Hébert and Schouten named Laurentian Athletes of the Year
SUDBURY, ON – The Laurentian Voyageurs handed out their annual awards on Wednesday night. Leading the way was hockey player, Julie Hébert, and swimmer, Matthew Schouten, who were named the Female and Male Athletes of the Year.
SUDBURY, ON – The Laurentian Voyageurs handed out their annual awards on Wednesday night. Leading the way was hockey player, Julie Hébert, and swimmer, Matthew Schouten, who were named the Female and Male Athletes of the Year.
The Male and Female Rookie of the Year went to basketball player, Anthony Iacoe, and soccer player, Catherine Rocca. Long-time trainer, Trevor Blanchard, and Ryan Benoit, a manager of various teams throughout the years, were each presented with the Special Voyageur Award while Drew Bursey and Allison Pilon earned the Investors Group Community Service Awards. Sam Hirst from the men’s basketball team was presented with the prestigious Voyageur Award.
Hébert, a Chelmsford, Ontario native, was a standout on the ice this season. She finished in the top-10 in the OUA in goals and top-20 in the OUA in points this season. The only captain in program history, Hébert helped guide the women’s hockey team to their first ever playoff appearance and first ever playoff win this year.
Schouten, a native of Stouffville, Ontario, had 3 gold and 1 silver at the Divisional Championships in November. He followed that up with a silver medal in the 50m freestyle at the OUA Championships in February. His medal winning time also qualified him for the Olympic trials in April. At the CIS Championships, Schouten finished in 4th in the 50m freestyle, 1 one-hundredth of a second from bronze.
The winner the Male Rookie of the Year, Sault Ste. Marie’s Anthony Iacoe of the men’s basketball team, led the OUA and was third in the nation in three-pointers made this season with 59. After starting all 19 games this year, Iacoe went on to score the 2nd most points by a rookie in the OUA.
Woodbridge, Ontario’s Catherine Rocca, Female Rookie of the Year winner, started all 16 games this year as a rookie on the women’s soccer team. She consistently shut down some of the top attackers in the country and was a key piece in helping the women’s team go from 6th to 2nd in the OUA East this year.
The Special Voyageur Award is presented to someone outside of the immediate Voyageurs family who has made an outstanding contribution to Laurentian Voyageur Athletics. This year there were 2 recipients of this award. Trevor Blanchard has been a member of the training staff of the men’s basketball team for the past 4 years, spending countless hours in the gym and on the road. He has also helped out with the women’s basketball team and the women’s hockey team when needed.
Ryan Benoit has been a huge supporter of the Voyageurs and has committed to help support Laurentian Athletics in any way he can. Three years ago Benoit helped manage the men’s lacrosse team before lending his services to the men’s hockey team in their first year. Last season he returned to the field, helping the lacrosse team by doing their stats and helping in their fundraising efforts. Benoit recently launched his own brand, Positive Inception, and has donated a portion of the profits back to the lacrosse program.
The Investors Group Community Service Award recognizes those Voyageurs who wear the Blue and Gold with pride throughout the Greater Sudbury community and beyond. Receiving this year’s awards were Drew Bursey (Ottawa, ON) and Allison Pilon (Whitby, ON).
A member of the Nordic ski team, Bursey currently works with the cadet corps and local biathlon clubs, helping to improve their skiing and shooting skills. He is an instructor at the Laurentian Nordic Ski School and has also been involved in helping develop the Para-Nordic program at Laurentian Nordic.
A member of the women’s soccer team, Pilon is an active volunteer with Free the Children, traveling around the world to help provide education, clean water and sustainable developments for children in need. This year Pilon was a team leader at the Laurentian Relay for Life and she volunteers her time at the Maison Vale Hospice, answering the phones and giving tours of the facility.
The Voyageur Award is a prestigious award presented to a graduating student-athlete who has made an outstanding contribution to their sport and to Voyageur Athletics throughout their university career. This year’s recipient comes from the men’s basketball team in the form of Sam Hirst. A 3 time Academic All-Canadian, Sam grew over the course of his career at Laurentian from a role player to a leader on the court. Throughout his years at Laurentian, Sam has participated in the Read to Achieve program and in the Voyageurs Basketball Academy, introducing youth to the game of basketball. This season, Hirst was named the OUA Ken Shields Award winner, given to the student-athlete who exhibits outstanding achievement in the areas of basketball, academics, and community involvement. He is the first Ken Shields winner from Laurentian since 1994-95 when Brad Hann won the award.
Team awards were also handed out on Thursday night in Alumni Hall. Here are the recipients from the various teams.
Men’s Golf
MVP – Nicholas Quesnel
Pride & Tradition Award – Kraymr Grenke
Women’s Golf
MVP – Laura Gilmore
Men’s Wrestling
MVP – Ryan Karn
Pride & Tradition – Nathan Stajkowski
Women’s Wrestling
MVP – Taylor Richard
Men’s Nordic Skiing
MVP – Ewan Craig
Pride & Tradition – Drew Bursey
Women’s Nordic Skiing
MVP – Laura Williams
Pride & Tradition – Jillian Mayhew
Women’s Cross Country Running
MVP – Katie Wismer
Pride & Tradition – Michelle Kennedy
Men’s Cross Country Running
MVP – Ewan Craig
Pride & Tradition – Jacob Dupuis-Latour
Women’s Indoor Track
MVP – Marissa Lobert
Pride & Tradition – Nicole Rich
Men’s Indoor Track
MVP – Michael Petta
Pride & Tradition – Gordie Chown
Women’s Soccer
MVP – 2015-16 Team
Pride & Tradition – Amanda Kwan
Men’s Soccer
MVP – Connor Vande Weghe
Pride & Tradition – Cole Giffin
Lacrosse
MVP – Neil McInroy
Pride & Tradition – Chris Browne
Men’s Swimming
MVP – Matthew Schouten
Pride & Tradition – David Ahong
Women’s Swimming
MVP – Riley Konrad
Pride & Tradition – Madeline Stever
Men’s Basketball
MVP – Sam Hirst & David Aromolaran
Pride & Tradition – Nick Simon
Women’s Basketball
MVP – Danielle Harris
Pride & Tradition – Adrienne Moreau
Women’s Rowing
MVP – Emily Jago
Pride & Tradition – Bronwyn Wearring
Men’s Rowing
MVP – Curtis Halladay
Pride & Tradition – Michael Bushuk
Women’s Curling
MVP – Megan Smith
Pride & Tradition – Chloe Gordon
Men’s Curling
MVP – Derek Leung
Pride & Tradition – Thomas Vander Wielen
Men’s Hockey
MVP – Alain Valiquette
Ma Culley Award – Brian Nanne
Women’s Hockey
MVP – Julie Hebert
Pride & Tradition – Ellery Veerman