The 2023-24 season officially came to a close on Tuesday March 26th with the Varsity Awards Night. For the second straight year the event was hosted at the Algonquin Commons Theatre. The evening kicked off with a social hour where the student-athletes, coaches, support staff and special guests enjoyed some appetisers while catching up and exchanging stories about the season that was.
At 7:00 pm the group flooded into the theatre and the show kicked off with an energetic highlight reel created by Wolves videographer Abigail Bailey. Once the video concluded Vikta Paulo, Wolves P.A announcer and the M.C for the night, took the mic and the show was off and running.
OCAA All-Academic Awards
The first awards given out went to the student-athletes who performed just as well in the classroom as on the field or court. In order to receive an OCAA All-Academic award an individual must achieve a minimum of a 3.6 fall term GPA. This season 38 Wolves student-athletes achieved this goal.
Women's Soccer
Kayla DaSilva, Eva Eyckerman, Lisa Hartill, Samantha Jones, Makayla Pearl, Avery Cameron, Sabrina Fraser.
Men's Soccer
Yousef Ibrahim, Michael Iliopoulos, Nicholas Perry, Cayden McMullin.
Women's Rugby 7's
Nicole Boeyenga, Madeline Clothier, Morgan Payne, Savannah Pinto-Grandillo, Kaydence Stevenson, Elizabeth Syptak.
Men's Rugby
Pascal McCaffrey, Rhys McRae, Harry Shaw, Colwyn Whitaker.
Women's Volleyball
Faith Billaney, Erin Cunningham, Ella Howell, Emilie Menard, Gabbie Paquette, Danika St. Louis, Grace Pate, Isabella Tourangeau.
Men's Volleyball
Mahmoud Abdelaziz, Jeff Commerford, Ryan Lincoln.
Women's Basketball
Kate Dahmer, Cooper Drover, Chloe Lapointe, Emma Walton.
Men's Basketball
Aryan Arefagha Castro, Riley Partington.
CCAA Academic All-Canadians / OCAA Academic and Athletic Excellence Awards
On top of their work in the classroom, 6 Wolves student-athletes achieved a 3.6 GPA or higher and All-Star recognition for their respective sports.
Morgan Payne (WRUG7), Elizabeth Syptak (WRUG7), Pascal McCaffrey (MRUG), Makayla Pearl (WSOC), Faith Billaney (WVB), Jeff Commerford (MVB).
Women's Soccer Rookie of the Year and MVP
Head coach Basil Phillips was the first to step onto the stage to announce his team's Rookie of the Year and MVP.
This year's Rookie of the Year is Samantha Jones. She had a strong first campaign with the Wolves scoring 3 regular season goals and 1 assist. She stepped up big when the season was on the line, scoring both goals in a 2-0 playoff win against Cambrian and adding another in a 3-2 ¼ final loss to Humber.
This year's MVP is Makayla Pearl. The 5th year senior was a true leader for a young Wolves squad. She was the team's leading scorer with 8 goals and 6 assists. She also added another goal in the ¼ final vs Humber.
Men's Soccer Rookie of the Year, MVP and Alexander Asmis Leadership Award
Head coach Angus Wong was next to come up to the stage to announce his team's awards.
The Rookie of the Year award went to Alessandro Vivolo. The Centre Back showed his true potential in his first season in Wolves colours finishing the year with 4 goals and 2 assists.
The MVP went to 3rd year midfielder Cristian Aviles-Molina. Cristian led the team in scoring in the regular season with 6 goals and 5 assists. He stepped up bigtime for the team in the postseason scoring all 3 of the teams playoff goals. Cristian was also named an OCAA 1st Team All-Star.
Alexander Asmis Leadership Award
The Alexander Asmis Leadership Award was established in honour of a former men's soccer player who tragically passed away in a car accident on April 6th, 2017. Alex was a loud and proud soul, whose ability to bridge communities significantly contributed to cohesion amongst classmates and his beloved Algonquin Thunder Soccer Team.
Components - Athletics and Academics
Athletics:
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Leadership on the field - examples that others may follow - push others to be better
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Love of the game
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Sportsmanship - Fair play and respect
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Care and Work ethic - Show the way for others - Never stop
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Compassion for teammates
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Morale building within teammates
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Help develop other players
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Academic:
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Success in Academics - GPA 3.0
3rd year Left Wing Michael Iliopoulos earned the honours this season. Michael is the first recipient to win in back to back seasons.
Women's Rugby 7's Rookie of the Year and MVP
It was then time to invite head coach Dan Gauthier and his staff to the stage to announce their awards.
Morgan Payne was awarded the Rookie of the Year award. Nicknamed "The Pain Train" , Morgan had a solid first campaign for the Wolves earning her a spot on the OCAA All-Star team.
Elizabeth Syptak is this year's Women's Rugby 7's MVP. The 2nd year back brough experience to a young Wolves squad and provided much needed leadership throughout the season. She was named to the OCAA All-Star team.
Men's Rugby Rookie of the Year and MVP
Head coach Geoff Tomlinson, kilt and all, was then welcomed to the stage to announce the men's rugby awards.
The coaches had a tough choice to make for Rookie of the Year with every player on the roster in their first year of eligibility. Pascal McCaffrey stood out from the pack. He led the team in tries this season and was a steady presence all year long. Pascall was named to the OCAA All-Star team.
Eric Carchidi emerged as the team's MVP this season. Carchidi made plays game in and game out for the Wolves and was always willing to go into the dirty areas. Eric was also named to the OCAA All-Star team.
After the awards were announced, the men's rugby coaching staff took some time to honour coach Bob Shaw who will be retiring from coaching after 13 seasons with the Algonquin Thunder and Wolves Rugby program, and many more in the club Rugby ranks. Coach Shaw was presented with an honorary award for his time at Algonquin.
Women's Volleyball Rookie of the Year and MVP
Head coach Everton Senior and his staff were next to come up on stage to announce the women's volleyball Rookie of the Year and MVP.
Vancouver native Jayden Britt had an impressive freshman campaign for the Wolves. She averaged 2.31 kills and 1.25 digs on the year. Her best performance came on February 2nd at Georgian where she had 16 kills in a 5 set win.
5th year senior Emilie Menard earned the MVP award. Menard is the final women's volleyball athlete who began her playing career in the Thunder era. Her veteran leadership played a big factor in the team's success all year long. The Wolves libero finished tops on the team and 2nd in the OCAA with 4.07 digs per set.
Men's Volleyball Rookie of the Year and MVP
Head coach Jelle Kooijman was next up to announce the men's volleyball award winners.
Kingston native Ethan Fisher earned Rookie of the Year honours. Fisher is a true rookie, playing his first year of competitive volleyball ever. Despite the lack of experience, he showed true potential. His top performance came in a 3-0 win at La Cité when he finished with 8 total points on 3 kills, 3 blocks and 2 aces.
MVP went to 3rd year setter Jacob Matheson. Jacob was key to the Wolves attack all season long. He led the team in assists and finished 4th in the OCAA with 9.11 per set. Jacob was named an OCAA East 2nd Team All-Star.
Women's Basketball Rookie of the Year, MVP and Brian White Memorial Award
Head coach Jaime McLean was up next representing the women's basketball team.
Cooper Drover earned the Rookie of the Year award. On a team full of veterans, Cooper managed to carve herself a role on the team. Despite not getting many minutes throughout the year, she stayed ready and performed when her number was called. The future looks bright for the young guard.
OCAA East 1st Team All-Star, OCAA Tournament All-Star, OCAA East Defensive Player of the Year, OCAA East Player of the Year, CCAA All-Canadian. That should be enough to describe this year's women's basketball MVP, Dasia McDonald.
Brian White Memorial Award
Brian White was the head coach of the Algonquin Thunder women's basketball program from the 2004-2005 to the 2007-2008 season. During his time at Algonquin he earned 2 OCAA silver and 1 bronze medal. He was also named OCAA East Coach of the Year twice.
Brian was a champion for Ottawa athletes, and his memory will always be felt in the communities he touched. His leadership was monumental in rebuilding the Women's Basketball program and in making it one of the top women's basketball programs in Ontario.
Brian passed away in February 2023. His family has created the Brian White Memorial Award in his honour. It is to be awarded to a female basketball student-athlete with a minimum GPA of 3.0, and who demonstrates determination, perseverance, leadership and sets an example for others.
The inaugural recipient of the award is Piper Hatherall.
Men's Basketball Rookie of the Year and MVP
Head coach Trevor Costello was the final coach to take the stage to announce the awards for the men's basketball team.
Devonte Brooks was announced as the Rookie of the Year. Devonte was a force down low all season long for the Wolves. He finished the year averaging 9.8 points and 6 rebounds per game.
The MVP was Simon Desta. Simon reached the 1000 point mark for his career in his 4th season with Algonquin. The St. Patricks alumni finished the year averaging 15.9 points while shooting 41.2% from behind the arc.
The Big 3
With the conclusion of the team awards, it was time for the athletes of the year and team of the year to be announced.
Female Athlete of the Year
After being named an OCAA 1st Team All-Star, OCAA Tournament All-Star, East Defensive Player of the Year, OCAA East Player of the Year and CCAA All-Canadian, all for the 2nd consecutive season, Dasia McDonald was named the Wolves Female Athlete of the Year. Dasia averaged 14.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and an OCAA best 5.4 steals per game.
Male Athlete of the Year
After being named an OCAA East 1st team All-Star, leading his team in regular season goals and assists, and scoring all 3 playoff goals for the Wolves, Cristian Aviles-Molina was named Wolves Male Athlete of the Year.
Team of the Year
With an undefeated 14-0 regular season record, earning OCAA East Best Defensive Team, OCAA East Champions and an OCAA Silver medal, the Wolves 2023-24 Team of the Year is the Women's Basketball.
The conclusion of the Varsity Awards Night tied a bow on the 2023-24 season. We are already looking forward to the fall!
Backstage Photos by Jordan Weins