It was quite the year for athletic achievement here in South Delta in 2023.
There were many significant individual performances in various sports, a number of team championships and other stories that shaped the local sports scene.
Below are just a few of the highlights that former Optimist sports editor Mark Booth and myself covered throughout the year.
January
Tsawwassen’s Brandon McMillian helped his Swiss hockey team (Ambri-Piotta) capture the Spengler Cup with a 3-2 shootout win over Czech-based Sparta Prague.
The Delta Fire Department welcomed senior basketball teams from throughout the city to South Delta for the inaugural Delta Firefighters Classic. The action packed day featured seven competitive games including the North Delta Huskies and South Delta Sun Devils in boys action and the Sun Devils in girls play.
February
The highlight of the 34th annual Delta Pacers Alumni Basketball Tournament was the announcement of the newly-created Neil Murray Scholarship. Murray, is a long-time former Delta teacher who poured decades of his life into coaching high school basketball.
Grade 12 SDSS track and field athlete Aiden Turner was named a finalist for the B.C. High School Male Athlete of the Year.
Delta gymnast Lila Bulka, 16, became the first-ever female athlete from Delta Gymnastics to earn a spot on Team BC for the 29th edition of the Canada Winter Games.
There was an impressive medal haul coming back for Delta Special Olympic athletes from the 2023 Special Olympics Winter Games in Kamloops. There were six medals won from Delta athletes.
The SDSS senior girls basketball team was headed back to the provincials with a thrilling 86-83 win over Lord Tweedsmuir at the South Fraser AAAA Championships.
March
The U18 Delta Footmen were crowned provincial champs after a 14-6 win over Mission/Valley in the gold medal game.
Delta goalie Rebecca Nobel backstopped Team BC to the U18 gold medal at the Canada Winter Games, while Ladner’s Makenzie Grant and Lila Bulka won bronze in the team event.
The SDSS senior girls’ basketball team finished ninth at provincials – their best finish in 19 years.
The South Delta Storm repeated on home ice winning back-to-back provincial championships at the U18 Tier 2 level.
A pair of Delta volleyball standouts closed out their university careers as Brynn Pasin and Jayde Robertson helped UBC to a national title.
The Grade 9 boys basketball team advanced to the provincial championship for the first time in the school’s history.
