A trio of graduating seniors took home the night’s most prestigious honour, winning the Spartan Complete Champion Awards.
Fiona Benson (women’s track and field and cross country), Alison Jackson (women’s track and field and cross country) and Kristen Santema (women’s soccer) all earned the honour at the Trinity Western University annual athletic banquet and awards ceremony.
It was held last week (April 1) at the Langley Events Centre with a few hundred people in attendance.
The Complete Champion Award measures a student-athlete in five areas of development: academic, athletic, leadership, personal and spiritual.
The night’s other big winners were Jessica King (women’s soccer) and Nick Del Bianco (men’s volleyball), who won the Spartans female and male athlete of the year awards, respectively.
Both players helped their squads to second-place finishes at their respective CIS national championships.
Sam Delfs (men’s soccer) won the Bahta Melles Award for servant leadership for the second year in a row, while Casie Gano (women’s volleyball) won the award for the first time.
The TWU scholar athlete awards were presented to Fiona Benson (women’s track and field and cross country) and Chris Hirano (men’s hockey).
Claudette Allen (track and field) and PJ Buys (men’s hockey) won the TWU rookie of the year awards.
Jenna Di Nunzio (women’s soccer) won the School of Business Spartan athlete award for a second straight year while Matthew Roxburgh (men’s soccer) won for the first time.
The Human Kinetics Spartan athlete awards went to Kristen Moncks (women’s volleyball) and Sam Delfs (men’s soccer). Delfs won the award for the second time in as many years.
And Anna Maria Schweigert (women’s soccer), Colin Rey (men’s hockey) and Kassidy Hildebrand (men’s soccer) won the Student Therapy Awards.
The banquet also honoured all the Spartan athletes who were named 2013/14 CIS academic all-Canadians as well as those who won CIS and BCIHL awards this past season.
The 2013-14 CIS academic All-Canadians recognized were: Jay Balletta (Burnaby, B.C.) – men’s soccer, Rachel Bedek (Ottawa) – women’s soccer, Fiona Benson (Dawson Creek, B.C.) – women’s track and field and cross country, David Boyd (Victoria) – men’s track and field, Stephanie Chin (Calgary) – women’s soccer, Dara De Jong () – track and field, Nick Del Bianco (Surrey, B.C.) – men’s volleyball, Katie Devaney (Port Coquitlam, B.C.) – women’s volleyball, Isabella Di Trocchio (Burnaby, B.C.) – women’s soccer, Nathan Dunford (Bellingham, Wash.) – men’s track and field, Lindsay Dykman () – women’s volleyball, Joel Friesen (Calgary) – men’s soccer, Brayden Gant (Maple Ridge, B.C.) – men’s soccer, Kayla Gordon (Prince George, B.C.) – women’s basketball, Sarah Hannigan (Anmore, B.C.) – women’s soccer, Meg Harradine (Langley) – women’s track and field and cross country, Sarah Inglis (Falkirk, Scotland) – women’s track and field and cross country, Matt Kasteel (North Vancouver, B.C.) – men’s soccer, Brad Kufske (Abbotsford, B.C.) – men’s volleyball, Ana Lomavatu () – women’s basketball, Sabrina Nettey (Surrey, B.C.) – women’s track and field, Emma Nuttall (Edinburgh, Scotland) – women’s track and field, Christina Oliverio (Calgary) – women’s soccer, Anastasia Pearse (Victoria) – women’s track and field, Mihai Prajea (Calgary) – men’s track and field and cross country, Katelynn Ramage (Nanaimo, B.C.) – women’s track and field and cross country, Hazel Ross (Bishopton, Scotland) – women’s track and field, Kristen Santema (Coquitlam, B.C.) – women’s soccer, Ryan Sclater (Port Coquitlam, B.C.) – men’s volleyball, Chelsea Tancon (Comox, B.C.) – women’s volleyball, Rhys Volkenant (Surrey, B.C.) – men’s soccer, Mitchell Urzinger (Langley) – men’s soccer, Chelsea Wand (Langley) – women’s volleyball, Dylan Williamson (Langley) – men’s track and field, Ivonne Zuniga Padilla (Mexicali, Mexico) – women’s track and field.
CIS and BCIHL award winners were also recognized:
CIS Awards: Player of the Year – Nick Del Bianco – men’s volleyball, Player of the Year – Jessica King – women’s soccer, Rookie of the Year – Claudette Allen – women’s track and field, Student-Athlete Community Service Award – Mihai Prajea – men’s cross country, Tournament MVP – Nikki Cornwall (Coquitlam, B.C.) – women’s volleyball.
CIS Team Medals: Gold Medal – Women’s volleyball, Silver Medals – Men’s volleyball, women’s track and field, women’s cross country and women’s soccer.
CIS All-Canadians: First Team: Claudette Allen – women’s track and field, Fiona Benson – women’s track and field, Jennifer Castillo (Surrey, B.C.) – women’s soccer, Nick Del Bianco – men’s volleyball, Sarah Inglis – women’s cross country, Alison Jackson – women’s cross country, Jessica King – women’s soccer, Alicia Perrin (Creston, B.C.) – women’s volleyball, Second Team: Fiona Benson – women’s cross country and track and field, Joel De Schiffart (Nanaimo, B.C.) – men’s cross country, Nathan George (Coquitlam, B.C.) – men’s track and field, Calum Innes (Bearsden, Scotland) – men’s track and field, Vanessa Kovacs (North Delta, B.C.) – women’s soccer
CIS Championship Tournament All-Stars: Jennifer Castillo – women’s soccer, Nikki Cornwall – women’s volleyball, Nick Del Bianco – men’s volleyball, Vanessa Kovacs – women’s soccer, Seina Kashima (Burnaby, B.C.) – women’s soccer, Alicia Perrin – women’s volleyball, Elly Wendel (Caronport, Sask.) – women’s volleyball.
CIS Championship Tournament MVP: Nikki Cornwall – women’s volleyball.
BCIHL Awards: Most Valuable Player – Silas Matthys (Wollerau, Switzerland), Rookie of the Year – PJ Buys (Newmarket, Ont.), Coach of the Year – Barret Kropf.
BCIHL All-Stars: First Team: Silas Matthys, Cody Fidgett (Richmond, B.C.) Second Team: PJ Buys, Jake Harcoff (Surrey, B.C.).
Graduating senior athletes recognized were: Women’s Soccer – Jessica King, Sarah Hannigan, Jenna Di Nunzio, Jennifer Castillo, Kristen Santema, Men’s Hockey – Tim Zwiers (Williams Lake, B.C.), Brad Bakken (Langley), Chris Hirano, Sam Gemmell (Danville, Calif.), Jake Harcoff, Micah Cockrill (Chilliwack, B.C.), Men’s Basketball – Justin Bakuteka (Toronto), Denny McDonald (Mississauga, Ont.), Men’s Soccer – Carlos del Aguila (Langley), Sam Delfs, Andrew Dobbie (Langley), Evan Lowther (Surrey, B.C.), Cameron Parkes (North Delta, B.C.), Dominic Reinold (Wesseling, Germany), Mitchell Rohla (Langley), Denny Serifovic (Richmond, B.C.), Nate Turner (Langley), Jordan Whitehead (Surrey, B.C.), Women’s Track and Field and Cross Country: Alison Jackson, Miranda Glenn (Twisp, Wash.), Fiona Benson, Sabrina Nettey (Surrey, B.C.), Anastasia Pearse, Ivonne Zuniga Padilla, Men’s Track and Field and Cross Country: Ralph Alvaro (Surrey, B.C.), Mihai Prajea, Jesse Phillips (Anaheim, Calif.), Men’s Volleyball: Micah Jansen Van Doorn (Langley), Danny Grant (Chetwynd, B.C.), Branden Schmidt (De Winton, Alta.), Nick Del Bianco, Women’s Basketball: Laurissa Weigl (Stony Plain, Alta.), Chantelle Martin (Surrey, B.C.), Women’s Volleyball: Carly Hamilton (Calgary), Royal Richardson (Rocky Mountain House, Alta.), Lauren Moncks (Standard, Alta.) Alicia Perrin, Casie Gano, Kristen Moncks.
The Spartans also honoured men’s basketball coach Scott Allen and women’s basketball assistant coach Laurelle Weigl.