The Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference has confirmed Lakeland College was removed as the host institution for this season’s women’s volleyball championship following a vote by the ACAC Conference Council.
The decision was made Dec. 11, 2025, after what ACAC described as three days of discussion by the Conference Council, the league’s highest governing body made up of athletic directors from member institutions.
“To be perfectly clear, the ACAC Coaches do not have the authority to make a decision of this magnitude,” ACAC CEO Mark Kosak said in a written response to The Border Pulse.
“Decisions to award a Championship, and in this case revoke a Championship, are made exclusively by the ACAC Conference Council. This is the most senior level of decision-making authority in the ACAC.”
Kosak said the decision was made separately from sanctions previously announced in October following hazing incidents involving the Lakeland College women’s volleyball program.
“Yes it was separate from other sanctions,” he said. “The original sanctions were announced in October and this decision was confirmed by the Conference Council on December 11, 2025.”
No formal criteria or appeal process
According to Kosak, there were no written or standardized criteria used to determine whether Lakeland would retain hosting rights.
“As mentioned previously, the Conference Council has the authority to make this decision and there are no established criteria by which to measure such a decision,” he said.
“It was approved overwhelmingly after three days of intense discussion weighing the values promoted by the ACAC versus the fairness to student-athletes, particularly the LLC WVB team members.”
Kosak said the Conference Council ultimately determined it would not be appropriate to stage the championship at Lakeland this season.
“Ultimately the Conference Council deemed that in light of the incidents that transpired this fall involving the LLC WVB program, it would not be appropriate to stage the Championships at LLC this year,” he said.
He confirmed there is no appeal mechanism available to Lakeland College.
“There is no appeal option,” Kosak said. “The decision was final and binding.”
Lakeland participated in discussions
Kosak said Lakeland College was aware the issue would be discussed and participated in the Conference Council process as a member institution.
“Yes LLC was well aware that this matter was to be discussed by the Conference Council and as a member institution, participated in the discussions and the vote,” he said.
He also confirmed the decision was not made through a vote of ACAC women’s volleyball coaches, contradicting information circulating within the community.
“I can confirm this did not happen,” Kosak said.
Acknowledged impact on student-athletes
Kosak acknowledged the decision would negatively affect student-athletes, including those not involved in the hazing incidents, but said the Conference Council proceeded after weighing broader league values.
“It’s virtually impossible to accurately measure the impact of any decision made by the ACAC,” he said.
“We anticipated that this would have a negative impact on the LLC student-athletes but as I previously stated, it was a difficult decision to balance ACAC values on a broad scale with the impact on and fairness to student-athletes.”
He also confirmed the league was aware the loss of hosting rights would affect Lakeland’s competitive pathway.
“Trust me we are fully aware,” Kosak said. “LLC still has a path to qualify for ACAC playoffs so that objective has not been terminated.”
No precedent
Kosak said the Conference Council’s decision does not follow precedent within the league.
“no there is no precedence for this,” when asked if this has been done before.
When asked whether ACAC would release meeting minutes, policy references, or governance documents related to the decision, Kosak declined.
Lakeland response pending
The Border Pulse contacted Lakeland College for comment regarding the decision, including its impact on student-athletes and whether the institution raised concerns about process or fairness. No response was received by publication time.
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