Sooke boxer wins U.S. collegiate title, top tournament honour<\/p>\n
Published 5:45 am Wednesday, April 15, 2026<\/p>\n
A national boxing title won in the U.S. is drawing attention back home in Sooke.<\/p>\n
Jill Doucet, a graduate of Edward Milne Community School, captured gold at the National Collegiate Boxing Association (NCBA) championships on April 11 in Charlotte, N.C., while representing the University of Washington. <\/p>\n
The 20-year-old also earned the tournament\u2019s Best Female Boxer award.<\/p>\n
The NCBA championships bring together top university fighters from across the U.S., including competitors from military academies. Doucet entered the tournament as the top seed from the western region and won both of her bouts by unanimous decision.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel very grateful,\u201d Doucet said. \u201cMy goal going into the tournament was to enjoy boxing and have fun.\u201d<\/p>\n
Doucet said she focused less on the outcome this year after placing second at nationals in 2025.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes you can get caught up in the competitive side,\u201d she said. \u201cI just wanted to enjoy the experience and see what would happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Originally from Sooke, Doucet began boxing at age 12 after being inspired by her mother, Ellen Connor, a coach and founder of the Sooke Boxing Club. She later stepped away from the sport before returning at 17 with a renewed focus.<\/p>\n
Now in her third year at the University of Washington, Doucet balances academics with high-level competition, building on the foundation she developed in her hometown.<\/p>\n
For Connor, the win reflects both individual effort and community support.<\/p>\n
\u201cComing from a small place like Sooke, this kind of achievement matters,\u201d she said. \u201cIt reflects not just on the athlete, but on the community that helped shape her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Connor, who travelled to North Carolina for the tournament, said Doucet stood out throughout the competition.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe just owned the ring,\u201d Connor said. \u201cShe knew who she was and what she brought to the table.\u201d<\/p>\n
During one bout, Connor said she overheard spectators praising Doucet without knowing their connection.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were saying, \u2018This girl is incredible,\u2019 and that she was going to win it all,\u201d she said. \u201cI didn\u2019t say anything at first. I just listened. It was surreal.\u201d<\/p>\n
Doucet said facing opponents from military academies presented a mental challenge.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a perception that they\u2019re really tough,\u201d she said. \u201cIt was more about overcoming that mentally and staying focused on my own performance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Back in Sooke, her success is being seen as a reflection of local sport development and grassroots programs. Connor said the Sooke Boxing Club was founded in 2016 to create a safe and supportive environment for athletes, particularly young women.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s about more than just boxing,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s about building confidence, resilience and learning that you can get back up when life knocks you down.\u201d<\/p>\n
Doucet said she remains grounded in her roots despite competing at a higher level.<\/p>\n
\u201cI come from Sooke, which is a really small town,\u201d she said. \u201cTo be able to go to a big school and compete like this is something I\u2019m really grateful for.\u201d<\/p>\n
She plans to graduate this fall and return to Vancouver Island to pursue law school, with the goal of staying involved in boxing by mentoring younger athletes.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d like to help others along their journey,\u201d she said. \u201cHaving coaches and mentors who\u2019ve been through it makes a big difference.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her win, Connor added, shows what is possible for athletes coming out of small communities.<\/p>\n
For young people in Sooke, Doucet\u2019s message is simple:<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can do anything you put your mind to,\u201d she said. \u201cJust make sure you enjoy what you\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sooke boxer wins U.S. collegiate title, top tournament honour Published 5:45 am Wednesday, April 15, 2026 A national…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":605696,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[447],"tags":[703,49,48,82],"class_list":["post-605695","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-boxing","tag-boxing","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/605695","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=605695"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/605695\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/605696"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=605695"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=605695"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=605695"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}