UNBC WSOC pry another recruit out of the Okanagan

Kayla Gareau’s path to the UNBC Timberwolves might have been an unorthodox one but the women’s soccer program is glad she said yes.

The T-Wolves announced her commitment for the 2024 Canada West season, and beyond over the weekend.

“I have wanted to play university soccer since I was ten years old, so it means a lot to me. This is not somewhere I expected to be, but I am very glad I chose UNBC and I am excited.”

A 2023 graduate from Okanagan Mission Secondary School, the six-footer committed to play her post-secondary career at Culver-Stockton College in Missouri.

After some unforeseen complications, Gareau decided to move back to Canada and pursue the next step at the U SPORTS level. The Kelowna product visited UNBC’s Prince George campus this fall, where she had a chance to tour the facilities, train with the Timberwolves, and get to know TWolves coach Neil Sedgwick. She points to that experience as a major factor in deciding UNBC was the right landing spot.

“I think visiting here and playing was something that made me want to come up here even more. If I didn’t come up and train, it would have been different because I wouldn’t have known how I fit in. Now I know I fit in with this team. I think I can be an asset to them and help out. Everyone is super comforting and they have all made me feel like I am already on the team,” added Gareau.

Gareau will enroll in UNBC’s psychology program immediately and make the move to Prince George in January.

Sedgwick has more frequently looked to the Okanagan for potential recruits in the last number of recruiting classes. Anna deWynter, Kambria Mellum, Kate Rattee, Maleah Fernie, and Fia Cameron have made a successful jump to the highest level of university sport in the country, and Sedgwick has added Lauren Gubbels, Aimee Glasser, and now Gareau to that list.

“I trained with Anna (deWynter) and Kambria (Mellum) all summer, so that allowed me to see how they play up here. Maleah (Fernie), I played with in Grade Seven, and Kate (Rattee) when I was in Grade Four. I have known them for a really long time and that definitely makes me want to come up here even more,” said Gareau.

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