The Department of Athletics and Recreation celebrated their annual Athletics Awards this past week over their social media channels.
"I am incredibly proud of how our student-athletes persevered through an incredibly challenging year," said director of athletics and recreation, Roly Webster. "When they were able to train and practice together, they were grateful for the opportunity, and followed the protocols while maintaining a positive attitude showing the true Warrior spirit."
"I am heartbroken for our seniors that did not have competition in their final year but am very proud of their response and the way they carried themselves throughout the pandemic while excelling academically."
Despite not having a competitive season, there was still a lot to celebrate including the graduating seniors, the administrative work behind the scenes of a very tough season and the career graduating award, the Warrior Shield of Excellence Award.
Earning 2021 Shields were six Warriors who had incredible careers with the black and gold, leaving an ever-lasting impression on their coaches, teammates and the department.
Owen Babcock (Kitchener/) from the track and field program was an unstoppable force in middle distance and relay events. The environmental science student broke several school records over his time as a Warrior including the 4x400m record three times. His name is etched on five UWaterloo Top 10 lists while breaking the 400m and 600m records. In his time as a Warrior, Babcock earned 38 medals including five from the OUA Championship and one national medal, the bronze in the 4x200m at the 2020 U SPORTS Championship. Babcock has also collected three OUA all-star awards; two second-teams and one first-team.
Claire Gagne (Cambridge/) emerged as a top setter in the province right off the hop earning a spot on the 2017 OUA all-rookie team with an impressive 484 assists. She would go on to earn two more all-star nods, both second-team spots in 2019 and 2020. Overall, Gagne finished her four year career with 2,089 assists, with one year of eligibility remaining. Gagne, a biochemistry student, was a big part of Waterloo's incredible 2018-19 season, leading the Warriors to a 17-2 regular season record and home court advantage as host of the 2019 OUA Quigley Cup (Final Four) Championship. In that tournament Gagne finished with 61 assists in two matches as Waterloo beat Western 3-2 to claim OUA bronze. Gagne was also a two-time Academic All-Canadian.
Kurtis Gray (Waterloo/) from football was the next Warrior to earn a Shield of Excellence after his tremendous four-year career. The arts and business student was named an OUA all-rookie in his first season back in 2016 and followed it up with two more second-team all-star nods (2017 and 2019). Gray was selected in the fourth round, 31st overall by the Calgary Stampeders in the 2020 CFL Draft. Gray finished his career with 208 tackles and 8.5 sacks and topped off his career with a stellar playoff in 2019 with 6.5 tackles, two sacks and a pick 6 in Waterloo's quarter-final win over Ottawa.
Matthew Mawdsley (London/) was a dominant force at the net for the men's volleyball program since his first season with the black and gold in 2016-17. Mawdsley was named to the OUA all-rookie team in 2017 and also made the Canadian National Junior Program that same year. Mawdsley followed this up with another strong 2018-19 season and earned a spot on the OUA second-team all-star list. Overall, Mawdsley finished his career with 278 kills, 58 solo blocks and 126 assisted blocks. Mawdsley was also honoured once for being an Academic All-Canadian while studying geography and aviation.
Dion Pellerin (Abbotsford/) was the second member of the Warriors football program to earn a shield. Pellerin, a geography major, had a breakout season in his fourth year with the black and gold, scampering his way to the beat of 977 rushing yards, the second most in the province. He also found the end zone more than any other player in the OUA with 11 touchdowns including back-to-back games with three touchdowns. Pellerin was named a 2019 OUA first-team all-star for his incredible campaign. Pellerin had 2,304 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns in his four years with the Warriors. He was also selected in the 2020 CFL Draft in the 5th round, 42nd overall by the Toronto Argonauts. Pellerin was also an Academic All-Canadian.
Mitch Voralek (Waterloo/) was the final recipient of a 2021 Shield of Excellence after becoming one of the most prolific scorers in men's rugby history. In each of his four seasons with the program, Voralek led his team in scoring and was named an OUA all-star each of those seasons as well as the 2018 OUA Player of the Year. That season, Voralek led the province with 124 points on four tries, 37 converts, and ten penalties. In total, Voralek hit 47 of his 61 kick attempts in 2018, including multiple penalties from near 50 metres. He also added 17 more points in the 2018 playoffs. Voralek was the leading scorer for the Warriors at the 2018 Canadian University Sevens tournament and was a member of Canada's 2018 Sevens Maple Leaf development team. Voralek was a three-time Academic All-Canadian studying mechatronics engineering.
Other awards handed out were the Directors and J.O. Hemphill Awards presented annually to students who have made a significant adminstrative contribution to the interuniversity program, the Brian Farrance (Student Therapy) Award, and the Campus Service Award presented to a member of the UWaterloo campus community who has made a meaningful contribution to the advancement of the Department of Athletics and Recreation.
Winning the Directors Award was Miranda Hunter (Mississauga/), a graduating senior from the field hockey program. Hunter has been the captain of her team the last two seasons and heavily involved in many areas of the department including: Team-Up speaker, IU Council executive member, School Day Game Volunteer, Field House grand opening volunteer, and more. Hunter was also a member of the new Warrior Impact Award Selection Committee as well as a student therapist for the football program at their last spring camp.
The J.O. Hemphill Award was collected by
Owen Babcock (Kitchener/), a graduating senior from the track and field team. Babcock has been a Rise-Up peer mentor for the last three seasons as well as the team captain of track for the previous four years. He was also a volunteer as part of the Field House grand opening and the annual UWaterloo Open House event. Babcock was also a part of the Faculty of Science's Let's Talk Day and Campus Housing Promotions.
The Brian Farrance Award was won by
Alyssa Lafantaisie who was a member of the women's volleyball team before suffering a knee injury that sidelined her. She was then the student therapist for the program before becoming a critical member of the football therapy team for three seasons. Lafantaisie has also been a student therapist for the men's basketball program and this year helped out with some men's hockey coverage. Each year as she gained more experience, her confidence in her skills improved. Her enthusiasm for Athletic Therapy is felt by the athletes and student trainers alike, eagerly running athletes through their various rehab programs. She was a fixture in the therapy clinic with her fellow student trainers, using down time between therapy appointments to practice skills or study with and quiz her classmates.
The final award, the Campus Service Award was given to President & Vice-Chancellor
Feridun Hamdullahpur who will wrap up his term this spring.
"During my seven years with the Warriors, Feridun has been our president and throughout his time has been a champion for Athletics and Recreation and the important role we play in the student-experience at the University of Waterloo," commented Webster. "His advocacy, leadership and investment will leave a legacy that will forever impact Warrior Athletics & Recreation."
The Graduating Class of 2021! 🖤💛👨🏽🎓
Posted by Waterloo Warriors on Tuesday, March 30, 2021
