The 2008 Athletic Awards List Iincluded

Most Valuable Player Awards:

Men’s Volleyball - Stephen Regier
Women’s Volleyball - Leah Duke
Curling - Jordan Thin
Golf - Cory Fiwchuk
Men’s Indoor Soccer - Phil Hull
Women’s Indoor Soccer - Amanda Wilson
Women’s Basketball - Kaitlyn McKenna
Men’s Basketball - Anthony McAleese
Men’s Soccer - Matt Miedema

OCAA ALL ACADEMIC AWARDS - Recognizing Athletic & Academic Excellence

Women’s Basketball - Kendra Killen, Natalie Campeau, Golf - Mike Currie
Men’s Indoor Soccer - Phil Hull, Ray Agboluage, Craig Eden
Women’s Indoor Soccer - Megan Climenhage, Christy Hazley, Melissa Steers
Women’s Volleyball - Nicole Vandermeer, Jacklyn Van Leerzem, Michelle Schinkel, Jackie Sexton, Jennifer Adie, Alyssa Runyon, Sarah Kupsch
Men’s Volleyball - Kevin Krajcik

Niagara College Athletes of Distinction

Men’s Outdoor Soccer - Eric Klein
Women’s Basketball - Jessica James, Kaitlyn McKenna
Women’s Indoor Soccer - Jennifer Pringle

*Bios attached

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For more information contact:
Ray Sarkis
Coordinator, Athletics and Recreation
(905) 735-2211, ext. 7583

ATHLETIC BIOS

Male Athlete of the Year

Stephen Regier of Zurich Ontario is a rookie on the men’s volleyball team and led the squad with 99 kills, 4 service aces, and 11 stuffed blocks for a total of 114 points while doing his job on defence digging 44 of the oppositions kill attempts. He was recognized for his outstanding play on the court by the opposing coaches making him the recipient of the OCAA Western Region Rookie of the Year award. He has also carried that success into the classroom continuing to be one of the top student athletes of the year where he is enrolled in the Construction Engineering program.

Female Athlete of the Year

Kaitlyn McKenna of St. Catharines, Ontario has been a true team leader on the women's basketball team for the last three years. She is the team captain and Most Valuable Player, she led the Knights in scoring and was consistently among the top three scorers in the league. She ended the 2008 season second in OCAA scoring with an average of 16.4 ppg and first overall in total points with 230 points. She was in the top 10 in the OCAA in total rebounds and led the league with 100 Field Goals. She was named OCAA Western Region 1st team League All-Star for the third consecutive year and was OCAA Female Athlete of the Week for Week in November. McKenna is the first female athlete in the history of the Niagara College Knights Intercollegiate program to receive the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association All Canadian Award honours.

Male Rookie Athlete of the Year

Jeremy Settimi of Hamilton, is a standout of the men’s basketball team known for his dedication and consistency. He is the type of player who brings many intangibles to the squad, and he finished the season fourth in team scoring with 123 points. His dedication to academics has also been consistent throughout the year making him one of the top academic athletes on his team enrolled in the Business Administration program.

Female Rookie Athlete of the Year

Kerissa Van Amersfoort took over as setter on the women’s volleyball team this season and finished fourth in team scoring with 46 kills, 31 service aces, 20 stuffed blocks for 97 points while digging up 51 kill attempts and was named OCAA Western Region Rookie of the Year. Van Amersfoort and the Niagara College Knights, finished the season in second place in the OCAA Western Region with a record of 10-5 before bowing out the in the first round of playoffs. Van Amersfoort is a first-year student in the Police Foundations program.

Male Tournament Player of the Year:

Matt Hunter became only the second Knight to win the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) men’s golf individual provincial championship Gold Medal in 40 years of competition. Hunter student shot a 4 over 75 to hold on for the win. The first year Professional Golf Management program student from Kitchener Ontario, began the day four shots ahead of the pack after an opening-round 4-under 67 and managed to maintain the lead throughout the day despite shooting five bogeys to only one birdie in the final round that featured plenty of high winds and rain. His win combined by his teammates strong play gave had the Knights capture the silver medal in the team competition. Matt was recognized for his achievement as the recipient of the OCAA Male Athlete of the Week award and championship All-Star.

 Female Tournament Player of the Year:

Megan Climenhage of Wainfleet, Ontario has once again proven to be one of the top players in the OCAA Women’s Indoor Soccer League. The Knights team captain and goalie backstopped the Niagara to eight (8) shutouts and scoring one goal on a penalty kick to capture the Conestoga Invitational tournament. While the Knights did not advance to the OCAA championships at the western regionals, Climenhage was once again the player which kept the Niagara in contention in each of the three matches. Megan’s success caries into the classroom, where she is an honour student in her second year of the Paramedic Program and is the recipient of the OCA All Academic Award.