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Georgian recognizes top athletes at annual banquet

13 men's and women's varsity sports teams were represented by nearly 200 student-athletes
2019-Major-Award-Winners-e
Photo provided by Georgian College.

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GEORGIAN COLLEGE
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The Georgian College Athletic Department recently recognized the tremendous achievements of their student athletes at the 49th annual Varsity Awards Banquet at the Georgian Athletic Centre in Barrie.

Nearly 200 student-athletes, coaches and staff were on hand representing the 13 men’s and women’s varsity sports teams that compete annually across the province in the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) and nationally in the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA).

Men’s volleyball player Darien Haynes capped off his five-year collegiate career by winning the Cloutier Cup as Georgian’s male athlete of the year. Haynes led the Grizzlies men’s volleyball team to their third straight OCAA east division title and third consecutive appearance at the provincial championship.

The Barrie native finished the regular season with a league-high 60 blocks and also broke the all-time OCAA record for career blocks with an incredible 268. Haynes became Georgian’s all-time leading scorer this season and was the first to ever score 1,000 career points in a Grizzlies uniform. He was named an OCAA east division first team all-star for the fourth year in a row.

Haynes also excelled in the classroom where he was also awarded the Male Academic & Athletic Excellence Award after earning a 96.6 per cent average in the Cabinet Making Techniques program. He had previously graduated from the Bachelor of Police Studies program the year prior. Haynes also earned his fifth straight OCAA All-Academic Award and was a CCAA Academic All-Canadian for the fourth straight season. He is the eighth male to earn the title of Georgian’s male athlete of the year in multiple years having previously won in 2015-16.

The women’s badminton doubles team of Courtney Brewer and Michelle Kozlowskyj were recognized as co-winners of the Greer Trophy as Georgian’s female athlete of the year. The duo went a perfect 5-0 at the OCAA East Regional Championship to claim first place and earn a berth at the provincial championship. At the OCAA Championship, they went an impressive 4-1 in the round robin and went on to earn their second consecutive bronze medal. Brewer, a native of Manitouwadge, and Kozlowskyj, a native of Garson, were also both named as OCAA All-Stars.

A total of 34 student athletes received an OCAA All-Academic Award for achieving an average of at least 80 per cent or higher while also representing Georgian in their respective sport. Three student-athletes, Darien Haynes, men’s volleyball teammate Liam Gray (Barrie) and cross country runner Kaitlyn L’Abbe (Ottawa) were named as CCAA Academic All-Canadians for being on the school’s dean’s list while also being named an all-star in their respective sport.

Women’s badminton player Jessica Maher (Tottenham) won the Female Academic & Athletic Excellence Award after a tremendous rookie season saw her finish in fourth place at the provincial championship in women’s singles. She also achieved a remarkable 99.4 per cent average in the Honours Bachelor of Science – Applied Life Science Degree with Biotechnology-Health Diploma offered through the Lakehead-Georgian program.

Other major award winners included men’s rugby player Tennyson Brown (Barrie) and women’s volleyball player Domenica De Francesco (Barrie) who were named the male and female rookies of the year. Men’s indoor soccer player Mohammad Elwan (Egypt) was presented the McKillican Trophy for Outstanding Contribution to the Georgian Athletic Department and men’s rugby captain Donovan Jacko (Brampton) was presented the Howard/Belcourt Award for Outstanding Sportsmanship, Dedication, Commitment, Attitude and Leadership.

A full list of all the winners is available at GeorgianGrizzlies.ca.

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