – UBCOB Ravens (Vancouver)
• Noah Merkur – UBCOB Ravens (Vancouver)
• Owen Barlow – Salish Sea Warriors (Victoria)
• Ryker Bisset – Non-Affiliated (Vancouver)
• Samuel Johnston – Castaway Wanderers RFC (Victoria)
• Solomon Yeung – Non-Affiliated (Nanaimo)
• Tate Hartley – UBCOB Ravens (Vancouver)
• Travis Dumbelton – Westshore RFC (Victoria)

Head Coach: Leana Marton – Non -Affiliated (West Kelowna)

Assistant Coaches: Rob Hayes – Langley RFC (Langley), Everitt Konsmo – Non-Affiliated (Vancouver

BC Bears U18 Girls

• Abigail Stanley – Westshore RFC (Victoria)
• Alexis Dobson – Abbotsford RFC (Abbotsford)
• Allie Phillips – James Bay AA (Victoria)
• Bella Anderton-Teasdale – Cowichan RFC (Duncan)
• Caitlin Pearce – Cowichan RFC (Shawnigan Lake)
• Charlotte Benson – James Bay AA (Sidney)
• Deja Peary – Cowichan RFC (Abbotsford)
• Emilie Brett – Non-Affiliated (Abbotsford)
• Gabby Knox – Williams Lake Rustlers (Williams Lake)
• Gwen King – Castaway Wanderers RFC (Victoria)
• Hailey Hibbs – Langley RFC (Langley)
• Hannah Cookson – Abbotsford RFC (Abbotsford)
• Jamie Knaggs – Castaway Wanderers RFC (Victoria)
• Kaity Blair – Bayside Sharks RFC (White Rock)
• Kamryn Howlett – Abbotsford RFC (Maple Ridge)
• Kate Kristianson – Castaway Wanderers RFC (Victoria)
• Kelsa Kempf – Non-Affiliated (Langley)
• Lanae Davenport – Abbotsford RFC (Abbotsford)
• Leila Williams – James Bay AA (Sidney)
• Piper Jorgenson – Castaway Wanderers RFC (Langford)
• Sadie Williams – Rapids Rugby (Courtenay)
• Saylor Pickrell – James Bay AA (Victoria)
• Shayla Stigant – Rapids Rugby (Comox)

Head Coach: Jen Ross – James Bay AA (Victoria)

Assistant Coach: Jake Thiel – Abbotsford RFC (Abbotsford)

More information about BC Rugby

The British Columbia Rugby Union, commonly known as BC Rugby, is the governing body for Rugby in British Columbia and is a Provincial Union of Rugby Canada, the national governing body. Representing over 6,000 individuals registered through around 60 Member Clubs and Associations across the Province, BC Rugby leads and manages the sport with the aim to grow participation and develop excellence in all games of Rugby and in all facets of the sport.
 
Web: www.bcrugby.com
Social: @bcrugbyunion

For more information or additional photos, please contact:
 
BC Rugby
Rob Bartlett, Director of Marketing and Partnerships
Tel: +1 778 725 7476
rbartlett@bcrugby.com