Leaders in Canada
University of Alberta varsity teams compete in Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS). The U of A's 12 women’s teams, known as the Pandas, and 12 men’s teams, called the Golden Bears, boast 34 national championships in the past 15 years and sit third all-time with 72 national titles. As well, 48 coaches have won CIS Coach of the Year awards in the last 43 years.
U of A Athletics is coming off a banner 2014–15 year that saw four teams win national titles. The Golden Bears repeated as champions in hockey and volleyball, while U of A curlers won both the men's and women's CIS titles. U of A teams are perennial favourites, especially in hockey, and U of A athletes have won national championships in a wider array of sports than any other Canadian university.
Athletes also compete nationally in the non-CIS affiliated sports of golf and tennis. The tennis team won its first national title in 2014.