The days of the program began as the Huskiettes. The 1949 team, led by co-captains Sylvia Fedoruk and Lydia McNamara, went undefeated, capturing the city and provincial senior titles as well as the Canadian Western University Championship.
Canada West Conference
In the 1970’s the program achieved respectability in the Canada West under head coach Pat Jackson. From 1972-82, the Huskies were 109-91, third in the then six-team Canada West conference during that period. Karen Kusler was a key cog for the team in the early part of the decade, racking up 998 career points in conference play.Â
The ’75-76 season saw the debut of Swift Current product Nancy Brentnell. Brentnell would easily become the all-time leading scorer in program history with 1,408 career points. She was a Canada West All-Star on several occasions and her contributions along with fellow all-star Sheila Brennan would carry the Huskiettes through to the 80’s.Â
In the 80’s, the program began to suffer some significant setbacks. After a disastrous 0-10 season, Pat Jackson, coach of the program for 13 years decided to move on. Her replacement, Tracie McAra was unable to make any major improvements and only lasted three years at the helm with a 6-34 record.Â
In 1989, Irene Wallace took over and in her six years in charge fared no better, finishing at 12-108. From 1994-98, Tracy Bowie would take over but would experience the same problems at 12-68. Two bright spots during Bowie’s years however were the play of Allison Fairbrother and Kim Grant. Fairbrother was a force for the Huskies on the interior, amassing 1,330 career points, third in school history. Grant was an outstanding contributor as well notching 1,129 points from ’93-’98. Fairbrother is now an assistant coach with the team.
Lisa Thomaidis Era
For the 1998-99 season, the Huskies went through another coaching change, hiring Ontario native Lisa Thomaidis. In her first two seasons, led by top scorers Jacqueline Lavallee and Carla Puetz would slowly begin to return the program to respectability. In ’00-’01, the Huskies would open up the new millennium with a 7-15 record and a trip to the postseason, their first in 18 years.Â
The Huskies would miss the playoffs the next two seasons but a exciting young core led by Calgary native Ashley Dutchak and Rockglen’s Sarah Crooks would give the Huskies hope for the future. The 2003-04 campaign was a breakthrough season for the program as they finished with a winning record at 11-9 and hosted a playoff series. Crooks and Dutchak had huge sophomore seasons but they were unable to produce in the playoffs, swept two straight by Winnipeg in the postseason. In 04-05, the Huskies once again finished at 11-9 and hosted a playoff series but were unable to find postseason success, losing to UBC in two straight.Â
The 05-06 season was a historic one for the program. The team enjoyed their best regular season ever, finishing at 17-3. Crooks was a CIS All-Canadian and a recipient of the Nan Copp Award as the top player in the nation. Late in the season, Crooks became the all-time leading scorer in school history topping Nancy Brentnell’s 25-year old record. In the playoffs, the team finally found success, defeating the Calgary Dinos 2-1 in the Central Divison Final. In the Canada West Final Four, they knocked off top-ranked UBC and Simon Fraser to capture the school’s first ever conference championship in the modern era. The Huskies had the No. 1 ranking in the nation going into nationals in New Brunswick, but were upset by tournament hosts UNB in the quarter-finals.Â
The next season, the Huskies had one last shot at a national title with their inside-outside combo of Crooks and Dutchak. The squad finished the regular season at 15-7, third in the Central Division. Crooks won the Nan Copp award for the second time and was also a CIS All Canadian. The Huskies started the playoffs on the road, knocking off Calgary in two straight. In the Central Division final, the Alberta Panas defeated the Huskies in three games.
The Huskies started the 2007-08 season knowing they would be in the CIS Championship as hosts. They also knew they might have a bumpy ride with the young team full of first and second year players. They finished the season 9-13 and in third place in the Central Division. It was in the postseason that the team showed their true potential knocking off the then-ranked Calgary Dinos in two straight before pushing the then-ranked No.4 Alberta Pandas to three games. They finished sixth at the CIS Championship.
The Huskies made a big jump in 2008-09 finishing with a 18-4 record and first in the Central Division. However, the playoffs weren’t as expected for the Huskies. They lost all but one of six playoffs games including two in the CIS Championship. Kim Tulloch was named a CIS First Team All-Canadian and Lisa Thomaidis was named the CIS Coach of the Year.
In 2009-10, the Huskies had their best finish at a CIS Championship knocking provincial rival Regina Cougars off for the bronze medal at the national event. The Huskies finished the season at 14-6 and had a CIS top five ranking all season long with the help of new addition and fifth-year Lindsay DeGroot. Together the Huskies found their groove in the postseason blowing through Canada West quarter-final competition and finishing third in the Canada West after defeating Alberta.
Saskatchewan continued to prove they were a powerhouse in CIS women’s basketball in 2010-11. Finishing with a program-best and Canada West first place 22-2 record (32-3 overall), the Huskies had a 20 game conference winning streak that stands at 27 overall games. Ranked No. 1 in the CIS for seven weeks, the Huskies blew through quarter-final competition to host the Canada West Final Four. In a comeback victory, the Huskies defeated the Regina Cougars 77-74 for their second-ever conference title. At the CIS Championship – the fifth in sixth seasons for the Huskies – Saskatchewan defeated the Wilfred Laurier Golden Hawks 58-51 in the quarter-final, the St.FX X-Women 58-48 in the semifinal before losing to the host Windsor Lancers 63-49 in the final.
With the loss of five fifth-year players including four starters, the Huskies exceeded expectations with a 15-5 record. The Huskies finished second in the Prairie Division hosting a Canada West Quarter-final series against the Thompson Rivers WolfPack. After defeating the WolfPack in two games, the Huskies finished with a bronze medal at the Canada West Final Four in Regina with a 71-65 win over the Fraser Valley Cascades. Saskatchewan had another lifeline to the CIS Championship as hosts of the CIS West Regional, but were ousted by the Brock Badgers in a 66-62 loss. But on the strength of their regular season, the Huskies were handed the wildcard berth into the CIS Final 8 in Calgary where the Huskies finished sixth.
In 2012-13, the Huskies lost in three games in the quarter-final on the road to the Fraser Valley Cascades. One year later, the Huskies avenged the loss defeating the Cascades 67-56 to capture their third conference championship in nine seasons. The Huskies finished fourth at the CIS Final 8 in Windsor. In 2014-15, the Huskies once again advanced to the Canada West Final Four and the CIS Championship. Saskatchewan finished second in the conference and fourth in the CIS.
With an 85-71 victory over the Ryerson University Rams, the Huskies were crowned CIS champions for the first time in 2015-16. Saskatchewan started the season with a 16-game winning streak and was ranked No. 1 in the country for seven straight weeks. The Huskies also won their fourth Canada West title with a 73-62 win over the Regina Cougars.Â
The Huskies made it back-to-back Canada West titles with a 64-53 win over the Regina Cougars in 2016-17, making it back to the U SPORTS Final 8 where they finished sixth in the nation.
A 75-55 loss in the Canada West championship game in 2017-18 at the hands of the Regina Cougars was avenged when the Huskies defeated Regina on their provincial rivals home court by a score of 74-71 in the national semifinal before eventually finishing with a U SPORTS silver medal.
In 2018-19 Saskatchewan made it three Canada West titles in four years when they defeated the Regina Cougars 53-49 in Saskatoon. At the U SPORTS Final 8 the Huskies finished fifth in the nation.
The 2019-20 season would be one of the best in Huskie women's basketball history. The team would dominate in the Canada West regular season, ending with a 18-2 record and grabbing first place in the regular season standings. In the playoffs, they defeated the Victoria Vikes in the Canada West quarter-final 80-75, and the UBC Thunderbirds 76-72 in the Canada West semi-final. The Huskies would advance to the Canada West Final, where they defeated the Alberta Pandas 62-51, taking top spot and the gold medal. The team advanced to the U SPORTS Championship as the No.1 seed in the tournament. There would be no stopping them at nationals, as they defeated the Carleton Ravens in the U SPORTS quarter-final by a score of 73-59, then they defeated the Laval Rouge et Or in the U SPORTS semi-final 76-57. In the U SPORTS Championship Final, the Saskatchewan Huskies defeated the Brock Badgers 82-64, winning their second U SPORTS Championship in the program's history. Sabine Dukate was named the U SPORTS Championship Game and Tournament MVP, with Summer Masikewich being named a Tournament All-Star.
After the 2020-21 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Huskies returned to their place at the top of Canada West in 2021-22, claiming the program's 8th conference title after defeating the Calgary Dinos (72-62), Lethbridge Pronghorns (62-51) and Winnipeg Wesmen (68-59). On the national stage, the Huskies entered the U SPORTS Final 8 as the No. 2-seed however fell to the Queen's Gaels 55-62 in the opening round before ultimately finishing fifth.
The 2022-23 season then saw the Huskies once again dominate the Canada West regular season, posting a 17-3 record and tying the Regina Cougars for first-place in the conference standings. In the playoffs, the Huskies rolled over the UBC Thunderbirds 81-46 in quarter-finals before the Alberta Pandas brought an end to a remarkable streak of postseason dominance with a 57-69 win. The semifinal loss marked the first time since 2012-13 that the Huskies would not advance to the National Championship tournament.
The following season, the Huskies came back on a mission and would open the campaign with 16 consecutive wins before heading into the postseason with a 19-1 record. Their dominance continued in the Canada West playoffs, with the team capturing a ninth conference title after securing wins over the UBCO Heat (74-60), UFV Cascades (84-50) and avenging the previous season's playoff loss to the Alberta Pandas with a 71-59 victory in the Canada West Championship game. Heading into the U SPORTS Final 8 as the No. 1-seed the Huskies defeated a familiar foe in the Calgary Dinos 85-54 in the quarter-finals before advancing to the National title game with a 64-57 win over the Laval Rouge et Or in the semifinals. In the National Championship the Huskies came up against the reigning champion Carleton Ravens and, despite a fantastic effort in a tightly-contested game, would ultimately take home a National silver medal after suffering a 67-70 loss. Following the impressive run both Carly Ahlstrom and Gage Grassick, who scored 30 points in the U SPORTS title game, were named Tournament All-Stars.
The 2024-25 season got off to a slow start for the Huskies who fell in back-to-back road games to the Calgary Dinos to open the campaign. Those losses would prove to be the last ones for the Huskies in some time, with the team going on to win 18 straight to close out the regular season and enter the playoff as the top-seed in Canada West and No. 2-ranked team in the nation. In the conference playoffs the Huskies advanced to yet another Canada West final with convincing wins over the TWU Spartans (83-57) in the quarter-finals and UFV cascades (63-45) in the semifinals. In the conference title game, the team secured a tenth conference title with a 71-59 win over the UBC Thunderbirds, punching their ticket to another U SPORTS Final 8 as the No. 1 overall seed. On the national stage in Vancouver, the Huskies opened the torunament with a hard-fought 67-58 win over the Alberta Pandas before handing the Thunderbirds another postseason loss with an 85-63 win on their home court. Apeparing in their second consecutive championship game, the team once again faced off opposite the Carleton Ravens, the now two-time defending champions. Led by a career performance from Gage Grassick, who scored 25 points in the title game, the Huskies captured the programs third national title with a convincing 85-66 victory. Gage Grassick went on to be named the Championship MVP and a Tournament All-Star, adding to a one-of-a-kind season in which was named the Canada West Player of the Year, the Nan Copp Trophy recipient as the U SPORTS Player of the Year, and was awarded the Lois & Doug Mitchell U SPORTS Athlete of the Year award as the top female athlete in the nation. Andrea Dodig was also named a Final 8 Tournament All-Star.
Entering the 2025-26 season on a 24 game-winning streak, the defending national champions showed no signs of slowing down on what would become one of the greatest seasons in program history. Aftering going 6-0 in the preseason, the Huskies began rattling off Canada West wins which included a series of victories over top-10 ranked opponents in the #7 UBC Thunderbirds, #2 Alberta Pandas, #7 Calgary Dinos, and #4 Regina Cougars. The team would entually post a perfect regular season record of 20-0, the first flawless season for the program since the Huskiettes went 6-0 in the 1971-72 season. It also saw the Huskies overall win streak reach a remarkable 50 games, marking the fourth-longest unbeaten streak in Canadian university women's basketball. With lofty expectations heading into the postseason, the Huskies earned a dominant 95-58 victory over the UFV Cascades to open the playoffs. However, the team saw their 51-game winning streak come to a close the following week after suffering a 58-61 defeat at the hands of the Calgary Dinos, the last team to beat them over a year and a half prior. Despite the loss the Huskies advanced to the U SPORTS Final 8 in Quebec CIty as the wildcard and No. 5-seed. In the quarter-finals, the team dispatched of the UBC Thunderbirds 71-55, setting up a matchup in a hostile crowd against a Laval Rouge et Or team playing on their home court. In a defensive slugfest, the Huskies edged the Rouge et Or 55-43 to advance to their third consecutive national championship game. In the final, the Huskies took on the UND Reds in what proved to be another hard-fough, physical contest. Led by a 19-point perfamnce from Logan Reider and a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double from Ella Murphy Wiebe, the Huskies captured the programs fourth national title and became 10th U SPORTS program to win back-to-back national championships. After a remarkable run, Murphy Wiebe was named Championship MVP and a Tournament All-Star, with Gage Grassick also taking home Tournament All-Star honours.Â
