The next generation of Tigers has arrived on campus

As the 2026-27 varsity season kicks off, rookies are making the jump from junior careers to the Tigers. 

For these athletes, the first steps are about building connections, finding the balance between student and athlete and learning what it takes to wear the Tigers logo. 

Cindy Tye, Dal’s director of athletics and recreation and the head coach of the women’s soccer team, says the university and Halifax have a great reputation among incoming athletes. 

“We spend a lot of time on recruiting and trying to attract a good fit inside our programs,” she says. “It’s exciting to have them come to campus and watch them get adjusted.”

Ben Salkauskas

One of those athletes is Ben Salkauskas, a Dalhousie psychology student and new point guard for the men’s basketball team. He says the program’s past successes and positive remarks he has heard about the city and university drew him to Dalhousie’s program.

“I definitely felt like this would be a place where I could continue to pursue my academic and basketball careers and reach my full potential.” 

The six-foot-two Calgary native spent the last two seasons with Gogebic Community College in Ironwood, Mich., a small school located about a five-hour drive from the Canadian border. In his sophomore season, he averaged 13.0 points per game and shot 42 per cent from three-point range. 

He finished last season as the team’s MVP and earned himself First-Team All-Region honours from the National Junior College Athletic Association’s Region 13. 

“I’m just really trying to take it one day at a time, and hopefully end up a much better basketball player, a much better student, a much better person than I was when I started,” he says.

Anna Kahlhammer

Ana Kahlhammer is a first-year master’s student in kinesiology who brings international experience to the women’s hockey team this year. 

During her undergrad, Kahlhammer played for Maryville University in St. Louis, Mo., for three seasons. Before that, she played two years in Finland after she graduated from high school. 

But more recently, the 24-year-old forward spent last season back at home in Austria playing at the international level for the VSV Lady Hawks II, where she scored 12 points in five games. 

She will make her Canadian hockey debut when she hits the ice for the Tigers in October.

“The focus in Austria is more physical, and in Finland it’s more on the skill level — and in America, it was always focused on the game.”

Kahlhammer says the decision to play for the Tigers was a perfect fit because of her degree’s length and years of eligibility left. 

“I’m really looking forward to being here, playing hockey here. It’s a big opportunity,” says Kahlhammer.

Max Mitchell

Max Mitchell, a first-year medical science student, has a set idea for what he hopes to accomplish while representing Dal’s track and field team. 

“My goals are to compete in three events — high jump, long jump, and triple jump — and to get a personal best in all three events,” he says.

Mitchell comes to Dal with a personal record of two metres in the high jump, 6.61 metres in the long jump and 12.71 metres in the triple jump. 

Mitchell says he is also looking to branch out and participate in more events. 

“I want to push myself outside of my comfort zone; my biggest goal is to put myself out there more and try to experience as much as I can,” he says.

He says one event he wants to try is the pole vault, something he’s never done before.