Heat men’s golf lands local star recruit Oakley Mayner

KELOWNA, B.C. – The defending Canada West Champion UBC Okanagan Heat men's golf program has added some serious talent to their roster for the upcoming 2025-26 season as Kelowna native Oakley Mayner is set to join the team this September.

Mayner, a graduate of Kelowna Secondary, is one of six new recruits for Heat men's and women's golf head coach Clay Stothers as he continues to add to one of the top programs in the country. The men's team is coming off their first-ever Canada West Championship last Fall while the women recently won their second-consecutive silver medal at the Canadian University/College Championships

The 5-8 righty joins the Heat after building an impressive resume over the past number of years. Mayner is a three-time Junior Zone 2 Champion in 2022, 2023 and 2025 and was the Men's Zone Champion in 2024.

Last summer, he made the cut at the Canadian Junior Championship, finishing tied for 63rd and has top five finishes at the BC Junior Championship each of the last three years, including a tie for second earlier this month.

In addition to this success, Mayner was also the BC High School Champion in 2024 and led KSS to a third-place finish at the provincial championship in 2025.

"We are very excited to have Oakley join our program," commented Stothers on the high-profile addition. "I have been watching him play since he was 13 and I know that he will have a big impact on our team's performance in his first year."

The Heat men's team will have one other new face on their roster this Fall as Russell Quinn from St. Albert, Alta., will join Mayner at UBCO. Quinn is a two-time winner on the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour.

Meanwhile, the Heat women, also the defending Canada West silver medalists, will have four new additions to their team including Shinyao Zhang of Gatineau, Que., Kiana Chen of Toronto, Izzy Schwager of Nanaimo, B.C., and Jordan Harvey of Calgary.

Zhang is the biggest addition on the women's side as she recently won the 2025 Quebec Junior Girls Championship. She also made the cut at the 2023 Canadian Junior Championship and qualified for the 2024 Canadian Women's Amateur Championship.

"This recruiting class is going to ensure that we have a strong foundation for the future," added Stothers. "Having Russell and Oakley on the men's side will add a lot of depth to the men's squad. On the women's side, we have four seniors graduating after this year and four new girls joining us which will help as we transition the program." 

The Heat golf teams will get their 2025-26 Fall schedule underway in late September with the women competing at the Saint Martin's Invitational in DuPont, Wash., on September 22 and 23. Meanwhile, the men will begin a week later at the Western Washington Invitational in Bellingham, Wash., on September 29 and 30.

Both teams will be building towards the Canada West Championships to be hosted by the Victoria Vikes at the Olympic View Golf Club on October 20 and 21.