Mikaela Pushor, a 5'11 right side from Lethbridge, AB, will be joining the Avalanche for the 2016-17 season. Mikaela has been away from the game for a year but previously played two seasons with the Olds College Broncos (ACAC). In 2014, her first season with the Broncos Mikaela was awarded Rookie of the Year and in her second season the Broncos took home a bronze medal in the ACAC Women's Volleyball Provincial Championships.
Mikaela chose to continue her volleyball career at College of the Rockies after touring the campus in person. She mentioned that she "gathered a strong positive atmosphere of the school and that Cranbrook is an amazing city and the location of the school definitely helped me on my decision to attend." She also mentioned "that the classes at the college will transfer to most Universities which keeps many options open for me in terms of my education going forward." Pushor is also very excited to be reunited with her former Chinook high school teammates Alexa Koshman and Miranda Myndio. Mikaela mentioned "it wasn't until after a practice with the team that I made my final decision to sign with COTR. It was clear that there's a lot of talent within this team, which makes me very excited for the upcoming 2016/2017 season."
Coach Swanson is "very pleased to announce the signing of Mikaela Pusher to our women's volleyball team for the 2016/17 season. Her maturity, court comfort level and experience will be an extremely valuable asset for our team. During her attendance at a work out session (which some of our current players assisted in) it was very evident from what I was able to witness/assess along with comments from several players that Mikaela's skill set is outstanding and she will seamlessly transition into the level of play required to be a formidable player in the PACWEST conference. Mikaela is also an outstanding individual off the court. She is very focused on her course selections and how that works best for her future plans. She was diligent in making sure COTR was the correct fit for her and we are very pleased and excited to have Mikaela join our COTR family."