Living at home in Kitscoty, attending high school in Lloydminster and playing volleyball in Saskatoon, Aubree Sunderland typifies the commitment that Holy Rosary High School (HRHS) graduating student-athletes showed this year.
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“Holy Rosary was a really big part in my recruiting process, because when I initially came to this school in Grade 10, a big part of me coming was the volleyball program that they had built and the reputation it held,” said Sunderland, one of 16 seniors recognized June 4 as the school saluted its students committed to post-secondary institutions or elsewhere to continue their athletic and academic pursuits.
“There were a few very talented players on the team at the time, and to be able to learn from them and be in the same gym as them was a privilege that really led to my success in volleyball.”
Sunderland has reached elite volleyball status, progressing from high school and club competition to representing Saskatchewan multiple times in national championships, including the Canada Summer Games last year. Now, she has earned her way to the University of the Fraser Valley in Abbotsford, B.C.
is headed to the University of the Fraser Valley in Abbotsford, B.C. Submitted photo
Sunderland set herself up for success when she transferred to Holy Rosary in Grade 10, enabling her to experience greater volleyball and school opportunities and move closer to provincial and club programs in Saskatoon.
“For sure, we played in a Sask tournament in my Grade 10 year, where I was first scouted by a Saskatchewan coach, and then the next year I went to play for Wolfpack Volleyball Club in Saskatoon, and then this year I played for Huskie Volleyball Club in Saskatoon,” she said.
All the while, she has resided in Kitscoty with her athletic family, including younger brother Brody, a signed prospect of the Western Hockey League’s Spokane Chiefs.
After spending her high school years criss-crossing between three communities, Sunderland anticipates next year is going to seem different as she settles into university life and less time on the road each day.
“This year has been a bit of a hard one for me,” she said. “It’s been a lot to navigate, getting up for 6 a.m. lift, then going to school (at Holy Rosary), then driving to Saskatoon and practising, and then getting home at 1 a.m., to do it all again.
“It’s a lot, but it’s so worth it and rewarding for me to navigate that, with support from my parents and my family.”
She leaves for B.C. in late August to begin her freshman season with the Cascades in the Canada West conference of U Sports volleyball.
“I’ll be living in residence my first year and I’ll have a meal plan. It’ll be nice to be five minutes from the gym, and not three hours, which is going to be great for my time management.”
Sunderland’s organizational skills in multi-tasking and her dedication in the classroom characterize those traits in all the Holy Rosary graduating student-athletes on a collegiate path.
“It’s a big-time commitment from families, coaches and the students themselves,” principal Jeremy Blais said during a ceremony in the school library as those seniors signed their post-secondary commitment letters.
“To manage their studies and then to be able to put the time in on the athletic field (or otherwise), it’s a big commitment. This graduating class kind of shows that if you put that time in and you work hard, there can be some post-secondary goals that can happen as a result of that.”
The Raiders’ student-athlete class of 2026 also reflects a diverse mix of athletics, including commitments in locally less-heralded sports like water-skiing and rowing.
“Yeah, there’s a wide variety of different style of athletes in this group,” Blais said about the 10-sport list. “Like you said, water-skiing and softball and rowing, and then our traditional football, volleyball (and) basketball. It shows, kind of as a community, the commitment everyone has to athletics.
“As our school continues to grow, there’s more opportunities (for athletes), and then there’s also more opportunities at the university/college level for these students.”
Along with four football commitments, three in basketball and two in hockey, Holy Rosary graduating students also mapped out plans for baseball, softball, cross-country, rowing, rugby, volleyball and water-skiing.
Wherever they go, whatever they play, all the graduating Raiders take with them their high school formation from Holy Rosary.
Denem Weber, bound for Saskatoon to play U Sports football with the Vanier Cup finalist Saskatchewan Huskies, believes his years with Holy Rosary’s celebrated high school program were influential in him reaching the collegiate level.
“A lot of it was Holy, yeah,” Weber said. “The development was good. Obviously, some of it comes from (playing with) Team Alberta, too.”
Along with fellow U of S commit Jake Wicker, Weber was part of the 2025 national under-18 champion Team Alberta and multiple provincial gold-medal teams from Holy Rosary.
with the U of S Huskies. Submitted photo
“It’s definitely weird, because it doesn’t feel like that long ago,” Weber said about joining the Raiders in Grade 10 with limited football experience.
“But it all happens so quick. I remember my first high school game and almost everything that happened in it. But it’s definitely cool to see how far you’ve come.
“When I look back at old film of myself, I just see how much I’ve improved. All this stuff adds up so much. All these little details that (seemingly) aren’t that big of a deal. But when it comes to football, the little details are the big deal. Once you perfect that, you just get better and better and better.”
Weber got a first-hand taste of university football life when he attended the Huskies’ spring camp in May. He described the experience as an eye-opener.
“I knew there was going to be a skill gap (compared to high school), but I didn’t think it would ever be that big,” Weber said about the 90-man camp. “It’s insane.
“Everything is much faster. There’s a lot more to learn way faster. You’ve got to comprehend way quicker and the game itself is just 10 times as fast. If you’re playing defence, you’ve got to be reading the quarterback and two receivers.
“It’s definitely eye-opening. Everyone is way bigger than you, now. You used to be the big guy, and now you’re not the big guy anymore. (But) it’s definitely good. It’ll be fun. It’ll be exciting just to learn and get better.”
Weber said that if he’s slotted on defence, the likelihood is that he would red-shirt for his first year at the U of S, just as former Raider Jace Zidar did last season.
Weber and Zidar are going to live together in Saskatoon this coming school year, along with two of their Huskies teammates.
Weber and Sunderland both celebrate their 18th birthdays this summer, just as their new teams gather in preparation for their respective university seasons.
Sunderland met her Fraser Valley volleyball teammates in late May and early June as the Cascades staged their spring camp.
“It was a three-day training camp with the team and the new recruits,” she said. “We had two sessions a day and then a workout lift with the team. It was just a good way for our team to get in action together, before reconvening in August. It was great to get to know the girls better and to be able to see the university more, because it had been a while since I’d been there.”
Sunderland made her commitment to Fraser Valley in October 2024, early in her Grade 11 year.
“I was an early recruit, but when I went on my visit, I felt really sound on the program,” she said. “I’m really happy with the head coach (Janelle Rozema). She’s just a great resource.
“There are times where I wonder if I committed (too) early, but then when I go to campus and I message the girls, I know for sure that I am where I’m meant to be.”
POST-SECONDARY SPORTS PLANS
for Holy Rosary graduating students
Katie Billard — Olds College hockey.
Julia Carson — North Platte Community College (Nebraska) softball.
Lucas Chappell — Three Rivers College (Missouri) baseball.
Evey Hage — Jacksonville University (Florida) rowing.
Jayda Hill — Medicine Hat College cross-country.
JR Howdle and Dane Reid — Kamloops junior football (both attending Thompson Rivers University).
Dom Campeau and Carter Hummelle — Lakeland College basketball.
Ezra Nedelko — Columbia Bible College (Abbotsford, B.C.) basketball.
Peyton Oborowsky — Lakeland College hockey.
Max Strilchuk — University of Louisiana at Monroe water-skiing.
Aubree Sunderland — University of the Fraser Valley (Abbotsford, B.C.) volleyball.
Mason Topley — Trinity Western University (Langley, B.C.) rugby.
Denem Weber and Jake Wicker — University of Saskatchewan football.
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