NAME: Leighann (Doan) Reimer
UNIVERSITY: Calgary
CATEGORY: Student-Athlete
SPORT: Women’s Basketball
YEARS ACTIVE: 1996-2001
HIGHLIGHTS:
2001 BLG Award winner as the top female athlete in CIAU
Two-time CIAU women’s basketball MVP (2000, 2001)
Four-time All-Canadian (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001)
Member of 2001 Canada West champions
Two-time Dinos Female Athlete of the Year (2000, 2001)
BIOGRAPHY:
Basketball standout Leighann (Doan) Reimer became the first University of Calgary women’s student-athlete to win the BLG Award, when she was named the top female student-athlete in CIAU for 2001.
A five-foot-ten centre, Reimer played five seasons for the Dinos from 1996 to 2001, accumulating accolades while leading Calgary back to the top of Canada West women’s hoops.
Reimer was a two-time winner of the Nan Copp Award, as the top female basketball player in CIAU (2000 and 2001) and earned four consecutive All-Canadian selections from 1998 to 2001. She was also Canada West’s Player of the Year in 2001. Following her first season, 1996-97, Reimer received both the Canada West and CIAU Rookie of the Year honours.
With Reimer at the forefront, the Calgary women’s basketball program returned to the powerhouse status of its late 80s heyday. In 2000, the Dinos reached the CIAU championship game for the first time in a decade and came away with a silver medal, with Reimer being named a championship tournament all-star. Then in Reimer’s final season, 2000-01, Calgary ended a 10-year Canada West championship drought and returned to nationals, where the Dinos won bronze.
Reimer, who finished her career as the team’s all-time leading scorer with a total of 1,958 points (20.8 per game), was frequently recognized for her profound impact on Calgary basketball. She was the university’s female athlete of the year twice (2000 and 2001) and in 1999 was named the female athlete of the year by the City of Calgary. In 2015 Reimer was inducted into the University of Calgary Hall of Fame.
A native of Halkirk, Alberta, Reimer captained the Canadian women’s basketball team at the 1999 World University Games and went on to play for the national senior team, including at the 2003 Pan Am Games. She played professionally in France from 2001 to 2004.
Reimer has gone on to teach physical education in Three Hills, Alberta, and in 2018 was enshrined in the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame.