Rebecca Haworth named CIS Community Service Award winner

Source: Canadian Interuniversity Sport

CIS track & field

Season awards announced

March 6, 2014

EDMONTON (CIS) – The season award winners were announced Thursday morning prior to the start of the 2014 CIS indoor track and field championships.

On the women’s side, Jenna Westaway of the Calgary Dinos (outstanding track event performer) and Rebecca Haworth of the Dalhousie Tigers (Student-Athlete Community Service Award) were honoured for the second straight year. They were accompanied in the winner’s circle by Trinity Western’s Sabrina Nettey (outstanding field performer) and Guelph’s Katelyn Ayers (rookie of the year).

The male recipients were Sherbrooke teammates Mathieu Sturkenboom (track MVP) and Marc-Antoine Lafrenaye-Dugas (field MVP), as well as Lethbridge’s Aaron Hernandez (top freshman) and Calgary’s Andrew Dargie (Student-Athlete Community Service Award).

The three-day CIS meet runs from Thursday to Saturday at the University of Alberta’s Universiade Pavilion. Selected events will be webcast throughout the championships on www.CIS-SIC.tv. 

CHAMPIONSHIP WEBSITE: http://english.cis-sic.ca/championships/trackfield/index

FEMALE AWARDS

Athlete of the year (track events): Jenna Westaway, Calgary

Westaway, a second-year science student, was stellar in her university debut a year ago and was even more dominant in her sophomore campaign.

The Calgary native is undefeated this season versus CIS competition in the 600m and 1000m, and is ranked first in CIS in both events thanks to times of 1:28.79 and 2:39.38, respectively. She was named the top female performer at the Canada West championships after she triumphed in both races, in addition to helping the Dinos claim silver in the 4x400m relay.

Westaway will miss the CIS meet as she has qualified to compete at the indoor world championships in Poland.

“Jenna is an outstanding runner,” said Dinos head coach Doug Lamont. “She probably would have scored 20 points for us this weekend. We’re going to miss her here with us, but the team was quite excited for her to have that opportunity to go and participate at Worlds. She has worked hard to get to the point she is now, and we wish her all the best.”

Nominees from other regional associations were Eilish MacQuarrie of St. Francis Xavier (AUS), Marie-Colombe St-Pierre of Laval (RSEQ) and Katelyn Ayers of Guelph (OUA).

Athlete of the year (field events): Sabrina Nettey, Trinity Western

Nettey, a fourth-year psychology student in her second year of eligibility, is undefeated this season against CIS rivals in the long jump and triple jump. She is the top seed in the long jump entering the national meet (6.32m) and ranks fourth in the triple (12.07m).

At the Canada West championships, the native of Surrey, B.C., prevailed in both those events, while adding a third gold medal in the 60m (7.55 – ranked 2^nd in CIS) and helping the Trinity Western 4x200 relay to a second-place finish. In the long jump, she broke a 21-year-old conference record by 22cm thanks to her leap of 6.32m, which would have also shattered the CIS championship mark of 6.24m set back in 2001. She won the triple jump with a school record of 12.07m.

“Her record-breaking effort in long jump is a testament to her ability to perform when it matters,” said Spartans coach Laurier Primeau. “While the award is for her performances in the field, Sabrina’s further success on the track, in winning the 60m and earning a silver medal with the 4x200m relay team, just goes to show what kind of athletic ability and character she has when competing under pressure.”

The other nominees were Rebecca Haworth of Dalhousie (AUS), Éloïse Rheault of Sherbrooke (RSEQ) and Caroline Ehrhardt of Western (OUA).

Rookie of the year: Katelyn Ayers, Guelph

Ayers, a science-agriculture student from Orillia, Ont., suffered only one defeat in CIS action as a freshman. Also nominated for the track athlete-of-the-year award, she is currently second in the national rankings in the 1000m (2:45.32), trailing only CIS track MVP Jenna Westaway of Calgary. 

At the OUA championships, Ayers received the Dr. Wendy Jerome Trophy as the top female performer after she claimed gold in the 600m and 800m, while also anchoring the Guelph relays to silver-medal finishes in the 4x400 and 4x800. She also broke the Canadian junior record on 1000m over the course of the season. 

“Katelyn is like a young colt in the field. She knows how to kick and be playful,” said Guelph head coach Dave Scott-Thomas. “She has a lot of potential. She has had an incredible season and is poised for much more.”

The other nominees were Abbi Finnan of StFX (AUS), Marie-Colombe St-Pierre of Laval (RSEQ) and Regan Yee of Trinity Western (Canada West).

Student-Athlete Community Service Award: Rebecca Haworth, Dalhousie

Haworth, a fourth-year science student from Waverly, N.S., not only merited the community service award for the second straight year, she was also the AUS nominee for outstanding field athlete following an undefeated season in the high jump which was capped by a 1.78m leap at the conference championships, an AUS meet record and a new school standard.

In the classroom, Haworth has a cumulative GPA of 4.1 and has been a CIS Academic All-Canadian every year since she arrived on the Halifax campus. Among her many volunteer activities in the community, she is the founder of Special Tigers Sports Program, a monthly sports/social program for 50 children with intellectual disabilities. Through her volunteer work (and some honours work), she has received over $10,000 in grant funding, has presented research at international conferences and has published research in scientific journals.

“Rebecca is an absolutely phenomenal athlete, leader, and humanitarian,” said Tigers head coach Rich Lehman. “Her tireless work ethic always amazes me. She is constantly on the go, but always manages to bring a high level of energy and intensity to practice and competition.”

The other nominees were Florence Charbonneau-Dufresne of Montreal (RSEQ), Rachel Jewett of Toronto (OUA) and Anastasia Pearse of Trinity Western (Canada West).

MALE AWARDS

Athlete of the year (track events): Mathieu Sturkenboom, Sherbrooke

Sturkenboom, a first-year business administration student, was exceptional in his university debut and quickly established himself as one of the leaders of the strong Sherbrooke program.

The native of Valleyfield, Que., is the top seed in the 600m going into the CIS meet thanks to his winning time of 1:17.95 at the RSEQ championships, where he also claimed gold in the 4x400 relay and silver in the 1000m. The Vert & Or 4x400 squad posted the second best time in the country this season at the RSEQ meet (3:17.29).

“It would be hard to have more impact as a rookie than Mathieu had on our program this year,” said Sherbrooke coach Richard Crevier. “He’s already closing in on (former Sherbrooke great) Alexandre Marchand’s record in the 600m, which is no small feat considering Alexandre went on to compete internationally.”

The other nominees were Bryden Tate of StFX (AUS), Alex Ullman of Windsor (OUA) and Thomas Riva of Victoria (Canada West).

Athlete of the year (field events): Marc-Antoine Lafrenaye-Dugas, Sherbrooke

Lafrenaye-Dugas, a second-year kinesiology student, was the RSEQ male rookie of the year in 2013 and resumed his domination in the weight throw in his sophomore campaign.

The 6-foot-1 athlete from Sherbrooke, Que., claimed the RSEQ title in his main event with a throw of 19.60m, a conference record and the top performance in CIS this season. He also won RSEQ gold in the shot put with an effort of 16.35m, good for the seventh seed heading into nationals.

“This young man is a force of nature,” said coach Richard Crevier. “Ever since he joined our program he’s been setting personal best after personal best. His confidence has skyrocketed since last summer’s Canada Games.”

The other nominees were Jordan Bruce of Dalhousie (AUS), Eric Brathwaite of York (OUA) and Peter Millman of Lethbridge (Canada West).

Rookie of the year: Aaron Hernandez, Lethbridge

Hernandez, a management student who hails from Coaldale, Alta., burst on the Canada West track scene this season as a freshman. In his first ever university meet, he reached the top of the podium in both his events, winning the triple jump and long jump at the Golden Bear Open in January.

Returning to Edmonton for the conference meet, Hernandez rebounded from a disappointing performance in the long jump and won the triple jump by nearly a metre, with a leap of 15.03m, second best in CIS this winter.

“Just as we assumed when Aaron joined the Pronghorns, he has jumped his way to the top of CIS and indicators show he will remain there for the foreseeable future,” said Lethbridge head coach Larry Steinke.

The other nominees were Chas Smith of Dalhousie (AUS), Mathieu Sturkenboom of Sherbrooke (RSEQ) and Tommy Land of Guelph (OUA).

Student-Athlete Community Service Award: Andrew Dargie, Calgary

Dargie, a former All-American at Stanford University, registered the fourth best time in CIS this season in the 300m (34.37).

The Calgary native has been even more impressive in the classroom, posting marks of 86% or better in each of his Medical School exams, including 96% in neurosurgery summative peripatetic anatomy. Since 2012, he is part of the U of C Aboriginal Health, with responsibilities ranging from hosting aboriginal health mini-Medical School, Career Days, global health projects, healthy population projects and mentoring homeless aboriginals.

“Andrew is an outstanding young man both on and off the track,” said Dinos head coach Doug Lamont. “He has exhibited the amazing ability to manage a successful academic program in Medicine, train to be a high performance athlete and still find time to give back to the community.”

The other nominees were Thomas Faour of StFX (AUS) and Chris Dulhanty of Guelph (OUA).

2013-2014 CIS SEASON AWARDS

Women

Athlete of the year (track events): Jenna Westaway, Calgary

Athlete of the year (field events): Sabrina Nettey, Trinity Western

Rookie of the year: Katelyn Ayers, Guelph

Student-athlete community service award: Rebecca Haworth, Dalhousie

Men

Athlete of the year (track events): Mathieu Sturkenboom, Sherbrooke

Athlete of the year (field events): Marc-Antoine Lafrenaye-Dugas, Sherbrooke

Rookie of the year: Aaron Hernandez, Lethbridge

Student-athlete community service award: Andrew Dargie, Calgary

2014 CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE (selected events webcast daily at www.CIS-SIC.tv)

Thursday, March 6

14:30   Weight Throw (W) Final

15:00   60m Hurdles (W) Pentathlon

15:15   60m Hurdles (M) Pentathlon

15:45   High Jump (W) Pentathlon

16:00   Long Jump (M) Pentathlon

17:15   Shot Put (M) Pentathlon

18:00   60m (W) Heats

18:10   60m (M) Heats

18:15   Shot Put (W) Pentathlon

18:30   High Jump (M) Pentathlon

19:00   60m (W) Final

19:10   60m (M) Final

19:30   Long Jump (W) Pentathlon

19:30   600m (W) Heats

19:45   600m (M) Heats

20:00   4x200m Relay (W) Heats

20:20   4x200m Relay (M) Heats

20:45   1000m (M) Pentathlon

21:00   800m (W) Pentathlon

Friday, March 7

16:30   Shot Put (W) Final

16:30   60m Hurdles (W) Heats

16:45   60m Hurdles (M) Heats

17:00   Long Jump (M) Final

17:00   Pole Vault (W) Final

17:00   1000m (W) Final

17:10   1000m (M) Final

17:30   60m Hurdles (M) Final

17:40   60m Hurdles (W) Final

17:50   300m (W) Heats

18:05   300m (M) Heats

18:30   3000m (W) Final

18:50   3000m (M) Final

19:00   Weight Throw (M) Final

19:00   High Jump (M) Final

19:00   Long Jump (W) Final

19:40   300m (W) Final

19:50   300m (M) Final

20:00   4x800m Relay (W) Final

20:15   4x800m Relay (M) Final

Saturday, March 8

12:30   Triple Jump (W) Final

12:30   Pole Vault (M) Final

13:15   600m (W) Final

13:30   600m (M) Final

14:15   4x200m Relay (W) Final

14:25   4x200m Relay (M) Final

14:30   High Jump (W) Final

14:45   Triple Jump (M) Final

14:45   Shot Put (M) Final

14:45   1500m (W) Final

15:00   1500m (M) Final

16:00   4x400m Relay (W) Final

16:15   4x400m Relay (M) Final