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Banner year for Loyalist basketball

By Brock Ormond Feb 27, 2026 | 1:46 PM
The Loyalist Lancers women’s and men’s basketball teams earned major recognition in OCAA League Awards recently.
Women’s Basketball Celebrates Historic Season
The Lancers Women’s Basketball team capped off a dominant campaign by being crowned OCAA Women’s Basketball East Division Champions, along with an impressive slate of individual awards recognizing talent, leadership, and coaching excellence. The team finished the regular season 14-0 and earned their way into the quarter finals with a convincing win over the Redeemer Royals on Saturday, February 21st.
Individual Player Awards
  • Kayley Lemaire – East Division Second Team All-Star
  • Sophie Vanni – East Division Second Team All-Star;  East Division All-Rookie Team; East Rookie of the Year; Overall OCAA Rookie of the Year.
  • Nina Anderson – East Division Sixth Woman of the Year
  • Grace Callahan – East Division First Team All-Star; East Division Defensive Player of the Year; East Division Player of the Year; CCAA All-Canadian
Coaching Awards
  • Caleb Hugh – East Coach of the Year; OCAA Women’s Basketball Coach of the Year
This season marks the most successful in program history, highlighted by national-level recognition for standout athlete Grace Callahan and dual provincial coaching honours for Head Coach Caleb Hugh.
The team plays hosts to the West Division’s 4th place St. Clair Saints on Sunday, March 1st in the quarter finals for a shot at the OCAA Final Four Championship
Men’s Basketball Earns Major Scoring and Rookie Accolades
The Lancers Men’s Basketball team also celebrated significant achievements, led by record-setting scoring performances and emerging rookie talent.
Individual Player Awards
  • Romain McCalla – East Division Scoring Champion; OCAA League Scoring Champion; East Division First Team All-Star
  • Tai Ajose – East Division Rookie of the Year; East Division All-Rookie Team
McCalla’s dual scoring titles solidify him as one of the top offensive threats in the province, while Ajose’s honours highlight a bright future for the Lancers program.
After a slow start to the season, the Lancers had an incredible second half to earn their way into a 5th place finish. They travelled to Sarnia to take on the Lambton Lions in their playoff qualifier, winning 80-74 to earn their way into the quarter final round.
For the first time in recent history, the Lancers men’s basketball will host the Sheridan Bruins in a quarter final battle for their shot at getting into the OCAA FInal Four. The game takes place on Sunday, March 1st at 3 PM at Loyalist College.
This remarkable collection of awards across both programs reflects the hard work, dedication, and competitive excellence of Loyalist’s student-athletes and coaches. Loyalist College congratulates all award recipients and celebrates their achievements as an important milestone in the continued growth of Lancers Athletics.
For more information, visit loyalistlancers.com.