A Fight for the Throne: USJ Lady Blue Jays Win GNAC Championship
By Gabrielle Bernabe
As the fall returns once more, let’s take a look at our own Blue Jays—specifically our Lady Blue Jays—and their run to the GNAC championship in the 2024–25 women’s basketball season.
I am a little biased, as I had the pleasure of watching each game live as their team manager, and I understood all the time, blood, sweat, and tears that they put into achieving such a feat—one that hadn’t been achieved since 1998. It was truly amazing to watch them give their all in every game they played.
It was a season for the books. To explain how they got there—and how they felt during the season—I sat down with Olivia “Liv” Heslin and talked about the many different factors that brought them the new title.
Mental health is important, and acknowledging the time and effort a student-athlete dedicates to both education and sport is key. It can feel as though everything is piling up. Addressing the headspace these athletes bring into the season shows how dedicated they are to their sport.
How would you describe your headspace coming into this season?
“[We] really just wanted revenge. Coming back and deciding to use my fifth year was a long deciding process, but I knew I wanted to achieve what we knew we could all these years. I’d say my headspace was just very determined, and I never lost sight of the goal or light at the end of the tunnel because I knew everything that had happened to us in the past was for a reason.”
The revenge Heslin referenced is last year’s loss in the GNAC tournament. Although they had an amazing season—24–4 and 13–1 in the conference—they lost the championship game 85–72. It is hard to get so far and fall short so close to the finish line. I a sea of difficult conferences, I wondered what Liv had thought the hardest game of the season was for herself and the team as a whole.
“What do you think was the hardest game for you and the team this season?”
“I’d say that we played a lot of good teams, but Albertus and JWU [Johnson and Wales University] definitely stuck out because of their play style being so different from ours. They had pretty versatile lineups that challenged us.”
In those games, the Blue Jays were 0–2, with stats that highlighted the difficulty of the matchups:. losing 90–73 and 69–64, respectively.
“Were there any moments that stood out to you personally?”
“When we beat JWU in the conference semifinals. That was the moment I knew we figured it out and we were going to win a championship.”
In that game, the Blue Jays won 89–73, defeating the top seed on their home court and setting the tempo for their championship run.
“Any last comments?”
“…The feeling of winning a conference title was so fulfilling. It was the most rewarding experience… that all my hard work paid off and we finally won it. To win conference with the people who built this program from the bottom up with me really completed the feeling as well…The selection show and playing in the national tournament [is something that I] will never forget. Those were two experiences that will last a lifetime and were so deserved for all of us.”
“Deserved” is the right word. This recent group of seniors and graduates is decorated in the sport of basketball. To put it in perspective, here are some of their accomplishments:
Jordan Ouellette: NEWBA All-Region Fourth Team; All-Time Leading Scorer (1,806); All GNAC Second Team; Top 5 Conference PPG (points per game); Top 5 FG PCT (field-goal percentage)
Maya Slisz: All-Time Assist Leader; All GNAC Third Team; Top 5 Conference FT PCT (free-throw percentage); Top 10 Conference PPG
Taylor Verboven: All GNAC Third Team; Top 5 FG PCT
Olivia “Liv” Heslin: All GNAC Sportsmanship Team; Top 10 Conference FT PCT
On top of all of that, the Blue Jays are GNAC Conference Champions for the 2024–25 season.
Even in the offseason, our Lady Blue Jays are already back in the gym preparing for next season, showing just how dedicated they are to defending their crown. Can they do it two years in a row? Come check out the home games in the O’Connell Center to find out!