A feud against a transgender competitor that resulted in forfeits and sanctions didn’t stop Columbia Bible College (CBC) from going all the way this year.
CBC won the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association women’s basketball national championship on Saturday night, beating St. Mary’s University 77-70 to win the title for the first time in program history.
For CBC, Elissa Vreugdenhil won CCAA championship tournament MVP, putting up 19 points with 12 rebounds in the win. Grace Park scored 20 points with six rebounds and four assists to claim player of the game honors, while Madeline Beerwald scored 20 points with eight rebounds.
The win is not only the first national championship in CBC history, but also marked a dramatic turnaround from just two years ago, as the program suffered a 54-game losing streak from 2018 to 2023. The program had not even won a conference playoff game prior to this season.
But the team also accomplished all this under the shadow of accusations related to the treatment of a trans athlete. Head coach Taylor Claggett was suspended and the team lost its right to host the conference tournament after allegations of abuse against a trans athlete on Vancouver Island University (VIU) in October.
The feud started during an Oct. 25 game between the two teams, which VIU won 69-56 after trans player Harriette Mackenzie scored a game-high 19 points. Five days after that game, the trans athlete posted an Instagram video alleging that Claggett “cornered one of our athletic staff and went on a tirade about how I shouldn’t be allowed to play.”
It was also alleged Mackenzie was deliberately fouled to the ground by a CBC player. In response, Claggett posted her own statement on Instagram, claiming Mackenzie’s statements were inaccurate.
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“My intention has nothing to do with a specific athlete, but instead, the safety of female athletes in their sport,” Claggett wrote.
VIU then submitted a formal complaint to the PacWest, prompting an investigation. When the two teams were scheduled to play again on Jan. 10 and 11, VIU refused.
“Intimidation, harassment and discrimination have no place in athletics,” VIU said in a statement to Fox News Digital in January regarding the decision not to play. “VIU stands in full support of our student-athletes and affirms the right of all athletes to compete in an environment that prioritizes their safety and well-being.”
VIU requested that the two forfeits not count as losses on the team’s record, which was granted by the PacWest.
CBC provided a statement to Fox News Digital that weekend stating “accusations that CBC, its coaches, players and fans are a safety threat are simply untrue and misinformed.”
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Days later, CBC players condemned Mackenzie, in a letter obtained by Fox News Digital.
CBC players blamed Mackenzie for “personal attacks,” “defamatory comments” and even “comments that incite violence” against their coach.
“Videos and letters posted by members of the VIU women’s basketball team over the past three months have directly violated multiple rules stated in Article 17.2 of the manual. Various posts have included ‘personal attacks,’ ‘defamatory comments,’ ‘lack of respect towards the PacWest’ and led to ‘comments that incite to violence and/or hatred’ directed at our coach,” the letter stated.
“Any and all allegations made by VIU players regarding our team and coach should have been directly communicated to PacWest officials alone, they should not have been uploaded publicly to social media.”
The PacWest ultimately sided with VIU and Mackenzie. It suspended Claggett in early February, and CBC lost its right to host the PacWest championships.
CBC managed to fight all the way back to reach the PacWest title game, which happened to be against VIU and Mackenzie, on March 1. Mackenzie scored 21 points in that game to lead VIU to a 69-59 victory, and was then awarded conference tournament MVP in a ceremony after the game.
But VIU’s national championship hopes were dashed quickly, after a loss to Mohawk College in the first round on Wednesday. Mackenzie’s Instagram account, the platform that initially shared the allegations against Claggett and CBC, was found to be deleted that same day.
Meanwhile, CBC has now made a run all the way to a historic championship, despite the frequent distractions this season.
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