The Martlet

The season may be over for UVic’s basketball teams, but the accolades just keep coming in. On the women’s side, Kayla Dykstra was named Canada West MVP and Vanessa Forstbauer earned Comeback Player of the Year.

For the men, senior Mitch Gudgeon received the nod for a second team all-star berth.

Dykstra was a key component in the Vikes’ 17-6 record and second-place finish this year. Dykstra led the Canada West in scoring with 18.6 points per game and rebounding with 11.2 points per game. Her 1.4 blocks per game ranked sixth in the division as well. She recorded these outstanding numbers while constantly facing double and triple teams all season long.

In her game of the season, Dykstra torched the Thompson Rivers Wolfpack for 21 points, 23 rebounds and eight blocks.

“Those kinds of numbers are unheard of in women’s basketball,” said head coach Brian Cheng.

To put these numbers in perspective, eight blocks in a single game gives Dykstra a share of the second-highest number of blocks in one game in the history of the Canada West Division. Her 23 rebounds give her a share of sixth all-time in Canada West history.

Meanwhile, Forstbauer was nominated for the Tracey MacLeod award for Comeback Player of the Year. After missing all of the 2007-08 season due to heart problems, Forstbauer returned to perennially fill the stat sheet. Her averages of 8.2 points, 7 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.8 steals were all-time career highs, and many times throughout the season she flirted with a triple-double.

On the men’s side, Gudgeon was named as a Canada West second team all-star. In his final year of eligibility, Gudgeon led the Vikes in scoring with 15.6 points per game and rebounding with 10.1 rebounds per game. He was also a key anchor in the Vikes’ division-leading defence.

Gudgeon saved the best for last this season, scoring 21 points and recording 20 rebounds in his second-to-last regular season game. His 21 points pushed him past the impressive career mark of 1,000 points.

“We’re all obviously very proud of Mitch,” said men’s head coach Craig Beaucamp. “I thought Mitch showed considerable improvement over the last two seasons.”