Carissa Norsten of the Victoria Vikes has been named the 2025 U SPORTS women’s rugby player of the year. The announcement was made on Thursday evening at the All-Canadian awards ceremony in Vancouver, host of the 2025 CGIS U SPORTS Women’s Rugby Championship, presented by The Rec Room Granville.
Other major award winners include Grace Dingwall of Ottawa, who was named rookie of the year; Heavlyn Sekyere of Waterloo, who won the student-athlete community service award; and Brittany Waters of Victoria, who won the Jim Atkinson Award as the Fox40 Coach of the Year. In addition to the major award winners, the first and second team All-Canadians were announced. A list of those honorees is included at the end of this release.
Action resumes on Friday as the championship semifinals are set for 4 and 6:30 p.m. at Thunderbird Stadium, with the consolation semifinals earlier in the day at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Tickets for the event are currently on sale at usportstickets.ca and the entire championship can be viewed on CBC Sports digital platforms in English, Radio-Canada digital platforms in French.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR – CARISSA NORSTEN
Carissa Norsten, the fourth-year fullback, was a key piece to the Vikes’ undefeated season, gold medal win at the Canada West Championships and the top seed at the U SPORTS championship. Norsten led the Vikes in tries scored this year with eight, including two in the semi-final game and one in the gold medal game. The product of Waldheim, Sask., is a veteran on the Vikes’ team who uses her leadership, game savviness, and raw talent to be a gamechanger on the field. She won U SPORTS rookie of the year honours in 2022 and is a two-time First Team All-Canadian.
is the first UVic player to win national player-of-the-year honours.
Other nominees: Brielynn Murrant (Acadia), Corinne Fréchette (Laval), Lizzie Gibson (Queen’s).
JIM ATKINSON AWARD (COACH OF THE YEAR) – BRITTANY WATERS
Victoria head coach Brittany Waters added the 2025 Jim Atkinson Award to her loaded trophy case. Waters is completing her 11th season as coach of the Vikes; her teams have won medals each year at the Canada West Championships under her watch. The Vikes have won two conference titles, seven silver medals and a bronze during her spell in Victoria.
This year, Victoria went undefeated in the regular season including a season sweep of arch-rivals UBC and captured the Canada West title and the top seed at this year’s U SPORTS championship, where they are looking to upgrade from the silver medals they won in 2023 and 2024.
Other nominees: Mike Cavanagh (STFX), François Vachon-Marceau (Laval), Dan Valley (Queen’s).
BC Rugby
A: 2015 Main Street, Vancouver, BC | V5T 0J8
T: 604.737.3065
E: info@bcrugby.com
BC Rugby gratefully acknowledges that its offices reside on the traditional and unceded territory of the Coast Salish Peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
