McEwen, Tomlinson honoured as Queen's top Varsity Team athletes

KINGSTON, Ont. (March 30, 2016) – Lauren McEwen (Wasaga Beach, Ont.) of the women's rugby team and Mike Tomlinson (Stratford, Ont.) of the men's volleyball team were named the top student-athletes for the 2015-16 season. The two athletes were announced winners at the 80th annual Colour Awards Varsity Team athletic banquet Wednesday night at the ARC Main Gym.

McEwen, this year's PHE '55 Alumnae Award winner, led the underdog Gaels to their best finish at the national championship with a CIS silver on home soil at Queen's while being named a CIS Championship All-Star.

The fifth year concurrent education student was a two-time CIS All-Canadian, a four-time OUA All-Star and the 2013 OUA MVP. In her five years at Queen's, the Gaels were ranked in the CIS Top 10 for every single week and in 2013 and she was a part of the programs first OUA championship. The Gaels finished with a CIS bronze in 2013, but their best performance came in 2015 as hosts of the National Championship. McEwen helped lead the No.8 seeded Gaels to upsets of No.1 Acadia and No.5 Concordia en route to a CIS Silver medal. The Gaels all-time leading scorer with 219 points, McEwen made an impact on and off the field as well coaching and running camps many youth groups, volunteering with Get Real at Queen's and helping programs such as Kaleidoscope and Go Girls.

Tomlinson was awarded the Jenkins Trophy as the top male senior student-athlete. A three-time OUA All-Star, two-time winner of the Dale Iwanoczko Sportsman Award and team captain his past two seasons, Tomlinson has accomplished a tremendous amount both on and off the court in his time at Queen's. The previous two years, he served as a co-president with the Varsity Leadership Council (VLC).

During his time at Queen's, Tomlinson has been a tremendous ambassador for the University. He is a two-time OUA academic all-star and along with the entire VLC have supported many community initiatives such as Martha's Table, Gaels Care, Gold Rush and has served as a tutor to fellow athletes. The biomechanical engineering student was also a part of the Gaels 2011-12 OUA Championship and CIS host team.

The Alfie Pierce Trophy recipients for top male and female rookie of the year were Katrina Manoukarakis (Scarborough, Ont.) from women's hockey and Chris Brunet (Calgary) from men's volleyball.

Manoukarakis was an offensive machine for the women's hockey team in 2015-16. Not only did she lead all OUA rookies in goals, points, power-play goals and game-winning goals but she was fourth overall in the OUA in points and led the conference in power play goals. For her efforts, she was named the OUA Rookie of the Year, an OUA second team All-Star and to the All-Rookie team. She also received national recognition as a member of the CIS All-Rookie team after a tremendous season.

Brunet, a member of the men's volleyball CIS All-Rookie team, stepped up for the Gaels after injuries opened up a spot in the starting lineup. The Gaels didn't miss a beat with Brunet, as the rookie finished fourth on the team in kills. He was named the OUA Rookie of the Year and to the OUA All-Rookie team after a great season. Brunet helped the Gaels, a team that saw themselves in the CIS Top 10 several times this season, to a 15-5 record and a berth at the OUA Final Four for the first time since 2011-12. 

The future is bright for Manoukarakis, Brunet and the Gaels.

The Jim Tait Trophy, is presented annually to the top performing Varsity Team. The award was presented Tuesday night to the CIS silver medalist women's rugby team. 

A young group laced with veteran talent started the season defeating the defending CIS silver medalist and OUA Champion McMaster Marauders at home to start the season. From there Queen's went 3-1 to finish second in the Russell division. Entering the CIS national championship at home as the eighth seed, The Gaels stunned the number one seed Acadia taking a 24-17 win in front of boisterous supportive Gaels crowd at Nixon. In the national semifinal, the Gaels once again pulled through defeating the fifth seed Concordia in a thrilling 27-13 victory in front of a capacity crowd before going on to finish with national silver.

The team was led by CIS All-Canadian and Championship All-Star Gill Pegg, CIS Championship All-Star Lauren McEwen and fellow OUA All-Stars Pippi McKay and Emma Chown.

In addition to their success on the field, the women's Rugby team excels off the field as well. The team is highly involved in the community running local rugby high school clinics and camps, volunteering with Go Girls, Kaleidoscope and QJump programs and donating to Martha's Table. The Gaels were also involved with mental health initiatives, Get Real, and student-athlete academic mentorship.

The Varsity Support Service Awards were presented to recognize the individuals who have demonstrated dedication and leadership while making a significant contribution to the success of the Queen's Varsity Sport Program in Athletic Therapy (Hal Dunlop Shield), Athlete Services, Home Events and Strength and Conditioning. This year's winners were Alice Bifield, Michaila Frawley, Gladys Kong and Nic Gray respectively.

The Rodden Award was given out during the event. This year's recipients Paul and Vicki Hand were on hand and honoured for their generous support and goodwill towards the Queen's University Athletic programs. Former Gaels themselves, Paul and Vicki are the co-chairs of the Fields and Stadium Cabinet at Queen's.

On Tuesday, Queen's Athletics and Recreation honoured its top athletes in the Varsity Club stream. Jasmin Aggarwal (Orillia, Ont.) from Triathlon and Jimmy Wintle (Fonthill, Ont.) from Men's Fencing, claimed the top senior student-athlete awards while Men's Ultimate earned Varsity Club of the Year.  Jessie Pollett (Winnipeg) from Women's Fencing and Cameron Butler (Toronto) from Men's Squash claimed rookie of the year awards. Gill Pegg (Oro-Medonte, Ont.) from Women's Wrestling and Women's Rugby was also honoured Tuesday as the Outstanding Performer of the Year.

QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS & RECREATION VARSITY TEAM AWARD RECIPIENTS FOR 2015-16
Jenkins Trophy: Mike Tomlinson (Men's Volleyball)
PHE '55 Alumnae Award: Lauren McEwen (Women's Rugby)
Jim Tait Trophy: Women's Rugby
Alfie Pierce Trophy (Male): Chris Brunet
Alfie Pierce Trophy (Female): Katrina Manoukarakis
Rodden Award: Paul and Vicki Hand
Support Services Awards:  Alice Bifield (Athletic Therapy), Michaila Frawley (Athlete Services), Gladys Kong (Home Events) and Nic Gray (Strength and Conditioning)

QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS & RECREATION VARSITY CLUB AWARD RECIPIENTS FOR 2015-16
Marion Ross Trophy: Jasmin Aggarwal (Triathlon)
Jack Jarvis Trophy: Jimmy Wintle (Men's Fencing)
Outstanding Performer of the Year: Gill Pegg (Wrestling/Rugby)
Award of Merit Trophy: Men's Ultimate
Alfie Pierce Trophy (Female): Jessie Pollett (Women's Fencing)
Alfie Pierce Trophy (Male): Cameron Butler (Men's Squash)
Support Service Award: Brittany McEachern (Varsity Club Leadership)