WBB | Eight Voyageurs Named in U SPORTS Top 100

U SPORTS, the national brand of the university sports in Canada, is set to reveal the Top 100 women's basketball players of the century.

In celebration of the centennial anniversary of U SPORTS women's basketball, the Top 100 –chosen by a committee of U SPORTS women's basketball coaches and partners – will be unveiled beginning Thursday, Feb. 6, marking the 100^th anniversary of the first Canadian university women's contest between the Queen's Gaels and McGill Martlets on Feb. 6, 1920.

"Selecting a group of individuals to represent excellence in your conference or league is always a difficult task," said Ryan Thorne, president of the U SPORTS women's basketball coaches' association and head coach of the Martlets. "This experience has shown me that there have been some amazing young women, who have represented our institutions well through basketball that have gone on to become remarkable women in life. Just researching the stories and receiving the feedback from coaches of different eras, was eye opening. I am grateful to have been a part of this process and hope that the next century is just as fruitful."

The campaign culminates with the announcement of the 2020 Nan Copp U SPORTS Player of the Year at the All-Canadian Gala on Mar. 4.

Members of the Top 100 will then be honoured at the Final 8 during the national championship final, hosted jointly by Carleton University, University of Ottawa and Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group.

For the Voyageurs, a trio of former standouts were named in the initial group.  Kathy Shields (Williams), Sylvia Sweeney and Chris Critelli all donned the blue and gold in the mid to late 1970's during the golden era of Voyageurs women's basketball that saw Laurentian win five consecutive national championships from 1974-1979.  Shields was a member of the first two championship squads from 1974-76, followed by Critelli who helped guide her teams to titles from 1976-78 before Sweeney helped cap off the impressive run with the 1978-79 title.

Carol Hamilton, the only Voyageur named from the 1980's decade, starred for the Voyageurs from 1984 through 1987, earning first-team All-Canadian recognition in each of her three years.  She also earned OUA Player of the Year recognition in '84-'85 and '86-'87 and was named U SPORTS Player of the Year in  '84-'85.

Th 1990's saw another trio of Voyageurs added to the list.  Dianne Norman and Susan Stewart were teammates from 1989-1995 while Stephanie Harrison dawned the blue and gold from 1995-2000.  Norman is one of the most decorated Voyageurs of all time, earning OUA East Player of the Year in five seasons she played, OUA and U SPORTS Rookie of the Year in '89-'90 and a first or second team All-Canadian in each of her following seasons, all while helping the Voyageurs to back-to-back national championship titles in 1989-90 and 1990-91.  Stewart had an equally impressive career, earning OUA and U SPORTS Player of the Year recognition in 1991-92 and was a four time OUA All-Star while being a major part of the national championship winning teams.  Harrison blossomed into a star during her time in the Ben Avery Gym, being named an OUA All-Star in each of her final four seasons, a U SPORTS All-Canadian in each of her final three seasons and the OUA East Player of the Year in her final two seasons, 1998-99 and 1999-2000.

The 2000s saw a lone Voyageur added to the list as Cassandra Carpenter was honoured.  Suiting up for five years from 2003-2008, the current OUA record holder for career points with 2171, Carpenter was no stranger to provincial and national success, earning OUA and U SPORTS Rookie of the Year in her first season before garnering OUA East Player of the Year and first or second team All-Canadian recognition in each of the following four years.  On top of her offensive prowess, Carpenter was recognized for her game at both ends of the court, taking home the OUA East Defensive Player of the Year in '04-'05 and '05-'06.

The full list of players from 1930-2010 is below.