It's been a successful start to the 2025-26 season for the Mount Royal Cougars across all four sports. There has been no shortage of emerging stars, consistent veterans and cohesive team play. Let's take a look at how each team has done as we enter the holiday break.

Women's Soccer

The MRU women's soccer team matched their best regular season record from a few seasons ago, going 10-3-1 in conference play. The Cougars went unbeaten through the first six games of the season and won five of those matches to put the rest of the league on notice. 

Third-year striker Tamara Djurisic had a dream season, winning Canada West Player of the Year and was named a U SPORTS First Team All-Canadian. She also broke Mount Royal's all-time goals record. Djurisic led the Cougars to the postseason and helped the team earn their first-ever CW playoff win. Ultimately, MRU would fall to the Calgary Dinos in the bronze medal match. Regardless of the final game, it was the best season the program has ever had.

Men's Soccer

It was a dream season for the men's soccer team as they collected their second Canada West Championship in the past three years. After going 7-3-4 in the regular season, the Cougars saved their best play for the postseason. For the third straight year, MRU met UBC in the conference goal medal match, with the Cougars coming away with a 2-1 victory on home turf. 

For their excellent playoff performance, the team earned a spot in the National Championship tournament in Toronto. Mount Royal claimed two clutch victories against Cape Breton and UQTR before falling to York in a snowy final match. 

First Year striker Chanan Chanda stole the show for the Cougars, scoring 14 total goals across regular season, playoffs and the national tournament. His most important goal came in the 90th minute of the CW championship to give the Cougars gold. Chanda was named both Canada West and U SPORTS Rookie of the Year.

Women's Volleyball

The women's volleyball team was dealt an extremely tough schedule to start the season and are 2-8 halfway through the season. The Cougars' two wins came during their second weekend of the campaign, as they visited the Brandon Bobcats, where Mount Royal won 3-0 and 3-1. Sydney Scatcherd has been the standout player for the Cougars, collecting a team-best 92 kills for a line of 2.79 kills per set. 

With their sights still set on a playoff berth, the Cougars are hopeful to turn things around in 2026. They ring in the new year by visiting defending national champions, the Manitoba Bisons.

Men's Volleyball

After a tough 2024-25 season, the men's volleyball team came into the 2025-26 campaign with a group eager to get back to winning ways. Through the first half of the season, the Cougars have done very well, sitting with a 6-4 record. The team started the campaign red hot, winning their first four games.

Emerging star Kale Orr has been stellar for the Cougars early in his Canada West career. The rookie leads the team in kills by a wide margin with 122, which is 10th most in Canada West. Orr had a season-high 29 kills in a five-set thriller against MacEwan on Nov. 14. The first year has formed an excellent partnership with third-year setter Grant Hill.

Women's Basketball

The women's basketball team had a tough start to the 2025-26 season, tipping off against the nation's top two-ranked teams in Saskatchewan and Alberta. However, the Cougars turned their season around after their first couple of weekends and rattled off six consecutive wins. Mount Royal is holding steady in fifth place in the Prairie Division with a 6-6 record. 

Fifth-year forward Jenika Martens broke the all-time program record in November and sits just behind former MRU sharpshooter Maddy Hooper for the scoring record. Along with Martens, Nora Luca has excelled, currently averaging 11.8 points per game.

Men's Basketball

With a significantly different roster, the men's basketball team has fared very well through 12 games. The Cougars rank third in the Prairie Division with a commendable 8-4 record. Their most notable victory came on Nov. 8 when the Cougars took down nationally ranked Winnipeg 77-76 on the Wesmen's home court.

The Cougars' success this season has been a collective team effort, with contributions coming from all over the lineup. Kole Scott leads the team in scoring with 10.3 points per game, with Sam Barnie, DJ Roberts, Jacob McLellan and Tag Layton all holding averages above nine points per game. Mount Royal has established a strong defensive identity, ranking second in fewest points allowed per game (70.3).

Women's Hockey

The women's hockey team has continued to be one of the top programs in the country to start the 2025-26 season. Their 14-3-1 record slots them atop the East Division standings with a four-point cushion over their rivals, the Calgary Dinos. After starting the season 1-2, the Cougars went on a nine-game winning streak, which included sweeping defending Canada West champions, the Alberta Pandas, in early November. 

In her senior season, Sydney Benko has emerged as a dangerous offensive threat for Mount Royal. Benko has already set a new career high in goals (8) and tied her best season for points (15). She sits third in the Canada West in goals and points. Scout Anderson and Kate Holan have combined to make a reliable goaltender partnership, holding a 1.43 combined goals against average.

Men's Hockey

The 2025-26 campaign started off a little rocky for the Cougars' men's hockey team's standards. They went the first six weekends without winning on a Friday. However, the team was able to bounce back every single time and win on the following Saturday. Heading into the break, Mount Royal is back playing like themselves and have not lost in regulation in their past nine games. They are in second place in the East Division with an 11-5-2 record.

Josh Tarzwell has been an absolute force for the Cougars and has already set a career-high in points with 26. His 12 goals rank him second in the Canada West. To nobody's surprise, Connor Bouchard has been a large part of Mount Royal's success. The crafty forward has posted 20 points in 17 games.