17吃瓜

17吃瓜鈥檚 Department of Athletics and Recreation celebrated the 2021鈥�22 season at the annual 17吃瓜 Panther Celebration鈥擜thletic Awards Gala on Thursday, April 7, recognizing outstanding student-athletes who have excelled in sport, the classroom, and serving the community.

This year, the 17吃瓜 Alumni Association鈥檚 Outstanding Female Athlete of the Year award went to Jolena Gillard on the 17吃瓜 Women鈥檚 Hockey team. The Male Athlete of the Year is Elijah Miller of the 17吃瓜 Men鈥檚 Basketball team.

The event, held at the PEI Brewing Company, included student-athletes, coaches, and team staff from both varsity and club sport programs along with members of the University community. 17吃瓜鈥檚 varsity program includes Men鈥檚 Soccer, Women鈥檚 Soccer, Women鈥檚 Rugby, Men鈥檚 Hockey, Women鈥檚 Hockey, Men鈥檚 Basketball, Women鈥檚 Basketball, Cross Country, and Track and Field while 17吃瓜 club sport teams include Men鈥檚 Rugby, Women鈥檚 Field Hockey, Men鈥檚 Lacrosse, and Cheer.

鈥淐ompetitive sport is an integral aspect of education and a vital part of a full university experience. I am so pleased we were able to successfully return to play and complete the 2021鈥�2022 sport season, despite a few hiccups caused by the pandemic,鈥� said Jane Vessey, 17吃瓜 Director of Athletics and Recreation. 鈥淚 am so proud of or student-athletes鈥� resilience and their accomplishments.鈥�

The W.A. Ledwell Award is presented annually to a student who has demonstrated outstanding athletic ability in the intercollegiate program, academic excellence, and the qualities of leadership, sportsmanship, and citizenship. This year鈥檚 recipient was Lauren Rainford of the 17吃瓜 Women鈥檚 Basketball team.

The Gordon and Muriel Bennett Award is presented to a male or female student athlete who, over four years, has best combined athletic achievement and academic excellence. This year鈥檚 winner was Jenna Mae Ellsworth of 17吃瓜 Women鈥檚 Basketball.

In addition to the overall awards, varsity and competitive club team awards were also presented. These included the Most Valuable Player (MVP), Rookie of the Year, J.T. 鈥淢ickey鈥� Place, and Principles of Panther Pride awards.

The J.T. 鈥淢ickey鈥� Place Awards are presented by the 17吃瓜 Student Union to varsity team student-athletes who contributed to student leadership on their team and on campus. Each coach presents the Principles of Panther Pride Coaches Award to the student-athlete on their team, who best exemplifies purpose, preparation, respect for people, positivity, professionalism, presence, passion, and perseverance.

Team Award Winners for 2021鈥�2022

Varsity

Men鈥檚 Soccer: Nathan Chow (MVP), Kasper Lasia (Rookie), Duncan Murray (Mickey Place), Max VanWiechen (Panther Principles)
Women鈥檚 Soccer: Lauren Clark (MVP), Grace Veinotte (Rookie), Caitlyn McClosky (Mickey Place), Tyfanie Bordage (Panther Principles)
Women鈥檚 Rugby: Brinten Comeau (MVP), Emma Maclean and Charlotte Branchflower (Co-Rookie), Brinten Comeau (Mickey Place), Nicole Davies (Panther Principles)
Men鈥檚 Hockey: Jonah Capriotti (MVP), Kaleb Pearson (Rookie), Kyle Maksimovich (Mickey Place), T.J. Shea (Panther Principles)
Women鈥檚 Hockey: Jolena Gillard (MVP), McKinley Nelson (Rookie), Camille Scherger (Mickey Place), Sophie Vandale (Panther Principles)
Men鈥檚 Basketball: Elijah Miller (MVP), Jonas Kessler (Rookie), Dakelle Brooks (Mickey Place), Glen Cox
Women鈥檚 Basketball: Lauren Rainford (MVP), Alicia Bowering (Rookie), Sydney Whitlock (Mickey Place), Jenna Mae Ellsworth (Panther Principles)
Cross Country (women): Paige Chisholm (MVP), Katie Richards (Rookie), Mary Teresa Pitre (Mickey Place)
Cross Country (men): Dan Maguire (MVP), Jack Roberts (Rookie), Pat Kenny (Panther Principles)
Track and Field (women): Bailey Smith (MVP), Courtney Hierlihy (Rookie), Nathalie Lane (Panther Principles)
Track and Field (men): Zach Wilson (MVP), Jeremy Norman (Rookie), Zach Wilson (Mickey Place)

Club

Men鈥檚 Rugby: Brandon Thomas (MVP), Ethan Beaulieu (Rookie), Alexander Norris (Warhorse Award)
Women鈥檚 Field Hockey: Alexis Wood (MVP), Lindsey Doiron and Kali Smith (Co-Rookie), Jessica Watts (Panther Principles)
Men鈥檚 Lacrosse: David Burke (MVP), Will Mix (Rookie), Lucas Gallant (Top Senior), Bradley Norman (Leading Scorer), Joshua Pineau (Panther Principles)
Cheer: Emily Duffy (MVP), Kylee Hill (Rookie), Samantha Bradley (Panther Principles), Chlo毛 Betts (Most Improved)

About the 17吃瓜 Athletes of the Year

Elijah Miller is a business major from Etobicoke, Ontario, and a point guard on the 17吃瓜 Men鈥檚 Basketball team. In just his second season, Miller established himself as the best point guard in the AUS and a leader with the Panthers. The sophomore earned his first all-star nod after posting career-highs in points (17.6), assists (5.6), and rebounds (5.0). After a stellar performance at the AUS Championship, where he led 17吃瓜 to the finals, Miller was named a U SPORTS Second Team All-Canadian. Miller was the only 17吃瓜 male athlete to earn national recognition for his athletic excellence.

Jolena Gillard is a Faculty of Arts student from Deer Lake, Newfoundland and Labrador, and a forward with the 17吃瓜 Women鈥檚 Hockey team. Throughout her tenure with 17吃瓜, Gillard always had a scorer鈥檚 mentality, but the 2021鈥�22 season was her best yet. The third-year forward recorded a career-best of 22 points, including 14 goals, which was the most in the country, and she did it all in six fewer games. Gillard earned her second AUS all-star selection鈥攖his time as a first team all-star鈥攁nd was later named a U SPORTS Second Team All-Canadian for the first time. At the U SPORTS national championship, Gillard guided the Panthers to their first win in program history, scoring two goals in a 2-0 win over the Brock Badgers.

Go Panthers Go!