Two U of S greats head Canada West Hall of Fame

A pair of University of Saskatchewan greats, Pat Jackson and the late Darcey Busse, have been selected to the Canada West Hall of Fame.

Jackson, who was honoured Tuesday by Canada West, was a groundbreaking leader at the U of S, where she coached women’s basketball and served as athletic director.

The University of Alberta grad was coach of the Saskatchewan Huskiettes basketball team from 1964 to 1985.

During her time as coach, she was also named the U of S athletic director in 1973, becoming the only woman at a major North American institution to hold the position at the time.

Internationally, starting in 1968, Jackson spent four years coaching the Canadian senior women’s national team.

Busse, whose legacy was honoured Monday with an induction into the Canada West Hall of Fame, enjoyed a standout volleyball career at the U of S as one of the country’s finest university volleyball players during the 1980s.

The Moose Jaw native became the first student-athlete to be named player of the year in Canadian men’s university volleyball on multiple occasions, receiving the honour in both 1984 and 1986. He was a Canada West All-star in all five of his seasons with the Huskies.

Busse helped Saskatchewan win the Canada West title and qualify for the CIAU championship tournament three times.

At CIAU nationals, the Huskies captured silver in 1980 and 1985 and bronze in 1986.

Busse capped his career receiving the E. Kent Phillips Trophy as U of S male athlete of the year in 1985-86.

The Canada West Hall of Fame was created in the spring of 2019 to commemorate 100 years of university sport across Western Canada. The first induction class is being unveiled throughout the 2019-20 season.

HUSKIES WRESTLING RANKED NO. 1

For the first time in program history, the U of S Huskies are ranked No. 1 for U Sport in women’s wrestling.

Saskatchewan moved to the No. 1 ranking following a third-place finish at its own Huskie Invitational over the weekend.

Meanwhile, the Huskies are ranked No. 3 for men’s wrestling.

The wrestling team will next hit the mat at the Alberta Open on Jan. 11.

The U of S female wrestlers are not alone atop the U Sport rankings. The Huskies women’s basketball team, under head coach Lisa Thomaidis, retains its No. 1 status.

Saskatchewan sits at No. 5 for men’s hockey and No. 7 for men’s basketball.