Two basketball athletes and a track star join previous inductees into the University of Victoria Sports Hall of Fame April 5.
Ulla Hansen (Marquette), Carol Turney-Loos and Spencer McKay as the 2017 inductees to the Sports Hall of Fame, founded in 2002 to honour those individuals who have contributed significantly to UVic sport or recreation as athletes, coaches, teams or as builders.
They will be formally inducted at the annual Celebration of Champions event on April 5, 2017, at the Victoria Conference Centre.
“We’re proud to have three outstanding individuals join the UVic Sports Hall of Fame this year,” said Clint Hamilton, director of Vikes Athletics and Recreation and chair of the Hall of Fame Committee. “These are three individuals who have made significant contributions not only to Vikes Athletics, but also to their sport on both the national and international levels. We’re excited to recognize them as part of UVic’s tradition of excellence in sports.”
Hansen’s storied career with the Vikes spanned 1975 to 1987 and saw her rack up five individual CIAU medals and two CIAU relay golds between cross country and track competition. During her five years with the Vikes program, she helped her teams pick up four gold medals in Canada West cross-country competition and the 1987 CIAU Championship, along with a gold medal in the 1985 CIAU 4x800-metre relay event.
Outside of university competition, the 18-time member of Team Canada between track, cross-country and road racing was a nine-time medalist at the Canadian Track and Field Championships; a five-time medalist at the Canadian 10k Road Race Championships; a six-time qualifier for the national team at the Canadian Cross-Country Championships; and a 16-time gold medalist at prestigious Victoria road races.
McKay was a dominant player for men’s basketball in the late 1980s and early 1990s, finishing as a five-time Canada West All-Star, a three-time All-Canadian and UVic’s Outstanding Male Athlete of the Year in 1990-91. He owns the record for most points scored in a Vikes uniform with 1,657, ranking him 16th all-time and 10th all-time in points-per-game in Canada West. He remains the only Vikes men’s basketball player other than Hall of Famer Eli Pasquale to earn the title of Canada West All-Star each of his five years.
McKay was also a member of the Junior National team, leading Canada in scoring, rebounding and minutes played, and was a carded athlete for 10 years, representing Canada in many international competitions and tours, including the Pan American Games, the World Student Game, the NBA Summer League and the FIBA World Championships.
Turney-Loos spent two years with UBC, winning the national title in 1974 before playing with UVic for the 1977-78 and 1979-80 seasons. The dynamic offensive talent led the Vikes to the national finals twice, winning in 1980 on the back of her MVP performance. She was named the inaugural Nan Copp Award winner as player of the year for her efforts. In the Canada West record book, she still ranks first all-time in points-per-game (21.10), third all-time in field goals made (649) and first in free throws made per game (4.462).
On the international stage, Turney-Loos represented Canada at the 1976 Olympic Games and would have competed in 1980 if not for Canada’s boycott. She also played on the Canadian World Championship team that won bronze in 1979.
Visit govikesgo.com/HOF for details on how to nominate.