The Ontario Collegiate Athletic Association (OCAA) announced today the list of athletes, coaches and builders who will be inducted into the OCAA Hall-of-Fame as a part of the 2019 class. The Niagara Knights are proud to have two members of the Knights' family among those being inducted.
Kaitlyn McKenna – Athlete (Women's Basketball)
Former Niagara College Knights women's basketball standout Kaitlyn McKenna will be earning her spot in the hall of fame as the former CCAA All-Canadian is one of the most decorated Niagara College athletes of all-time.
Through five seasons in a Niagara uniform, McKenna led the team in scoring all five seasons and was named team MVP four different times. Always finishing near the top of the OCAA leaderboards in scoring, her most dominating season came in 2007-08 when she led the OCAA with 230 points en route to becoming the first female Niagara College athlete to be named a CCAA All-Canadian.
McKenna began her career by being named the Niagara College Female Rookie of the Year, then won the Niagara College Female Athlete of the Year award twice throughout her time in navy and white before ending her five-year tenure as the Knights all-time leading scorer with 970 points.
In her five seasons participating in the OCAA, McKenna was named to the OCAA West 1st Team All-Star team four times and the OCAA West 2nd Team All-Star team once. Adding to her impressive athletic awards and records, McKenna was a top-tier student and she was named both an OCAA All-Academic and a CCAA All-Academic in her time as a Niagara College student.
Once inducted into the OCAA Hall-of-Fame, McKenna will join Lois (Lamb) Stoorza as the only Niagara College women's basketball players to ever be inducted into the hall.
Ray Sarkis – Builder
Longtime member of the Niagara Knights family, Ray Sarkis, is also being inducted into the OCAA Hall-of-Fame. The current Niagara College intercollegiate coordinator recently celebrated his 40th year with the Knights and has been making a lasting impact on the OCAA since the start.
Sarkis first began his long tenure of volunteer positions in 1996 when he became the OCAA Men's Volleyball Senior Convenor, something he did until 2002 when his role within the OCAA expanded the next year.
Beginning in 2003, Sarkis took on the role as the inaugural Vice-President of the OCAA Board of Directors, a position he held for two years before becoming President of the Board for another two years until 2007.
Over the course of his career within collegiate sport, the Leamington, Ontario native has spent his time volunteering on various OCAA committees, serving as both Chair of the Ways and Means Committee as well as the Constitution Committee.
Although he has a passion for all sports, his heart mostly lies with the sport of volleyball for which he's also coached in the OCAA. He currently sits as the men's volleyball national convener for the CCAA, a position he has held for eight years.
The Niagara Knights and the OCAA have been honoured to have someone as dedicated and passionate about the advancement of collegiate sport in Ontario as Ray has been for the past 40 years. To honour his contributions to the development and the advancement of the OCAA, Sarkis will forever have his name enshrined in the OCAA Hall-of-Fame.
