Niagara College salutes top athletes

A pair of volleyball players swept the top honours at Niagara College’s 51st Annual Athletic Awards Banquet.

Earning female athlete of the year honours was Welland native Natasha Desjardins. In her third season with the Knights, the Jean Vanier alumnus was fourth in kills and kills-per-set, third in points and fifth in points per set on Niagara. She was named an Ontario Colleges Athletic Association First Team All-Star, an OCAA All-Academic and a Canadian Colleges Athletic Association Academic recipient.

Otten, a fifth-year player from Toronto, joined the Knights after winning a CCAA championship in 2019 with Fanshawe. He led Niagara with 3.75 kills per set, 0.68 aces per set, and a .319 hitting percentage. Despite missing a few games, he was able to remain in the top five in OCAA statistical categories and was named an OCAA First Team All-Star. The Toronto native finished his collegiate career with more than 400 kills and 100 aces.

Picking up the tournament sport athlete of the year was the mixed curling duo of McKenna McGovern and Ben Jones. The pair won Niagara’s only OCAA medal this year, going a perfect 9-0 to win gold.

Earning Niagara’s top leadership awards were men’s soccer captain and fifth-year player Andrew Currie, and third-year soccer and volleyball players Michelle Maecker and Tamara Edwards.

Top rookies were basketball players Sterphone Augustin and Terin Hultink.

Golfer Chris Hallborg from St. Catharines boasted a 97 per cent average to win the top male scholastic award for the second straight year. Sharing the top female award with 98 per cent averages were women’s volleyball players Anica Haberstock and Taylor Morrison. Haberstock also won the award in 2019.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was an online broadcast that aired Thursday morning from Niagara College’s Facebook page. It was created and produced by the Broadcast, Television, Radio and Film (BRTF) program, in coordination with the Athletics and Recreation Department. It will air on Cogeco Sunday, April 19 at 8:30 p.m. and Tuesday, April 21 at 8 p.m.

Below is a list of the other award winners.

Luciano Berardocco Memorial Award: Rino Berardi, men’s soccer assistant coach.

Ralph Nero Award: Rob Lalama, head coach women’s soccer.

Athlete of Distinction Awards: Johnnie Richardson and Daniel Lokole, men’s basketball; Noah DiEgidio, men’s soccer; Sophia Al-Kayed, women’s soccer; Samantha Baptie, women’s basketball; Robbie Zalewski and Eli Bugiardini, men’s volleyball; Natasha Desjardins, Tamara Edwards and Ainsleigh Williams, women’s volleyball.

Fourth-Year Recognition Award: Lequan Hylton, men’s basketball; Andrew Currie, men’s soccer.

Ontario Colleges Athletic Association All-Academic Awards: Chris Hallborg, golf; Abdel Rahim Bardi, Connor Jolliffe, Kennan Larmand, Reese Radobenko and Daniel Lokole, men’s basketball; Elisabeth deBoer, Leanne Dekorte, Lysa Lowe and Jessyka Maliksi, women’s basketball; Julieanne Buist, Maria Gamba, Wiktoria Keller and Katelyn Mix, women’s soccer; James D’Annunzio, Patrick Ioanidis, Simon Silverio and Fabian Vargas Murcia, men’s soccer; Nicholas Buckborough, Elijah Bugiardini, Ashton Fehr, Owen Pols and Robert Zalewski, men’s volleyball; Alexis Barclay, Madelyn Berg, Natasha Desjardins, Tamara Edwards, Anica Haberstock, Taylor Morrison, Kristen Oudman, Marissa Steele and Montanna Taylor, women’s volleyball.

Canadian Colleges Athletic Association Academic All-Canadians: Katelyn Mix and Julieanne Buist, women’s soccer; Natasha Desjardins and Madelyn Berg; women’s volleyball; Elijah Bugiardini, men’s volleyball.

Golf: Logan Lammerant, MVP; Spencer Gates, leadership award; Coleman Drummond, top rookie.

Curling: McKenna McGovern and Ben Jones, MVPs; McGovern, leadership award; McGovern, top rookie.

Men’s volleyball: Sam Otten, MVP; Robbie Zalewski, scholastic award; Zalewski, leadership award; Colin Prelaz, top rookie.

Women’s volleyball: Natasha Desjardins, MVP; Tamara Edwards, leadership award; Kristen Oudmen, top rookie.

Women’s soccer: Terin Hultink, MVP; Katelyn Mix, scholastic award; Michelle Maecker, leadership award; Julieanne Buist, top rookie.

Men’s soccer: Dean Miller, MVP; James D’Annunzio, scholastic award; Andrew Currie, leadership award; Simon Silverio, top rookie.

Men’s basketball: Lequan Hylton, MVP; Connor Jolliffe, scholastic award; Johnnie Richardson, leadership award; Sterphone Augustin, top rookie.

Women’s basketball: Kaisen Mackinnon, MVP; Elisabeth deBoer, scholastic award; Kaisen MacKinnon, leadership award; Terin Hultink, top rookie.