On Wednesday March 26th, the Algonquin Wolves community gathered at the Algonquin Commons Theatre for the 2024-2025 Varsity Awards Banquet. Student-athletes, coaches, trainers, and staff celebrated the most successful varsity season of the Wolves era. It was a night where athletes and teams were recognized for their incredible accomplishments, and was a true reflection of the culture, dedication, and commitment to excellence that define Wolves Athletics.
Before the awards were handed out, 32 student-athletes were recognized for being named OCAA All-Academics for maintaining a minimum GPA of 3.6 during the fall semester. A special congratulations went out to 6 student-athletes for being named CCAA Academic All-Canadians, and OCAA Academic and Athletic Excellence Award winners. These awards are given to athletes who made the Dean's Honour List as well as being named to an All-Star team in their respective sport, highlighting their exceptional performances both in the classroom and on the field. The 6 athletes recognized are:
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Olivia Bradley: Women's Soccer
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Alexandra Aubin: Women's Soccer
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Samantha Jones: Women's Soccer
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Jaeden Mercure: Men's Soccer
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Nicolle Boeyenga: Women's Rugby
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Sydney Seymour: Women's Rugby
Team Awards:
The next portion of the event highlighted each team's accomplishments for the 2024-2025 season and recognized stand-out athletes as coaches named their Rookies of the Year and Most Valuable Players. Congratulations to the Following Award Winners:
Women's Soccer:
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Rookie of the Year: Olivia Bradley
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Most Valuable Player: Samantha Jones
Men's Soccer:
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Rookie of the Year: Alaa Mahfouz
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Most Valuable Player: Jaeden Mercure
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Alex Asmis Leadership Award: Connor David & Nick Parry
Women's Rugby 7s:
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Rookie of the Year: Faiza Faucher-Ahmed
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Most Valuable Player: Sydney Seymour
Men's Rugby:
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Rookie of the Year: Tiago Kiala
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Most Valuable Player: Aung Thein
Women's Volleyball:
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Rookie of the Year: Carys Tenthorey
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Most Valuable Player: Gabbie Paquette
Men's Volleyball:
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Rookie of the Year: Mateo Nunez Kruus
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Most Valuable Player: Gavin Hassell
Women's Basketball:
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Rookie of the Year: Paige Foster
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Most Valuable Player: Cianah Miller
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Brian White Memorial Award: Cooper Drover
Men's Basketball:
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Rookie of the Year: Shyeem Brown
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Most Valuable Player: Tesloch Luk
Major Award Winners:
The night concluded with our 3 major award winners, Female and Male Athletes of the Year, and Team of the Year.
Female Athlete of the Year:
Dasia McDonald continued to etch her name into the Algonquin record books with yet another dominant season. A four-time OCAA East First Team All-Star, she led the league in assists, steals, assist-to-turnover ratio, and three-point percentage, while finishing 2nd in field goal percentage and 4th in scoring. She was also named OCAA East Player of the Year, East Defensive Player of the Year, and a CCAA All-Canadian for the third consecutive year. Her leadership and ability to impact the game on both ends of the floor has allowed her to leave her mark not only on Wolves Athletics, but on the entire OCAA.
Male Athlete of the Year:
Simon Desta closed out his five-year varsity career in unforgettable fashion. He became the all-time leading scorer in Algonquin men's basketball history, tallying 1,298 career points. Simon was a weapon for the Wolves off the bench this season, and was named OCAA East 6th Man of the Year. Simon capped off his career with a bang in his final regular season game by sinking nine three-pointers and scoring 29 points against St. Lawrence. A true competitor, Simon's legacy as both a scorer and leader will be remembered for years to come.
Team of the Year:
The 2024-25 Men's Soccer team made Wolves history this season. After finishing the regular season 7-1-2, they were crowned OCAA East Division Champions and earned silver medals at both the OCAA and CCAA Championships, becoming the first Wolves team to win a medal at Nationals. Along the way, they posted huge playoff wins and earned numerous individual awards—including OCAA Coach of the Year honours for Angus Wong and multiple All-Star selections. Their combination of talent, teamwork, and resilience made them a deserving Team of the Year.
View all the photos from the evening at the following link: