LETHBRIDGE, Alta. – Saahil Kaura was named to the Canada West Second All-Star Team after a sixth-place individual finish, as the University of Calgary Dinos men's and women's golf teams each placed fifth at the 2026 Canada West Golf Championships on Tuesday at Paradise Canyon Golf Resort.

The two-day, 36-hole championship was the first Canada West golf event held in Alberta. A calm Tuesday morning gave way to a stiffening wind in the afternoon, and the individual titles weren't settled until the final holes.

Kaura led the Dinos men with rounds of 73 and 70 for a one-over 143. That put him one stroke behind fifth-place Oakley Mayner of the UBC Okanagan Heat and two shots out of fourth in a 44-player field.

"Both the men's and women's teams showed a level of resiliency I haven't seen before, which testifies to their work ethic," said Dinos head coach Todd Halpen. "It was great to see some of our players, including Saahil and Peyton, really step up to the challenge this week.

"They have been steady players all season. They really care about the team and the university, so it was great to see them be so clutch for the team."

As a team, the Dinos men opened Monday with a 300, tying them for fourth with the Victoria Vikes. Calgary improved by six strokes with a 294 in Tuesday's final round and finished fifth at 26-over 594. That was six strokes behind the fourth-place Alberta Golden Bears and three ahead of the sixth-place Manitoba Bisons.

Adam Reed finished tied for 16th at seven-over 149 after rounds of 76 and 73. Sawyer Tessier cut seven strokes off his opening round with a 73 on Tuesday and finished tied for 27th at 153. Maaz Saad placed 33rd at 155. Desmond White, who posted Calgary's second-best opening round with a 74, finished tied for 36th at 158.

The Dinos women also took a step forward on the final day. After a 257 on Monday, Calgary carded a 247 on Tuesday, 10 strokes better, to finish fifth at 78-over 504. That was 11 strokes ahead of the host Lethbridge Pronghorns.

Peyton Schmidt led the Dinos women in 15th place at 20-over 162 after rounds of 80 and 82. Norah Andronyk improved by six strokes from Monday to Tuesday and finished tied for 20th at 170. Kristin McGeachie was 22nd at 172, one stroke ahead of Allessandra De Cianco, who shaved seven strokes off her opening round with an 83. Brianna Jassmann finished 30th.

The men's individual race came down to the final shot. Alberta's Kai Baerg went to his last hole, the par-4 ninth, believing he trailed Victoria's Owen Croft by two strokes and needed a birdie just to force a playoff. In fact, Croft had made a late bogey. From about 80 yards out, Baerg's approach took a bounce and dropped into the cup for an eagle, sealing the title at six-under 136. He is the first Alberta golfer to win the Canada West men's individual championship. 

On the women's side, UBC's Katherine Hao defended her individual title. Hao entered Tuesday tied for the lead after an opening 73, then made five birdies in a five-under 67 to finish at two-under 140. She was the only woman in the field to finish under par, and she won by nine strokes.

Hao's win capped a championship sweep for UBC, which claimed both team banners. The Thunderbirds men posted a 14-under 276 on Tuesday, the best team round of the event, to win at two-over 570, eight strokes ahead of UBCO. Victoria was third at 14-over 582. The UBC women finished at nine-over 435, 20 strokes clear of runner-up UBCO, with Victoria third and Alberta fourth.

UBC's Cory Renfrew and Kier Smith were named Canada West Coaches of the Year. The host Pronghorns men improved by 13 strokes on Tuesday to tie the University of Regina Cougars for eighth.

"I think the team realized they're much closer than last year to contending in these tournaments, which will motivate both players and the coaching staff to ramp up during the winter and prepare for a more intense spring schedule than we had planned," said Halpen."

FINAL TEAM STANDINGS
Men
UBC Thunderbirds – 570 (+2) – 294-276
UBC Okanagan Heat – 578 (+10) – 297-281
Victoria Vikes – 582 (+14) – 300-282
Alberta Golden Bears – 588 (+20) – 295-293
Calgary Dinos – 594 (+26) – 300-294
Manitoba Bisons – 597 (+29) – 302-295
Fraser Valley Cascades – 604 (+36) – 306-298
T8. Lethbridge Pronghorns – 625 (+57) – 319-306
T8. Regina Cougars – 625 (+57) – 319-306

Women
UBC Thunderbirds – 435 (+9) – 224-211
UBC Okanagan Heat – 455 (+29) – 232-223
Victoria Vikes – 471 (+45) – 239-232
Alberta Pandas – 487 (+61) – 245-242
Calgary Dinos – 504 (+78) – 257-247
Lethbridge Pronghorns – 515 (+89) – 258-257
Fraser Valley Cascades – 527 (+101) – 270-257

FINAL INDIVIDUAL STANDINGS
Men (top 10)
Kai Baerg, Alberta – 136 (-6) – 69-67
Owen Croft, Victoria – 137 (-5) – 71-66
Aneesh Kaura, UBC – 138 (-4) – 68-70
Jake Houston, UBC – 141 (-1) – 74-67
Oakley Mayner, UBCO – 142 (E) – 75-67
Saahil Kaura, Calgary – 143 (+1) – 73-70
T7. Andrew Rouble, UBCO – 144 (+2) – 73-71
T7. Manny Lahl, UBC – 144 (+2) – 76-68
T7. Rory Neill, Manitoba – 144 (+2) – 71-73
Jackson Murphy, UBCO – 145 (+3) – 72-73

Other Dinos: T16. Adam Reed – 149 (+7) – 76-73; T27. Sawyer Tessier – 153 (+11) – 80-73; 33. Maaz Saad – 155 (+13) – 77-78; T36. Desmond White – 158 (+16) – 74-84

Women (top 10)
Katherine Hao, UBC – 140 (-2) – 73-67
Sarah Yang, UBC – 149 (+7) – 78-71
Cindy Koira, Victoria – 149 (+7) – 74-75
Ayda Matthews, UBCO – 150 (+8) – 76-74
T5. Cadence Ko, UBC – 151 (+9) – 73-78
T5. Keira Hou, UBC – 151 (+9) – 78-73
T7. Julia Alexander-Carew, UBCO – 153 (+11) – 78-75
T7. Ally Ruston, UBCO – 153 (+11) – 79-74
Morgan Best, UBC – 154 (+12) – 79-75
Kalee Seto, Alberta – 158 (+16) – 81-77

Dinos: 15. Peyton Schmidt – 162 (+20) – 80-82; T20. Norah Andronyk – 170 (+28) – 88-82; 22. Kristin McGeachie – 172 (+30) – 89-83; 23. Allessandra De Cianco – 173 (+31) – 90-83; 30. Brianna Jassmann – 191 (+49) – 96-95

AWARD RECIPIENTS
Men's Individual
Gold – Kai Baerg, Alberta Golden Bears
Silver – Owen Croft, Victoria Vikes
Bronze – Aneesh Kaura, UBC Thunderbirds

Men's Team
Gold – UBC Thunderbirds
Silver – UBC Okanagan Heat
Bronze – Victoria Vikes

Women's Individual
Gold – Katherine Hao, UBC Thunderbirds
Silver – Sarah Yang, UBC Thunderbirds
Bronze – Cindy Koira, Victoria Vikes

Women's Team
Gold – UBC Thunderbirds
Silver – UBC Okanagan Heat
Bronze – Victoria Vikes

Men's First All-Star Team
Kai Baerg, Alberta Golden Bears
Owen Croft, Victoria Vikes
Aneesh Kaura, UBC Thunderbirds
Jake Houston, UBC Thunderbirds

Men's Second All-Star Team
Oakley Mayner, UBC Okanagan Heat
Saahil Kaura, Calgary Dinos
Andrew Rouble, UBC Okanagan Heat
Manny Lahl, UBC Thunderbirds

Women's First All-Star Team
Katherine Hao, UBC Thunderbirds
Sarah Yang, UBC Thunderbirds
Cindy Koira, Victoria Vikes
Ayda Matthews, UBC Okanagan Heat

Women's Second All-Star Team
Cadence Ko, UBC Thunderbirds
Keira Hou, UBC Thunderbirds
Julia Alexander-Carew, UBC Okanagan Heat
Ally Ruston, UBC Okanagan Heat

Coaches of the Year
Cory Renfrew and Kier Smith, UBC Thunderbirds

-UC-