The CMU Women's Basketball program has announced the commitment of Victoria Welsh for the 2023-24 MCAC and NIAC seasons. The Lord Selkirk Regional Comprehensive Secondary School captain will be a versatile combo forward/guard addition to the Blazers roster for the coming year.
Welsh will bring another dimension to the Blazers next season having competed within the "AA" boys division of the Manitoba High School Athletic Association for both of her varsity seasons. Coming from a relatively small school often comes with the need to fill in where necessary, and after the varsity boys coach for her high shcool Landmark 96ers approached her to tryout for his team in her grade 11 year, Welsh proved herself on the court and was given a spot on the squad, receiving full support from her new teammates. The change was received a little less amicably by opposing teams, but despite some backlash Welsh continued on, defying the typical gender boundaries. Now in her senior year she has garnered a reputation as a worthy opponent and has used her experiences as motivation to continue to improve and bring her game to the next level. Her high school coach, Matt Feakes, weighed in on what the Blazers latest signing brings to the court, noting "Victoria has a great drive to play basketball the right way. She understands the game, shares the ball, and has good skills. She never shrinks back from the big moments."
On the club side, Welsh has suited up most recently for Team Mayhem under coach Alex Barra. As with her high school 96ers, Welsh features primarily as a perimeter driving and shooting threat, though she can certainly handle the ball as well. Welsh's new teammate, veteran guard Reyna Reyes also featured with Team Mayhem before making the jump to the college game with CMU. Prior to the pandemic Welsh's Mayhem team placed first in the Brandon tournament, and more recently were finalists at the U17 Saskatoon tournament this past season, proving that she has experience playing in the big moments at the highest level. Playing among the top girls in the province, Welsh's talent is still noteworthy, having earned herself MVP honour at the 2022 Winnipeg Wolves tournament.
Welsh was connected with CMU through Steinbach Regional's career fair, which led her to attend an open house this past fall when she fell in love with the campus and school. Connecting with current Blazer forward Anari-Mai Byfield sealed the deal for Welsh, and helped get her in touch with coach Joe DiCurzio. Welsh feels extremely blessed to have the opportunity to play for a coach as highly respected as DiCurzio, who is happy to make this landmark signing. "We are really happy that Victoria has decided to join the Blazers. She is a very versatile player that can play almost any position. her ability to attack the basket and find all of her teammates is awesome, and she will also bring terrific defensive play to our lineup with an excellent rebounding game. Her optimistic and opportunistic personality will really fit in well with the Blazers."
Playing the sport she loves most while growing her skills alongside many talented women is an exciting prospecxt for Welsh as she finishes up her final secondary school year and looks ahead to her college basketball career.
With the 2023-23 school year now complete, the Blazers will soon start gearing up for next year when they will look to defend their MCAC title and put together another fantastic run South of the border after the team were finalists this year in their first season back in the NIAC since their 2020 Championship win.