Calgary Dinos basketball star Nate Petrone named Canada West Male Athlete of the Year
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Following one of the greatest seasons in Calgary Dinos men's basketball history, Nate Petrone added another accolade on Thursday as he was named the 2025 Canada West Male Athlete of the Year.
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Petrone's award marks the 18th time a University of Calgary student-athlete has been named the top athlete in Canada West, and the first since 2022. Calgary's 18 nominees marks the second-most from a single university in U SPORTS, second only to McGill (23).
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All 17 Canada West member institutions vote to select the conference's athletes of the year, with nominees being the respective schools' athletes of the year. Fellow basketball standout Gage Grassick of Saskatchewan was named the Canada West Female Athlete of the Year.
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Petrone and Grassick will now move forward as the Canada West nominees for the prestigious Louis and Doug Mitchell U SPORTS Athletes of the Year Awards, which honour the nation's top male and female student-athletes. U SPORTS will announce this year's winners June 2.
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There was no more dominant offensive force in U SPORTS men's basketball this season than Petrone, who delivered a year for the ages while leading the Dinos to their eighth Canada West championship.
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 percent from the field — an exceptional feat for a guard.
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Petrone elevated his play even further in the playoffs. In the Canada West semifinals, he posted 23 points and nine rebounds to help the Dinos take down three-time defending 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.
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His accolades reflect his standout season. Petrone was named Canada West Player of the Year and earned the U SPORTS Mike Moser Memorial Trophy as the nation's top men's basketball player.
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