The UBCO Heat women's golf team continued their success on the national stage as they won their third consecutive silver medal at the Canadian University/College Championship presented by BDO on Friday at Golf La Tempête.
Coming into the 2026 tournament with four consecutive appearances on the podium, including bronze medals in 2022 and 2023, UBCO received strong performances from all four of their athletes. Julia Alexander-Carew, Bess Chan, Lauren Nedo and Shinyao Zhang all finished inside the Top 12 on the individual leaderboard to help the Heat shoot 19-over par 667 over 54 holes.
"It was a battle out there for the women," said head coach Clay Stothers following the championship. "The team was battling extremely windy conditions and with the tournament being shortened, they knew they had lost a day to try and catch UBC so had to play flawless golf. They played unbelievable all week and I'm so proud of them."
Leading the way for the Heat as she has done since joining the program was third-year Alexander-Carew. She won her third individual national medal, finishing second to claim silver after shooting one-over par 217. That adds to her medal haul after winning gold in 2025 and silver in 2024.
"Julia was yet again amazing," stated Stothers. "She is a special player and a special person. I'm just enjoying the ride while she is on our team."
Graduating seniors Chan and Nedo both snagged Top 10 finishes in their final tournament with UBCO. Chan finished sixth in the individual standings after shooting seven-over par 223 while Nedo tied for ninth at 13-over par 229.
"It was a very emotional day for us as we said goodbye to two amazing people in Bess and Lauren," said Stothers. "They exemplify what it means to be a UBCO golfer. I did everything I could to try and get them a national championship in their final year and unfortunately, we just fell a little short."
Rookie Zhang, competing in her first national championship, tied for 12th after finishing at 16-over par 232.
The UBC Thunderbirds won the event, finishing at two-over par 650.
The 2026 Canadian University/College Championship, presented by BDO was reduced to a 54-hole event following play being suspended for the day just before 12 p.m. local time on Thursday due to heavy rainfall and resumed early Friday morning.
- With files from Golf Canada
1. UBC Thunderbirds – 650 (+2)
2. UBCO Heat – 667 (+19)
3. Laval Rouge et Or – 692 (+44)
4. Victoria Vikes – 716 (+68)
5. Bishop's Gaiters – 723 (+75)
6. Carleton Ravens – 725 (+77)
7. Guelph Gryphons – 728 (+80)
8. Alberta Pandas – 729 (+81)
9. Waterloo Warriors – 731 (+83)
10. Windsor Lancers – 732 (+84)
11. Humber Hawks – 737 (+89)
12. Queen's Gaels – 60 (+112)
HEAT INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
2. Julia Alexander-Carew – 217 (+1) – Silver Medalist & All-Canadian
6. Bess Chan – 223 (+7)
T9. Lauren Nedo – 229 (+13)
T12. Shinyao Zhang – 232 (+16)
2026 – Silver Medal (2nd Place)
2025 - Silver Medal (2nd Place)
2024 - Silver Medal (2nd Place)
2023 - Bronze Medal (3rd Place)
2022 - Bronze Medal (3rd Place)
2019 - Missed Cut
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