BY CODY STEEVES
The awards banquet for Conestoga College varsity sports is always an exciting evening for both players and coaches. Receiving an award of excellence is something an athlete will remember forever. The 2013/2014 award ceremonies on April 8 was a night full of celebration, with two athletes taking home top honours as best male athlete and best female athlete of the year. Team MVPs were also recognized.
Arman Yazdani received the Conestoga College male athlete of the year award. Yazdani played fullback for the college’s rugby team, helping them bring home the OCAA bronze medal. He was named the team’s MVP and he was also an OCAA all-star.
On the OCAA site, coach Kyle O’Neill had nothing but praise for the star athlete, saying, “He doesn’t miss a tackle and he saved us many times by completely disregarding his own body. He is extremely dedicated to the sport, the team and exemplifies what it is to be a Condor.”
The female athlete of the year award went to Brieanne Gallant, the libero player for the women’s volleyball team. She had a phenomenal season with a league leading 342 digs in 18 games. She was well regarded throughout the league, being named the OCAA women’s volleyball rookie of the year, a West Division First-Team All-Star and a member of the West Division all-rookie team. Coach Marek Gwozdz considers just being able to coach Gallant a privilege, saying on the site, “She is very solid and organized in the defensive position. She has the will to win and thrives in competition. I am very happy and privileged to coach Brie and I look forward to seeing her excel on the court again next year.”
Yazdani and Gallant both received a school ring and a $500 scholarship.
Most valuable players were also announced for the varsity teams. Ahmed Ahmed and Emily Erb were named the MVPs for the cross-country team. Caitlyn Schlegel took the women’s outdoor soccer MVP award and Jennifer Farquhar took the indoor MVP. Jacob Lickers and Jessica Ching took the MVP awards for the badminton team. Men’s volleyball’s MVP was Brandon Martin and Mallory O’Hara was the MVP for the women’s team. Brad Townsend was outdoor men’s soccer MVP and Biruk Nida was indoor men’s MVP. Tori Taylor was women’s fastball MVP and Megan Copeland Dinan was women’s rugby MVP.
The 2014/2015 season should be an equally good year for varsity sports, as many of the MVPs will be returning.
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