From the unveiling of the Nanaimo NightOwls to a national three-peat by the VIU Mariners women's volleyball team, 2020 did provide some local highlights despite the COVID-19 pandemic. (Nanaimo News NOW)

By Dan Marshall

2020 in Review

Top Stories of 2020: Best in Nanaimo sports

Dec 24, 2020 | 9:54 AM

NANAIMO — Local teams and athletes had less time to shine in 2020.

COVID-19 forced a giant gap in the sporting calendar but some teams managed to reach a high note before everything shut down.

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The VIU Mariners women’s volleyball team completed a three-peat as CCAA national champions just as the pandemic took hold.

VIU capped a 29-0 season and playoffs with a four set victory against Elans de Garneau in the national gold medal match.

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The team was already in Quebec City when sports around North America shuttered. Coach Shane Hyde wasn’t sure they would be allowed to compete.

“Never have I experienced anything like this,” Hyde said. “We thought the whole thing was going to be cancelled.”

Only Sherbrooke and F.X. Garneau have won four straight titles in the history of the national tournament.

The Mariners will go for their fourth straight crown in 2022.

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In March, the West Coast League announced their baseball brand would come to Nanaimo and play at Serauxmen stadium in 2021.

Co-owner Jim Swanson confirmed the Nanaimo NightOwls will play in a 54-game wooden bat summer collegiate league.

“Nanaimo is one of the great baseball cities anywhere in North America that doesn’t have this level of baseball currently and we’re excited to bring it here.”

Nanaimo’s inaugural season will begin on June 1, 2021 in Wenatchee with the home opener slated for June 5 against Seattle.

The goal is to increase capacity at Serauxmen from 900 to roughly 1,500.

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The Nanaimo Clippers won their first regular season title and playoff series in 2020 for the first time in four years.

A 37-17-2-2 campaign was good enough to edge out their rivals the Cowichan Valley Capitals for the Island Division championship. In the playoffs Nanaimo rolled over the Alberni Valley Bulldogs in four straight games.

Although junior hockey shut down before round two of the post season could begin, coach Darren Naylor said the 2019-20 squad laid the foundation for organization moving forward.

At least 10 players from the roster moved on to NCAA or Canadian university opportunities.

“That team meant so much to our program and our franchise going forward. It was a really great season last year and we’re just carrying on on the coat tails of this season,” Naylor said.

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Racewalker Olivia Lundman was poised to have a huge year in 2020.

In 2019 she set a record in the 1500 metres at provincials, then earned gold and established a new record in the 3000 metres at the track and field youth nationals.

This year she was only able to compete once, but made the most of it by breaking Mylene Dupere’s 30-year Canadian record.

The 17-year-old Dover Bay student was the only competitor in the three kilometre U18 racewalk in Kamloops on Oct. 17. She took the initiative herself to convince organizers to include a racewalk event at the meet.

“I thought I could do it and I really wanted to have a shot at it before I move up to the next age group,” Lundman said.

Lundman’s performance eclipsed the record by 11 seconds with the new mark now 14:25.74.

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Cancellations were a reality for Nanaimo sports in 2020.

At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Vancouver Island University lost a chance to host the CCAA Women’s Basketball Nationals and the Nanaimo Clippers playoffs were called off.

Then came a litany of lost seasons. Football, baseball, lacrosse, track and field, soccer – seemingly every individual and team sport was postponed or cancelled.

Training and skill development were allowed to return for a few months in the late summer and fall, and there was even a short slate of junior hockey games in Nanaimo.

Almost all activities are hold through the holiday season but it’s hoped that regular competition can resume across all sports at some point in 2021.

dan@nanaimonewsnow.com

On twitter: @danmarshall77