MacDonald, Vanderzee named Dinos Athletes of the Year

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 A pair of nationwide champions in observe & subject in Sienna MacDonald and Noel Vanderzee have been named the 2023-24 College of Calgary Dinos Athletes of the 12 months.

The 2 stars have been offered with the Dr. Dennis Kadatz Athletes of the 12 months awards to focus on the 56th annual Night time of the Dino awards gala Monday evening contained in the Jack Simpson Fitness center, because the Dinos celebrated one more excellent 12 months of competitors.

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This 12 months’s recipients of the Invoice Popplewell Rookie of the 12 months Awards went to Nicholas Hooper of males’s wrestling and Alexanne Lepage of girls’s swimming. The opposite main honours of the evening, the Calgary Booster Membership Scholar-Athlete Awards recognizing excellent athletic achievement, went to Derek Brust (males’s soccer), Gabriella Durante (girls’s hockey), Grace Lew (wrestling), and Paul McKenzie (swimming).

Chancellor Jon Cornish offered the Senate Service Award to Alexis Johnson of observe & subject, whereas cross nation and observe and subject head coach Jessica Zelinka was topped the Charlesglen Toyota Coach of the 12 months.

The Margaret Southern Award for feminine contribution to the Dinos went to long-time occasions workers member Marianne Dyke, whereas the Dr. Lou Goodwin Award acknowledged broadcast producer and director Ned Bosnak. Males’s basketball staff supervisor Cole Charlebois was honoured with the Murray Fraser Award because the excellent volunteer.

2023-24 DR. DENNIS KADATZ ATHLETES OF THE YEAR
Named for the primary athletic director and soccer coach on the College of Calgary, the Dr. Dennis Kadatz Athlete of the 12 months awards acknowledge excellence on the enjoying subject in the course of the varsity season. The winners grow to be the Dinos’ nominees for the U SPORTS athlete of the 12 months awards.

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Sienna MacDonald | Observe & Subject | third 12 months | Arts | Airdrie, AB
Every little thing MacDonald touched this season turned to gold. Competing within the Pentathlon, 60m hurdle and lengthy soar, MacDonald regularly set new private bests and made Staff Canada commonplace in hurdles for the World Athletics Indoor Championships with a time of 8.11 seconds. On the Canada West Championships, she claimed gold in all three occasions and took down a convention document within the 60m hurdles en path to being named the CW Observe Athlete of the 12 months and Performer of the Meet. On the nationwide stage, MacDonald was as soon as once more took triple gold and was honoured because the U SPORTS Athlete of the Meet.

Noel Vanderzee | Observe & Subject | 2nd 12 months | Arts | Lethbridge, AB
After time away from the game, Vanderzee was prepared to leap to new heights at UCalgary. In all 5 events he competed this season, Vanderzee gained his occasion – but it surely was his efficiency on the Canada West Championships that was eyepopping. His 2.22m soar broke the Dinos, Canada West and province of Alberta document within the excessive soar and earned him the CW Subject Athlete of the 12 months and the Male Co-Performer of the Meet honours. He capped off the season by being named the U SPORTS Subject Athlete of the 12 months and a nationwide gold medal.

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BILL POPPLEWELL ROOKIES OF THE YEAR
The Rookie of the 12 months awards have been created in 2000 and named after Invoice Popplewell, a tireless supporter of the Dinos for over 20 years as one of many athletic division’s longest-standing company companions.

Alexanne Lepage | Swimming | Schulich Faculty of Engineering | Vernon, BC
Lepage’s season was spectacular by not solely freshman commonplace – however by any. With the Canada West Championships at residence, Lepage shined, medalling in all seven of her occasions, and claiming gold in every of her particular person swims – all by two seconds or extra. She was named each the convention’s prime rookie AND swimmer of the 12 months. On the U SPORTS Championships, Lepage collected seven extra medals, topping the rostrum within the 200-metre breaststroke and 400-metre particular person medley, and was honoured because the nationwide rookie of the 12 months.

Nicholas Hooper | Wrestling | Haskayne Faculty of Enterprise | Cochrane, AB
Hooper joined the Dinos after successful gold with Staff Alberta on the Canada Summer season Video games. An damage in his first collegiate competitors saved Hooper off the mats for a couple of months – however he made a roaring return. In The Jack on the Canada West Championships, Hooper gained each his bouts in convincing trend by tech fall to seize a gold medal and convention rookie of the 12 months honours. On the U SPORTS Championships, Hooper rolled into the gold medal match with three tech fall wins earlier than successful gold by resolution. He was named the nationwide rookie of the 12 months.

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CALGARY BOOSTER CLUB SCHOLAR-ATHLETES
The Scholar-Athlete awards acknowledge excellent achievement in lecturers and athletics, and every year 4 student-athletes are offered with $1,250 scholarships by the Calgary Booster Membership.

Derek Brust | Soccer | fifth 12 months | Schulich Faculty of Engineering | Calgary, AB
Gabriella Durante | Hockey | 4th 12 months | Graduate Research | Calgary, AB
Grace Lew | Wrestling | third 12 months | Cumming Faculty of Drugs | Calgary, AB
Paul McKenzie | Swimming | 4th 12 months | Kinesiology | Calgary, AB

SENATE SERVICE AWARDS
The Senate Service Award yearly acknowledges a student-athlete who reveals sturdy group engagement by demonstrating direct involvement. Representing the UCalgary Senate’s imaginative and prescient of participating the group, the recipient is a student-athlete in good educational standing with important dedication to bettering the lives of these round them and is chosen by a committee of the Senate. UCalgary Chancellor Jon Cornish offered the award, which celebrates its eleventh anniversary in 2023.

Alexis Johnson | Observe & Subject | fifth 12 months | Social Work | Calgary, AB
The 2024 Canada West Subject Athlete of the 12 months and as soon as once more an Tutorial All-Canadian within the classroom, Johnson continues to shine seemingly all over the place she goes. The six-time Canada West medallist has additionally taken on important group engagement work throughout her time as a student-athlete. Learning each social work and in UCalgary’s Cumming Faculty of Drugs, Johnson has labored with the Hull Providers Nonprofit Group and with the Society for Autism Assist and Providers, working with plenty of essentially the most susceptible and adolescents by means of numerous challenges. She additionally volunteers her time giving again to the game she has grown to excel by teaching native excessive schoolers in the course of the out of doors season.

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CHARLESGLEN TOYOTA COACH OF THE YEAR
Jessica Zelinka | Observe & Subject and Cross Nation
In simply her third season because the Dinos head observe & subject and cross nation coach, Jessica Zelinka led her squad to an unbelievable 12 months of competitors. The previous world-class athlete returned to her alma mater and was named the U SPORTS Girls’s Coach of the 12 months after serving to the Dinos to a bronze medal on the nationwide meet regardless of touring simply 11 student-athletes. She additionally coached the Calgary girls to silver and the Dinos males to bronze on the Canada West Championships. Moreover, her athletes introduced residence an unbelievable eight postseason honours over the course of the exceptional 12 months. This award, sponsored by company associate Charlesglen Toyota, is voted on by all varsity head coaches.

CLUB STUDENT-ATHLETE AWARDS
The Membership Pupil-Athlete Awards honour two excellent student-athletes from the Dinos’ aggressive membership packages for his or her all-around athletic, educational, and group achievement over the course of the season.

Rahul Duggi | Tennis | 4th 12 months | Schulich Faculty of Engineering | Calgary, AB
Duggi has compiled an ideal document in college competitors during the last two seasons. This previous 12 months, he achieved a career-best No. 2 rating within the province and was 67th general within the nationwide rankings – an enormous achievement after beginning his collegiate profession sixtieth in Alberta. He served because the staff captain of the Dinos males’s tennis staff in 2023-24 and has additionally devoted time to teaching high-performance juniors on the nationwide degree.

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Lindsay Jone | Ringette | 4th 12 months | Science & Schooling | Calgary, AB
Jone accomplished her ultimate season with the Dinos ringette staff in 2023-24 and performed a key position of their podium finishes on the Bridge Battle event, College Problem Cup and CORA Basic. Jone took the lead in organizing two profitable fundraisers for the membership – a pub evening and winter ringette camp. A devoted volunteer, Lindsay is acknowledged for her dedication to her staff, all whereas sustaining an distinctive educational document – incomes a spot on the Dean’s Checklist every year.

MARGARET SOUTHERN AWARD
The Margaret Southern Award honours excellent service and help to athletics by a lady, named in honour of the primary feminine teacher at UCalgary’s School of Bodily Schooling. Inducted into the Alberta Sports activities Corridor of Fame in 1992, Marg and her late husband Ron have been the Calgary Booster Membership Sportswoman and Sportsman of the 12 months in 1986 and are nicely often known as pioneers within the Calgary enterprise and equestrian communities because the founders of ATCO and Spruce Meadows.

Marianne Dyke is in her twentieth season with Dinos Athletics and has achieved many roles through the years. This college 12 months, she stepped up in an enormous manner, filling in for sister Amanda Hopkins whereas on maternity go away – all whereas working within the Calgary schooling system instructing sixth grade. Marianne oversaw the Dinos pupil and informal workers within the roles of concessions, ticketing and safety and has helped oversee the Dinos’ revamped ticketing system – resulting in elevated attendance at each sport this season.

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DR. LOU GOODWIN AWARD
Named for the primary Dean of Bodily Schooling at UCalgary, the Dr. Lou Goodwin award honours a male who has offered excellent service and help to the athletic division. ‘Dr. Lou’ served the town of Calgary, its college system, and its college for greater than 45 years and was a founding member of what’s now the School of Kinesiology, serving as professor, division head, and dean from 1961 by means of 1978.

Dinos followers may not essentially know the title Ned Bosnak however they actually have seen his work. Bosnak is the president and CEO of Maverick Media – producing the reside stream of Dinos sporting occasions for the previous 15 years. From soccer to court docket sports activities to numerous convention and nationwide championships hosted by Calgary, Bosnak and his crew have been there to offer the printed for anybody throughout Canada to look at, transmitting by far the most effective merchandise in all of U SPORTS.

MURRAY FRASER AWARD
Murray Fraser was president of the College of Calgary from 1988 till his retirement in 1996. A devoted supporter of the Dinos, Murray and his spouse Anne have been fixtures within the stands throughout his time as president, and he was a agency believer in pupil involvement in campus life and a complete college schooling. The Murray Fraser Award is offered yearly to college students who go over and above of their roles with Dinos Athletics.

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Cole Charlebois has grow to be an extension of the Dinos males’s basketball program by means of his work as a staff supervisor over the previous three seasons. He taken care of many duties – from follow arrange and maintaining stats to video work to meal and journey preparations. Exterior of direct teaching, Charlebois has had his hand in nearly every part with this system, all whereas maintaining issues gentle together with his fast wit or difficult teammates to a recreation of chess. His giving spirit and serving-minded angle are a part of what make him – in accordance with head coach Dan Vanhooren – an ideal illustration of all a Dino needs to be.

MEDWEST ATHLETIC THERAPY AWARDS
The MedWest scholarships reward two Athletic Remedy majors for his or her work every season – one for scientific and one for subject. Every recipient receives a $1,400 scholarship. Dallyn Shields is the recipient of the scientific award, whereas Brenna Patenaude obtained the sphere award. Shields spent the season with the soccer staff, whereas Patenaude dealt with AT duties for girls’s rugby and ladies’s volleyball.

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