Players Bench Female Athlete of the Week: Nora Luca

The Mount Royal Cougars women's basketball team completed a weekend sweep of the visiting Brandon Bobcats, powered by the leadership and production of fifth-year senior Nora Luca.

Luca capped off her senior night in style, scoring a season-high 20 points while delivering a strong two-way performance for the Cougars. Surrounded by friends, family, and teammates who have supported her throughout her five-year Cougar career, Luca's composure, scoring touch, and presence in key moments helped guide Mount Royal to two important wins as the playoff race continues to tighten in the Canada West Prairie Division.

Luca, a fifth-year forward from Calgary, Alberta, leads the Cougars in scoring this season, averaging 12.7 points per game. 


Players Bench Male Athlete of the Week: Connor Bouchard

The Mount Royal Cougars men's hockey team had an explosive weekend in Regina, beating the other Cougars 9-2 on Friday and 12-1 on Saturday. The double-digit win on Saturday marked Mount Royal's 200th victory in Canada West conference play since joining U SPORTS in 2012-13.

For the second week in a row, Connor Bouchard is the Players Bench Male Athlete of the Week. It was a record-breaking weekend for Bouchard, as the winger broke the MRU all-time goals record by scoring his 52nd career marker on Friday. He also picked up three assists in the weekend opener. On Saturday, the former U SPORTS Player of the Year somehow outdid himself. Bouchard recorded a new Cougar single-game record of five assists. His nine total points over the weekend propelled him to the top of the team's points ranking, and he is now third in the Canada West with 36.

Bouchard, a fourth-year, has eight multiple-point games this campaign and is riding a 13-game point streak.

Players Bench Team Apparel is the sponsor of Mount Royal University's Athletes of the Week and the supplier of the Cougars Under Armour team gear.