Mount Mystics

The pandemic continued to challenge all of us in the Mystics family throughout 2021, but our coaches and student athletes managed to keep their spirits and skills up even when COVID-19 was shutting some things down.

Pandemic protocols were implemented to protect student athletes and coaches, including vaccination requirements and group size limits, which meant training in groups of 10 instead of the usual 14 and no competitive matches. Coaches got creative and kept practices fun so student athletes stayed engaged. “We really had to push each other,” says June Lumsden, Director of Athletics and Recreation. “We all kept looking forward in the sense of ‘We will be back.’ Knowing that the opportunity for a playoff and competition for a championship was out there kept us inspired.”

And championships were out there, thanks to our associations, the Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) and the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA), changing their timelines.

In mid-February 2022, our women’s and men’s basketball teams and women’s volleyball team roared back from the pandemic slowdown, all three winning

ACAA titles in their respective sports – and all on the same weekend! Those teams then went on to travel to the CCAA nationals: the women’s basketball team went to Nanaimo, BC; the men’s basketball team to Toronto; and the women’s volleyball team was in Charlottetown. “We were from one end of the country to the other!” says June, who adds “Our teams showed they belonged on that national stage. It was an outstanding experience for our student athletes and coaches.”

We celebrated the experience with an awards banquet – the first we’ve had since the pandemic began. “One student athlete remarked that she’d been competing with us for three years but this was the first time she’d been to an awards banquet,” says June. “It was a great payoff – so full of joy.”

The joy was mixed with a little sorrow as we said goodbye to Mark Harnish, Head Coach of our Mount Mystics men’s soccer program for the past eight years. Mark was an amazing coach, colleague, role model, dad, and friend. But the silver lining is that we get to welcome Ioan Florean, an extremely experienced soccer coach, as our new Head Coach. The future certainly looks bright!

“Words cannot express our appreciation for all those who have donated to our One Way Together campaign,” says June about the program that launched in 2020–21 to provide financial awards to student athletes and help recruit and retain top athletic talent at MSVU. “Donors have helped us support our student athletes through awards, pre-season travel, tutors, special educational workshops and more. To be able to help a student athlete in need is so appreciated by the student athlete, our coaches and the Athletics Department. Every donation makes a difference.”