Lois and Doug Mitchell Awards: Gage Grassick and Nate Petrone named Canada West finalists
Gage Grassick, a guard on the Saskatchewan women’s basketball team, and Nate Petrone, a guard on the Calgary men’s basketball team are the second pair of finalists for the Lois and Doug Mitchell Awards, awarded to the U SPORTS athletes of the year. The Canada West conference announced the two as their athletes of the year last week.
Gage Grassick, Saskatchewan women’s basketball
A pharmacy student from Prince Albert, Sask., Grassic won the Nan Copp Trophy in March as the 2024-25 U SPORTS women’s basketball player on the year. The fourth-year guard from Prince Albert, Sask. rewrote the program record books while leading Saskatchewan to both Canada West and U SPORTS championships.
Grassick became just the third Saskatchewan Huskie to win the Nan Copp Trophy as the nation's top player and was also named a first-team All-Canadian. Her regular season was exceptional, setting program records for single-season assists and triple-doubles, while also leading the nation in both three-point field goals made and three-point shooting percentage.
When the lights were brightest, Grassick elevated her game. She delivered a jaw-dropping 31-point performance in the Canada West final against UBC, adding seven assists and two steals to help the Huskies claim their 10th conference title.
At the U SPORTS Final 8, she averaged 20.7 points per game and secured Tournament MVP honours with a 35-point outburst in the national championship final—leading Saskatchewan to its third national title with a commanding 85–66 win over defending champion Carleton.
Capping her season, Grassick was also awarded USask's Mary Ethel Cartwright Trophy as the Most Outstanding Female Athlete.
Nate Petrone, Calgary men’s basketball
A kinesiology student from Calgary, Petrone won the Mike Moser Memorial Trophy in March as the 2024-25 U SPORTS men’s basketball player on the year. There was no more dominant offensive force in U SPORTS men’s basketball this season than Petrone, who led the Dinos to their eighth Canada West championship—and first since 2019.
The hometown star led U SPORTS in total points and topped Canada West with 24.2 points per game, all while shooting a remarkable 56.8 per cent from the field—an exceptional feat for a guard.
Petrone elevated his play even further in the postseason. In the Canada West semifinals, he posted 23 points and nine rebounds to help the Dinos take down three-time defending conference champion Victoria. He followed that with a historic 38-point outburst on 15-of-21 shooting in the conference final against UBC, propelling Calgary to the title.
At the Final 8, he continued his stellar form, scoring 26 points in a quarterfinal win over Queen’s, followed by a near triple-double—30 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists—in a semifinal victory over UPEI. The Dinos would eventually settle for silver after falling in a hard-fought final against Victoria.
Petrone capped off his historic season by being named a recipient of Calgary’s Dr. Dennis Kadatz Athlete of the Year award.
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Grassic and Petrone join Alliyah Rowe of Cape Breton and DJ Jackson of STFX as finalists for the Lois and Doug Mitchell Awards for the U SPORTS Athletes of the Year. The winner will be announced on Monday, June 2 at a ceremony in Collingwood, Ont. U SPORTS will profile the RSEQ nominees on Tuesday and the OUA nominees on May 29.