VICTORIA – When U SPORTS began to unveil their list of the Top 100 women's basketball players on February 6 - the 100^th anniversary of the first Canadian university women's game - the University of Victoria Vikes were graciously and humbly represented by 11 players.

The list was chosen by a committee of U SPORTS women's basketball coaches and partners.

In no particular order, making the list was Lori Clarke, Tracie McAra (Sibbald), Sandy Espeseth, Janet Fowler, Luanne Krawetz (Hebb), Kayla Dykstra, Lisa Koop, Kelly Boucher, Karla Karch, Carol Turney-Loos and Mary Coutts.

There have been two integrations of dynasties with the women's program at UVic.

Starting in 1975, the Vikes peeled off a stretch that saw them win 10 Canada West titles and five national titles in 12 years. The Vikes were back in the national spotlight in the 90s, when they won seven conference championships (including six-straight from 1994-2000) and three more national titles. Many of the players from those teams were represented in the Top 100.

Clarke played for the Vikettes women's basketball under legendary head coach Kathy Shields in the dynasty eras that captured five national championships in eight seasons. Clarke helped the Vikettes to two of those national banners in 1985 and 1987, while also capturing a silver CIAU medal in her three-year career with UVic. With Clarke, the Vikettes also won three-straight Canada West conference titles from 1984 to 1987, and the Abbotsford, B.C. native was a top rebounding forward on the team and in the conference.
 
Clarke transferred to the University of Victoria in 1984 from Eastern Washington University and was a Canada West conference All-Star and CIAU All-Canadian in all three years that she played. In her final season, Clarke led UVic to a national title and was voted the Nan Copp Player of the Year Award, an award that only five Vikes have won since 1979. To cap it off, Clarke was named UVic Female Athlete of the Year in 1987. Clarke's accolades at UVic were further verified in her post-collegiate career where she played professionally in Europe from 1989 to 1996 and was a fixture for Team Canada from 1985 to 1992. Clarke helped Canada tie its highest placing ever at the World Championships in 1986 finishing with a bronze medal. She also captained the national team in 1990 to a seventh place finish at the World Championships.

One hundred and two wins against 14 losses, was the Vikettes record during McAra's reign. McAra helped the Vikettes to three CIAU Championship titles, winning the Bronze Baby in 1980, '81 and '82. After her rookie season in 1978, the Vikettes strung together four first-place finishes and four Canada West banners (1979, 80, 81, 82)

While McAra's last season (1982-1983) didn't end in a championship, it was the most successful on an individual level. McAra won the Nan Copp award as the CIAU's Most Outstanding Player after averaging 16.5 points, on 47 percent shooting and a league-leading 95 percent free-throw shooting. She was named All-Star of the CIAU Tournament, but the Vikes lost in the title match to Bishop's University.

The Victoria native and graduate of Reynolds Secondary was also named CIAU First Team all-Canadian in 1982-83, and was a three-time Canada West All-Star (1981, '82, '83).

A member of Canada's national team for six years, McAra was on the senior women's team that finished ninth at the 1983 world championship in Brazil and fourth at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.

Krawetz led the Vikings women's basketball team to three straight CIAU Championships (1979-80, 1980-81, 1981-82). During her career at UVic, Hebb averaged 15.3 points and 7.1 rebounds a game.

In 1979, 80 and 81 Krawetz was named Canada West First Team All-Star. In 1980 She was named CIAU Tournament All-Star and in 1981, Hebb was named both the CIAU First Team All-Canadian, CIAU Player of the Year, as well as the CIAU Tournament MVP award and tournament all-star. She also spent three years (1979-82) playing on the Canadian National team.

Turney-Loos spent two years with UBC, winning the national title in 1974 before moving on to play with UVic for the 1977-78 and 1979-80 seasons. The dynamic offensive talent led the Vikes to the national finals twice, winning in 1980 on the back of her MVP performance. She was named the 1980 Nan Copp Award winner for her efforts that year. In the Canada West record book, she still ranks first all-time in points-per-game (21.10), third all-time in field goals made (649) and first in free throws made per game (4.462).

On the international stage, Turney-Loos represented Canada at the 1976 Olympic Games and would have competed in 1980 if not for Canada's boycott. She also played on the Canadian World Championship team that won bronze in 1979.

Espeseth won two national championships with the Vikes from 1981-85. After a year removed from the team, she returned for her final year in 1987-88 and paced the Vikes to a 18-2 record and was a Canada West First Team All-Star for the second time (previously earned the recognition in 1983-84) and was a CIS First Team All-Canadian, as she averaged 12.4 points per game and a career-high 3.5 rebounds per game. She also owns the fourth-best three-point field goal percentage, 41.7.

A multi-sport athlete, Espeseth represented Canada internationally on the hardwood from 1985-88 and was a member of the Olympic Cycling team in 1992.
Fowler's three seasons with the Vikes were incredibly impressive.

The Vikes won the national championship in her first year (1984-85) and again in her final year (1986-87).

Her final season with the Vikes was an all-timer. Not only did she average 17.5 points and 8.1 rebounds per game en route to winning another national title, she was a Canada West First Team All-Star, a CIS First Team All-Canadian and the MVP of the CIS Championship Tournament. The Vikes also went 28-2 in conference and 42-3 overall with Fowler's assistance.

After her time on campus, Fowler went on to play for Canada from 1985-91.

Dykstra is one of the few Top 100 players that didn't capture a national championship, but that doesn't mean her career wasn't noteworthy.

The Calgary product was with the Vikes for six seasons and sees her name scattered across several top 10 categories in the Vikes record books.

In her third year of eligibility (2008-09), she won the Nan Copp Award after she averaged 18.5 points and 10.6 rebounds per game. That year, she also was named a CIS First Team All-Canadian (also named that the following year), the Canada West Player of the Year and a Canada West First Team All-Star (also named that again for the 2009-10 season).

The 6-foot-2 forward still sits eighth all-time in Vikes scoring (1,209), recorded the third-best career field-goal percentage (58.8), blocked the fourth most shots (55), yanked down the second most rebounds (723) and owns the second best rebounding average (7.8).

It's no surprise that the Vikes all-time leading scorer, Koop, cracked the Top 100.

The homegrown guard was one of the best players in the 90s, as after five successful seasons with the Vikes, she captured her only national championship for the 1997-98 season.

She averaged over 20 points and more than four assists per game in each of her final three seasons, as she was named a CIS First Team All-Star, Canada West Player of the Year and a Canada West First Team All-Star each of those seasons. She was also a CIS Championship Tournament All-Star for the 1995-96 and 1997-98 season.

Her all-time point total of 1,660 is more than 100 points clear of the woman in second place. She was efficient in her scoring, too. Koop stands only behind Cassandra Goodies in all-time assists (414). She still owns the 10^th best career field goal percentage (53.2).

Boucher never won a national title, but she was one of the most dominant forces in the paint during her five years with the Vikes from 1985-1991.
A scoring and rebounding threat the second she stepped onto McKinnon Gym, she averaged at least 10 points and six rebounds each year. Even though she was a CIS Second Team All-Canadian and a Canada West First Team All-Star in 1990-91, her best statistical year came a year prior, when she averaged 13.2 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. That year, she was a Canada West First Team All-Star. She also earned that recognition a year prior and was a Canada West Second Team All-Star during her sophomore year in 1987-88.

The one year Boucher sat out happened to be a national championship-winning year for the Vikes (1986-87).

Decades after exiting the program, she still remains the sixth best total rebounder (520) and owns the 10^th best rebounding rate at 7.0 boards per game.
After her time with the blue and gold, Boucher represented her country at the 1996 and 2000 Olympics. In between Olympiads, she suited up for the Charlotte Sting of the Women's National Basketball Association in 1998.

Not only was Karch a teammate of Boucher's at UVic, the two also worked beside one another at both Olympics.
Karch played five years for the Vikes and was an integral member of the 1986-87 national championship squad. That year, she was a CIS Championship Tournament All-Star and a Canada West Second Team All-Star. The following year, she averaged her best numbers with 14.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.
That resulted in her being named a CIS Second Team All-Canadian and a Canada West First Team All-Star.

Coutts was a member of the first national championship for the Vikes in 1964-65. She racked up seven more national championships with senior teams around the Greater Victoria area. She was a member of the national team for seven years, which was highlighted by a bronze medal at the Pan American Games in 1967. She would have been a shoe-in for the Olympic team, but women's basketball wasn't introduced as an Olympic sport until 1976, years after she retired.
Some of the 11 Vikes mentioned on the U SPORTS Top 100 list will be on hand Friday night when the current Vikes host the University of Regina Cougars at the CARSA Performance Gym (6 p.m.) for the Canada West Play-In Game.