CALGARY – Following one of the greatest seasons in Dinos men's basketball history,
Nate Petrone added another accolade on Thursday as he was named the 2025 Canada West Male Athlete of the Year.
Petrone's award marks the 18th time a University of Calgary student-athlete has been named the top athlete in Canada West, and the first since 2022. Calgary's 18 nominees marks the second-most from a single university in U SPORTS, second only to McGill (23).
All 17 Canada West member institutions vote to select the conference's athletes of the year, with nominees being the respective schools' athletes of the year. Fellow basketball standout Gage Grassick of Saskatchewan was named the Canada West Female Athlete of the Year.
Petrone and Grassick will now move forward as the Canada West nominees for the prestigious Louis and Doug Mitchell U SPORTS Athletes of the Year Awards, which honour the nation's top male and female student-athletes. U SPORTS will announce this year's winners June 2nd in Ontario.
There was no more dominant offensive force in U SPORTS men's basketball this season than Calgary guard
Nate Petrone, who delivered a year for the ages while leading the Dinos to their eighth Canada West championship—and first since 2019.
The hometown star led U SPORTS in total points and topped Canada West with 24.2 points per game, all while shooting a remarkable 56.8 percent from the field—an exceptional feat for a guard.
Petrone elevated his play even further in the postseason. In the Canada West semifinals, he posted 23 points and nine rebounds to help the Dinos take down three-time defending champion Victoria. He followed that with a historic 38-point outburst on 15-of-21 shooting in the conference final against UBC, propelling Calgary to the title.
His accolades reflect his standout season. Petrone was named Canada West Player of the Year and earned the U SPORTS Mike Moser Memorial Trophy as the nation's top men's basketball player. At the U SPORTS Final 8, he continued his stellar form, scoring 26 points in a quarterfinal win over Queen's, followed by a near triple-double—30 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists—in a semifinal victory over UPEI. The Dinos would eventually settle for silver after falling in a hard fought final against Victoria.
Petrone capped off his historic season by being named a recipient of Calgary's Dr. Dennis Kadatz Athlete of the Year award.
About the Lois & Doug Mitchell U SPORTS Athlete of the Year Award
Since 1993, the Lois Mitchell and Doug Mitchell U SPORTS Athlete of the Year Awards have been presented annually to U SPORTS student-athletes.
A UBC Thunderbird football alumnus, Doug Mitchell founded the Awards in 1993 (then as the Howard, Mackie Awards, later the BLG Awards and the Lieutenant-Governor Awards) to increase the profile and support of Canadian university student-athletes. Mitchell, the namesake for the annual Mitchell Bowl football game, continued his involvement up until his passing in 2022.
Each of the 58 U SPORTS universities selects a female and male athlete of the year, from which one finalist of each gender is chosen to represent the Atlantic, Canada West, Ontario and Quebec conferences. These eight nominees are considered for the U SPORTS Male and Female Athletes of the Year based on their athletic accomplishments, outstanding sportsmanship and demonstrated leadership. A vote of the Canadian Athletic Foundation trustees determines the winners.
2024-25 Lois and Doug Mitchell U SPORTS Athlete of the Year Nominees
| Conference |
Athlete |
School |
Sport |
| CW |
Nate Petrone |
Calgary |
Men's Basketball |
| CW |
Gage Grassick |
Saskatchewan |
Women's Basketball |
| OUA |
Taylor Elgersma |
Laurier |
Football |
| OUA |
Favor Okpali |
Western |
Track & Field |
| RSEQ |
Philippe Morneau-Cartier |
Laval |
Track & Field/Cross Country |
| RSEQ |
Marie-Frédérique Poulin |
Laval |
Track & Field |
| AUS |
DJ Jackson |
STFX |
Men's Basketball |
| AUS |
Ally Rowe |
Cape Breton |
Women's Soccer |
Calgary Dinos All-Time Canada West Athletes of the Year
*denotes U SPORTS award winner
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