As a member of the Canadian Cowboys, Dustin raced to the first-ever Canadian super-g World Championships medal in 2015, winning a silver in Vail/Beaver Creek, Colorado. Repeating his success only a week after the silver, Dustin also collected a super-g bronze at a World Cup in Norway. He finished his 2015 season on top of the podium with a gold at the World Cup Finals in France. The Mont-Ste-Marie athlete will soon have a run named after him at his home hill, and, at the age of 26, has become the winningest Ottawa male in alpine skiing of all time.
This Ottawa Lions Track and Field Club athlete has climbed the ranks in the women’s 800m to now become one of the best in the world. Competing for Canada at the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games, Melissa ran a wonderful race, winning the gold medal. She was crowned “The Queen of the Games” for her unforgettable arms-extended reaction to crossing the finish line after overtaking a podium’s worth of rivals down the home stretch. Later in 2015, Melissa won a silver medal at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing. Her time of 1:57.52 set a new Canadian record and was the #2 ranked performance in the world that season. Now 26 years old, the University of Windsor-based athlete has her sights set on the 2016 Summer Olympics.
The Carleton Ravens won their fifth Canadian Interuniversity Sport national title in as many years in 2015, and now they are 5-for-5 in the past five for Ottawa Sports Awards Male Team of the Year honours. The Ravens were utterly dominant in championship games, winning the Ontario title 103-59 over Windsor and the Canadian title 93-46 over Ottawa. With 11 CIS crowns in the past 13 years, Carleton has become the winningest team in Canadian university basketball history.
The Rachel Homan curling rink has claimed 5 of the past 6 Ottawa Sports Awards Female Team of the Year Awards and their tournament winning percentage against the planet’s best women’s teams on the World Curling Tour was even better during the 2015 portion of their 2015-2016 season. Earlier in 2015, Team Homan won a bronze medal at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts women’s curling nationals. The lineup of lead Lisa Weagle, second Joanne Courtney, third Emma Miskew and skip Rachel Homan tore up the circuit to start their current season, finishing as runners-up in Newfoundland to go alongside victories in Oakville, Stockholm, Calgary, Truro, N.S., Oshawa, Grand Prairie, Alta. and Yorkton, Sask. They won 3 of 4 Grand Slam titles to become the world’s #1-ranked team by an enormous merit points margin. Team Homan also won the Canada Cup of Curling against a national field to earn a guaranteed place in the Canadian Olympic Team Trials event to be held in Ottawa in December 2017.
After a hiatus of a few years, Glenroy Gilbert came back as Canadian men’s 4×100-metre relay national team coach in 2015 and helped rejuvenate the team that had produced mediocre results in his absence. The 1996 relay gold medallist’s team was first across the finish line at the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games but were later disqualified for a lane violation. Redemption was theirs a month later however, when the lineup of Aaron Brown, Andre De Grasse, Brendon Rodney and Justyn Warner won the bronze medal at the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Beijing. Glenroy remains a coach with his home club as well, the Ottawa Lions.
Jen Boyd led her University of Ottawa Gee-Gees women’s rugby team to its first national medal in program history this past November. The bronze medal win came on the heels of a second consecutive perfect season in Quebec league regular-season and post-season play, as well as her second conference Coach of the Year honour in a row. Involved in rugby at all levels, Jen’s Ashbury Colts girls were also high school city champions in 2015 and went on to win bronze at the OFSAA provincials. A number of Jen’s current and past players have moved on to national team programs, including Pan Am Games gold medallist Natasha Watcham-Roy of the Rio 2016-qualified Canadian women’s rugby sevens team.
Mayor’s Cup recipient Agnes Laing has impacted the lives of countless members of our community. A former gymnast and dancer, Agnes began her coaching career as an intercollegiate coach at the University of Ottawa.
In 1972, the McGill University physical education grad established the Nepean-Corona School of Gymnastics, the first of its kind, and eventually settled in at their long-time current site on Colonnade Road.
From one coach and 40 female gymnasts at the outset, Corona now has close to 2,000 male and female gymnasts and 40 coaches – one of the largest in Canada. Agnes and her club have helped organize two Canadian Championships and many other events at the provincial and elite levels over the years.
A NCCP level 3 coach and level 2 course instructor, Agnes’ coaching has produced many scholarship opportunities for her athletes at NCAA schools.
Agnes and her staff have helped shape many young gymnasts as they build character and citizenship alongside their gymnastics abilities.
Whether youth are gym rats with Olympics stars in their eyes, or Saturday morning recreational gymnasts, Agnes in her 40+ years of involvement in the sport has dedicated herself to bringing out the best in every individual.
Karen Butcher’s contributions as a figure skating official have been felt from the smallest stages to the brightest lights.
A longstanding Nepean Skating Club member, the former competitive skater and amateur coach has participated in local, sectional, national, international, world and Olympic events.
Currently in her 39th year as an official, Karen is qualified as an International Skating Union championship judge, international technical controller, international referee and senior evaluator. working in all disciplines – ice dance, singles and pairs.
As a volunteer, many times Karen will come out to local skating clubs for their club competitions – adding her years of experience to those just developing their skills – and the next week will work an international event.
Karen has officiated at 58 international level competitions around the world, including the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia.
Tobie Gorman’s radiant smile and enthusiasm has been a constant presence on the local gymnastics scene for over 40 years. The recently-retired lifetime member of Gymnastics Canada began coaching in 1971 and the Ottawa Gymnastics Centre has been her home since 1976.
For 25 years, Tobie served as OGC’s women’s program director and head coach and has seen it all while working at recreational, kindergym, pre-competitive, competitive, provincial, national and international levels.
Tobie brought athletes to the highest level in the sport, serving as Team Canada coach at the Athens 2004 Olympics when two of her Ottawa athletes, Melanie Banville and Heather Purnell, made it to the Games.
But through her lengthy career coaching gymnastics, she always maintained her love for the day-to-day work involved in helping each young athlete overcome challenges to reach their own goals, and shares a special bond with each one.
The Female Coach of the Year at the 2003 Ottawa Sports Awards, Tobie holds close to her heart the philosophy best expressed as “we teach children, not skills.”
Growing up, Sheilagh McCaskill skated and medalled in freeskate, figures and dance. Then she turned her life to volunteering and coaching others. Sheilagh has now helped so many more progress through their own levels of skating development in her 38 years with the Gloucester Skating Club.
Over that time, the certified level 4 instructor has acted as a Skate Canada mentor coach and learning facilitator, and volunteered as the Eastern Ontario section’s coaching representative. Sheilagh also served on Skate Canada committees for coaching certification and CanSkate.
Gloucester’s CanSkate program director for the last 25 years has taught young children, teens and adults to love and enjoy skating, much like she does. Sheilagh strives to instil the joy of skating in her students by building their confidence and desire to help them attain their future goals and reach their personal best.
Gordon and Kathleen Stringer have demonstrated courage, determination and passion from the unimaginable – the death of their child.
Rowan Stringer was a 17-year-old high school rugby player when she died from a concussion. A coroner’s inquest into Rowan’s death concluded with 49 recommendations to support enhanced concussion awareness, education and treatment.
With Gordon and Kathleen ever-present in the public push, a new private member’s bill called Rowan’s Law was crafted for the provincial legislature. Rowan’s Law has received all-party support and has passed second reading. This will be the first bill of its kind in Canada, with other provinces seeking to replicate Ontario’s model.
In Rowan’s memory, and in recognition her parents’ exceptional efforts to make amateur sport safer for future participants, the Ottawa Sports Awards is proud to present its inaugural Spirit of Sport Award to the Stringer family.
Find out more at: rowanslaw.ca
Ottawa Rowing Club athlete Andrew Todd is an aspiring Olympic rower.
That is incredible given that May 2013, during a training day on the bike at the national team training centre, with his eyes set on the 2016 Rio Olympics, Andrew was hit by a school bus, leaving little of his pelvis and knee.
Numerous surgeries, complications, a lengthy time confined to a wheelchair in addition to a recent unscheduled surgery caused by an infection in his reconstructed knee again had Andrew bedridden.
Andrew fought like a high-performance athlete to overcome his body being damaged, seemingly beyond repair, to get back on the water, to be fast on the water and achieve his dream and represent his country on the Olympic stage.
To know what he has come back from and to see him weightlifting and pulling a 2 km erg piece all while finishing with a personal best is incredible.
Andrew trained in Victoria with the national para rowing team and won a bronze medal at the 2015 World Rowing Championships.
Very few people make it to the Olympics, even fewer make it to the Olympics after being hit by a school bus and dragged 20 feet.
Without a doubt, Andrew will go to Rio as an Olympian or a Paralympian having overcome more than many of us will face in a lifetime to get to his dream.
With his positive attitude and winning drive, Andrew exemplifies courage, perseverance and determination and he continues to be a champion in rowing and life.
ARCHERY – ERIC PETERS: For the 3rd straight year, Eric is the top archer in the city. After coming off an incredible year at the Youth Olympic Games, Eric continued his success this year winning a gold medal at the 2015 Canadian Junior Outdoor Championships.
ATHLETICS – MELISSA BISHOP: This Ottawa Lions Track and Field Club athlete has climbed the ranks in the women’s 800m to now be one of the best in the world. Competing for Canada at the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games, Melissa ran a wonderful race, winning the gold medal, and was crowned “The Queen of the Games” for her unforgettable reaction to the win when she overtook several athletes down the home stretch. Later in 2015, she won a silver medal at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing. Her time of 1:57.52 set a new Canadian record and was the #2 ranked performance in the world. Now 26 years old, the University of Windsor-based athlete has her sights set on the 2016 Summer Olympics.
BADMINTON – ANDREW D’SOUZA: Andrew’s greatest achievement of 2015 came in July as he battled his way to a silver medal in the men’s singles event at the Toronto Pan Am Games. Earlier in the year, Andrew was part of the Team Ontario squad that won the team title at the Canada Winter Games and he also won the Canadian title at the National Championships in Gatineau. Andrew is currently studying human kinetics at the University of Ottawa.
BASEBALL – MELISSA ARMSTRONG: Melissa pitched for Team Canada at the 2015 Pan Am Games, helping Canada win the silver medal. It was the first time women’s baseball has been included in these multi-sport games. Melissa finished the tournament near the top in all statistics for pitchers, including second in strikeouts. When not playing for Team Canada or studying for her PHD from Carleton University, Melissa plays on men’s teams to keep her competition level high.
BASKETBALL – PHIL SCRUBB: Phil, a recent commerce graduate, had an outstanding finish to his record-setting basketball career at Carleton. Twice named the city’s top basketball player and a 4-time member of the Male Team of the Year, Phil once again led the Ravens to the CIS Championships for the 5th time in his career at Carleton. He won the Jack Donohue Trophy as the 2015 CIS Men’s Final 8 MVP. During the summer, he played for the Canadian senior men’s team at the 2015 FIBA Americas Championships in Mexico City, as well as the NBA summer leagues with the Memphis Grizzlies and Toronto Raptors. This three-time CIS MVP is now playing in Greece.
BIATHLON – LEILANI TAM VON BURG: Leilani has been a junior national team member for the last 3 years and was an Ontario carded athlete in 2015-16. She was Biathlon Ontario’s top performing athlete in 2015, winning 2 gold and one silver at the Canada Winter Games. In addition, she won a gold and silver at the Canadian Championships, placed 7th and 8th in races at the International Biathlon Union Cup and had a top-30 finish in the European Open.
BOBSLEIGH/SKELETON – MIRELA (MIMI) RAHNEVA: Mimi is a competitive skeleton athlete and is currently part of the national skeleton program. Now in her fourth year of sliding and her third of competitive racing, she finished first on the North American Cup circuit in 2014-15. Mimi is known for her fast starts and is one of the top female skeleton athletes in Canada.
BOXING – ERICA ADJEI: In 2015, Erica had a record of 9 wins and 2 losses while fighting against tough fighters at the local, national and international levels of competition. She competed in the Ringside World Championships, the largest amateur boxing competition, winning 3 bouts in 3 days to finish on top of the women’s 54 kg division. In September, she was chosen as the Senior Female Athlete of the Year by Boxing Ontario. In November, Erica represented Canada for her first time at the International Balkan Tournament in Bulgaria. She was selected to be Canada’s representative to take part in the opening ceremonies. She is a repeat winner for our award for her sport.
BROOMBALL – MIKAELA KEHOE: Mikaela was a player on the Seaway Valley Devils broomball team that won the National Championships. After collecting her gold medal, she was selected the Tournament MVP and named to the 1st All-Canadian All-Star Team. During this tournament, Mikaela led her team in points, collecting 7 in 7 games.
CANOE/KAYAK (SPRINT) – SCOTT BRADDON: Scott, a member of the Rideau Canoe Club, had a great 2015 season. He represented Canada at the ICF Canoe Sprint Junior & U23 World Championships in Portugal. Competing in the junior men’s K-2 1000 m, he and his partner finished 8th in the ‘A’ final – the second-best international result for Canada in kayak at the event. In addition, Scott was a key member of the Rideau Canoe club, helping them win the Canadian Championships held at Mooney’s Bay.
CANOE/KAYAK (WHITEWATER) – CAMERON SMEDLEY: Cameron was the top Canadian C-1 male at the 2015 World Championships. In addition, he won a silver medal at the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games and helped Canada qualify for an Olympic quota position for the Rio 2015 Olympic Games. Recently, Cameron placed 3rd and won a bronze medal at the Rio Olympic Test Event.
CRICKET – NABIULLAH NAWABI: Nabiullah is an inspirational cricketer who has produced exemplary performances on the cricket pitch while leading his talented Capital United Cricket Club. While playing in the city’s Challenge Cup elite division, he made the most wickets (28) and most outfield catches (11). Next, he dominated the Ottawa Citizen Trophy event, scoring 316 runs, bagging 25 wickets and making the most catches with 13. This performance firmly established Nabiullah as the premier all-round player in the league.
CURLING – EMMA MISKEW: Emma is recognized as one of the top curlers in the world at her position. She plays third on the Rachel Homan team, the #1 ranked team in the world. This team has dominated women’s curling in 2015, winning 6 major events. Their win at the Canada Cup clinched a berth in the Olympic Trials to be held in Ottawa in 2017, the first women’s team to do so. Emma sets up the ends for Rachel and is key in deciding team strategy on how an end should be played. She is an original member of this powerful team.
CYCLING – KATHERINE MAINE: Katherine attended both the World Track Championships (11th) and the World Road Championships (13th), racing in the junior women’s class. While competing in Canada, she won an elite criterium road race in Montreal – something special considering she is a junior racer. In October 2015, competing back on the track, Katherine became Canadian junior champion in team sprint, team pursuit and the omnium.
DIVING – JAMIE BISSETT: Jamie was named a first-team All-American in both academics and athletics in his final year at Purdue University. Jamie earned a top-10 ranking in all NCAA diving events – 4th in the 1-metre competition, 7th in platform and 3rd in 3 m. Competing nationally, Jamie won a silver in the 1 m event and a gold in the 3 m event at the Winter Canadian Nationals. He has been a winner of our award for diving many times.
EQUESTRIAN – OLIVIA BLABER: Olivia Blaber, a young Wesley Clover Equestrian team member, moved on to Large Pony competition in 2015. While competing in her under-18 age class, Olivia finished 4th overall as well as 2nd overall in the under-12 equitation class in the Ottawa Division. She earned several ribbons at the Provincial Championships. She also competed in her first national show, collecting an 8th place ribbon. Olivia also competed in show jumping for the first time in 2013, earning a 3rd-place finish in that competition.
FENCING – JENNY ZHAO: Jenny is now the reigning Canadian under-20 champion. She was a member of the Canadian under-20 team that won the silver medal at the Pan Am Championships in 2015. Jenny left Ottawa in September to follow her dreams while competing for Yale University in the NCAA. She is a repeat winner of our award for fencing.
FIELD HOCKEY – ABRIE GIRGIS: Aubrie is the only player from Ottawa to be selected to play on the Ontario U18 provincial team. This team went on to win the National Championships in Surrey, B.C. Aubrie will now continue her career with the Queen’s University women’s field hockey team.
FIGURE SKATING – ALAINE CHARTRAND: Alaine competed at the 2015 Canadian Championships where she won the silver medal, earning the right to compete at the first ISU World Championships of her career. Alaine then finished 11th at the worlds in Shanghai to secure two spots for the Canadian women’s team at the upcoming 2016 World Championships. Alaine closed her season by finishing 11th at the 2015 World Team Trophy, helping Team Canada finish 4th overall. She is a repeat winner of our figure skating award.
FOOTBALL – ASHTON DICKSON: Ashton plays the tailback position on the St. Francis Xavier University football team. He led the Atlantic Conference in rushing in 2015, carrying the ball 160 times for 866 yards, an average of 108.3 yards per game. He scored 5 TD’s and gained another 157 yards receiving and 297 yards on returns for a season total of 1,320 all- purpose yards. Ashton was selected the Atlantic Conference’s Outstanding Player.
FOOTBALL (AUSSIE RULES) – NATHAN STROM: Nathan has been a member of the Ottawa Swans Australian Rules Football Club for the past three seasons. In 2015, he was named captain for the second straight year, a testament to his leadership ability. He was selected to play for the Canadian Northwind, a Canadian men’s team that competed in the Parallel Cup in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He tied for leading scorer in 2015 and was awarded the Swans’ top player award at their annual banquet. He was often selected the player of the game at many Swans matches in 2015.
FOOTBALL (TOUCH) – CYRIL ADJEITEY: A member of the Ottawa Blaze of the Ottawa Nepean Touch Football League while also playing for the 4-time national-champion Hamilton Piranhas, Cyril is one of Ontario’s top touch football players,. Cyril was a go-to player on offence for both clubs and was also used as a shutdown player on defence to cover a key player on the opposing team. He is a graduate of the University of Ottawa where he was an OUA and CIS Academic All-Canadian as a member of the Gee-Gees football team.
GOLF – DWIGHT REINHART: Dwight, a member of the Eagle Creek Golf Club, was the winner of the Golf Quebec Mid Amateur, the Flagstick Open at eQuinelle and the Bauder Media Group BMG Cup Series. In addition, he had strong placings in other golf tournaments, including a 2nd at the Flagstick shootout at Smugglers Glen, a tie for 3rd at Flagstick Brockville Country Club Open and a tie for 29th at the Canadian Mid Amateur.
GYMNASTICS (ARTISTIC) – SAMUEL ZAKUTNEY: Samuel competed in the 2015 Japan Junior International Competition and won a bronze medal on the high bar and placed 5th on the uneven bars. This combination of results placed him 11th overall. With his parallel bars victory, Samuel captured a gold medal at the Canadian Championships for the sixth year in a row. The winner of our gymnastics award for the fourth year in a row, Samuel has signed with Penn State for the 2016-17 NCAA season and is now training with the senior national team.
GYMNASTICS (RHYTHMIC) – CLEO PAGE: Cleo is a member of the Ottawa Rhythmic Gymnastics Club. She won the 2015 Provincial Championships in the Level 6-B Division and recently has been selected a member of the national group team by Gymnastics Canada. Cleo will be moving to Toronto to advance her skills with the dream of competing for Canada in the 2020 Olympics.
HOCKEY – TRAVIS KONECNY: 2015 was a big year for the former Ottawa 67’s captain. Highlighting his year was being the 24th overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft by the Philadelphia Flyers. Travis played in the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament for under-18 age players, captaining his Canadian team to a gold medal. He also played in the CHL Canada-Russia Series as part of the OHL All-Star Team and the CHL Top Prospects game set up for NHL scouts to watch. In December 2015, he added to his exceptional year by making the Canadian World Junior Championships team that played in Finland over the holidays.
HOCKEY (SLEDGE) – TYRONE ANDREW HENRY: Tyrone is a stay-at-home defenceman who recently played for Canada in Italy at the Four Nations Cup, helping his team win a gold medal. Injured in a bad car accident in 2010, it has been a difficult climb for Tyrone to get to this stage and play for Canada. His great attitude “that it is better to get in the game than sit on the sidelines” has helped him achieve this success. He is a member of Team Ontario, the Canadian development team and national team programs. His big dream is to play in the next Paralympics for Canada. When not playing sledge hockey, Tyrone also does adapted water skiing, wheelchair racing, handcycling, para-alpine mono-skiing and para-rowing. He is friends with Rick Hansen and was part of his “Man in Motion” tour in 2011/12.
JUDO – BENJAMIN KENDRICK: Benjamin has been training regularly at Montreal’s national training centre since January 2015. In 2015, he participated in the Elite 8 Canadian Championships where he won the gold medal in the U18 class. Benjamin was also a gold medalist four more times, winning at the Canadian Championships in the U16 and U18 divisions, the Quebec Open U18 division and the Ontario U18 Championships.
KARATE – BREN HUNTER: This high school student recently attended two WKA Karate World Championships and came home with 3 medals. He fights in the boys 15-17 and 16-17 age classes in several different disciplines, including karate, kickboxing, open/creative weapons, musical weapons overall and traditional weapons. This six-time world champion has won 23 world medals, including 6 gold and has represented Canada numerous times.
LACROSSE – CARTER O’CONNELL: Carter began his year by being drafted 12th overall in the Ontario Lacrosse Association Jr. ‘A’ draft by the Peterborough Lakers. He played 14 games with the Nepean Knights Jr. ‘B’ team, collecting 41 points. Carter also played for the CLAX All-Stars in the first-ever U19 International Lacrosse Festival in Six Nations, Ont., representing Central Canada as one of 12 teams from 11 nations from around the world, winning a silver medal. Later that year, he earned a spot on the Canadian U17 team that played in the 2015 World Indoor Lacrosse Championships, where his team went undefeated. Carter has committed to the University of Hartford to play NCAA Division 1 lacrosse beginning in 2017 where he will receive a scholarship.
LAWN BOWLS – KAREN OATMAN: Karen is a bowler who plays out of the Galetta Lawn Bowls Club in the City of Ottawa. She represented District 16 in the fours provincial finals. Her triples team won their first 3 games and competed in the gold medal game played in Smiths Falls. Karen was also the district singles player who competed in the provincial championships that were held in Woodstock, Ont.
MODERN PENTATHLON – GARNETT STEVENS: Garnett, the 25th ranked junior in the world, had a strong year in this demanding 5-event multi-talent sport. He finished in 13th place at the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games. He won a gold medal at the Ontario Championships and followed this up with his first senior national title at the Canadian Championships.
ORIENTEERING – ALEXANDER BERGSTROM: This Algonquin College student trained hard for the 2015 season with his sights set on competing at the Junior World Orienteering Championships in Norway. He achieved his goal by warming up by competing in two major race weekends, the U.S. Championships and the West Point events. At the JWOC, Alex ran in the middle distance race and finished a respectable 49th in the final. Only 60 people out of 160 qualify for the final and he was the first Canadian to qualify for the final in the last 6 years. On home soil, Alex had a 3rd place finish in the men’s senior elite race at the Ontario Championships and a 1st , 2nd and 3rd at the Canadian Junior Championships.
PARASPORT – JASON DUNKERLEY: This former Ottawa Sports Awards Male Athlete of the Year just keeps running and getting better. At the Toronto 2015 Parapan American Games, Jason won a gold medal in the T11 class 5,000 metres and silver in the 1,500 m. Later in the year, he competed in the IPC World Championships held in Qatar, winning a silver medal in the T11 5,000 m race, plugging through excruciating heat that saw half the field unable to finish the race. With his guide runner, Joshua Karanja, Jason also won the T11 men’s 5,000 m at the Canadian Championships.
RINGETTE – MOLLY LEWIS: A member of the Nepean Ravens U19 Belle ringette team, Molly, the captain, helped her team bounce back from a 4th-place provincials finish to win gold at the Canadian Championships. She led the national tournament in scoring with 41 points in 9 games. She built on her success by competing in the Canada Winter Games, bringing home a silver medal as a player on Team Ontario. She was also named to Canada’s junior national team that competed in Helsinki over the holidays, winning a gold medal.
ROWING – JOSHUA KING: Josh had a highly successful year both nationally and internationally. He won 3 gold medals at Royal Canadian Henley Regatta in the U23 lightweight single, lightweight double and senior men’s lightweight quad. Competing for Canada at the FISU Games in Korea, Josh finished 2nd in the ‘B’ final. For all his efforts in 2015, Josh won several awards, including Row Ontario’s Athlete of the Year, the Ottawa Rowing Club’s Male Sweep Crew of the Year and Male Sculling Crew of the Year.
RUGBY – IRENE PATRINOS: In her senior year with the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees women’s rugby team, Irene was named a first-team All-Canadian, helping her team win a repeat Quebec conference title and its first national medal – a bronze at the CIS National Championships. This Ottawa Irish club player also played for the Rugby Quebec senior women’s team, making a key contribution playing as a fullback, and she also closed 2015 by appearing for Canada on a tour of England in November.
RUNNING (CROSS-COUNTRY) – CLAIRE SMITH: Now a student at Stanford University in the United States, Claire is once again our winner for cross-country running for the third year in a row. This junior women’s competitor ran for Canada in the 2015 IAAF World Cross-Country Championships in China, and then again at the NACAC continental championships in Columbia, where her 16th-place finish helped Canada win a team gold. She is also the Ontario under-18 girls’ champion and finished 7th at the Canadian Junior Championships. An injury has kept her from training and running this fall.
RUNNING (ROAD RACING) – TOMMY DES BRISAY: This Ottawa Lions runner is a repeat winner for his sport from last year. In 2015, Tommy had 4 1st-place finishes, winning the Goode Run 10 km, the Nine Run Run half-marathon, the Chelsea Challenge 10 km and the Wakefield Moonlight Run 10 km. He finished a respectable 5th in the Disney Wine and Dine half-marathon and 34th in the Ottawa Race Week Marathon.
SAILING – DAVID FOY: David is a member of the Britannia Yacht Club and is the skipper of a boat called the Crazy Ivan. David and his crew were the winners of the Shark Class Canadian Championships and went on to place 11th at the Shark Class World Championships. This was his fourth title. David and his crew have won past Ottawa Sports Awards sailing awards.
SHOOTING – MARY PATRICK: Mary is a member of the RA Gun Club and a provincial champion and record holder in the sporting rifle prone position. This 17-year-old has excelled in local, provincial, national and international events, winning numerous competitions at all levels. She shoots fullbore, sporting rifle prone and 3-position, air rifle, match rifle prone and sheet. A Master Warrant Officer with the Army Cadets, she manages to maintain a 95% average in school. Among her shooting accomplishments, Mary competed at the Bisley competitions in England, finishing as the top Canadian in many events. She won the Gerry Ouellette Award given to the top junior shooter in England and was the top shooter on the national cadet rifle team. Mary has been accepted to study mechanical engineering at Carleton University in 2016.
SKIING (ALPINE) – DUSTIN COOK: As a member of the Canadian Cowboys, and the winningest Ottawa male in alpine skiing, Dustin raced to the first-ever Canadian super-g World Championships medal in 2015, winning a silver in Vail/Beaver Creek, Colorado. Repeating his success only a week after winning the silver, Dustin also collected a super-g bronze at a World Cup in Norway. He finished his 2015 season on top of the podium with a gold at the World Cup Finals in France. Dustin is a repeat winner of our award for alpine skiing.
SKIING (CROSS-COUNTRY) – COLIN ABBOTT: Colin was a key figure in the Carleton Ravens winning the OUA title in nordic skiing, his university’s first since the 2010-11 season. He won gold in two races at the 2015 OUA Championships, the 6.6 km classic race and the 2x 0.6 km free relay.
SKIING (FREESTYLE) – MATTHEW BULL: Matthew competes in slopestyle skiing. At the Canadian Junior Championships in Silver Star, B.C., Matthew finished in 3rd place overall. Matthew also finished 6th in Ontario’s park and pipe rankings. Recently he cracked the top-100 in the world rankings based upon the AFP ranking system.
SNOWBOARDING – NATALIE ALLPORT: Natalie was recently named to the national slopestyle development team. She competes in slopestyle competitions and has had several top-10 finishes in international events. Natalie earned a 4th-place finish at the Slopestyle National Championships in Whistler, B.C.
SOCCER: Award rescinded.
SOFTBALL – ANDREW PUTNAM: Andrew recently moved to Ottawa for work reasons. He immediately became involved in the local softball community playing with the I4C Victory team that plays in the Greater Ottawa Fastball League. Playing as a pitcher, he has helped this team win 2 back-to-back league championships. Picked up by the Kitchener Cubs fastball team, he pitched them to a provincial title and was the winning pitcher in the championship game. This Kitchener-based team went on to compete at the International Softball Congress Team World Championships in the U.S. where they placed very respectable 7th out of 42 teams.
SPECIAL OLYMPICS – CHRISTINA JUDD-CAMPBELL: Christina, now 28 years old, has been a member of the Ottawa Rhythmic Gymnastics Club for 15 years. In 2015, she was a member of the Canadian Special Olympics squad that competed in the Special Olympics World Summer Games in Los Angeles. While competing in the L4 class, the highest level of competition available, Christina won 4 gold medals, including the overall title. A veteran athlete in her sport, Christina has been to two other World Championships and is now thinking of retiring from competing and giving back to her sport by becoming a coach.
SPEED SKATING (LONG-TRACK) – IVANIE BLONDIN: Our 2014 Female Athlete os the Year has continued on her winning ways in 2015. She finished as the World Cup circuit’s top mass start athlete thanks to her 2 gold, 2 silver and 1 bronze medal performances during the 2014-2015 season. Ivanie also earned a bronze medal in the 5000 m race to bring her World Cup medal total to 6 last season and won silver in the mass start at the World Single Distance Championships. Recognized by Speed Skating Canada as their Skater of the Year, Ivanie has carried on her blazing pace into the 2015-16 season, earning 3 more World Cup medals before Christmas. This is the 10th consecutive time that Ivanie has been recognized as either the city’s short-track or long-track speed skater of the year.
SPEED SKATING (SHORT-TRACK) – SAMANTHA MORRISON: Samantha is the #2 Ontario skater in the Canadian senior women’s rankings. In March 2015, she placed 12th at the Canadian senior trials with a 6th-place finish in the 1500 m. In October, Samantha raced in the Intercontinental Short Track Invitational, her first taste of international competition. She placed a very respectable 13th.
SQUASH – TARUN BALARAJ: Tarun at 15 years of age is the #1-ranked junior squash player in the Ottawa area. He is also currently ranked 23rd in the open rankings against competitors of all ages. During his young career, Tarun has been a consistent high-level junior player in regional, provincial and national tournaments, maintaining a top-10 national ranking in his group. He has been a valued member of Ottawa junior squash team for the past 5 years.
SWIMMING – ERIKA SELTENREICH-HODGSON: Erika represented Canada at the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games, reaching the women’s 200-metre individual medley final and finishing 5th. This 20-year-old also helped Canada earn a women’s 4×200 m freestyle relay bronze medal by swimming in a heat to advance her team to the final. Collecting 5 medals in total at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport National Championships, Erika won gold remained undefeated in her signature women’s 200 & 400 m IM events and helped her University of British Columbia Thunderbirds to their fourth consecutive national university crown.
SYNCHRONIZED SWIMMING – KRISTIN STREMLAW: Kristin had success competing both as an individual swimmer and as a team member in 2015, winning numerous medals. Based on her strong performances, she was selected to the age 13-15 national synchro team that competed internationally at the 2015 Mediterranean Cup in Rome. Locally, in solo competition, Kristin won gold at the Gloucester Invitational and the Eastern Ontario Regionals, silver in the national stream category at the Hilton Invitational and 1st in routine and 2nd overall at the Ontario Championships. In figures competitions, she won gold at both the Lisa A Figures Championships and the Eastern Ontario Regionals. She was a member of the Nepean 13-15 team that went undefeated to win the gold at the provincials.
TABLE TENNIS – EUGENE WANG: Eugene is currently ranked as Canada’s top table tennis player. A past Canadian Olympian in 2012, he won bronze medals in men’s singles and men’s team at the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games. He is currently ranked 58th in the world and is working hard on his game hoping to break into the top-30. Eugene is a past winner of our award for table tennis.
TAEKWONDO – CHAWKI-JASON HUARD BERRO: Chawki-Jason is currently ranked as the #1 ranked seeded heavyweight in Canada. He had a busy year in 2015 that saw him compete in the Commonwealth Taekwondo Championships in Scotland, the Paris Open (quarterfinalist), the 1st Pan Am Open in Portland USA (quarterfinalist), the Top 32 Canada Open in Toronto (quarterfinalist), 2015 Summer Universiade (3rd), and the Top 32 Pan Am University Taekwondo Championships held at West Point. He is a member of Team Ontario and the National Team and has earned a wild card position for the 2016 Senior Pan Am Championships.
TENNIS – JIM CAMERON: At the Eastern Canadian Senior Indoor National Championships, Jim placed 1st in both the men’s singles and doubles in his age group. Continuing his winning ways, Jim placed 1st at the Senior National Tennis Championships in men’s doubles. He is currently ranked 7th in men’s singles as well as 2nd in men’s doubles by Tennis Canada.
TRAMPOLINE – LEYLA ATALLAH: Leyla has been on the Ottawa Gymnastics Centre competitive trampoline team since 2011, competing first in interclub events for two years. She started competing at the provincial level in 2013-14 as a level 2 gymnast. In December of 2015, things started to click as she came in 2nd in the first Ontario Cup competition and was recently named first alternate to represent Team Ontario for its tour competition.
TRIATHLON – JOANNA BROWN: Joanna had a difficult start to her season as she was fighting sickness and injuries. While training, she fell and broke her elbow just two months before the Pan Am Games in Toronto. She did compete and finished 13th out of a field of 34 at these Games. Later in 2015, she finished 14th in the U23 event at the World Championships. She has won our triathlon award numerous times before.
ULTIMATE – KINLEY GEE: Kinley played with Ottawa’s local open team Phoenix as well as Team Canada’s U23 mixed team which competed at the worlds in London, England. In London, he led his team in points scored, helping the team to a bronze medal. Recently, Kinley made the inaugural roster of Ottawa’s American Ultimate Disc League team, the Outlaws.
VOLLEYBALL – ADAM SIMAC: Adam has helped bring Canada up to the top-10 in the world volleyball rankings. He was a member of the Canadian team that won bronze at the Pan Am Games in Toronto. Adam and Team Canada also topped World Cup-champion USA in the NORCECA Champions Cup. Adam missed the World Cup himself with a shoulder injury but hopes to return in time for Canada’s Olympic qualification quest next summer.
WATER POLO – JESSICA GAUDREAULT: Jessica was named the most valuable goaltender at the 2015 UANA Cup. The 21-year-old’s brilliant play helped Canada qualify for the FINA World Championships where they went on to place 11th. This Capital Wave club player also won a silver medal at the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games in front of many of her family and friends.
WATER SKIING – JONAH SHAFFER: Jonah is a young Canadian water skier who has already been competing against some of the top professionals in the sport. Competing from the age of 12, Jonah is a two-time Canadian slalom record holder in Boys 3 and junior men’s divisions, a three-time Canadian national champion in Boys 2 slalom and junior men’s slalom. He has won the Junior U.S. Masters Championships, the Junior U.S. Open Championships, placed 3rd at the Junior World Championships and has been ranked 1st in the world in the U-18 Division.
WEIGHTLIFTING – ISABELLE DESPRÉS: This will be the final time Isabelle Després accepts our weightlifting award since she has decided to retire from competition. This season, the 34-year-old national team veteran came close to equaling her own Ontario Championships record of 186 kg at the springtime provincials, lifting 181 kg. Ongoing injuries caught up to her by May’s nationals, however, and that wound up being the final event of a successful, determined career. A former track-and-field, bobsled and rugby competitor, Isabelle got a late start in weightlifting but nonetheless clawed her way onto Team Canada and achieved a pinnacle moment by appearing in the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
WHEELCHAIR RUGBY – PATRICE DAGENAIS: Patrice enjoyed his best season yet with the Canadian wheelchair rugby team in 2015. Team Canada ended a drought of 13 years without a title at a major international event when they won Parapan Am Games gold on home soil. Canada overcame a three-point halftime deficit to beat USA 57-54. The North American rivals met in the final of the Wheelchair Rugby Challenge in England, with Canada again coming out on top, this time against a global field. Dagenais has even bigger hopes for 2016 as he and his teammates enter the Rio Paralympic Games ranked #1.
WRESTLING – ERICA WIEBE: This Stittsville native is one of the world’s top female wrestlers. In 2015, Erica won 7 international gold medals from events in Russia, Sweden, Germany, Canada, Spain and the United States. She also won a silver medal in the Olympia Tournament held in Greece. This brought the 2014 Commonwealth Games medallist up to #2 in the world rankings. Erica capped 2015 by winning her weight class at the Canadian Olympic Team Trials and will soon wrestle internationally for the chance to qualify for the Rio 2016 Olympics.
ALGONQUIN COLLEGE THUNDER MEN’S SOCCER TEAM
OCAA East Division Champions, OCAA Provincial Silver Medallists & CCAA National Bronze Medallists
Kyle Maharaj, Kyle Desouza, Simon Brown, Kieran Spring, Saverio Panuccio, Kai Morton, Ebrahim Alariky, Stephane Emard, Sebastien Razafimahefa, Marco Natoli, Hayden Simmons-O’Grady, Brian Rosenthal, Marcellus Paul, Lucas Blain, Isaac Johnson, Hussein Zeineddine, Sebastian Gillies, Osama Alsharif, Alex Asmis, Lambros Langis, Mike Gagliano (head coach), Les Escobar & Loui Legakis (assistants) and Jordan Pagani (manager).
ALGONQUIN COLLEGE THUNDER WOMEN’S SOCCER TEAM
OCAA Provincial Champions
Karleigh Bell, Jenna King, Taylor Stefanich, Vanessa Macmillan, Jayna Hohsdorf, Sylie Avedissian, Taylor Skinkle, Michelle Wilson, Melissa Harrison, Becky Leese, Kandyce Whitehead, Haleigh Robertson, Sabrina Bray, Darby Perry, Lauren Prapavessis, Allison Querat, Jenna Baldree, Allison Clayton, Jacklyn Brzezinski, Emma Arsenault, Megan Foy, Jenna Robinson, Melissa Scissons, Dominic Oliveri (head coach), Robin Rushton, Jasmine Phillips, Les Escobar and Alex Huard (assistants).
CAPITAL WAVE U14 GIRLS’ WATER POLO
Eastern Canadian Champions
Maria Pesliak, Ila Krupalija, Sophie Desmarais, Floranne Carroll, Jane Howes, Stephanie Rabbai, Sarah McGinnis, Kaitlyn Palmer, Stephanie Gao, Lara Dale, MacKenzie Greco, Abigail Gasparotto, Valeria Rojas, Celso Rojas (head coach) and Rodrigo Rojas (assistant).
CAPITAL WAVE U16 GIRLS’ WATER POLO
Eastern Canadian Division Silver Medallists & Top Team in Ontario
Juliette Belanger, Maya Kassam, Mackenzie Krueger, Rachel Howes, Floranne Carroll, Jewelle Crocker, Stephanie Sibbald, Adele Scalett, Valeria Rojas, Madeline Hemstreel, Emma McGinnis, Dan Bekhazi (head coach) and Veronica Rojas (assistant).
CARLETON RAVENS MEN’S BASKETBALL
OUA Provincial & CIS National Champions
Gavin Resch, Sheldon McIntosh, Connor Wood, Thomas Scrubb, Jean Emmanuel Pierre-Charles, Victor Raso, Cameron Smythe, Mitchell Wood, Philip Scrubb, Guillaume Payen Boucard, Mitch Jackson, Anthony Pate, Connor Branch, Glenn Thelemaque, Matthew Karnik, Dave Smart (head coach), Rob Smart Jr., Richard Anderson, Dean Petridis, Aaron Chapman, Kevin Churchill, Aaron Blakely, Greg McManus & (assistants) and Bruce Marshall (athletic therapist).
CARLETON RAVENS MEN’S FENCING
OUA Provincial Champions
Geoff Devaney, Phil McCully, Alexandre Salat, Alecs Tudor, Joe Wright, Zachary Zanussi, Liam Costello, Brian Valta, Tristan Phillips, Jason Kneitz, Noah Latchem, Sebastien Mostavac and Eli Sukunda (coach).
CARLETON RAVENS MEN’S NORDIC SKI
OUA Provincial Champions
Matthew Brown, Patrick van Walraven, Graham Perry, Chris Weller, Stefan LIoyd, Symon Stowe, Carrington Pomeroy, Nelson Allan, Colin Abbott, Avery Vreugdenhil-Beauclerc, Ben Dearing, Robert Graham and Nicholas Clifford (coach).
CARLETON RAVENS MEN’S WATER POLO
OUA Provincial Champions
Morad Abdelbary, Dusan Boskovic, Benjamin Bouwer, Zeyad El Mahdy, Luke Evans, Mohamed Galal, Dylan Gold, Ognjen Gutovic, Alexander Holman, Yorek Hurrelmann, Benson Lai, Harrison Marsland, Cameron McDonald, Jack Miller, Zach Pearse, Rodrigo Rojas, Austin Stanton, Alexi Tarnopolski, Don-Romario Watson, Daniel Woodall and Michel Roy (head coach).
DAVID FOY SAILING CREW
Ontario Shark Class Champions
Jamie Foy, David O’Sullivan and David Foy.
EAST NEPEAN EAGLES MAJOR LITTLE LEAGUE ALL-STAR BASEBALL TEAM
LLC Silver Medalists & Top Ontario Team at Nationals
Ben Adams, Ben Anderson, Andre Bess, Jake Calder, Matteo Disipio, Tristan Godmaire, Alex Hum, Riley Maude, Jayden Oliver, Nicholas Pileggi, Adam Saleh, Michael Stremlaw, Evan Stucker, Mike Crepin (manager), Mark Keeping and Dan Bellini (assistants).
EAST NEPEAN EAGLES MINOR BASEBALL
LLO Provincial Champions
Omar Castillo, Jordan Cruz, Peter Dineen, Giordano Fata, Liam Finn, Brayden Goldberg, Nicholas Hum, Calder Kuseler, Aidan Moore, Tyson Normand, Phillip Pietrobon, Zander Wilson, Keenan Woods, Loren Klimchuk (head coach), Phil Moore & Steve Goldberg (assistants) and Sherry Wilson (manager).
EAST NEPEAN EAGLES SENIOR BASEBALL
LLO Provincial Champions
Alex Boulianne, Ben Kitts, Ricardo Petrocco, Derian Cockell, Sam Kitts, Jeremy Brown, Jack Legault, Liam Kennedy, Liam Dennison, Sam Ollson, Brad Richardson, Isaac Kiewan, Robert Cosenzo & coaches Bryan Richardson, Scott Kennedy, Tim Brown and Mark Cosenzo.
GLEBE CI GRYPHONS GIRLS’ CROSS-COUNTRY RUNNING TEAM
OFSAA Girls’ Aggregate & Senior Girls’ Provincial Champions
Cassidy Grimes, Anna Larkin, Kate Millar, Katherine Marshall, Ali Pouw and Keili Shepherd (senior girls), Roslayn Barrett, Sophie-Anne Burger, Suzannah Barrett, Taya Davison, Mzia Lee-Pottie, Sarah MacIntosh, Lauren Mouser, Corina Peres, Teagan Shapansky, Sara Steel, Mei Mei Weston and Kirk Dillabaugh (coach).
GLEBE CI GRYPHONS NORDIC SKI TEAM
OFSAA Junior Girls’, Junior Boys’ & Senior Girls’ Provincial Champions
Reilly McClure, Katherine Clarke, Keili Shepherd & Kendall Saravanamuttoo (junior girls), Pierre Grall-Johnson, Teagan Harris, Ben Milley & Ezra Pierce (junior boys), and Alison Pouw, Katherine Marshall, Hanna Smith & Lois Betteridge (senior girls) and Anne Rimes (coach).
KARS ON THE RIDEAU PS CURLING TEAM
Provincial Elementary School Champions
Adrienne Belliveau, Jordan McNamara, Julia Brennan, Lucas Houle and Michelle Belliveau (coach).
LISGAR CI LORDS NORDIC SKIING TEAM
OFSAA Senior Boys’ Champions
Julian Alexander-Cook, Marcus Nussbaum, Eric Nussbaum and Sam Kinahan.
LOUIS-RIEL REBELLES ALPINE SKI TEAM
OFSAA Provincial Level 2 Girls’ Slalom Team & Level 2 Boys’ Slalom Team Champions
Sierra Smith, Erin Kral, Chloe Beaudoin, Laura Lessard & Lilith Klekner-Alt (girls), and Ben Beaudoin, Justin Haineault, Xavier Duhamel, Justin Hurteau & Damon Kral (boys).
LOUIS-RIEL REBELLES GIRLS’ SOCCER TEAM
OFSAA ‘AA’ Provincial Champions
Kaitlyn Ball, Bianca Breiding, Kelsey Ellis, Gabrielle Poirier, Yasmine Boukadoum, Naomie Bianco, Kimiko Marinacci, Alyssa Baker, Adrienne Li, Melissa Simard, Veronique Landriault, Michelle McVey, Zineb Jouali, Jadzia Gervais, Kerline Millord, coaches Yuuki Charland, Dominique Falardeau & Joe Fournier and Xavie Fournier (waterboy).
MAVERICK STALLIONS 13U BOYS’ VOLLEYBALL TEAM
OVA Provincial Champions
Maxime Gratton, Noah Archer, Antoine Ducharme, Zachary Call, Samuel Deschenes, Olivier Ducharme, Jacob Matheson, Josh Ruby, Tristan Godmaire, Paul Gratton (coach), Steve Call, Louise McNicol and Patrick Deschenes (assistants).
MYERS RIDERS JUNIOR VARSITY OVFL FOOTBALL TEAM
OVFL Provincial Champions
Brayden Lassenba, Nana-Yaw Serbeh, Honoreal Iloki, Elijah Ifill, James Keenan, Owen Clement, Hayden Tripp, Jean-Paul Cimankinda, Liam Quinton, David Wardowski, Angelo Vushaj, Joseph Green, Daniel Mercier, Billy Denault, Connor England, Jesse Tamming, Ron Peters, Jelani White-Chiteta, Kyle Sonnenburg, Nick Sine, Michael Frangione, Patrick Lavoie, Eric Bento, Patrick Massia, Richard Burton, Avery Clayton, Guillaume Dufresne, Danny Lukusa, Liam Paquette, Jameson Dominique, Carmine Urbani, Alex Strong, Romeo Rose, Cameron Bengough, Jaime Sebastian, Benjamin Chombe, Osa Ekiyor, Anesu Latmore, Malik Yusuf, Nicklas Sua, AJ Oickie, Sebastian Chavez, Benjamin Mailhiot, Blake Thompson, Harrison Cooney, Alejandro Politis, Connor Williams, Thabiso Bakelaar, Laurent Filiatreault, Chance Angeconeb, Vincenzo Frangione, Cameron Crofts, Austin Noiles, Deng Malou, Matt Kassner (head coach), Ntare Bainomugisha, Jonathan Ferguson, Nick Randall, Shavin Fernando, Tyrone Bromfield, Justin Chombre, John James, Les Kraeker, Paul Deek, Geoffrey Turnbull, Zac Hamilton & John Buck (assistants) and Sandy Ruckstuhl (president).
NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION AXEMEN LACROSSE TEAM
QSLL Provincial Champions & CLA National Silver Medallists
Ryan Dewar, Curtis Singleton, Dan Gawne, Jason Tasse, Mark Vradenburg, Ian Crawford, Kevin McKeown, Jore Phoenix, Dan Proulx, Doug Utting, Malcolm Gauvin, Chris Chuback, Nevan Sullivan, Callum Crawford, Jordan Joncas, Jason Crooke, Tim Bergin, James Fawcett, Todd Chapmen, Nick Sanseverino, Brett Perras, Chris Collins, Alex Kedoh Hill, Sam Bradman, Grant Thor, Brandon Fournier, Dave Hallet, Pat Collins, Connor Buchanan, Jordan Holmes, Evan McCloskey, Rob Woods, Don Moore (general manager) & coaches Step Collins, Sean Moran and Jim Jordan.
NEPEAN-KANATA BARRACUDAS GIRLS’ AGE 13-14 200 m FREESTYLE RELAY TEAM
SO Provincial Champions
Amelia Neilsen, Reagan MacDonald, Mia Zahab and Raeleigh Mooij.
NEPEAN-KANATA BARRACUDAS GIRLS’ AGE 15-17 400 m FREESTYLE RELAY TEAM
SO Provincial Champions
Jessica Yu, Chuchu Yang, Katie Breault and Janet Zhao.
NEPEAN KNIGHTS PEEWEE LACROSSE TEAM
OLA Peewee Provincial Champions
Michael Cornish, Mason MacNeil, Sean Skillen, Jake Tite, Noah Ellard, Kaleb Ellard, Akash Prasad, Nicholas O’Connell, Owen Simpson, Sean Kennedy, Phillip Gallant, Matt Cavanaugh, Wyland Clost, Christopher McMinn, Dylan Young, Jeremy Freisen , Charlie Ducet and William MacNeil, Malcolm Cornish (head coach), Shawn MacNeil & Shae Freisen (assistants), Cynthia McMinn and Keith Ellard (trainers).
NEPEAN RAVENS BELLE ‘AA’ RINGETTE TEAM
RC U19 National Champions
Rianne Munro, Amy Kolesnik, Ariana Mahaney, Maggie Sullivan, Emily Hogan, Sarah Lemkow, Allie Marcotte, Taylor Costello, Natasha Hurtubise, Samantha Banning, Cait Driscoll, Molly Lewis, Hanya Wyatt, Amy Boileau, Art Marcotte (head coach), John Sullivan, Katherine Mulders & Jackie Banning (assistants) and Kim Costello (manager).
NEPEAN SYNCHRO 13-15 DUET TEAM DS
SO Provincial Champions
Natasha Strong, Jade Warren and Deanna Sokoloski (coach).
NEPEAN SYNCHRO 13-15 TEAM MG
SO Provincial Champions
Emily Armstrong, Dimitrina Bayarova, Ellena Damini, Caitlyn Hayes, Madisyn Smith, Kristin Stremlaw, Natasha Strong, Jade Warren & coaches Michaela Kostron and Greer Gemin.
OTTAWA CARBECCA CONSTRUCTION SEMINOLES MEN’S TOUCH FOOTBALL TEAM
National Touch Football Champions
Sandro Panetta, Vince Adams, Chris Belleville, Mitch Duggan, Dan Hall, Mark Jennings, Dahalamine Kane, Marc Latremouille, Daniel Obedi, Ben O’Connor, Sean O’Neill, Dan Pignat, James Prescott, Shane Racicot, Paul Sequin, Renford Thomas, Matt Tickell, Kennedy Williams and Rich Wood.
OTTAWA CURLING CLUB TEAM HOMAN RINK
WCT Grand Slam of Curling Masters, National & Canadian Open Champions, Canada Cup of Curling Champions & CC National Bronze Medallists
Lisa Weagle, Joanne Courtney, Emma Miskew, Rachel Homan and Marcel Rocque (coach).
OTTAWA CURLING CLUB TEAM McLEAN RINK
OCA Provincial Mixed Champions
Britt O’Neal, Andrew Denny-Petch, Karen Sagle, Mike McLean and Keith Coulthart (alternate).
OTTAWA CURLING CLUB SPECIAL OLYMPICS CURLING TEAM
SOO Provincial Champions
Kimberly Gorin, Christopher White, Patrick Gratton, Conall MacMillan, Corey Hill (alternate) and Cathy Croteau (coach).
OTTAWA ELITE U16 BOYS’ BASKETBALL TEAM
OBA Provincial Champions
Merveille Benjamin, Owen Boisvert, Olgaga Diba, Benhur Ghebrekidan, Willem Gooderham, Gaido Gracia, Patrick Mpoyi, Randy Mukengeshayi, Lloyd Pandi, David Quinn, Khaleem Sarazin, Jerry Seide, Balsha Vukovic, Jevon Westcarth, Eric Zhu, Tony House (head coach), Gus Ayoub & Chris Swenson (assistants) and Pierre Quinn (manager).
OTTAWA GLOUCESTER HORNETS U15 OYSL BOYS’ SOCCER TEAM
OYSL Regular Season & OYSL East Division Champions
Sami Ben Moussa, Jonathan David, Lucas del Castillo, Adam Farinha, Benson Fazili, Ethan Gibson, Tarik Jouali, Haider Kadhom, Alban Meto, Montther Mohsen, Augustin Muhima, Luc Ntima, Anthony Reyes, Elie Tatou, Diego Tejada, Spencer Woodman, Gokhan Yilmaz, Hanny El-Magraby (head coach), Ahmed El-Magraby (assistant), Alex Reyes (trainer) and Katherine Richardson (manager).
OTTAWA LIONS TRACK AND FIELD CLUB
AO Provincial & AC National Club Champions
In 2015, 19 athletes from this powerful club wore the maple leaf while competing for Canada at the top levels of competition. They had 4 athletes compete in the IAAF World Athletics Championships: Melissa Bishop, Sultana Frizell, Tim Nedow, and Sekou Kaba, while Jason Dunkerley & guide Josh Karanja and Josh Cassidy competed at the International Paralympic Committee Athletics World Championships.
Patrick Arbour and Michael Robertson joined the group for the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games. Also representing Canada in 2015 were Karelle Edwards, Farah Jacques, Claire Smith, Erinn Stenman-Fahey, Matt Bedard, Steve Nkusi, Oluwasegun Makinde, Shona McCulloch, Keira Christie-Galloway and Wendy Alexis. Glenroy Gilbert, Ian Clark and James Holder coached Canada’s elite at World Championships.
OTTAWA JETS WOMEN’S TOUCH FOOTBALL TEAM
TFO Provincial ‘A’ Champions
Katrina Follis, Lianne Bradley, Kim Mathieu, Rebecca Duhard, Katherine McIsaac, Ariane Lachance-Scantland, Lacey Thompson, Lindsay Laviolette, Erika Schreiner, Jori Ritchie, Jenna Gilbert, Christie Hughes and Gabrielle Mantha.
OTTAWA ROWING CLUB
Provincial Champions
Isabelle Barlow-Jeffrey, Jacob Serjeantson, William Cao, Nicholas Lee, Oliver Mihorean (U17 Men 4x+), Matthew Fournier (Sr. Lwt Men 1x), Gillian Henderson, Molly Marland, Hayley Watt, Gillian Cross (U19 Women 4x), Matthew Christie, Matthew Fournier (Sr. Lwt Men 2x), Genevieve Vallee, Jasmine Carter (Sr. Lwt Women 2x), Alanna Fogarty (U23 Lwt Women 1x), Marika Kay, Mollie McCabe (Sr. Women 2x), Hayley Watt, Gillian Cross (U19 Women 2x), Megan Haley, Ashley Broadhurst (U23 Lwt Women 2x), Jenna Pelham, Kristen King (Sr. Lwt Women 2x), Emmie Page, Daria Lutz, Ashley Broadhurst, Megan Haley (U23 Lwt women 4x), Joshua King, Matthew Fournier (Sr. Lwt Men 2x), Jenna Pelham, Kristen King, Dana Howell, Lilianne Page (Sr. Lwt Women 4x), and Matthew Christie (U23 Lwt Men 1x)
Royal Canadian Henley National Champions
Amy Moen, Pamela Peacock (Masters Women’s 2), Amy Moen, Caitlin Salter-MacDonald (Masters Women’s 2x), Amy Moen, Caitlin Salter-MacDonald, Kim Sogge, Pamela Peacock, Alina Barnett (Master Women’s 4+), Rodrigo Ideus, Anne-Andree Sirois (Masters Mixed 2x), Matthew Fournier, Matthew Christie (Lwt Men’s 2x), Alanna Fogerty (U23 Lwt Women’s 1x), Josh King (U23 Lwt Men’s 1x), Charles Li-Benard, Josh King (U23 Lwt Men’s 2x), Matthew Christie (Men’s Lwt 1x Dash), Lilianne Page (Women’s Lwt 1x Dash), Matthew Fournier, Matthew Christie, Josh King, Julien Pouliot (Men’s Senior Lwt 4x), Anna Currie, Jenna Pelham, Megan Haley, Tara Barnett, Jasmine Carter, Sawyer Bonin, Alyssa Pastic, Genevieve Vallee, Tiffany Dang (Women’s Senior Lwt 8+), and Alanna Fogerty, Kristin King, Dana Howell, Lilianne Page (Women’s Senior LWt 4x).
International Gold Medallists
Elizabeth Fenje, Jennifer Martins, Christine Roper, Kate Goodfellow, Antje von Seydlitz.
OTTAWA SOUTH UNITED FORCE U15 OYSL BOYS’ SOCCER TEAM
OSA Ontario Cup Provincial Champions
Daniel Assef, Antonio Carlini, David Chung, Kallel Coltess, Nicolas DiBerardino, Keenan Foley, Hassan Hamed, Kristan Johnson, Ian Kerr, Kai Knight, Nicholas Marriott, Ryan Massoud, Barou Junior Mbuyamba, Tony Mikhael, Jaden Moyes, Stefano Nicastro, Mathew Pacheco, Luc Rowlands, Liam Wood and Russell Shaw (head coach).
RIDEAU CANOE CLUB
OCSRA Provincial Grand Champions, Provincial U13/U15 Champions, CKC National Club Burgee Winners & National Masters Champions
42 different paddlers won gold medals for the Rideau Canoe Club at the 2015 Canadian Championships. It was the best season ever for the storied club, featuring Canadian club and masters national title wins on home water at Mooney’s Bay.
RIDEAU CANOE CLUB U19 WOMEN’S KAYAK TEAM
Winners of 6 CKC U19 Women’s National Gold Medals
August Sibthorpe, Rowan Hardy-Kavanagh, Kate Braddon and Naomi van Walraven.
RIDEAU CURLING CLUB TEAM FAVEL RINK
OCA Provincial Masters Champions & CC National Masters Silver Medallists
Sheila Rogers, Edna Legault, Sue Kollar, Diana Favel and Jerry Ciasnocha (coach).
SEAWAY VALLEY DEVILS BROOMBALL
CBF Juvenile Girls’ National Champions
Laura Rumph, Jasmine Leclerc, Kaelyn Eby, Michaela Kehoe, Cashelle Baldwin, Tiffany Lenselink, Emma Lanthier, Haley Terry, Caroline DePepentigny, Maxine DePepentigny, Carlee Coburn, Danica Holland, Emily Zandbelt, Keira Zandbelt, Shay Langille, Lauren Robertson, Jessie Nash, Melanie Lanthier, Aimee VanLoon, Katelyn Wynja & coaches Chris DePepentigny, Jenna James and Cindy Nash.
SOUTH CARLETON HS STORM ALPINE SKI
OFSAA Level 1 Boys’ and Girls’ Provincial Champions
Jack Rabb, Luke Raspopovic, Will Robertson, David Fields & Grant Murison (boys), Kristine Sproule, Julia Whaley, Robyn Rennie, Emily
Butler & Zoe Lazenby (girls), Blake Claydon (head coach), Laura Butler, Melody Murison, Wanda Craig and Brie Johnstone (assistants).
UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA GEE-GEES RINGETTE TEAM
ORA Provincial 18+ Champions & National University Silver Medallists
Melissa Crawford, Chloe Gagnon, Nicole Allen, Cheralee Trepanier, Sarah Trottier, Sarah Taylor, Taylor Moffat, Chelsea Packman, Michele Vezina, Morgan Johnson-Dugay, Jenna Briglio, Nicole Leclaire, Laura Duchene, Irene Zourdos, Emma Mackey, Rachel Kazaka, Melissa Lamble & coaches John Packman and Bryson Lamble.
UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA GEE-GEES WOMEN’S RUGBY TEAM
RSEQ Provincial Champions & CIS National Bronze Medallists
Elizabeth Boudreault, Fiona McNeill-Knowles, Danarae Sommerville, Emily Gray, Erin Van Gulik, Tamara Butera, Bianca Paiement, Samantha Alli, Ana MacBride, Emily Babcock, Madison Cunha, Irene Patrinos, Venesha Angus, Brianna Miller, Chanel Breton, Emily Dikranian, Breanna Phillipps, Dria Bennett, Danielle Erdelyi, Abby Taetz, Chanelle Fortin, Genevieve Downey-Ging, Emma Sandstrom, Stephanie Mercier, Jessica Foran, Tori Wyman, Courtney Mastine, Alexandria Ellis, Simone Savary, Catherine Boudreault, Patricia Mandon, Erin McCallan, Kathryn Elvidge, Ashley Strike and Jen Boyd (head coach).