Alicia Tan drives baseline and puts up a contested shot against the Medicine Hat Rattlers in the bronze medal game during the ACAC conference championships.

One of the toughest parts about being a college athlete is playing away on the road. It is especially difficult when you are coming back from an injury. That was the task at hand for Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) Trojans for this year’s Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) women’s basketball championships. The Calgary team has one of the top point guards in the province and arguably throughout the country.
Alicia Tan is in her fourth year of eligibility and helped push SAIT to finish third in the south division. It was not without a few hiccups as Tan fractured her nose a week before playing their final two games in Lethbridge in January before the ACAC championships.
“I really don’t think it’s that big of a loss. It’s another gym to play in, I’ve played here before so it’s nothing new,” said Tan who was not bothered that she missed the last two games against the top team in the division.

The Trojans dealt with injuries like every team in the ACAC and they were lucky enough to have a full squad coming into the tournament.
“When it comes down to it, we need our guns and you want all the ammo you can possibly have. For us it’s
been one of those seasons we come in hurt and through the entire year we’ve been dealing with it,” said head coach Ranbir Parmar.
Tan wore a mask through the rest of the regular season and the tournament to make sure she does not
hold back.
“I think I go a little harder, knowing that I have protection on my face. I don’t think I take a step back. I think I’ve been doing just a little bit better,” said Tan.
Performing at a high level in the tournament was key for the team carry on to another successful season.
“As long as we stick together and play as a team this weekend, that’s one thing we can take away for next
year,” said forward Kendall Bostock.
It translated into a bronze medal for SAIT who look to contend next year in Tan’s final year of eligibility.