Preparing for a new year and a new semester of school also means the return of Huskies athletic action after a lengthy December break.

It was a roller coaster year for all the Huskies teams, as there was joy, sorrow and plenty of excitement to go around. With all 15 teams — plus one unofficial team — competing to the best of their abilities for the past 365 days, the Sheaf ranked the top moments from 2015. Without further ado, here are the top 10 moments of 2015 for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies.

10. Cheerleading team earns national gold

Although they aren’t recognized as an official team under Huskies Athletics, the U of S cheerleading team deserves some recognition. The team consists of 26 members — 22 females and four males — who went to Brampton, Ont. and wore the green and white with pride, taking home the national championship with a nearly flawless final stunt routine.

The cheerleading team has been attending the same competition for the past 15 years and was able to deliver their best result ever, dethroning their provincial rivals — the University of Regina Cougars — in the process.

9. The Swede with speed

Cross-country runner Erik Widing moved to Saskatoon from Stockholm, Sweden just prior to the 2015-16 academic year. A few short months later, he was able to accomplish something very rare — a U of S athlete winning the annual Sled Dog Open race, hosted by the U of S.

Widing crossed the finish line with a time of 25:05, placing him in first out of 62 runners competing in the event.

8. Volleyball team gets emotional win

On Jan. 23, 2015, the U of S announced that women’s volleyball coach Jason Grieve would be placed on leave after a handful of members on the team had filed complaints of misconduct. The team played one of its final regular season games later that night.

Entering with a 4–14 record and up against a playoff-bound University of Manitoba Bisons team, the Huskies played one of their best matches of the season, despite the circumstances. A 3–1 (25–16, 19–25, 25–17, 25–22) win was the final victory of the season for the Dogs.

7. Men’s hockey experiences red-hot start

Coming off a disappointing 2014-15 season, the Huskies men’s hockey team entered this season with a renewed focus. Sporting plenty of new faces in the lineup, the team clicked right out of the gate, winning seven straight games to open the campaign.

After losing their first game of the year to rival Alberta, the Huskies reeled off five wins in their next six games and found themselves in the top spot of the weekly Canadian Interuniversity Sport rankings on Nov. 24, with a record of 12–2.

6. Women’s hockey plays for a cure

On Jan. 24, 2015, the women’s hockey team held their annual Play For The Cure night. The team rocked custom green and black jerseys with ribbons on both shoulders — one for Cody Smuk and the other for Yvett Marie Hyatt, a grandmother to one of the players. Both had previously lost their battles with cancer.

The Huskies wound up losing 4–3 in overtime, but raised money for various cancer foundations by selling game-worn jerseys and accepting donations in their seventh annual Play For The Cure game.

5. Handful of wrestlers find national podium

From Feb. 26–28, 2015, 10 Huskies wrestlers represented their school at the national championships in Edmonton, Alta. Four wound up earning medals, including one gold medal for Josh Bodnarchuk, who also took home CIS Rookie of the Year.

Veterans Annie Monteith and Dylan Bray both took home silver medals, while Jacob Phillips captured a bronze for the Dogs. It was one of the best recent wrestling performances at nationals for the Huskies.

4. Men’s basketball playoff run

Entering the Canada West post-season as the number one seed, the Huskies had quite the exciting ride. After a thrilling series against the Thompson River Wolfpack, the Dogs were able to host the CanWest Final Four at the Physical Activity Complex. With a national championship berth on the line, the Huskies pulled out an exhilarating 81–75 win.

A heartbreaking loss in the CanWest final earned the Huskies a silver medal before they headed off to Toronto for the CIS championships, where they finished in fifth, posting a 2–1 record.

3. Men’s volleyball hosts CIS Championships

After a disappointing regular season that saw the Huskies men’s volleyball team miss the CanWest playoffs, they had to quickly set their sights on a much bigger prize — the CIS national championships that were played in their home gym.

Handed a tough task of facing the number one ranked team, the Dogs held their own in front of a near sold-out crowd of 2,223 at the PAC. In one of the loudest and best atmospheres in quite some time, the Huskies ultimately fell 3–0 (26–24, 25–20, 25–18) and finished in fifth place.

2. Hockey teams honour Cody Smuk

In one of the most emotional nights for the Huskies in recent memory, the men’s hockey team honoured their fallen teammate in a game on Oct. 25. In a touching pre-game ceremony, they raised his number to the rafters at Rutherford Rink and every single player on the team wore a Smuk jersey, with his name and number on the back during their warm-ups.

There wasn’t a dry eye in the building as one of the most well liked members of the 2013-14 team was remembered. The team skated to a 6–2 win and, more importantly, raised over $3,000 for Smuk’s cancer foundation, Marty’s Men.

1. Women’s basketball picks up right where it left off

After a loss in the semifinals at nationals in March 2015, the Huskies got back to work in the summer and, so far it has paid off. They have yet to lose a game in the new season and currently sit with an 8–0 record.

Thanks to their impressive play so far, they have been ranked number one in the CIS rankings for three straight weeks and are one of two undefeated teams left in the country. They are considered national championship contenders and will look for revenge when they head back to the CIS championships.