The Ottawa Sports Pages’ 2024 High School Best Series profiles some of the top local student-athletes graduating from high school this year and moving on to the next level in their sport or studies.
The Series is presented by the Sports-Études Program at École secondaire publique Louis-Riel –the leaders in combining athletic and academic excellence since 2005.
For the final two weeks of June, we’ll post a new story each day on OttawaSportsPages.ca to tip our caps to these great grads. You can also follow along here on this webpage.
The Luke & Jean-Luc ‘package’ will carry their quick connection on to U Sports basketball
From the first time they shook hands and exchanged names, Luke and Jean-Luc were destined to be a perpetual pair. Luke Leger and Jean-Luc Cubahiro spent just one year together at Louis-Riel high school, but they quickly gelled on and off the court, and soon they will head off to Algoma University to play for the Thunderbirds. READ MORE…
RBC Olympian Kylar Rathwell flips from freestyle aerials to University of Ottawa nursing
Sometimes life requires us to make difficult decisions. Rising freestyle aerials skier Kylar Rathwell found herself entering that predicament about a year ago. On one hand, the Ashton, ON, student-athlete was climbing the ladder in the high-flying ski discipline of aerials, after being named an RBC Training Ground Olympian in 2022. READ MORE…
St. Matthew football QB Jackson Plante goes long, all the way to Bishop’s University
Like many young Canadian boys, Jackson Plante had the craving to play hockey. He even had the name for it as his first name was similar to and his last name matched the great Montreal Canadiens’ goalie Jacques Plante. But in the end, it didn’t work out. “I played hockey until Grade 6, but I realized it wasn’t my sport,” Plante admitted. READ MORE…
National gold & world U18 bronze medallist Jessica Cheung jumps on Syracuse hockey train
Ottawa’s Jessica Cheung remembers spending many of her most formative years building makeshift hockey rinks in the backyard with her father. Now, she’s moved onto international ice. She made her debut for Team Canada at the World Under-18 Women’s Hockey Championships in Switzerland, where she collected a bronze medal. READ MORE…
Ottawa TFC teammates of 8 years continue soccer journeys at Charleston Southern U
For some, Christmas is the season to air grievances. So let’s get to it: featuring a pair of Ottawa TFC players who have been by each other’s sides pretty much every day for the last eight years. Danika Birch says the worst thing about Amélie Boyle is she’s exceptionally aggressive. “Playing against her sucks,” underlines Birch. READ MORE…
Lasting friendships fuel OSU Force’s Taylor Cassidy & Ashlee Delaney into university soccer
Long-time teammates Taylor Cassidy and Ashlee Delaney say Ottawa South United Soccer Club has shaped their friendships, their sports paths and their lives. The future varsity athletes’ experiences at OSU also inspired their choice of university programs for next year – Delaney in human kinetics and Cassidy in education. READ MORE…
Prolific soccer scorer Annabelle Chukwu picks Notre Dame to lead local NCAA signings
Ottawa South United grad Annabelle Chukwu has taken another major step in her young and rewarding soccer career. Chukwu, 16, has signed a letter of intent to attend the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, and play for the Fighting Irish in 2024-25 – one of 12 program recruits and the only Canadian signee in 2024.. READ MORE…
Olympics & University of Florida on tap for decorated swimmer Julie Brousseau
Julie Brousseau swam circles around the World Aquatics Junior Swimming Championships and propelled herself into Olympic team consideration with a sparkling seven-medal performance from Sept. 4-9 in Israel. The 17-year-old led her team with her two-silver, five-bronze haul – a recurring trend in her career. READ MORE…
University of New Hampshire next big step for champion gymnast Cléante Théorêt
By age 16, Cléante Théorêt had already been confronted with four major choices in her young life. And the Grade 12 student at École secondaire catholique Franco-Cité appears to have made the right decision each time, whether it’s selecting her primary sport, choosing between competitions, or picking the best university for herself. READ MORE…
Future Southern California diver Kate Miller converts gap year into Olympic year
International diver Kate Miller of Ottawa walked across her high school stage last spring to receive her Grade 12 graduation diploma and sign off on another academic chapter in her life. And now university. But not just yet for the honours high school student. First, there’s a trip to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games to take care of. READ MORE…
Resigned to a diningroom golf net during COVID, Isaiah Ibit will now get to U.S. at Kent State
It was early in the competitive season for Ottawa golfers, but Isaiah Ibit was already on fire last spring. And there was a good reason why he won two significant provincial-level junior tournaments in back-to-back fashion, after capturing the inaugural Ontario Junior Players’ Invitational tournament in Myrtle Beach, S.C. READ MORE…
After Golden Boot & Canada Games gold, Rosa Maalouf takes winning touch to Texas
Sixteen-year-old Rosa Maalouf scored her first international goal in spring 2022. It came in a game against Poland as part of the U17 women’s soccer national team. It was only a sign of things to come. At the CONCACAF U17 championship in the Dominican Republic, Maalouf scored a tournament-best 12 times in six games.. READ MORE…
Canada Games lacrosse champ Tristan Thompson to play winter national sport in NCAA
Hockey was Tristan Thompson’s first sport, as it was for her brother, who played rec league hockey. But six years ago, when her brother started playing lacrosse, the U22 Nepean Wildcats hockey player decided to try it and fell in love with the sport, although the Canada Summer Games lacrosse participant said she likes both sports equally. READ MORE…
Gratitude a driver in future Carleton Raven AJ Osman’s pursuit of basketball stardom
There’s something about AJ Osman that’s unlike other talented young athletes. For many who have pro dreams, it’s easy to be mesmerized by the glamour that could possibly await them. But the soft-spoken Osman is different. Appreciating who’s got him this far is central to what drives the member of the youth national team. READ MORE…