Watson wins big in senior season, capping off varsity tenure with MVP honour for Gaels

Burlington, Ont. – Saving the best for last is a notion that many comprehend, but few are able to put into practice. When it comes to Nina Watson, however, the Queen’s senior capped off her fifth year on the field with the Tricolour in fine form, adding to her already impressive all-star haul with the most valuable player award to headline the award winners and all-stars from the 2023 Ontario University Athletics (OUA) field hockey season.

Most Valuable Player – Nina Watson, Queen’s

It is a first for the Queen’s program, as Nina Watson’s most valuable player selection breaks new ground for the Gaels.

Watson, a fifth-year senior with the Tricolour, has long been recognized for her on-field talents. Entering the 2023 campaign, she already had a pair of all-star nods to her name, but in addition to her third such selection, also earns the OUA’s top player recognition.

The economics major was a prominent player for the Gaels from the midfield, and while she didn’t light up the scoreboard game in and game out – having notched one assist in her 10 games played – her contributions went well beyond the offensive side of the ball. Her strong defensive instincts and talent helped support the back line time and time again, helping to anchor the Gaels on-field efforts and keep her team competitive throughout the season.

Rookie of the Year – Juliet Redelaar, York

It was a warm welcome for Juliet Redelaar in her foray onto the varsity field hockey scene and she collects the conference’s rookie of the year nod as a result.

The first-year forward from Whitby, Ont., who takes home the award for the fifth time in York’s program history, was instrumental in helping the Lions produce the best regular season record in the conference. Despite it being a tall task for anyone to step into a starring role for a defending champion squad, Redelaar was ready for the challenge and made her biggest mark in just her second weekend of action. Therein, the biology major scored her team’s lone two goals in a come-from-behind win over Guelph before netting what proved to be the game winner the next time out.

Those three goals helped earn her both OUA and U SPORTS player of the week honours and were the key contributors to her seven-point rookie campaign, in which she played in all 10 games.

Goalkeeper of the Year – Marielle Fernback, Waterloo

The Waterloo Warriors are no strangers to great goalkeeping, and their string of award-winners between the pipes continues in 2023 with Marielle Fernback being named OUA goalkeeper of the year.

It was a memorable regular season for the Warriors program and Fernback’s presence in net was a pivotal part of their success. The senior from Guelph, Ont. allowed only five goals on the year, good for a second-best goals-against average of 0.90 and an OUA-leading .828 save percentage. The multi-time OUA all-star was also among the league leaders in saves, ranking fourth with 24, while also adding a pair of shutouts along the way.   

While this marks the fifth time a Warrior has won this award, Fernback herself is no stranger to this particular accolade, albeit having previously won it back in 2017 when she was with the Western Mustangs.

Coach of the Year – Maria Leahy, Waterloo

It was a wonderful season for the Warriors on the field and helping to guide the squad to their win-filled season was OUA coach of the year, Maria Leahy.

Leahy saw her Waterloo squad jump out of the gates quickly in 2023, registering an impressive 1-0 win over the Toronto Varsity Blues to help set the tone for what was to come from there. The team dropped all but two of their regular season contests the rest of the way, leading to a West Division leading 8-2 record and a consistent spot among the country’s top five teams in the national rankings.

The record was a marked improvement over the previous season in which they finished at 3-5-2 – third in the division – and bowed out of the playoffs in Round 1. Leahy not only helped lead her team to a five-win improvement this year and a spot in the semifinals, but also saw a pair of her players – Fernback and Meagan Hobson – earn all-star honours along the way.

This marks the second time that the former Warriors midfielder/defender has earned the honour, having also taken home the OUA’s top coaching nod in 2019.

Gail Wilson Outstanding Contributor – Elly Peters, Guelph

On the field, Peters has proven to be a productive player, but beyond it, her incredible efforts have led to her receiving the Gail Wilson Outstanding Contributor Award for the 2023 campaign.

Peters keeps her schedule packed well beyond her commitments to the Gryphons field hockey team, and yet, she continues to thrive regardless of the setting or the activity. The Guelph captain is in her second year of the Gryphons Leadership Academy, which provides an ongoing and integrated approach to leadership development for student-athlete leaders. Beyond the campus, Peters has also been a volunteer coach with the Guelph Cobras Field Hockey Club since 2020. The third-year accounting major from Kitchener, Ont. further excels in the classroom, as she is a two-time academic all-Canadian, showcasing her commitment to the classroom just as much as her sport.

The now two-time OUA all-star also chipped in offensively this season, registering five goals and four assists for the Gryphons, putting her in a tie for fifth in the former, a tie for third in the latter, and among the top five in overall points across the OUA.

Champion of EDI Award – Ada Collins, McGill

Receiving the Champion of EDI Award, the inaugural edition of this OUA field hockey honour, is McGill’s Ada Collins, who has made a lasting impression during her early tenure with the Martlets.

Collins, a junior majoring in economics and earth environment, serves on the McGill Varsity Council as Vice President (Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion). As part of her role, she helped organize activities related to National Day for Truth and Reconciliation this past September. On that day, McGill hosted Indigenous celebrations at four varsity events, which involved multiple levels of logistics around halftime performances with Indigenous athletes and elders. Collins was part of a logistic planning committee throughout the summer and was also the direct link between the event and the athletes at McGill. She also attended numerous activities to promote the event and set up a table leading up to that weekend, where she sold orange t-shirts as a fundraiser.

Outside of the Legacy Game, the Evanston, IL product continues to partake in other EDI events on campus, including Pride games and Black History Month initiatives, to name a few.

The complete list of 2023 OUA field hockey award winners and all-stars is as follows:

Most Valuable Player – Nina Watson, Queen’s
Rookie of the Year – Juliet Redelaar, York
Goalkeeper of the Year – Marielle Fernback, Waterloo
Coach of the Year – Maria Leahy, Waterloo
Gail Wilson Outstanding Contributor – Elly Peters, Guelph
Champion of EDI Award – Ada Collins, McGill
Umpire of the Year – Josh Miranda

All-Stars

Nina Watson, Queen’s
Rebecca Carvalho, Toronto
Abby Warriner, Guelph
Natalie Winter, York
Meagan Hobson, Waterloo
Serena Uppal, McMaster
Lexi Hannah, York
Madison Fisher, Western
Anna Costanzo, Western
Elly Peters, Guelph
Marielle Fernback, Waterloo