Mya McDonald Embraces New Opportunities in College Sports

Mya McDonald, a 17-year-old athlete from Strathclair, is set to join the Dakota College at Bottineau Lumberjacks women’s hockey and softball teams in fall 2024. After a dynamic high school sports career, McDonald is enthusiastic about balancing her athletic commitments with pursuing an Associate of Arts degree.

“I’m excited for the challenge,” McDonald said. “I think it will still be fun. I’ve managed all these sports in high school; how hard could it be in another one?”

McDonald has been an active participant at Strathclair Community School, excelling in various sports, including curling, softball, basketball, volleyball, badminton, track and field, and cross-country. In summer, she plays as a catcher and outfielder, competing with teams in Hamiota and the AA Westman Heat. She believes that the diverse sports she engages in complement each other both physically and mentally.

“The endurance from hockey helps me during basketball, and the mental toughness from each sport carries over,” she explained. “It’s all about supporting my teammates and staying positive.”

Growing up on a farm, McDonald has relied on her family for support, especially her parents, Travis and Briana. She acknowledges that their encouragement has been instrumental in her journey. “They’ve really been my support system all along,” McDonald stated. “It’s impossible to imagine being where I am now without them.”

McDonald spent the 2022-23 season with the under-15 AAA Chiefs and is now playing in the Rural Manitoba Female Hockey League with the U18 A Hamiota Huskies. The Huskies have performed exceptionally well, currently holding a record of 13 wins and 2 losses, leading the league with 63 goals scored and only 22 goals allowed.

“We’ve done very well,” McDonald noted. “We were undefeated for quite a while. It’s good for us to lose; we’ve been doing really well overall.”

In her current season, McDonald has recorded 6 goals and 11 assists, including two game-winning goals. Serving as team captain, she embraces her leadership role and aims to inspire her teammates. “It means a lot to me that the girls voted for me to be captain,” she said. “I want to be a good leader and role model for them.”

The idea of potentially playing at the university level began to take shape for McDonald during her time in U15 hockey. A pivotal moment occurred at a job fair in Brandon when she learned about opportunities to continue her athletic career in college.

“Realizing I could play hockey after school was eye-opening,” McDonald recalled. “Bottineau was there, and I thought, ‘Oh, I can go play somewhere.’”

Her connection to Dakota College at Bottineau is also familial; her father’s first cousin, Sheldon Rapley, played there. During a campus visit in September, she was accompanied by fellow Hamiota teammates Brooke Facey and Alyshia McKinnon, who are also committed to the college for next fall.

“I liked how friendly everybody was,” McDonald reflected. “It felt like a nice little community.”

With her decision made, McDonald expressed relief at having settled on her future plans. Neil Franklin, the head scout for Dakota College at Bottineau, is enthusiastic about McDonald joining the program. He praised her skills on the ice, highlighting her versatility as a defenseman.

“She’s a very mobile defenceman,” Franklin said. “She can move the puck up ice with a good first pass or rush it if the situation allows. She sees the ice very well and leads by example.”

As McDonald prepares to transition to college life, graduating high school remains her primary focus. Yet, she is already looking forward to the new adventures that await her in Bottineau.

“I’m so excited,” McDonald said. “I can’t wait to see where it takes me and how it will shape my future.”