Christian College Basketball Team Wins First National Title Following Controversy Over Trans Athlete

Columbia Bible College overcame sanctions and a suspended coach to secure the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association championship.

Columbia Bible College (CBC) defeated St. Mary’s University 77-70 to claim its first-ever Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) women’s basketball title.
The victory follows a season marked by controversy involving allegations of abuse against a transgender player from Vancouver Island University (VIU).
CBC’s head coach, Taylor Claggett, was suspended, and the team lost hosting rights for the conference tournament following an investigation by PACWEST into the allegations.
The allegations included claims of harassment and excessive fouling of VIU’s transgender athlete, Harriette Mackenzie, which CBC has denied, calling the accusations unfounded.
Despite the challenges, CBC players Grace Park, Madeline Beerwald, and Elissa Vreugdenhil led their team to a historic win, while VIU was eliminated early in the national tournament.