Friday, April 7th saw the Niagara College Knights celebrate the end of the 2016-17 season with the hosting of the 48th annual Athletic Awards banquet at the Riverstone Event Centre in Welland.
The evening also saw three new members formally inducted into the Niagara Knights Hall of Fame. The Class of 2017 consists of Niagara Falls native Shawn Barbisan (Men's Volleyball, 1998-2002), and the 1996 CCAA Champion doubles badminton team of Cindy Emery (Port Colborne) and Christine Audit-Smith (Welland).
"We are so proud to celebrate the many success stories our student-athletes enjoyed this past year, while also getting the chance to induct three new members into our Hall of Fame" said Matthew Davies, Niagara College's director of athletics and recreation. "This season, the Knights Family celebrated 41 OCAA All-Academic and four CCAA Academic All-Canadian award winners, eight OCAA/CCAA medals, and three CCAA All-Canadians. I'd like to thank all of our student-athletes for being such strong ambassadors for the College within the Niagara Region and across Canada."
The biggest awards of the evening were presented to Josiah Dixon (Bognor) of the Knights golf team and Jordan Koslowski (Hamilton) of the women's volleyball program, who were presented with the Niagara College male and female athlete of the year awards.
Dixon, captured four gold medals in 2016-17 including the CCAA and OCAA men's individual championships, and helped lead the Knights to OCAA and CCAA Championships in the men's team division. Dixon was also named a CCAA All-Canadian, a CCAA Academic All-Canadian, and an OCAA All-Star.
From the outside hitter position, the second year Koslowski, helped lead the Knights to an OCAA Bronze medal. Along the way she set the Niagara College women's volleyball single season and single game scoring records. She was named a CCAA All-Canadian and an OCAA First-Team All-Star for her performance this year.
The evening's other major award winner include: Rookies of the Year Kara Latham (Welland, women's soccer) and Jacob Therrien (Welland, men's soccer), Leadership Award winners Jeff Scott (Georgetown, men's volleyball) and Courtney McPherson (Welland, women's basketball), and top scholastic award winners Chris Reilly (Selkirk, curling) and Breanne Vande Ven (Delhi, women's basketball).
"Tonight is a celebration of the tremendous success our varsity teams have enjoyed this season" said David Veres, Niagara College Associate Vice-President of Academic and Leaner Services. "As student athletes, you serve as a fantastic source of pride for the entire Niagara College community. The awards presented here this evening reflect the countless hours each of you have dedicated to achieving results at the highest level. Congratulations on your accomplishments."
The 2016-17 season concludes as one of the most successful in Niagara College Knights history. The Knights won two CCAA National Championships (golf), three OCAA Championships (golf), an OCAA Silver Medal (women's curling), and two OCAA Bronze medals (golf and women's volleyball). The Knights individual accolades include three All-Canadians, four academic all-Canadians, 12 OCAA all-star selections, and 41 OCAA All-Academic award winners.
Full List of 2014-15 Award Winners:
Male Athlete of the Year – Josiah Dixon, Golf (Bognor)
Female Athlete of the Year –Jordan Koslowski, Women's Volleyball (Hamilton)
Male Rookie of the Year – Jacob Therrien, Men's Soccer (Welland)
Female Rookie of the Year – Kara Latham, Women's Soccer (Welland)
Male Tournament Sport Player of the Year – Josiah Dixon, Golf (Bognor)
Female Tournament Sport Player of the Year – Lorelle Weavers, Golf (Burlington)
Male Outstanding Leadership Award – Jeff Scott, Men's Volleyball (Georgetown)
Female Outstanding Leadership Award – Courtney McPherson, Women's Basketball (Welland)
Male Scholastic Award –Chris Reilly, Curling (Selkirk)
Female Scholastic Award – Breanne Vande Ven, Women's Basketball (Delhi)
Ralph Nero Award – Coach Mike Beccaria, Women's Basketball
Luciano Berardocco Award – Assistant Coach, Elliot Etherington, Men's Basketball
Team Awards
Men's Soccer
Most Valuable Player – Jordi Amores (Niagara Falls)
Leadership Award – Andrew Currie (Woodstock)
Scholastic Award – Branden Taylor (Thamesford)
Rookie of the Year – Jacob Therrien (Welland)
Most Valuable Player – Shannon Halliday (Welland)
Leadership Award – Shannon Halliday (Welland)
Scholastic Award –Bethany Langendoen (St. Catharines)
Rookie of the Year – Kara Latham (Welland)
Men's Basketball
Most Valuable Player –Lequan Hylton (Mississauga) and Van Hutchinson Jr (Nassau, Bahamas)
Leadership Award – Lequan Hylton (Mississauga)
Scholastic Award –Payam Saboni (London)
Rookie of the Year – Kevin Cooper (Nassau, Bahamas)
Women's Basketball
Most Valuable Player – Courtney McPherson (Welland)
Leadership Award – Courtney McPherson (Welland)
Scholastic Award – Breanne Vande Ven (Delhi)
Rookie of the Year – Xuan Nguyen-Marshall (Scarborough)
Men's Volleyball
Most Valuable Player – Jeff Scott (Georgetown)
Leadership Award – Jeff Scott (Georgetown)
Scholastic Award – Adam Vandendool (Jordan)
Rookie of the Year – Jake Williamson (St. Catharines)
Most Valuable Player – Jordan Koslowski (Hamilton)
Leadership Award – Kennisis Vansoelen (Orangeville)
Scholastic Award – Amy Bultje (Chatham)
Rookie of the Year – Sahara Aburaneh (Nelson, BC)
Golf
Most Valuable Player – Josiah Dixon (Bognor)
Leadership Award – Lorelle Weavers (Burlington)
Scholastic Award – Josiah Dixon (Bognor)
Curling
Most Valuable Player – Samuel Steep (Seaforth)
Leadership Award – Chris Reilly (Selkirk)
Scholastic Award – Chris Reilly (Selkirk)
Rookie of the Year – David Cressman (Cobourg)
Cross Country
Most Valuable Player –Jeremy Mol (St. Catharines)
Leadership Award –Gavin Martin (Newmarket)
Scholastic Award – Annie Jones (Ottawa)
Rookie of the Year – Kayla Amorim (Kitchener)
