MacKnight, Van Buskirk named Lancer Athletes of the Year
A native of Regina, Saskatchewan, MacKnight was named the OUA women’s hockey player of the year after capturing the OUA scoring title with 40 points in 24 games. Her 15 goals and 25 assists were also second best in all of the CIS and resulted in her becoming the first ever Lancer women’s hockey player to be named a CIS All-Canadian.
A big-time player who also came up big in the important games, Jenny also finished 4th in Canada in game-winning goals. Additionally, she ranked in the CIS top ten in almost every major scoring statistical category, a testament to the incredible season she had.
Van Buskirk, a Windsor native, backstopped the Lancers to both the OUA West championship and the Queen’s Cup OUA provincial championship title. Named an OUA All-Star in the regular season, Parker led the CIS in total saves and finished 8th in Canada in save percentage with a .920 mark.
In the playoffs, he was nothing short of incredible as he allowed just 12 goals in 7 games to lead the Lancers to only their second Queen’s Cup in school history. His sparkling 1.72 goals against average and .970 save percentage led all conference netminders by a wide margin, and was named the Queen’s Cup championship MVP.
The DeMarco Awards, presented annually to the top female and male students that best combine academic achievement with athletic prowess, went to Nick Falk from cross country/track & field, and to Miah-Marie Langlois from the women’s basketball team on the women’s side.
The University of Windsor Gino Fracas Coach of the Year Award had co-winners this year and was presented to Kevin Hamlin from the men’s hockey team and Chantal Vallee from the women’s basketball team. Coach Hamlin led the Lancers to their best season in fifteen years as the team captured their second Queen’s Cup in program history and qualified for the national championships for the first time since 1999.
Coach Vallee had another remarkable season leading her squad to their fourth consecutive CIS national championship title, their fifth OUA provincial title in six years, and the OUA West Division regular season title for the sixth straight year.
The Captain's Trophy, awarded to a male and female captain who demonstrate outstanding leadership both on and off the field while also making a significant contribution to the overall success of their team, went to Scott Hickman from men’s volleyball and Camille Wallace from Track & Field.
The female rookie of the year award went to Women’s Basketball’s Cheyanne Roger, while Brett Boersma from the Football and Track & Field teams, won the male rookie of the year. Both recipients had outstanding rookie campaigns.
The Super Sophomore awards were presented to women’s volleyball standout Shannon Dean, and to Alex Ullman from track & field who was named the OUA’s overall outstanding performer at the provincial championships.
“A” Awards, marking major contributions to Lancer Athletics, went to the Lancer webcasting crew, including Ankur Kumar, Michael Specht, Mike Hugall, Kim Elliott, and Keifer MacDonald, and also to Fastpitch founders Paula Stamatiadis and Stephanie Mordus.