(Photo Credit: Northwestern Polytechnic)

By Nathaniel Leigh with files from Tanner Smith

NWP

NWP launching new golf and women’s hockey programs

May 9, 2025 | 6:00 AM

Northwestern Polytechnic is expanding its athletics programming.

The Wolves will have a golf team starting in September, with a new women’s hockey team to hit the ice for the 2026/2027 ACAC season.

NWP President and CEO Dr. Vanessa Sheane says this will provide a “significant advantage.”

“At the individual level, we are excited to provide more options for talented athletes, but we also know that a thriving sports scene can energize and bring people together.”

Recruitment for NWP’s new golf team is already underway, as they search for a coach and sponsors. Tryouts will be held sometime in the summer.

According to NWP, the season will consist of multiple tournaments; two north regionals, ACAC championships, and Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) championships for those who qualify.

Bob Martens, Director of the Grande Prairie Golf & Country Club, called this announcement “a great development for both students and our golfing community.”

“We are always happy to support more golfers being able to do what they love, and new opportunities to grow the sport in the North.”

For its new women’s hockey team, preparations will begin in the new school year, “with active recruitment throughout 2025-2026 season.”

NWP says community demand led to the announcement, already receiving “strong support from the City of Grande Prairie, the Peace Country Female Athletic Club, Grande Prairie Minor Hockey, local AJHL competitors the Grande Prairie Storm, Hockey Alberta, and others.”

Once a team is assembled, the Wolves will share the Design Works Centre with the Grande Prairie Storm, practicing and hosting games with teams from across the ACAC.

Both these new teams are part of an “athletic strategy” as NWP is making a larger effort to “retain local talent and attract new students to the region.”

Grande Prairie Mayor Jackie Clayton added that “these new programs highlight the strength of our sports culture, the outstanding quality of our facilities, and the bold vision of NWP to expand opportunities for students to study, compete, and thrive at home.”

Currently in the ACAC, four girls from the Peace region are playing on women’s hockey teams;. That includes Jailyn Bablitz, from Valleyview and Arilyn Toews of Wembley both play for the Red Deer Queens, Paige Budgell from Grande Prairie with Olds College, and Baili Isley, also from Grande Prairie, with the Medicine Hat Rattlers.

As these two new teams bring NWP’s Athletic Department to a total of 15 varying squads, a new sponsorship campaign has been launched.

That includes NWP’s Golf Classic fundraiser taking place on June 6, and a number of other “impactful ways that individuals and businesses can contribute to their learning community” have been mapped out by the polytechnic. Those can be found on their website.