University of Alberta's Abby Guezen, Ryder Rattee sweep U Sports awards

U Sports female and male athletes of the year Abby Guezen, left, and Ryder Rattee, both of the University of Alberta, hold their awards in Calgary, Wednesday, May 20, 2026.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

CALGARY — The University of Alberta swept the U Sports awards with volleyball player Abby Guezen named female athlete of the year and sprinter Ryder Rattee male athlete of the year Wednesday.

It’s just the second time a single university claimed both honours after McGill hockey players Ann-Sophie Bettez and Marc-André Dorion in 2012.

Guezen of Sherwood Park, Alta., led the Pandas to an 18-2 record, a Canada West championship and Alberta’s first national women’s volleyball title in almost 20 years.

She made her international debut with the Canadian women’s team last year. She will play for Canada again in this summer in the Nations League before starting a pro career in Italy.

Rattee of Spruce Grove, Alta., claimed three titles at the national championship and broke a U Sports record in the 300 metres. Rattee went undefeated in his individual distances in 2026 despite a lingering back injury.

Rattee raced for the Canadian men’s 4x400 relay team at the World Athletics Relays in Gaborone, Botswana, in early May. He’s scheduled to compete in this summer’s Canadian track and field championships in Ottawa.

Winners of the Lois and Doug Mitchell Awards receive a $5,000 scholarship, a trophy and a commemorative ring. Guezen and Rattee received theirs in a ceremony Wednesday in Calgary.

U Sports is one of the largest sports leagues in Canada with nearly 15,000 student-athletes playing varsity sports in 58 Canadian universities from Victoria to St. John’s, N.L.

The top U Sports male and female athletes have been recognized since 1993 when former CFL player and commissioner and UBC football alum Doug Mitchell founded the awards.

Mitchell died in 2022 the age of 83.

His wife Lois, who was Alberta’s lieutenant-governor from 2015 to 2020, has continued their joint sponsorship of the honours previously called the Howard Mackie Awards, BLG Awards and Lieutenant Governor Athletics Awards.

The trustees of the Canadian Athletic Foundation, a not-for-profit board chaired by Mitchell, voted for the winners.

“Abby and Ryder had outstanding seasons, demonstrating their adaptability to any condition they have faced on the field of competition and in the classroom,” Mitchell said in a statement.

Previous winners include CFL players Tre Ford, Jesse Lumsden, Don Blair and Andrew Buckley as well as international rugby star Sophie de Goede and multi-medal Olympic swimmer Kylie Masse.

No winners were announced in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

One finalist of each gender from each of the four conferences — Atlantic, Ontario, Quebec and Canada West — are chosen annually.

Female athlete of the year finalists were Saint Mary’s volleyball player Emilia Mikanovich, Concordia hockey player Jessymaude Drapeau and Guelph soccer forward Olivia Rizakos.

Moncton hockey player Mika Cyr, Laval runner Philippe Morneau-Cartier and Toronto Metropolitan basketball player Aaron Rhooms were finalists for male athlete of the year.

“Congratulations to Abby and Ryder on winning the Lois and Doug Mitchell Awards,” said U Sports chief executive officer Pierre Arsenault in a statement.

“We had an outstanding group of nominees this year, with many national champions and athlete-of-the-year winners in their sports. To be recognized like this is a wonderful accomplishment for each of them.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 20, 2026.

The Canadian Press