On Friday, April 10th, the Niagara College department of athletics & recreation formally concluded the 2014-15 intercollegiate athletics season with the hosting of the 46th annual Niagara College Athletics Award Banquet at the Riverstone Event Centre in Welland, Ontario.
“This event is a celebration of the tremendous successes enjoyed both during the 2014-15 season and over the careers of our newest members of the Knights Hall of Fame” said Niagara College acting vice-president of student affairs Rick Anderson. “Student-athletes serve as a fantastic source of pride and inspiration for the entire Niagara College community, and the awards presented this evening serve as a testament to your commitment and dedication to representing our institution on the provincial and national stage.”
The event was highlighted with the four biggest presentations of the evening, the male and female Top-Scholastic and male and female Athlete of the Year awards.
The female Top-Scholastic award was presented to golf team member Lorelle Weavers. The first-year Burlington, Ontario native excelled in the classroom in 2014-15 finishing the year with a 91.6% average in the Golf Management Program. Weaver’s named was called a number of times during the event, as she was also presented with the Tournament Sport Athlete of the Year, Golf MVP, and the Golf Scholastic award.
The male Top Scholastic award was presented to Niagara Falls, Ontario’s Anthony Stranges. A member of the Knights men’s soccer program, Stranges earned a 91% average in the highly-competitive Paramedic program.
The evening was concluded with the presentation of the Niagara College Athlete of the Year awards.
On the female side, the Athlete of the Year Award went to golf stand-out Lorelle Weavers. Weavers won the 2014 CCAA Golf women’s individual national championship and became only the second Niagara College student-athlete to be named All-Canadian and Academic All-Canadian in the same season.
For the third straight year, the male Athlete of the Year award was presented to a member of the Niagara College men’s volleyball program as outside hitter Jeff Scott (Georgetown) earned the accolade. The former male rookie of the year had an outstanding season for the Knights, helping to lead the program to a CCAA bronze medal.
Niagara College director of athletics & recreation Matthew Davies commented, “we are very proud of our student-athletes’ accomplishments in the classroom and in their respective sports. They have proven to be fantastic ambassadors for the college and have demonstrated a commitment to excellence that is the core of the Knights Family culture. We look forward to watching each and every one of them continue to grow as leaders and professionals in their respective fields.”
The evening’s other major award winners included: Rookies of the Year Delroy Grandison (men’s basketball) and Courtney McPherson (women’s basketball), Leadership Award winners Steve Stone (men’s volleyball) and Miranda Ross (women’s basketball), male Tournament Sport Athlete of the Year Andy Hein (curling), and the Ralph Nero Award (for a coach’s dedication to student-athlete recruitment and retention) Joey Martins (women’s volleyball).
The 2014-15 season concludes as one of the most successful in Niagara College intercollegiate athletics program history. The Knights captured a CCAA gold medal (golf), CCAA bronze medal (men’s volleyball), a CCAA All-Canadian (Lorelle Weavers), an OCAA gold medal (men’s volleyball), an OCAA bronze medal (women’s volleyball), OCAA rookie of the year (McPherson), OCAA west division rookie of the year (Grandison), had seven student-athletes named CCAA Academic All-Canadians, received 30 OCAA All-Academic selections, and had 17 OCAA All-Stars.
Major Awards
Male Athlete of the Year – Jeff Scott, Men’s Volleyball (Georgetown)
Female Athlete of the Year – Lorelle Weavers, Golf (Burlington)
Male Rookie of the Year – Delroy Grandison, Men’s Basketball (Nassau)
Female Rookie of the Year – Courtney McPherson, Women’s Basketball (Welland)
Male Tournament Sport Player of the Year – Andy Hein, Curling (Omemee)
Female Tournament Sport Player of the Year – Lorelle Weavers, Golf (Burlington)
Male Outstanding Leadership Award – Steve Stone, Men’s Volleyball (St. Catharines)
Female Outstanding Leadership Award – Miranda Ross, Women’s Basketball (St. Catharines)
Male Scholastic Award –Anthony Stranges, Men’s Soccer (Niagara Falls)
Female Scholastic Award – Lorelle Weavers, Golf (Burlington)
Ralph Nero Award – Coach Joey Martins, Women’s Volleyball
Team Awards
Men’s Soccer
Most Valuable Player – Keith Makubuya (St. Catharines)
Leadership Award – Jordan Provenzano (Niagara Falls)
Scholastic Award – Anthony Stranges (Niagara Falls)
Rookie of the Year – Andrew Currie (Woodstock)
Women’s Soccer
Most Valuable Player – Jackie Lawther (Grimsby)
Leadership Award – Sarah Morris (Niagara Falls)
Scholastic Award – Cassandra Gilmore (Welland)
Rookie of the Year – Rebecca Morrison (Erin)
Men’s Basketball
Most Valuable Player – Delroy Grandison (Nassau, Bahamas)
Leadership Award – Aaron Chapman (Huntsville)
Scholastic Award – Aidan Alize-Minty (Elmvale)
Rookie of the Year – Delroy Grandison (Nassau, Bahamas)
Women’s Basketball
Most Valuable Player – Courtney McPherson (Welland)
Leadership Award – Miranda Ross (St. Catharines)
Scholastic Award – Miranda Ross (St. Catharines)
Rookie of the Year – Courtney McPherson (Welland)
Men’s Volleyball
Most Valuable Player – Jeff Scott (Georgetown)
Leadership Award – Steve Stone (St. Catharines)
Scholastic Award – Steve Stone (St. Catharines) & Bailey Cochrane (Barrie)
Rookie of the Year – Cole Jordan (London)
Women’s Volleyball
Most Valuable Player – Lucy McLay (Stratford)
Leadership Award – Alexandria Botelho (Stoney Creek)
Scholastic Award – Vaska Hamanova (Mississauga)
Rookie of the Year – Bailey Davis (Georgetown)
Golf
Most Valuable Player – Lorelle Weavers (Burlington)
Leadership Award – Zach Bankuti (Brampton)
Scholastic Award – Lorelle Weavers (Burlington)
Rookie of the Year – Nick Schepens (London)
Curling
Most Valuable Player – Megan Droog (Harriston)
Leadership Award – Andy Hein (Omemee)
Scholastic Award – Allison Mondloch (St. Thomas)
Rookie of the Year – Mike Corner (Orangeville)
