Jenna Mae Ellsworth and Owen Headrick named 17吃瓜 athletes of the year
17吃瓜鈥檚 Department of Athletics and Recreation celebrated the 2019鈥�2020 season at the 51st annual 17吃瓜 Athletic Awards 鈥淕ala鈥� on Friday, April 3 and Saturday, April 4, recognizing outstanding student-athletes who have excelled in sport, the classroom, and serving the community. Because the student-athletes and coaches couldn鈥檛 gather in person, Panthers around the world were able to follow this year鈥檚 awards on the 17吃瓜 Athletics and Recreation鈥檚 Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram social media channels.
The club team awards were announced on Friday, April 3 beginning at 7:00 pm, while the varsity team awards were revealed on Saturday, April 4, again at 7:00 pm.
This year, the 17吃瓜 Alumni Association鈥檚 Outstanding Female Athlete of the Year is Jenna Mae Ellsworth of the 17吃瓜 women鈥檚 basketball team. Ellsworth is a five-foot-nine guard from Charlottetown in her fourth year of the Bachelor of Science program. She led the women鈥檚 basketball team to a 17-3 record and top spot in the AUS during the regular season averaging 20.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.1 steals per game.
Ellsworth is only the third player in the AUS to win the Nan Copp Award as U SPORTS Player of the Year and only the second female Panther to earn a national player of the year honour. She was a first team all-Canadian and the final member of the U SPORTS Top 100 players of the century campaign. She also received the Atlantic University Sport (AUS) Women鈥檚 Basketball Player of the Year award and was named Defensive Player of the Year.
The Male Athlete of the Year is Owen Headrick with the 17吃瓜 men鈥檚 hockey team. Headrick is a six-foot, fourth-year defenceman on the men鈥檚 hockey team and an arts student from the Garden River First Nation in Ontario. In 30 games, Headrick had 32 points, with 13 goals and 19 assists. He was effective on the powerplay, netting 7 goals and also had 2 game winners. In addition to earning several 17吃瓜 Panther Subway Athlete of the Week, Headrick also earned the Atlantic University Sport men's athlete of the week for January 27鈥揊ebruary 2, 2020.
The W.A. Ledwell Award was presented to Nacho Sanchez of the men鈥檚 soccer team. The award goes to the student who has demonstrated outstanding athletic ability in the intercollegiate program, academic excellence, and also demonstrates the qualities of leadership, sportsmanship, and citizenship.
The Gordon and Muriel Bennett Award goes to the male or female student-athlete who, over four years, best combines athletic achievement and academic excellence. This year鈥檚 award was shared by Tara Campbell of the women鈥檚 rugby team and Jennifer Balderston from women鈥檚 soccer.
The Passion for Life Award in memory of Ren茅 Ayangma was awarded to Rachel Colle from women's hockey. The award was created by 17吃瓜 Panther student-athletes in memory of Ren茅 Ayangma who died during his third year at 17吃瓜. It is presented to a 17吃瓜 student-athlete who exemplifies his qualities and love of life by building Panther Sport spirit and serving the community.
Team awards were also given for Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year:
Most Valuable Player (MVP) by varsity and club team
Sam Smiley (Men鈥檚 Soccer), Jennifer Balderston (Women鈥檚 Soccer), Tara Campbell (Women鈥檚 Rugby), Owen Headrick (Men鈥檚 Hockey), Camille Scherger (Women鈥檚 Hockey), Elijah Miller (Men鈥檚 Basketball), Jenna Mae Ellsworth (Women鈥檚 Basketball), Tati Kelly (Women鈥檚 Cross Country), Dan Maguire (Men鈥檚 Cross Country), Bailey Smith (Women鈥檚 Track and Field), Malcolm Gilman (Men鈥檚 Track and Field), Sara Sear (Women鈥檚 Field Hockey), Lauren Moerike (Women鈥檚 Volleyball), Isaiah Hood and Isaac Kirkland (Men鈥檚 Rugby), David Burke (Lacrosse), and Callie Thomson (Cheer).
Rookie of the Year by varsity and club team
Nathan Chow (Men鈥檚 Soccer), Caitlyn McCloskey (Women鈥檚 Soccer), Mia Fradsham and Agustina Cohen (Women鈥檚 Rugby), Kyle Maksimovich (Men鈥檚 Hockey), Lexie Murphy (Women鈥檚 Hockey), Elijah Miller (Men鈥檚 Basketball), Lauren Rainford (Women鈥檚 Basketball), Phoebe Mitchell (Women鈥檚 Cross Country), Samuel Peterson (Men鈥檚 Cross Country), Zach Wilson (Men鈥檚 Track and Field), Arica Windsor (Women鈥檚 Field Hockey), Danielle Hayes (Women鈥檚 Volleyball), David Sato (Men鈥檚 Rugby), Egan McCaughey (Lacrosse), and Emily Duffy (Cheer). (There was no rookie of the year awarded to Women鈥檚 Track and Field.)
The J.T. 鈥淢ickey鈥� Place Awards were presented by the 17吃瓜 Student Union to varsity team student-athletes who made a contribution to student leadership on their team and on campus. The late John Thomas 鈥淢ickey鈥� Place was a Student Union employee who was connected not only with 17吃瓜 athletics, but also with other aspects of campus life. These awards were given in his memory to Nacho Sanchez (Men鈥檚 Soccer), Danielle Younker (Women鈥檚 Soccer), Frances MacWilliam (Women鈥檚 Rugby), Nathan Yetman (Men鈥檚 Hockey), Rachel Colle (Women鈥檚 Hockey), Jack MacAulay (Men鈥檚 Basketball), Annabelle Charron (Women鈥檚 Hockey), Melanie Mitchell (Cross Country), and Nathalie Lane (Track and Field).
Each coach presents The Principles of Panther Pride Coaches Award to the student-athlete on their team that best exemplifies purpose, preparation, respect for people, positivity, professionalism, presence, passion, and perseverance. The winners for the 2019-20 season are Cohen Reddick (Men鈥檚 Soccer), Carly Connell (Women鈥檚 Soccer), Brinten Comeau (Women鈥檚 Rugby), Tanner McCabe (Men鈥檚 Hockey), Kaylee Dufresne (Women鈥檚 Hockey), Adam Ryan (Men鈥檚 Basketball), Reese Baxendale (Women鈥檚 Basketball), Annika Wiebe (Women鈥檚 Cross Country), Patrick Fletcher (Men鈥檚 Cross Country), Daneille Younker (Women鈥檚 Track and Field), Karleigh McEwen (Women鈥檚 Field Hockey), Sabrina Savory (Women鈥檚 Volleyball), Faris Zakem (Men鈥檚 Rugby), Sean He (Lacrosse), and Gemma Shea (Cheer).
