Brock’s Weinert wows in junior season to win OUA player of the year honours

Burlington, Ont. – Iconic figures for their respective programs, whether on or off the court, the achievements seen across the hardwood during the 2023-24 season were nothing short of impressive. And after stacking up conference leading stats for her St. Catharines squad all year, Brock’s Madalyn Weinert earns player of the year honours to headline the award winners and all-stars from the 2023-24 Ontario University Athletics (OUA) women’s basketball season.

Player of the Year – Madalyn Weinert, Brock

Madalyn Weinert was anywhere and everyone on the court for the Brock Badgers this season, turning those sparkling all-around numbers into an MVP-calibre campaign.

Offensively, there was no one as sharp as the third-year guard/forward this season, as she topped the conference with her 22.5 points per game. Not only was her offensive output the best in Ontario, but across the country as well, and as part of that keen offensive sense, she also eclipsed the 1,000 point plateau for her varsity career.  She was adept at more than just scoring; however, as she also was one of the best distributors with 4.5 assists per game (2nd in OUA).

An all-around player for Brock, Weinert also wreaked havoc defensively, as she chipped in with a nation-leading two blocks per contest and 2.5 steals per game, the latter placing her in the OUA’s top-five. If that wasn’t enough, she also averaged just shy of a double-double thanks to her per game mark of 9.6 boards.

After debuting as an all-rookie and following that up with a second team all-star nod a year ago, Weinert’s continued upward trajectory through three seasons not only catapulted her to a first team all-star this year, but also taking home the program’s third MVP honour overall.

Defensive Player of the Year – Julia Chadwick, Queen’s

Julia Chadwick was dominant on both ends of the court for the Gaels throughout the 2023-24 campaign, and while she was always one to watch offensively, it is her ability on the other end of the floor that earned her OUA accolades this season.

The Ottawa, Ont. product battled on the boards with the best of them this season, leading the OUA to the tune of 10.9 per game. The Queen’s standout was third in the conference with seven defensive rebounds per game, limiting second chance opportunities time and time again during the year. When she wasn’t crashing the glass, she was also a prominent shot blocking presence. Her 37 total blocked shots ranked her second in the OUA, and for good measure, the masters of industrial relations student chipped in 33 steals.

The first team all-star forward becomes just the second Gael to win the award and first since the 2007-08 campaign.

Rookie of the Year – Catrina Garvey, TMU

Catrina Garvey may have made her varsity debut this season with the TMU Bold, but her impact went well beyond her years as the conference’s top rookie.

Garvey, a psychology student from Ottawa, Ont., joined the Bold for the 2023-24 season and became an immediate fixture in the team’s lineup. Starting all 21 games in which she played, the first-year guard ranked fifth with her 32.8 minutes per game.

Her time on the floor was not just lengthy, but productive, as she poured in 13.0 points per game to rank among the conference’s top-20 scorers this season. Anchored by a season-best 24 points on January 12th against Windsor – a game in which she accounted for more than half of her team’s scoring – Garvey went on to score double digit points in 14 of her 21 games for the year.

Helping her to reach such lofty numbers was her ability to score all over the floor as well, knocking down 40 triples in 2023-24. That total put her just outside the top-10 in the province in that regard, while her 109 field goals overall were good for 13th. To round out her productive rookie campaign, the talented guard also collected 55 rebounds and dished out 35 assists.

Garvey becomes just the third recipient from TMU to receive the rookie recognition, and the first since Marin Scotten took home the honours in 2017-18.

Coach of the Year – Dani Sinclair, Carleton

Coming into the season as defending OUA and U SPORTS champions, the Carleton Ravens knew they’d need to bring their best every night to achieve similar results this season, and head coach Dani Sinclair has helped the team reach those lofty heights in 2023-24 as well.

Sinclair led her Carleton squad to the top ranked offence and defence in the OUA this season, as the Ravens poured in 80.6 points per game, while allowing just 53.5, including 10 instances of holding opponents to under 50 points. Contributing to her team’s strengths in the former was an OUA best 44.2 field goal percentage and a blistering 32.7 success rate from beyond the arc. Sinclair’s squad, who dropped only one regular season game, was also menacing on the glass, combining for the conference’s top rebounding totals and rebounding margin, while limiting opponents to a stingy 30.8% from the field.

Led by first team all-star Kali Pocrnic and second-teamer Tayanna Burke, Sinclair was also able to get the most out of her roster game in and game out. Four Ravens were among the top-30 scorers in the league, two found themselves among the top-12 rebounders, and Pocrnic finished top-10 in assists. Additionally, five players averaged more than a steal per game, cementing the strong and active buy-in on both ends of the floor from Sinclair’s top-ranked squad in the nation.

Joy Bellinger Award – Jenna Button, McMaster

Jenna Button, a fifth-year kinesiology student and starting guard for McMaster, is the backbone of the Marauders squad in more ways than one, helping her to take home the Joy Bellinger Award.

Averaging 16.6 points per game in her final varsity season on 35% shooting from beyond the arc, Button proved her prolific shooting will go down among the best in program history. But as well-engrained as the all-star is on the court, the team’s eighth-highest scorer of all-time is also a standout for the program beyond the sidelines.

The Dundas, Ont. local has been involved in almost every facet of athletics and recreation during her time at McMaster. She is currently a student field therapist for the Marauders swimming team and the women’s volleyball student strength and conditioning coach. Button held a student clinical therapist position at the David Braley Sport Medicine & Rehabilitation Clinic last year and is currently a placement student at the same clinic.

When she isn’t on the court, the former recipient of the Marauder Women in Sport Leadership Award is also a key member of the McMaster event staff working varsity game days. As a student-athlete, meanwhile, the dynamic guard is an events executive on the Varsity Leadership Committee, the women’s basketball team rep on MAC Athletes Care, and is also a general member of the Women’s Athletic Leadership Committee.

In the greater Hamilton community, finally, the four-time academic all-Canadian is a coach for Dundas Dynamo House League, was a guest coach for STAC girls basketball in 2023, and was a volunteer coach with Burlington Vipers Wheelchair Basketball.

Tracy McLeod Award – Grace Koffi, Windsor

Grace Koffi has gone through a great deal of adversity during her varsity tenure, but throughout the journey, her unmatched sense of perseverance and determination has been an inspiration.

Starting her varsity tenure during the cancelled season, Koffi not only wasn’t able to play, but she also began an extensive drug plan as recommended by doctors to address a hormone imbalance. This ultimately led to insomnia, headaches, weight gain, muscle loss, and overall pain, symptoms that lasted until as recently as this past December.

Excited for her second year of university, the Pierrefonds, Que. local then saw her body break down in ways she had never seen, developing a chronic lower body injury that made her unable to sit comfortably or even walk or breathe without pain. After a year and a half long rehab process, Koffi was set to return for her third year as a student-athlete, a plan that was then derailed due to back-to-back concussions which sidelined her for most of the season.

This past summer, gearing up for what she was expecting to be a much more straight-forward path, Koffi suffered an acute appendicitis that almost took her life, as the surgery was delayed due to the high volume of patients and the doctors not recognizing what her ‘stomach’ pain was. After a successful surgery, the fourth-year guard was able to re-train, but was forced to be on load management for this season.

As this past semester rolled around, the business major started to feel better, in large part due to stopping all drugs that had been prescribed to her over the last four years, but while finally feeling good and able to practice daily and play without restriction, Koffi suffered another concussion when she was hit in the head going for a lay-up in a game.

While her varsity career was not the one she envisioned four years ago, Koffi remained a positive presence for the Lancers, always involved, present, and joyful around her teammates. She exemplified determination, resilience, and unwavering spirit, and despite the multiple occasions that nearly derailed her playing days altogether, Koffi never gave up and always showed up.

Champion of EDI Award – Maria Coccimiglio, Algoma

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. Through her commitment to underrepresented members of the school community, 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; planned initiatives surrounding Movember to draw attention to men’s mental health; and much more.

Through 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, the Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. local has shown commendable dedication to advancing knowledge and education surrounding EDI issues.

The complete list of 2023-24 OUA women’s basketball award winners and all-stars is as follows:

Player of the Year – Madalyn Weinert, Brock
Defensive Player of the Year – Julia Chadwick, Queen’s
Rookie of the Year – Catrina Garvey, TMU
Coach of the Year – Dani Sinclair, Carleton
Joy Bellinger Award – Jenna Button, McMaster
Tracy McLeod Award – Grace Koffi, Windsor
Champion of EDI Award – Maria Coccimiglio, Algoma
Officials Award of Merit – Christine Vuong

First Team All-Stars

Madalyn Weinert, Brock
Julia Chadwick, Queen’s
Kali Pocrnic, Carleton
MacKeely Shantz, Western
Natsuki Szczokin, Ottawa

Second Team All-Stars

Jenna Button, McMaster
Renee Armstrong, Guelph
Kiara Leveridge, York
Laura Donovan, Queen’s
Tatyanna Burke, Carleton

Third Team All-Stars

Cassidy Hirtle, Wilfrid Laurier
Kaillie Hall, TMU
Ellen Ougrinov, Toronto
Nehita Oko-Oboh, Waterloo
Ariane Saumure, Ottawa

All-Rookie Team

Catrina Garvey, TMU
Emily Frankovic, McMaster
Paris Alexander, Western
Victoria Brideau, Ottawa
Yemi Oladipo, Waterloo

*Please note that all OUA award winners and all-stars are selected based on the respective nominations and votes from each of the conference's 18 head coaches.