A career well-played. A college life well-lived. An honour well-deserved.
Mercedes VanKoughnett gave UNBC one final encore at Canada’s second-highest level of university sport with a B.C. championship in 2012, and eased its transition to U SPORTS with unforgettable moments.
For those reasons and others, the Prince George homegrown product has been rewarded as her alma mater’s first female inductee into the Timberwolves Wall of Honour this morning (Feb. 26).
VanKoughnett is well-known in the UNBC history books as her name currently occupies several top-10 statistical records, some of which include:
- First = T-Wolves basketball assists, women’s or men’s (350)
- First = T-Wolves women’s basketball three-pointers per game average (34.4)
- Second = T-Wolves women’s basketball steals (129)
- Second = T-Wolves women’s basketball three-pointers (70)
- Third = T-Wolves women’s basketball rebounds (654)
- Fourth = T-Wolves women’s basketball scoring (1,080)
- Fifth = T-Wolves women’s basketball blocks (24)
“Mercedes grew up in Prince George and always aspired to be a Timberwolf, wear green and gold, and represent UNBC at the highest level possible,” says current Athletics Director and VanKoughnett’s former coach Loralyn Murdoch.
“What was unique was her desire. She was so self-driven. She didn’t rely on external factors for motivation. She grew as a player from high school to college, and then throughout her career, because she wanted it more than anything.”
After graduating Duchess Park Secondary in 2009, VanKoughnett made an immediate impact on the Northern Sport Centre court, aiding the women’s basketball team to a remarkable 17-1 record, along with a 7.7 points-per-game average, 5.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game.
Her breakthrough performance earned her the 2010 BCCAA all-rookie team and UNBC’s rookie of the year.
The guard continued to establish her presence in provincial conference play during her second year, which resulted in a B.C. bronze medal, but then, in her third year, she catapulted one of the greatest women’s basketball runs in UNBC history.
In leading the province in assists, VanKoughnett helped four of her teammates get into the top 25 in league scoring and the team to a near flawless 15-1 record, which also proved effective in the playoffs.
She led UNBC to the 2012 B.C. women’s basketball title, the school’s second in history, which Murdoch believes set the bar really high as that would also go on to be the final season the T-Wolves would compete in the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA).
“Mercedes continued to build our locker room culture as we transitioned from the CCAA to CIS (U SPORTS),” she explained.
“[VanKoughnett] led by example, and her ability to understand the game as it was unfolding was outstanding. She was our floor general, and really like an extension of the coaching staff. She is such a special woman.”
VanKoughnett’s court magic also earned her provincial tournament MVP and First Team All-Star.
The Lady T-Wolves competed to a fifth-place finish at the 2012 CCAA National Championships.
Though no trophies were raised in her final two years, VanKoughnett still played with passion and with drive, so much so that we won the first-two ever UNBC Female Athlete of the Year awards in 2013 and 2014.
While she was known for her versatility on the court, she was also described as a leader, beloved in the community by inspiring the next generation of young athletes.
“I looked up to Mercedes so much,” said Hannah Pudlas, another Prince George, who, as a high-schooler, watched VanKoughnett rise to glory at UNBC.
Pudlas would end up suiting up in green and gold herself between 2014 and 2017.
“She was my Junior Timberwolves coach. You could see she loved the game, and her work ethic and drive were so inspiring to me. Her joy for the game was something I look back on the most. She is truly a legend, and I am so thankful for her mentorship.”
VanKoughnett’s life beyond university has taken her to Edmonton where she serves as an officer with the city’s Police Service.
She’s the third alum of an inaugural class of 15 athletes for the UNBC Timberwolves Wall of Honour, following Inderbir Gill and Tofa Fakunle.
