U SPORTS Correspondents
Leah Burchill
Cross Country/Track & Field Correspondent
Leah Burchill is a journalism student at Carleton University. She competed for four years with the Ottawa Lions track and field club, which coaches the Ottawa Gee-Gees and Carleton Ravens varsity teams. She hopes to reflect her love and respect for the sport into her writing and excited to help showcase talented and interesting Canadian track athletes who deserve the recognition.
Austin Stanton
Swimming Correspondent
Austin Stanton is a fourth-year journalism student at Carleton University. His greatest passion in life is sports and enjoys storytelling of all forms. Austin swam competitively for the Burlington Aquatic Devilrays and is a four-time OUA medalist with the Carleton Ravens men's water polo team.
- 2017 U SPORTS Champions Series: Thunderbirds swim for each other to banner sweep
- From Team Canada to the Carabins: Olympians Savard and Mainville bring experience to U SPORTS Swimming Championships
- U SPORTS Male Athlete of the Month: McGill rookie Wang off to record-breaking start
- Brock’s Ridsdale just keeps swimming
- UBC Olympian Kisil ‘The Misil’ making a splash with Thunderbirds
Alexander Cole
Men’s Hockey Correspondent
Alexander Cole is a second-year journalism student at Concordia university. He is the sports editor of The Concordian and is also a radio host on CJLO 1690 AM - the university's campus radio station - on The Concordian Radio Show, and also co-hosts The Starting Rotation as well as CJLO Sports.
Alex mostly focuses on covering hockey and football. In his spare time, he also does play-by-play and colour commentary for men's hockey and football games on CJLO 1690.
- Hinse relives junior hockey past
- Calgary-Laval rematch headlines 52nd ArcelorMittal Dofasco Vanier Cup
- Uteck Bowl: Université Laval Rouge et Or Team Profile
Natasha Cyrille
Women’s Volleyball Correspondent
Natasha is a second-year Sport Media student at Ryerson University. She’s played volleyball since 11 years old and has stayed involved in the game since as a certified Level 1 referee with the Ontario Volleyball Association and as the colour commentator for the Ryerson Rams men’s and women’s volleyball teams. Natasha looks forward to sharing the stories of the incredible U SPORTS athletes and is excited for the U SPORTS Women’s Volleyball Championship taking place at Ryerson.
- 2017 U SPORTS Champions Series: Veteran Thunderbirds earn women’s volleyball redemption
- Volleyball a solace for Thompson Rivers’ Pakhomenko
Casey Dulson
Football/Women’s Basketball Correspondent
Casey is a political science graduate from Concordia University. He spent three years writing for Concordia’s newspaper, The Concordian where he covered Stingers basketball and football. He fell in love with U SPORTS football after watching the double-overtime thriller in the 47th Vanier Cup between the Laval Rouge et Or and McMaster Marauders.
Casey has covered two U SPORTS football championships - the 50th Vanier Cup in Montreal and the 52nd ArcelorMittal Dofasco Vanier Cup in Hamilton. He has also covered one U SPORTS Men’s Final 8 Basketball Championship at Ryerson University in 2015 and one RSEQ Basketball Final Four in 2016 at McGill University. He can be followed on twitter, @Casey_Dulson.
- 2017 U SPORTS Honours Awards: Olga Hrycak, a leader among men
- 2017 U SPORTS Champions Series: March Athlete of the Month Kiss-Rusk’s domination leads McGill to historic first title
- Lancers’ Roger proud of her aboriginal roots
- U SPORTS Female Athlete of the Month: Polischuk the three-point queen for Regina Cougars
- Calgary Dinos ready to forget the past
- Laval Rouge et Or: Canada's University football dynasty
- Mitchell Bowl: StFX X-Men Team Preview
- The Pictons: The Regina Rams’ first family
Kaitlin Jingco
Men’s Soccer/Men’s Volleyball Correspondent
Kaitlin is a recent graduate of Western University’s Master of Media in Journalism and Communication program. She now works as the communications manager for her local MPP, and keeps in touch with her love for sports and journalism as a U SPORTS Correspondent for men’s soccer and men’s volleyball.
- 2017 U SPORTS Honours Awards: Adam Zimmerman, the football guardian
- 2017 U SPORTS Champions Series: Spartans’ depth key to men’s volleyball repeat
- Sibling harmony: Kyle and Andrew Richards maintain bond despite division rivalry
- Marauders relish Ohio State men's Volleyball rivalry
- Chrohn’s can’t slow Cascades star Najman
- U SPORTS Male Athlete of the Month: Dominic Russo
Dylan Konecny
Football/Men’s Basketball Correspondent
Dylan is a post-grad student in Toronto and a satellite Sports Reporter for the Sherbrooke Record, covering the Bishop’s Gaiters and the Sherbrooke Phoenix of the QMJHL. He is a former sports editor for The Campus, the student newspaper at Bishop’s University, and played for the Gaiters from 2011 to 2015, while studying politics and business.
Katie Maryschuk
Cross Country/Track & Field Correspondent
Katie Maryschuk is a fourth-year Media and Communications student studying on the west coast of Canada, at Langley’s Trinity Western University. She is no stranger to athletics, having played basketball, volleyball and track and field throughout high school and is a member of the TWU Spartans track and field varsity squad. Her passion aligns with the athletic perspective of hard work, perseverance and a genuine love for the game.
- Cougars runner Strueby revives career after repeated broken foot
- U SPORTS Female Athlete of the Month: Claire Sumner
Megan McPhaden
International Correspondent
Megan McPhaden is a Master of Journalism student at Carleton University. For the past six years, she has covered university sports at the provincial, national and international level. In July 2015, she was selected as one of 12 student sports journalists from around the world for the FISU Young Reporters Program to cover the 28th Summer Universiade in Gwangju, South Korea. Megan's long term goal is to work as a foreign correspondent.
- Canadian chosen to participate in FISU Young Reporters’ Programme
- 2017 Winter Universiade: Carrington Pomeroy video feature
- The Takahashis: a judo-wrestling dynasty
- McMaster’s Longley off to shooting start
Graham Neysmith
Women’s Hockey Correspondent
Graham is covering women's hockey as part of the U SPORTS Correspondent Program. He is a play-by-play broadcaster with McGill University Athletics, calling varsity hockey and soccer games. In December 2016, Graham was the play-by-play man at the Canadian World Junior Selection Camp, when World Junior prospects took on the U SPORTS All-Star team. He can be found on Twitter, @GNeysmith.
- Hockey night in Auckland: New Zealand native Gina Davis forging varsity career with Lancers
- School comes first for Aigles Bleues captain Karine Roy
- Hefford embraces Varsity Blues coaching role
Charlie Pinkerton
Football Correspondent
Charlie Pinkerton is a fourth-year journalism student at Carleton University. He is passionate about sports writing and has experience writing about athletics for the Ottawa Sportspage, The Kingston Whig-Standard and The Sault Star.
- 52nd ArcelorMittal Dofasco Vanier Cup a celebration of rich football history in Hamilton
- Uteck Bowl: Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks Team Profile
- Road to the ArcelorMittal Dofasco Vanier Cup: Axemen eager to snap Homecoming losing streak to Mounties
- Road to the ArcelorMittal Dofasco Vanier Cup: Gee-Gees look to free Pedro in Panda clash with Ravens
- Road to the ArcelorMittal Dofasco Vanier Cup: Gaels football a family affair for Pendergasts
Christian Ryan
Football/Curling Correspondent
Christian Ryan is a second-year Sport Media student at Ryerson University. He previously obtained a Bachelor’s degree in English at Acadia University, where he provided colour commentary for the Acadia Axemen and Axewomen soccer teams. He continues his broadcast involvement with various Ryerson Rams teams as well as continued coverage of AUS football.
- University sport a fabric of Canada at 150
- 2017 U SPORTS Champions series: Voyageurs and Sea-Hawks bring home landmark U SPORTS curling titles
- Globe-trotting Alberta curlers look to build on reputation of success
- Olympic gold medalist teaches Dinos to #BEWIEBE in themselves
- Off the bench and into the booth: How basketball has shaped Jaime Hills’ career
- 2017 Winter Universiade: Canada boasts all-star curling lineup
Ryan Stelter
Men’s Hockey Correspondent
Ryan is a third year-student at the University of Manitoba majoring in English. He is currently the sports editor at the campus media outlet the Manitoban, after working for the newspaper the past two years. He has covered the Manitoba Bisons football, soccer, hockey, basketball, and volleyball teams. Ryan has also called plenty of action on CanadaWest.TV, including Duckworth Challenge matches against the crosstown rival Winnipeg Wesmen.
When he isn’t on campus reporting on all the action, Ryan is playing hockey himself across rinks in south eastern Manitoba.
- 2017 U SPORTS Honours Awards: Coleen Dufresne, the Bison pillar
- 2017 U SPORTS Champions Series: Young Pandas bring home eighth national women’s hockey title back to Alberta
- 2017 U SPORTS Champions Series: March Athlete of the Month Maillet’s own March Madness ends with UNB’s second straight national championship
- Jordan Murray parlays a taste of pro hockey into career season for UNB Varsity Reds
- From Florida to the foothills: The Story of Calgary Dinos goalie Matthew Greenfield
- Spengler Cup victory eye-opening experience Huskies’ Cooke
- Male Athlete of the Month: U SPORTS All-Star Cook flourishing down the middle
- Mitchell Bowl: Calgary Dinos Team Preview
Alana Thoman
Women’s Soccer Correspondent
Alana was born and raised in Elmira, Ont., and came to Ottawa to attend journalism school at Carleton University. She has always been interested in sports growing up and wishes to pursue a career in sports journalism. Having played soccer for most of her life, Alana loves sharing the stories of U SPORTS soccer players through her writing and is looking forward to learning more about these talented athletes.