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Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference "To be Canada's premiere collegiate athletic conference by developing and inspiring leadership through excellence in academics, sport and citizenship"
Posted: Jan 27, 2025

Lakeland College Rustlers Women's Basketball Forfeits 2024-25 Season

Lakeland College Rustlers Women's Basketball Forfeits 2024-25 Season

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (January 27, 2025) – The Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) confirms that the Lakeland College Rustlers women’s basketball team has officially withdrawn from participation in the 2024-25 ACAC season. This decision corresponds with an application for the ACAC to accept Lakeland College’s declaration of Manifest Hardship.

The ACAC Conference Council held a Special Meeting on January 17 and January 23, 2025. It was determined that Lakeland College's application for Manifest Hardship for the women’s basketball program was denied. Consequently, Lakeland College is considered to have forfeited participation in the 2024-25 ACAC Women’s Basketball season, effective November 29-30, 2024. Manifest Hardship, as defined by the ACAC Operating Code, is invoked when an institution cannot meet its schedule commitments due to an act of God or other circumstances beyond its control.

The withdrawal follows significant changes within the Rustlers women’s basketball program, including the removal of the head coach on December 5, 2024.

To minimize the impact of this withdrawal on other programs, the ACAC has determined the following:

  • Results from Lakeland College Women’s Basketball games will remain in league standings.

  • Any forfeited games will be recorded as 2-0 losses against Lakeland College.

  • Statistics recorded from completed Lakeland College games will remain in place.

  • Adjustments to start times for Lakeland College Men’s Basketball games will be posted on the ACAC website.

Lakeland College has announced its commitment to honoring second-semester scholarships for affected athletes. The college plans to resume play in the 2025-26 season. The ACAC has imposed no further conditions aside from maximum financial penalties resulting from 12 forfeitures.

The ACAC acknowledges the challenges faced by Lakeland College and Rustlers student-athletes during this disruption. The Conference remains committed to supporting member institutions in fostering an environment that prioritizes the well-being of student-athletes while maintaining competition standards.

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About the ACAC: The ACAC is the governing body for intercollegiate athletics in Alberta. Its mission is to provide competitive collegiate sport experiences, promote academic achievement and be a leader of sport development in Canada.

For more information on the ACAC, please visit our website: www.acac.ab.ca 

For additional information, contact:

Mark Kosak, Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference
Chief Executive Officer
403-875-7329
markk@acac.ab.ca

Kayla Beers, Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference
Marketing & Communications Coordinator
kaylab@acac.ab.ca