Champagne selected as uOttawa Male Athlete of the Year

uOttawa's annual varsity athletic banquet took place on Friday night at the Marriott Hotel in downtown Ottawa, recognizing the highlights and achievements from the 2016-17 season of Gee-Gees varsity athletics. U SPORTS gold medallist Montana Champagne and U SPORTS silver medallist Simone Savary were named the uOttawa Athletes of the Year to cap off the evening which also included the presentation of team MVP awards and seven other major award categories.

At the 2017 U SPORTS National Championships, Champagne captured three medals and re-wrote the Gee-Gees record books. The Telfer School of Management student became the first Gee-Gee since 1981 to win three medals at the same national championship meet. He began with a gold medal in the 400m individual medley and added a silver medal performance in the 200m butterfly and an outstanding performance earned him a silver medal in the 200 metre individual medley. Champagne also captured two OUA gold medals this season as part of his five at the meet which helped elevate the Gee-Gees men's team to a conference bronze medal in the team standings.

Rugby player Simone Savary was the Gee-Gees team captain and helped lead the team to a third straight undefeated regular season, third straight RSEQ championship, and a silver medal at the U SPORTS National Championship. The Brampton, Ont. native finished her season as the fourth leading try-scorer in the RSEQ, with eight scores in six games at the prop position. A second-team All-Canadian this season, Savary was also awarded rugby Player of the Year at the 2016 Ottawa Sports Awards. The health sciences student and Academic All-Canadian is loved by all her teammates and is known for providing sage advice to rookies, veterans and, in particular the coaching staff.

Hockey players Vickie Lemire and Brendan Jacome were recognized for their commitment to academics and community involvement in addition to athletics with the President's Awards.

Lemire, who has 40 career points in her four years, is known for her powerful presence on and off the ice. She is the leader for the entire Gee-Gees department working as president of the Student-Athlete Council, and represents student-athletes on numerous committees on campus. This season, Lemire volunteered with the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity, where she was able to apply her passion for sport towards programs for others. Lemire is a wonderful ambassador for young hockey players and organizes practices with community teams. Lemire is a fourth-year Human Kinetics student and a two-time Academic All-Canadian.

Brendan Jacome is well respected by his teammates and his ability to lead by example earned him a position as Assistant Captain. He is also recognized for his work ethic off the ice, finding time wherever possible to represent uOttawa away from the rink. Jacome enjoys teaching others how to play hockey as he worked in hockey camps as an instructor, and volunteered at a City Hall event where he taught international students how to play the game. He is also a You Can Play Ambassador and a big supporter of the Bell Let's Talk campaign. Jacome is a student in the Telfer School of Management, originally from Caledon, Ont.

The Rookie of the Year awards were presented to Cooper Lee of the women's soccer team and Kevin Domingue of the men's hockey team. Lee is known for being fast, powerful, and aggressive, and she started 17 out of 18 games for the Garnet and Grey. The Management Information Systems and Analytics student from Toronto also earned herself a spot on the OUA Second All-Star Team. Domingue thrilled Gee-Gees fans with his speed and scoring touch, becoming the leading scorer for the Garnet and Grey with 16 goals and 15 assists in 28 games. A product of Laval, Que., Domingue finished his season being named to the OUA East Men's Hockey All-Rookie Team, and landing second in OUA Rookie goals.

Becoming the third ever winner of the Sports Services Volunteer Recognition Award, Bob Bowes was recognized for his dedication to the women's hockey team. Bowes started out assisting with fitness testing and conditioning for the team 13 years ago, and for the past seven years he has worked as the team equipment manager. His hard-working and motivating character help to uplift the Gee-Gees team atmosphere. Bob is always the first one in the room in the mornings and he brings a sense of wisdom, calm and professionalism in times of need.

Complete List of Gee-Gees Varsity Award Winners

Athlete of the Year

Simone Savary, Rugby

Montana Champagne, Swimming

President's Award

Vickie Lemire, Hockey

Brendan Jacome, Hockey

Rookie of the Year

Cooper Lee, Soccer

Kevin Domingue, Hockey

Volunteer Recognition Award

Bob Bowes, Women's Hockey

Student Therapist of the Year

Eleanor Miller & Claudine Nafaa

Team MVPs

Caleb Agada – Basketball (Men)

Sarah Besselink – Basketball (Women)

Derek Wendel – Football

Gabriel Vermette – Hockey (Men)

Mélodie Bouchard – Hockey (Women)

Alex Ellis – Rugby

Kayla DaCosta-Pacheco – Soccer

Montana Champagne – Swimming (Men)

Paige Crowell – Swimming (Women)

Scott Hancock – Track and Field (Men)

Tania Bambi – Track and Field (Women)

Alex Berhe – Cross-Country (Men)

Katie Phillips – Cross-Country (Women)

Kira Tome – Volleyball

Director's Award

Derek Wendel – Named 2^nd Team All-Canadian in football

Mitchell Baines – Named 2^nd team All-Canadian in football

Simone Savary – Named 2^nd Team All-Canadian in Rugby

Caleb Agada – Named 2^nd Team All-Canadian and Defensive Player of the Year in basketball

Montana Champagne – Winner of U SPORTS silver medal in 200 IM and 200 butterfly, and gold medal in 400 IM

Tania Bambi – Winner of U SPORTS bronze medal in 60m hurdles