The Ottawa Sports Pages’ 2026 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.
During late June and into July, we’ll post stories on OttawaSportsPages.ca to tip our caps to these great grads. You can also follow along and read each story on this webpage.
High School Best owes its roots to a supplement in the Ottawa Citizen spearheaded many years ago by High Achievers columnist Martin Cleary, who carries on that tradition with several features in the 2026 series.
Kate Viel’s love of pink grows into hockey passion, now to join Ohio State
Long before she wore the maple leaf on the international stage or undertook NCAA women’s hockey, Kate Viel’s hockey journey began with a simple request. Pink equipment. “I told my dad I would only play if he got me all pink equipment,” Viel recounts. “He got me pink gear from head to toe, and I still remember how excited I was.” READ MORE…
NCAA-bound basketball player Tounkara makes the most of family’s athleticism
The basketball bloodlines and connections run deep in Ottawa, so Fabienne Blizzard had an inkling pretty early on that one of her latest products from Capital Courts Academy could carry star potential. Blizzard first met Evelyn Tounkara when she was in sixth grade through her dad, who doubled as Tounkara’s coach at the time. READ MORE…
Alyssa Brulé wins prov./ nat. medals before starting uOttawa lacrosse career
Lacrosse has taken Alyssa Brulé and Chloe Chalmers way beyond anywhere they ever imagined. This summer brought the pair of Gloucester Lady Griffins players some of their biggest prizes yet. Brulé first picked up a lacrosse stick after attending a tryout with her brother, asked her mother if she could play and eventually moved into competitive lacrosse. READ MORE…
Future NCAA player Naomi Lofthouse reaches int’l/pro soccer all in Ottawa
Long before Naomi Lofthouse set course on reaching the highest levels of soccer, she was the kid who had to win at everything. Her mom, Emily, believes that her daughter’s desire to compete is the #1 trait that’s propelled her onto NCAA, international and professional soccer opportunities. “She always wanted to win,” reflects Emily. “But more than that, she really hated to lose.” READ MORE…
Yale commit Cindy Yang wins Quebec women’s league scoring race at 16
It took a little time for scoring champion Cindy Yang to get a feel for her singular and explosive talent. When the dynamic forward made the move into the Ottawa South United Force Academy from West Ottawa Soccer Club five years ago, she realized she still had a long way to go. “I would say I was one of the [worst] on the team, honestly,” recounts the future Yale University player. READ MORE…
Matthew Lepine thankful for local support as he sets course for 2030 Olympics
The end of high school often brings about a whirlwind of emotions – a mix of celebration and sadness, nostalgia and excitement. Those feelings were amplified in every way for the family of freestyle skier Matthew Lepine as they bid farewell to their long-time Ottawa home. Some 30 people crowded into the old Lepine house for a sumptuous feast and a confetti-strewn gathering. READ MORE…
Liv Kaern endures tough twists in rugby path, eager to join hometown Gee-Gees
Just as Liv Kaern had fully immersed herself in everything rugby, the sport she’d fallen in love with dealt her a major blow. In the spring of 2024, while playing with the Eastern Ontario Blues at a tournament in Florida, Kaern tore the ACL ligament in her knee. But just as it’s done throughout her rugby journey, team support and camaraderie pulled her through. READ MORE…
Max Vivier focused on new position, after switching NCAA football teams
As a freshman, Max Vivier hopes to be the “centre” of attention for the 2026 Colorado State University Rams football team. But let’s make one thing clear from the start. The Navan, ON, resident won’t be spiking the ball in the end zone after touchdowns or tossing clutch passes in critical situations or setting rushing records for a single game. READ MORE…
Pitcher Logan Forgie makes University of Dayton next step in baseball career
Three years ago, Logan Forgie sat down with his parents to talk baseball. But it wasn’t a casual conversation about how the Toronto Blue Jays were doing. Instead, it was a serious discussion about Forgie wanting to take his game to the next level with the Ontario Blue Jays of the Canadian Premier Baseball League in Toronto. Forgie had experienced various levels of baseball in Ottawa. READ MORE…
Multi-sport athlete Naomi LeBlanc battles pain, but finds academic, athletic success
Naomi LeBlanc is scheduled to celebrate a major milestone in her young life Thursday at her St. Pius X High School Grade 12 graduation. Maybe the word major isn’t strong enough to describe everything she has had to experience to reach the finish line of her memorable and medically-mesmerizing journey. There certainly were plenty of uplifting moments. READ MORE…
Bruce Allen off to Dalhousie U, but chasing NCAA Division 1 field lacrosse scholarship
Bruce Allen walked away from box lacrosse with the Gloucester Griffins at 11 years old, following a few concussions. But that didn’t stop him from continuing to go to city arenas, as he diverted to Canada’s national winter sport, hockey, from Canada’s national summer sport, lacrosse. He played hockey for five seasons, reaching the AAA level. READ MORE…
Team Canada’s Vivier, Toivonen to play college/university flag football in Quebec
Good friends and flag football defensive players Charley Toivonen and Gabrielle Vivier had a bit of an unplanned reunion in the middle of June. They weren’t meeting in Ottawa, where they played in the Hawks Flag Football program for a year. Instead, they went to in Chula Vista, California for training with Football Canada’s 2026 national flag football team. READ MORE…