Rohr, Davies named OUA athletes of the year for the 2023-24 season
Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont. – Ontario University Athletics (OUA) celebrated the 2023-24 Honour Awards Banquet on Wednesday, May 15th, with Brock’s Sara Rohr and Guelph’s Max Davies being named athletes of the year.
Athlete of the Year – Sara Rohr, Brock Badgers
Roaring into her senior season, Sara Rohr put on a show to lead her OUA champion women’s volleyball team to continued conference success, and in doing so, also becomes the third Brock Badger to earn athlete of the year honours (Kate Allgood, 2005-06; Aaron Pomery, 1995-96).
A fifth-year setter from Milton, Ont., who is in grad school at Brock University, put the cherry on top of her varsity tenure by outdoing even her lofty career numbers.
She finished first in the province this season with 10.90 assists per set, good for a full two assists more than the next player on the list. That mark was also good for second in U SPORTS and helped bring her career per set average to 9.30. With an OUA-leading 643 total assists on the year, Rohr also surpassed former Badger Ally Fast to become the program’s all-time leader with 2,677 assists. She also finishes her time in the OUA with over 500 digs.
The OUA player of the year – just the second Brock standout to earn the honour – and first team all-star thrived in St. Catharines, and for a third consecutive season, helped lead her team to the Quigley Cup title, finishing with 42 assists and 15 digs in the championship game.
Athlete of the Year – Max Davies, Guelph Gryphons
An endurance runner from Toronto, Ont., Max Davies was a force to be reckoned with any time he stepped up to the start line this season for the Guelph Gryphons.
Davies did just about all that he could on the track this season as a member of the national champion Gryphons squad. The OUA track athlete of the year and of the meet for the 2024 Championships, was a standout therein, collecting three gold medals across the two day event. He paced the pack in the 1000m, the 1500m, and as part of the 4x800m relay.
His impressive efforts continued onto the national stage, with the podium-topping performances and accolades rolling along. He set a U SPORTS record while winning gold in the 1000m, before doing the same in the 1500m a day later to break a 34-year old mark. Like at the OUA finale, meanwhile, he would round out his championship outing running the anchor leg for the gold-medal winning 4x800m relay team. For his efforts, Davies was once again named track athlete of the meet and of the year at the national level, while helping to lead his Guelph team to their 10th national title in program history.
Before even hitting the track, however, Davies was also a key figure in the Gryphons’ cross country success. He was a first team OUA all-star following his second-place individual finish at the conference championships in October, which also helped score his side the 2023 title, and would add second team All-Canadian honours to his resume at the national race.
This marks the ninth time a Guelph student-athletes has earned OUA athlete of the year honours.
Team of the Year – Carleton Ravens, Women’s Basketball
The 2023-24 Carleton Ravens women’s basketball team will go down as one of the program’s best all-time after doubling down on what was already an astounding year prior.
Quickly adding themselves to the lore of the of the great Ravens basketball programs, this year’s edition led the nation in scoring with 1,774 points, averaging 80 per contest. The black birds also held their opponents under 50 points on 12 occasions, while limiting their competitors to a league-low 30.8% shooting from the field. The top-seeded squad parlayed these potent numbers into a nearly unblemished record, dropping just one regular season game before reeling off a 12-game winning streak heading into the playoffs.
Amazingly, the Carleton crew found yet another gear in their quest for the Critelli Cup, sweeping their OUA postseason contests by an average margin of victory of more than 16 points per game. This dominance was also featured in their Critelli Cup rematch with the Queen’s Gaels, who the Ravens once again overcame to secure their second straight OUA title.
Much like last year, the conference champs continued their momentum onto the national stage. Led by U SPORTS Final 8 MVP Kali Pocrnic, the Ravens reeled off a 17-point win over Fraser Valley, a 34-point victory over the Gaels, and a thrilling 70-67 triumph in the championship game over Saskatchewan to cap off their 2023-24 campaign as back-to-back U SPORTS champions.
Team of the Year – Queen’s Gaels, Men’s Basketball
Kingston local Cole Syllas dribbled up court in the dying seconds of the Wilson Cup. The Queen’s guard let it fly from beyond the arc. It banked in as the buzzer sounded, and the rest is history.
As part of their 2023-24 campaign, the Queen’s Gaels men’s basketball team produced iconic moments and results that will forever be linked to their most successful season in program history. Before even making it to the OUA finale, the team produced a program-best 19-3 mark in the regular season and earned the top seed in their quest for a Wilson Cup. They turned that No. 1 spot into a championship run, and despite not holding a lead until that final shot of the conference finale against the Brock Badgers, were able to turn that mesmerizing Syllas buzzer-beater into their first OUA championship since 1956-57.
The run of success didn’t stop there either, as they continued on to the U SPORTS Men’s Final 8 for a third straight season. They took down Winnipeg and Ottawa, respectively, to secure themselves a spot in the gold medal game, and while they ultimately left as runners up to host Laval, the Gaels once again set a new mark for the program as national silver medalists.
This is the first time that a group from Queen’s has been tabbed as the OUA team of the year.
Coach of the Year – Dani Sinclair, Carleton Ravens
The Carleton Ravens women’s basketball team not only saw success on the court, but on the sidelines as well thanks to the team’s award-winning bench boss, Dani Sinclair.
Since joining the Ravens program in 2020, Sinclair has continued to help the Ravens soar. Now in her third season behind the bench, the former varsity standout and long-time coach herself led the Ravens to an OUA-best 21-1 record in the regular season, sustaining a string of success right from the season’s opening tip.
Despite entering the year as defending champions and anticipating the opposition’s best night in and night out, Sinclair’s squad were as consistently dominant as they came all year. They were the top-ranked team in the country for eight of the year’s 12 rankings, a run which was capped off by her second consecutive Critelli Cup and national championship.
Recipient of the OUA women’s basketball coach of the year, Sinclair’s Ravens shone collectively and individually, with the decorated coach getting the best out of several of her players. Pocrnic, Carleton’s co-athlete of the year, produced a first team all-star season; Tatyanna Burke collected second team all-star honours and was the U SPORTS championship game MVP; and Kyana-Jade Poulin was named a Final 8 tournament all-star.
Sinclair’s OUA coach of the year nod marks the sixth such accolade for the Carleton Ravens overall.
Coach of the Year – Steph Barrie, Queen’s Gaels
After leading his Queen’s men’s basketball team to their best finish in program history, Steph Barrie joins a list of six other Gaels bench bosses to be named OUA coach of the year.
Coming into the 2023-24 season as the reigning OUA coach of the year, the ___ coach was able to outdo himself in helping the Gaels reach new heights on the hardwood. Barrie led the Gaels to an OUA-best 19 wins on the year, paced by a second-ranked offence and defence, scoring 86.9 points per game and surrendering just 71.4 points against per contest. The latest marks continued the team’s upward trajectory since the pandemic, and helped them reach the national championship tournament for the third straight season and win their first Wilson Cup in nearly 70 years.
In addition to the team’s collective success at both the provincial and national level, Barrie also saw tremendous individual efforts from his 2023-24 squad, which included a defensive player of the year nod and first team all-star selection for Luka Syllas and a second team selection for his brother Cole.
Beyond their stats on the court, however, the now back-to-back OUA men’s basketball coach of the year stresses the importance of being high-character individuals before focusing on basketball, and challenges his student-athletes to put others first in everything that they do. One of the ways he helps them make such strides in their lives is through weekly group talks called ‘Personal Growth Mondays’.
J.P. Loosemore Award – Jennifer Brenning, Carleton Ravens
For nearly 35 years, Jennifer Brenning has been committed to growing university sport in Canada.
Starting with 11 years at Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) in various capacity, Brenning next went to the University of Ottawa where was Assistant Director, Programs for seven years. She would stay in the nation’s capital for her next role, then, as she was next named the Director of Recreation & Athletics at Carleton University, where she has been since 2007.
Concluding a career in university sport that has spanned three-plus decades comes with recognition of Brenning’s immense contributions therein. She has dedicated her career to providing student-athletes and coaches with an exceptional environment. In her time at Carleton, Brenning helped bring back the Ravens football program and revive the Panda Game, growing the rivalry into the biggest annual football event across the country.
She has overseen the growth of the Capital Hoops Classic and worked with colleagues to host the dual men’s and women’s U SPORTS Basketball Championship in 2020. Brenning also supported the return of the men’s hockey program, a move that helped usher in the return of a perennial OUA contender, who has appeared in three U CUP tournaments across their 15 seasons. Thanks to her vision, the Carleton Ravens brand is now a multi-million dollar identity recognized throughout the Carleton community and across Canada.
Carleton’s sports camps and Junior Ravens programs along with the department’s fitness programs have brought great community engagement to the campus, while her oversight has seen unparalleled success in basketball.
John McManus Award – Karen Danylchuk, Western Mustangs
Awarded to a recently retired OUA coach who exemplifies the highest ideals and qualities of sportsmanship and service while engaged in coaching in university sport, Western’s Karen Danylchuk is the recipient of the 2023-24 John McManus Award.
In addition to her impact as a coach, Danylchuk has a lengthy list of accomplishments as a student-athlete, administrator, and sport management scholar, which includes her involvement with the Mustangs tennis and gold programs. The founding president at the World Association for Sport Management has earned several distinguished awards throughout her long and successful career, including several coaching and administrative accolades from the OUA, and an array of prestigious leadership and service awards from the Sport Management Academy.
Notably, Danylchuk has been inducted into two sports halls of fame including McMaster University’s in 2006 as a tennis and squash athlete, and Western’s in 2014 for her role as a coach, sports administrator, and athletic alumni volunteer.
She also received the lifetime achievement award from the Western Mustangs Athletic Alumni in 2023.
Media Member of Distinction – Martin Cleary, Ottawa Sports Pages
A past winner of the Canadian sportswriter of the year award, and having covered six Olympic Games, Martin Cleary continues to meaningfully contribute to amateur sport, including those contributing to varsity athletics.
A graduate of TMU with a diploma in communication and journalism, Cleary quickly found a home at the Ottawa Citizen sports desk, going on to work there in a full-time capacity for over forty years, reporting on local sports. He continued to contribute a weekly column focused on local successes until 2020, and the following year, he joined the digital publication OttawaSportsPages.ca.
As a freelance sportswriter for the Ottawa Sports Pages, Cleary provides in depth profiles on student-athletes from the University of Ottawa and Carleton University, as well as local Ottawa student-athletes at institutions across Canada. He also does a remarkable job of following and publishing weekly accomplishments across a wide range of sports.
As he has done throughout his career, Cleary not only writes about the superstar athletes, but captures the support system that helps produce the magical moments of sports. His in-depth interviews reveal the care and interest that he has for the sporting community, which was also previously recognized as part of the Ottawa Sports Awards, wherein he was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award in Sports Media.
Woman of Distinction Award – Sue Hylland, Ottawa Gee-Gees
A long-time champion of women in sport, both across the conference and beyond, Sue Hylland becomes the second ever recipient of the OUA Woman of Distinction Award.
A well-respected leader in the Canadian sports system, Hylland came to the University of Ottawa following a 14-year span as President & CEO of the Canada Games Council and has been the school’s Director of Sport Services since 2016. The former Executive Director at the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sports and Physical Activity has also been a part of eight Olympic Games and two Pan-Am Games as a staff member, working diligently with countless stakeholders in each of these roles.
A former athlete – having played varsity basketball at both Bishop’s and Concordia and being named an all-Canadian therein – Hylland was previously named to Canada’s Most Influential Women in Sport list, and her influence has been noticeable across her more than 30 years as a sport leader. Not the least of this influence was seen in her role as the first chair of the OUA’s women in sport committee.
Hylland is concluding her time at Ottawa having been a leader and champion for women in sport before, during, and most assuredly, after her tenure in the conference.
Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion Award of Excellence – Maria Coccimiglio, Algoma Thunderbirds
Maria Coccimiglio has exhibited an unwavering commitment to advancing initiatives in equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) within Algoma’s athletic community, consistently demonstrating exceptional leadership and innovation therein.
In her three years of service to date, Coccimiglio has also been instrumental in developing and implementing programs that contribute to a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive environment on campus and within local sports programs.
She developed the EDI Athletics Handbook, reviewed by the EDI Department, to address such topics through the lens of sport. Through her commitment to underrepresented members of the school community, meanwhile, she took the lead on Algoma’s We Are ONE campaigns to support the Shingwauk Anishinaabe Students Association Scholarship and the ACCANO Scholarship; collaborated with the Algoma University Students Union for Pride Month initiatives, local organizations, and the EDI Department; planning initiatives surrounding Movember to draw attention to men’s mental health, and much more.
In her role as Algoma’s Student Life Information Officer (Sports Information), Coccimiglio has also actively raised awareness on the athletic department’s social channels, developing educational content to further encompass how EDI is a pivotal aspect of sport. She has walked new student-athletes through EDI discussions at every athlete orientation and also assists in coordinating ongoing training for student-athletes and staff.
Currently a doctoral student at Ontario Tech University, planning on researching resilience and motivation of student-athletes throughout the pandemic in both athletic and academic contexts, the Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. local has shown commendable dedication to advancing knowledge and education surrounding EDI issues.
