VICTORIA - Five student-athletes from the University of Victoria's men's and women's basketball teams were named Canada West All-Stars, the conference announced today, Feb. 20.

Diego Maffia was selected to the first team, while Elias Ralph earned a nod to the second team. Abigail Becker picked up third team recognition, while Makena Anderson and Griffin Arnatt were each named to the conference's all-rookie teams.

Maffia's first team all-star selection marks the fourth of his career, previously earning all-rookie recognition in 2019-20, second team honours in 2021-22 and first team accolades in 2022-23. For the second-straight season, Maffia led all players in Canada West and U SPORTS in points per game, averaging 26.7 over 17 games in 2023-24. Also showcasing his ability to create chances for the Vikes' offence, Maffia led the team and ranked fourth in Canada West with a 5.2 assist per game average. 

Ralph's second team honours mark the second conference recognition in his Vikes career, earning an all-rookie nod in 2021-22. Playing in all 20 games for the Vikes and making 19 starts, he posted the second-best scoring average on the team at 16.0 points per game, while also leading the Vikes in rebounds at 8.4 per game, a figure which ranked eighth in the conference rankings. Going 46-for-99 from three-point range, Ralph ranked fifth in Canada West and posted a team-high 46.5% three-point shooting percentage.

Becker's selection to the Canada West third team marks the first Canada West honour in her Vikes career. One of the top field goal shooters in the league, Becker finished ranked second in Canada West with 58.0% field goal shooting, making a team-high 116 field goals on the year. Becker also led the Vikes with a 14.8 points per game average, good for ninth in Canada West, and ranked second on the team with 7.1 rebounds per game while averaging 24.6 minutes per contest.

In their first years as Vikes, Anderson and Arnatt earn their first conference honours with all-rookie team selections. Anderson played in all 20 games for the Vikes, making 16 starts, averaging 9.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game and tallying 37 steals and 29 assists in 24.1 minutes per game on the floor. Arnatt also averaged 9.0 points per game in his rookie campaign, adding a 6.1 rebounds per game average and 40-for-88 three-point shooting, posting a 45.5% three-point shooting percentage for second-best on the Vikes men's team over 20 games.

The Vikes men's and women's basketball teams both secured spots in the Canada West playoffs. The 10th-seeded women's team will begin play tomorrow, Feb. 21 against Lethbridge in the play-in round at 3 p.m., while the men secured the top seed in the conference and will advance straight to the quarterfinal round and face the winner of Brandon versus Saskatchewan, Feb. 22 at 3 p.m. CT.