The 2024-25 season has ended for the St. Thomas University teams and with that, the STU Athletics Department is wrapping up a year to remember.
After hosting two Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) national championships, one Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) championship and all of the winter teams going to the playoffs, how can STU Athletics top that next year?
STU Athletics Director Meaghan Donahue Wies said they still need to find time to sit on what they accomplished.
“To have the chance to put STU’s name on the map nationally, to show that we can compete on a national level, to show that we can host, it’s everything we should be striving to do,” said Donahue.
Looking forward, she said their main plan is for the department to focus on the recreational side and to “make sure that the entire population at St. Thomas knows that we’re here for everyone.”
Throughout the year, the Athletics Department has hosted yoga, pilates, boxing, French dance, as well as intramural tournaments.
Donahue said that there is an intention to rework some of the space of the J.B. O’Keefe Fitness Centre to create a games room or a lounge-type area where people can “socialize and recreate in a way that doesn’t necessarily have to be based on physical activity alone because recreation is a lot broader than that.”
“I think there might be room for us to expand into that area and then, again, get out of the building. I think if we can, on nice days in September, get out to the quad and do things out in the courtyard that would be of interest to us.”
Donahue emphasized that while the department plays a key role in supporting teams, much of the preparation ultimately falls on the coaches.
“Again, a lot of that is sort of on the coaches on the teams and we’re here to support that and what they’re looking for,” she said. “So, making sure that they have what they need from a resources perspective around, student trainers and adequate medical care and the facilities that they need and making sure they have access to them.”
One of the key areas the department has been working to improve is identifying gaps in medical support and player readiness.
Donahue said that last season, a lack of trainers was a concern and efforts were made to ensure teams had trainers from the start of their seasons.
This season, that concern was seen in the women’s rugby team, which after struggling with injuries and a lack of substitutes their season had to be cut short.
“The second an injury happened, we started to go downhill because we didn’t have as many subs,” said second-year player Grace Perry.
As the department conducts debrief meetings with coaches and gathers student-athlete feedback in the coming weeks, addressing these gaps will be a priority. However, Donahue acknowledged that the biggest challenge is always resources.
“The challenge, of course, lies in resources. It’s always going to be that we can only do what we can within the scope of what we’ve got,” Donahue said. “I think that that’s also a challenge that we can rise to.”
Following the challenges the team faced, the Athletics Department has decided to transition the program from 15-player rugby to the seven-player format.
The change will reduce the number of players on the field, lower the level of physicality and require a smaller roster, according to Donahue.
“I think a move to sevens is really going to help address a lot of the health and safety concerns.”
