March 2, 2020

Ryerson revels in conference recognition as trio of Rams headline season’s major awards

Burlington, Ont. – The talent across the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) volleyball landscape continues to impress, with the latest season showcasing several standouts once again. Teams like Ryerson have turned to this talent both on the court and the sidelines, en route to three of this year’s award winners donning Rams attire, while other successful squads came through with honourees of their own. Combined, this deserving group helps make up the OUA women’s volleyball major award winners and all-stars for the 2019-20 season.

Player of the Year (East) – Cailin Wark, Ryerson Rams

The Ryerson Rams were among the country’s elite once again this season, and they can thank a gifted group on and beyond the court. Among the top-tier talent headlining the Rams’ roster is Cailin Wark (Georgetown, Ont.), who is not only a standout on her team, but across the league. The East Division’s Player of the Year was a constant on offence, churning out 3.25 kills per set (5th in OUA) and 4.0 points per set (6th in OUA). Not only was she registering kills, but doing so at one of the most efficient rates in the province, finishing her season with a fifth-ranked 0.285 hitting percentage.

The senior outside hitter used this career year to add to what has already been a decorated university tenure. The former all-rookie and now three-time OUA all-star eclipsed 200 kills in a season for the first time in her four-year stretch and was the prime offensive contributor all season long for a team that finished first in the OUA in both kills and total points.

Rookie of the Year (East) – Jasmine Rivest, Ryerson Rams

While Wark has shown a propensity to shine throughout her lengthy career, fellow Ram Jasmine Rivest (Montréal, Que.) did so in her foray into the university game. The division’s Rookie of the Year selection posted 2.16 kills and 2.8 points per set for the Rams, while hitting 0.217 percent to rank in the OUA’s top 20. Throughout the season, Rivest showed that she can be a consistent contributor to one of the nation’s premier teams, but she burst onto the scene in a big way back in early November. In one of her first contests, taking on the Waterloo Warriors, Rivest impressed with a 20-kill performance and zero errors, good enough for a 0.606 hitting percentage.

Coach of the Year (East) – Dustin Reid, Ryerson Rams

Beyond Ryerson’s play on the court, they were also coached by one of the best in the business. Leading the Rams in that position once again was Dustin Reid, who for the third season in a row, claim’s the top coaching honour for the East Division. Not only did the team finish the season with a 16-3 record, they climbed as high as second in the national ranks. In addition to their top ranks in both kills and points in the OUA, Reid’s team was also among the top-five in assists, hitting percentage, service aces, and digs, showcasing their strengths on both sides of the ball. Under Reid this season, the Rams also saw five players earn award or all-star recognition.

Player of the Year (West) – Sarah Glynn, Waterloo Warriors

While Ryerson’s award-winning contingent was impressive, several other schools were well-represented in this year’s hardware haul, including the West Division’s top player selection. Last year’s top rookie, Sarah Glynn, continued her meteoric rise among the OUA’s elite, as in just her second season, she claims her second major conference award.

Among the reasons for Glynn’s Player of the Year nod was her offensive prowess that outshone the rest of the OUA. The native of Fredericton, N.B. led the conference in kills per set with 4.03 and total kills with 286. She mirrored those ranks in scoring as well, totaling a league-best 336 points and an average of 4.7 per set. Now with an encore campaign of dominance in tow, the Warriors’ sophomore has come out of the university gates swinging, having now amassed over 500 kills in just two seasons with the black and gold.

To cap off her campaign, Glynn was also a prominent figure on the other side of the ball, ranking just outside the top 10 in digs per set on the year (182).

Rookie of the Year (West) – Yaila Sealy, Windsor Lancers

From last year’s top rookie to the current victor, Yaila Sealy was the West Division’s best in terms of newcomers this season. The Etobicoke, Ont. native took the top left side role for the Windsor Lancers midway through November and never looked back en route to an award-winning OUA debut. Sealy averaged 2.71 kills per set on 176 total kills, but more than just her knack for hitting was her ability to avoid the errors, as she made just 73 on her 564 attack attempts. Rounding out what was a robust rookie campaign, Sealy totalled 213 total points (3.3 per set) and 106 digs for the Lancers.

Coach of the Year (West) – Steve Delaney, Brock Badgers

Another individual making their mark on the university scene early in their tenure is Brock head coach Steve Delaney, as the second-year bench boss takes home the West Division’s Coach of the Year nod. It was a second season to remember for Delaney and the Badgers, who after leading the St. Catharines squad to their first winning season and playoff appearance since 2015 in his first year, went above and beyond in his encore outing. Posting one of the highest winning marks in the program’s history, the 14-win Badgers found themselves among the leaders in several key categories, including top spot across the conference in points per set (16.1), kills per set (12.11), and assists per set (11.59).

Award of Merit (West) – Megan Kalbfleisch, Windsor Lancers

Not only were student-athletes exceeding expectations on the court, but also beyond it, extending their extraordinary reach to both the classroom and community. One such individual in the West Division was Megan Kalbfleisch (Mount Pearl, NL), who turned her incomparable contributions to the division’s Award of Merit selection.

The defensive specialist made her mark both within and beyond the sport. When focusing on volleyball, Kalbfleisch spends time helping the South Country Bandits with their setting fundamentals, while also running positional nights working on skill development with athletes between ages 10 and 17. The fourth-year Lancer also works on skill acquisition with the younger age group, Little Spikes. Beyond passing on her passion for the game to the younger generation, Kalbfleisch is also a referee for intramurals.

When venturing outside of volleyball, the human kinetics major also puts her classroom experience to good use, volunteering at the John McGivney Children’s Centre to help with pediatric therapy, as well as with the Centre for Performance in Human Kinetics to help test community members’ body composition.

Award of Merit (East) – Sophia Currier, Toronto Varsity Blues

A fellow well-rounded standout, Sophia Currier, helped lead the Blues to an OUA-best 17-2 regular season finish, but the contributions of the East Division Award of Merit recipient went well beyond the court. In the classroom, the fourth-year libero is pursuing a commerce degree at U of T’s prestigious Rotman School of Management. Therein, Currier serves as the director of marketing for Rotman commerce students in sports, while also serving as a mentor for the University College eMentorship program.

Currier sits on U of T’s Varsity Board, which is made up with representation from each of the 42 Varsity Blues teams, meeting regularly to discuss important issues and to ensure all students have the best possible athletics experience during their time at the University of Toronto. She has also been a Blues Buddy Up volunteer since 2017, a leadership and character-building initiative designed to target personal and interpersonal skill development in elementary aged students.

The native of Williamsburg, Ont. has also volunteered as a camp counselor at Camp Oochigeas, a nonprofit oncology camp that brings laughter and joy to kids and families affected by childhood cancer, and volunteered with the federated health campaign, bringing support for up to 20 health charities in Ontario.

Alongside these talented award winners are several additional standouts who turned their respective seasons into conference recognition, the complete list of which is below.

Major Award Winners

East Division

Player of the Year – Cailin Wark, Ryerson

Rookie of the Year – Jasmine Rivest, Ryerson

Award of Merit – Sophia Currier, Toronto

Coach of the Year – Dustin Reid, Ryerson

West Division

Player of the Year – Sarah Glynn, Waterloo

Rookie of the Year – Yaila Sealy, Windsor

Award of Merit – Megan Kalbfleisch, Windsor

Coach of the Year – Steve Delaney, Brock

First Team All-Stars (East)