Gaels shine bright after championship win with clean sweep of major award winners
Burlington, Ont. – It’s no surprise that the Queen’s Gaels played their way to a lacrosse banner this past weekend given the amount of award-winning talent that took the field. Ontario University Athletics (OUA) is pleased to announce the 2018 lacrosse major award winners and all-stars.
Offensive Player of the Year – Annie Lloyd, Queen’s Gaels
Annie Lloyd (Orillia, Ont.) has been the model of consistency for the Gaels this season; something that she showcased greatly in the season’s final weekend.
She was nearly 70% on draw controls, which sets up the Gaels’ offence with the ball for much of the game and was pivotal in all three of the games through championship weekend in that regard. On the offensive side, although she didn’t lead Queen’s in scoring this regular season (ranked third), she tied teammate Kiah Shanks (Orillia, Ont.), who joins Lloyd on as a first-team all-star, for the team lead through championship weekend with eight tallies.
On the other side of the ball, Lloyd is also a top defender for the Tricolour. As a result, she is often tasked with some of the toughest matchups the opposition has to offer, but while the coaches present the challenge, they are something she enjoys taking on. The commanding play in all facets of the game not only make her an impactful player each and every game, but also a leader among her peers.
Defensive Player of the Year – Amelia Piccone, Queen’s Gaels
While Lloyd knows her way around the defensive side of the game, it is her teammate that takes home this year’s Defensive Player of the Year nod.
Amelia Piccone (Westmont, NJ) is an absolute machine on defence. She is the team’s leader in forced turnovers and is able to clear the ball herself. Her competitiveness allows her to excel all over the field, successfully defend the opponent’s best attacker, win loose balls on the circle, and even scoring the occasional goal.
The first-team all-star is also one of the Queen’s captains and leads by example within the role. She pushes everyone to be better on and off the field, with her will to win ranking second to none.
Rookie of the Year – Jordan Kummer, Queen’s Gaels
After finishing the regular season as the team’s second-leading scorer (23G, 10A), Jordan Kummer (Orillia, Ont.) continued her strong debut campaign into championship weekend, wherein she played a key role in her team’s eventual banner season win.
This year’s Rookie of the Year recipient and second-team all-star was put into a challenging role as a first-year player as a midfielder who could score, but also drop back and defend. This potent combination makes Kummer a competitive player, who will be a centerpiece of the Gaels’ squad for years to come.
Coach of the Year – Mike Watson, Queen’s Gaels
At the helm of the banner-winning Queen’s team is Mike Watson, who in his third season as the head coach of the Gaels, has turned the lacrosse program around. The 2018 Coach of the Year has seen his squad constantly improve since a sub-.500 2014 season (5-6-1), and in just three seasons, Watson has not only been able to spark an undefeated season, but also a lacrosse championship back to Queen’s for the first time since 1999.
In addition to the aforementioned all-stars, Watson has also guided the likes of Rachel Mochulla (Orillia, Ont.) and Brittany Schwende (Elora, Ont.) to all-star recognition, settling in on the first and second-team, respectively.
The runners up on championship weekend, the Laurier Golden Hawks, are represented by a trio of all-stars, led by first-team representative Rose Williams (Elora, Ont.). The silver-medal winning attacker ended her campaign with two second-half goals in the final match, which brought her championship total to six goals and one helper, putting the cherry on top of another stellar campaign for the Hawks. Midfielder Taylor Miller (Orangeville, Ont.), who recorded five goals on the weekend, and defender Lauren Hunter (Niagara Falls, Ont.), who picked up two points (1G, 1A), earn second-team honours.
After earning the bronze medal on home turf, the championship hosts see a pair of Excalibur represented as all-stars this season. Leah Michel (Courtice, Ont.) had a standout season to lead the Trent offence with 48 goals and 12 assists in 13 games. The 2016 Rookie of the Year and now three-time all-star has incredible awareness on the field and can find the back of the net with great ease; a skill she continued to showcase with eight goals in three games in the province’s final weekend.
Michel is joined on the second team by teammate Victoria Clark (Otonabee, Ont.), who led the Excalibur first-year players with 18 goals and eight assists. Her speed in the midfield and tough defence is tough to be beat, while her ability to drive to the net and work hard allows her to be a key player on offence as well. She has made a great impact for Trent to solidify their strong midfield and capped off her campaign with six goals and fantastic two-way play all weekend long.
For the Varsity Blues, they see a trio of players get the nod as all-stars, headlined by Brynne Yarranton (Toronto, Ont.). A fifth-year midfielder from Toronto, Yarranton joined the Blues lacrosse team this season after two seasons at Boston University and two seasons at the University of Vermont and is the lone U of T player to earn OUA first team all-star honours in 2018. She made an immediate impact with her new team, leading the Blues with 48 goals in 13 regular season games, while also scoring six goals in three games as the Blues as part of their fourth-place finish at the OUA championship.
Marie Mutware (Toronto, Ont.), a third-year defender, and Sierra Watkins (Burlington, VT), a first-year goalie, earn their first career all-star nods, both being named to the second team. The former was the backbone of U of T’s defensive corps this season, while the latter shone as Toronto’s starting goalie, allowing less than six goals per game over U of T’s last five matches of the season.
While Watkins stands between the pipes on the second team, it is McMaster’s Sabrina Schindel (Toronto, Ont.) who gets the nod for the first-team all-stars. The third-year goaltender has stood tall for the Marauders all season long, a stretch that included an Athlete of the Week nod for her school after putting together 20+ saves in a single weekend this year. Sophie Skillen (Mono, Ont.) joins her teammate as a 2018 all-star, staking her spot on the second team.
The reigning Offensive Player of the Year, meanwhile, once again earns first-team all-star recognition, with Katy De Snoo (Oshawa, Ont.) joining the crop of standout attackers. In fitting fashion, De Snoo ended her campaign with a flurry of offence, picking up a hat trick and an assist in both of Western’s games as part of championship weekend. Along with De Snoo, Mustangs’ midfielder Fawn Porter (Hagersville, Ont.) and defender Meagan McCrory (Oshawa, Ont.) see first-team all-star selections, while midfielder Calaina Brooke (Toronto, Ont.) makes the second team.
A pair of Badgers have turned their strong campaigns into all-star nods, with Lindsey Highfield (Georgetown, Ont.) and Gillian Webster (Millbrook, Ont.) making the first and second team, respectively for Brock. Two additional midfielders, finally, round out the two talented teams, with York’s Sonya Mwambu (Ajax, Ont.) staking claim to a first-team spot and Susanna Coss (Annapolis, MD) representing the Guelph Gryphons on the second team.
The complete list of 2018 field hockey major award winners and all-stars is as follows:
Major Award Winners
Offensive Player of the Year – Annie Lloyd, Queen’s
Defensive Player of the Year – Amelia Piccone, Queen’s
Rookie of the Year – Jordan Kummer, Queen’s
Coach of the Year – Mike Watson, Queen’s
First-Team All-Stars
Attacker – Kiah Shanks, Queen’s
Attacker – Katy De Snoo, Western
Attacker – Rose Williams, Laurier
Midfielder – Brynne Yarranton, Toronto
Midfielder – Lindsey Highfield, Brock
Midfielder – Annie Lloyd, Queen’s
Midfielder – Fawn Porter, Western
Midfielder – Sonya Mwambu, York
Defender – Meagan McCrory, Western
Defender – Amelia Piccone, Queen’s
Defender – Rachel Mochulla, Queen’s
Goaltender – Sabrina Schindel, McMaster
Second-Team All-Stars
Attacker – Leah Michel, Trent
Attacker – Brittany Schwende, Queen’s
Attacker – Sophie Skillen, McMaster
Midfielder – Susanna Coss, Guelph
Midfielder – Taylor Miller, Laurier
Midfielder – Victoria Clark, Trent
Midfielder – Jordan Kummer, Queen’s
Midfielder – Calaina Brooke, Western
Defender – Marie Mutware, Toronto
Defender – Gillian Webster, Brock
Defender – Lauren Hunter, Laurier
Goaltender – Sierra Watkins, Toronto