March 24, 2016

Hébert and Schouten named Laurentian Athletes of the Year

SUDBURY, ON – The Laurentian Voyageurs handed out their annual awards on Wednesday night. Leading the way was hockey player, Julie Hébert, and swimmer, Matthew Schouten, who were named the Female and Male Athletes of the Year.

SUDBURY, ON – The Laurentian Voyageurs handed out their annual awards on Wednesday night. Leading the way was hockey player, Julie Hébert, and swimmer, Matthew Schouten, who were named the Female and Male Athletes of the Year.

The Male and Female Rookie of the Year went to basketball player, Anthony Iacoe, and soccer player, Catherine Rocca. Long-time trainer, Trevor Blanchard, and Ryan Benoit, a manager of various teams throughout the years, were each presented with the Special Voyageur Award while Drew Bursey and Allison Pilon earned the Investors Group Community Service Awards. Sam Hirst from the men’s basketball team was presented with the prestigious Voyageur Award.

Hébert, a Chelmsford, Ontario native, was a standout on the ice this season. She finished in the top-10 in the OUA in goals and top-20 in the OUA in points this season. The only captain in program history, Hébert helped guide the women’s hockey team to their first ever playoff appearance and first ever playoff win this year.

Schouten, a native of Stouffville, Ontario, had 3 gold and 1 silver at the Divisional Championships in November. He followed that up with a silver medal in the 50m freestyle at the OUA Championships in February. His medal winning time also qualified him for the Olympic trials in April. At the CIS Championships, Schouten finished in 4^th in the 50m freestyle, 1 one-hundredth of a second from bronze.

The winner the Male Rookie of the Year, Sault Ste. Marie’s Anthony Iacoe of the men’s basketball team, led the OUA and was third in the nation in three-pointers made this season with 59. After starting all 19 games this year, Iacoe went on to score the 2^nd most points by a rookie in the OUA.

Woodbridge, Ontario’s Catherine Rocca, Female Rookie of the Year winner, started all 16 games this year as a rookie on the women’s soccer team. She consistently shut down some of the top attackers in the country and was a key piece in helping the women’s team go from 6th to 2nd in the OUA East this year.

The Special Voyageur Award is presented to someone outside of the immediate Voyageurs family who has made an outstanding contribution to Laurentian Voyageur Athletics. This year there were 2 recipients of this award. Trevor Blanchard has been a member of the training staff of the men’s basketball team for the past 4 years, spending countless hours in the gym and on the road. He has also helped out with the women’s basketball team and the women’s hockey team when needed.

Ryan Benoit has been a huge supporter of the Voyageurs and has committed to help support Laurentian Athletics in any way he can. Three years ago Benoit helped manage the men’s lacrosse team before lending his services to the men’s hockey team in their first year. Last season he returned to the field, helping the lacrosse team by doing their stats and helping in their fundraising efforts. Benoit recently launched his own brand, Positive Inception, and has donated a portion of the profits back to the lacrosse program.

The Investors Group Community Service Award recognizes those Voyageurs who wear the Blue and Gold with pride throughout the Greater Sudbury community and beyond. Receiving this year’s awards were Drew Bursey (Ottawa, ON) and Allison Pilon (Whitby, ON).

A member of the Nordic ski team, Bursey currently works with the cadet corps and local biathlon clubs, helping to improve their skiing and shooting skills. He is an instructor at the Laurentian Nordic Ski School and has also been involved in helping develop the Para-Nordic program at Laurentian Nordic.

A member of the women’s soccer team, Pilon is an active volunteer with Free the Children, traveling around the world to help provide education, clean water and sustainable developments for children in need. This year Pilon was a team leader at the Laurentian Relay for Life and she volunteers her time at the Maison Vale Hospice, answering the phones and giving tours of the facility.

The Voyageur Award is a prestigious award presented to a graduating student-athlete who has made an outstanding contribution to their sport and to Voyageur Athletics throughout their university career. This year’s recipient comes from the men’s basketball team in the form of Sam Hirst. A 3 time Academic All-Canadian, Sam grew over the course of his career at Laurentian from a role player to a leader on the court. Throughout his years at Laurentian, Sam has participated in the Read to Achieve program and in the Voyageurs Basketball Academy, introducing youth to the game of basketball. This season, Hirst was named the OUA Ken Shields Award winner, given to the student-athlete who exhibits outstanding achievement in the areas of basketball, academics, and community involvement. He is the first Ken Shields winner from Laurentian since 1994-95 when Brad Hann won the award.

Team awards were also handed out on Thursday night in Alumni Hall. Here are the recipients from the various teams.

Men’s Golf

MVP – Nicholas Quesnel

Pride & Tradition Award – Kraymr Grenke

Women’s Golf

MVP – Laura Gilmore

Men’s Wrestling

MVP – Ryan Karn

Pride & Tradition – Nathan Stajkowski

Women’s Wrestling

MVP – Taylor Richard

Men’s Nordic Skiing