sports@mapleridgenews.com
The University of the Fraser Valley athletic department has announced its third annual class of Cascades Hall of Fame inductees, and a Maple Ridge athlete is one of those to be honoured.
The 2019 class includes two inductees in the athlete category: Derek Fletcher (men’s volleyball) of Langley; and Ridge’s own Andrea Wigman (women’s soccer). The 1999-2000 national championship-winning Cascades men’s basketball team will be inducted in the team category, and former UFV president H.A. ‘Skip’ Bassford will be recognized as a builder.
These luminaries will be officially welcomed into the Cascades Hall of Fame on Friday, Jan. 25 in conjunction with the UFV basketball teams’ home games vs. the Calgary Dinos at the Envision Financial Athletic Centre. The evening will begin with a private reception with UFV President Joanne MacLean, and will culminate with an on-court ceremony at halftime of the men’s basketball game.
Wigman (now Massie) had a spectacular four-year career with the Cascades women’s soccer program, competing from 2002 through 2005. The dynamic midfielder from Maple Ridge helped the Cascades to a fifth-place finish at the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) national championship in 2003 as a sophomore.
She broke through the following season with a five-goal campaign to earn CCAA All-Canadian honours.
Her senior campaign of 2005 was truly something special – she scored seven goals in BCCAA play to lead the Cascades to a 9-1-4 record, and was named BCCAA player of the year, CCAA All-Canadian, and CCAA player of the year.
Wigman’s 15 career goals in league play are tied for the most in team history during the Cascades’ CCAA era, and her accolades include three BCCAA all-star nods.
Bassford served two terms as president of UFV (1998 to 2009), and presided over a period of great advancement for UFV Athletics. The 1999-2000 men’s basketball team was the first Cascades squad to win a national championship.
The Cascades Hall of Fame was established in 2016, and with the 2019 class, its membership will include six athletes, five builders, and three teams.
Inductees are honoured with plaques displayed in the mezzanine of the Envision Financial Athletic Centre, and a display cabinet containing Hall of Famers’ memorabilia is also maintained in the EFAC lobby. To learn more about the Cascades Hall of Fame visit GoCascades.ca/HOF.