CALGARY – Sprinter Sam Effah and volleyball left side Julie Young are the University of Calgary's Dr. Dennis Kadatz Athletes of the Year for the 2007-08 season.
The announcement was made Tuesday night at the 41st Annual Night of the Dino awards gala at MacEwan Hall. Young and Effah automatically become the University of Calgary's nominees for the BLG Awards as CIS athletes of the year.
Effah, a communications student out of Sir Winston Churchill High School, beat out a strong group of nominees to take the honour in just his sophomore season. The 19-year-old sprinter brought home four gold medals at the 2008 CIS championship, including individual titles in both the 60- and 300-metre events.
Named the Canada West track athlete of the year and outstanding performer at the conference championships, Effah went on to win the CIS track athlete of the year award, the second Dino in as many years to do so. After his four gold medals at nationals in Montreal, he was named CIS championship MVP as the Dinos missed out on their first-ever national title in men's track and field by just three points.
Effah is the second consecutive track athlete to be named the school's athlete of the year following Geoff Kerr in 2007. Other nominees for the award were Jared Aulin (hockey), Mark Dewit (football, wrestling), Chad Hankewich (swimming), and Anthony Woodson (football).
Julie Young becomes the fourth women's volleyball player in seven years to win the Dr. Dennis Kadatz award, following Krista Kinsman (2002) and Joanna Niemczewska (2004, 2005).
The fourth-year captain out of Red Deer was the team's unquestioned leader as the Dinos brought home their fifth straight CIS medal, a bronze, from the national championship in Fredericton. A first team Canada West all-star, Young was named a second-team all-Canadian after leading the Dinos in digs (160) and placing second on the team in kills (156).
The versatile senior alternated between the left side and libero positions for the Dinos and was instrumental in the team's qualification for the CIS championship and fourth straight national bronze medal performance.
Young beat out wrestler Justine Bouchard, basketball guard Courtney Coyle, and sprinter Amonn Nelson to win the award.
All nine nominees for the Dr. Dennis Kadatz Athlete of the Year awards were presented the Award of Merit in recognition of their outstanding accomplishments over the 2007-08 season.
Other big winners on the night included Tyler Fidler and Breanna Hendriks, who took home the Bill Popplewell Rookie of the Year awards, while Dewit and Tessa Gray were named the Calgary Booster Club Scholar-Athletes.
Fidler, a highly touted recruit out of Western Canada High School, made an immediate contribution to the Dinos basketball team, which posted its best season since 1976 at 18-4. The sixth man for much of the year, Fidler averaged 22 minutes and 9.9 points per game off the bench.
He was the first Dino in a decade to be named the Canada West rookie of the year in men's basketball, and he also landed a spot on the CIS all-rookie team. The 6'9” shooting guard studies in the Faculty of Communication and Culture.
Volleyballer Ciaran McGovern and running back Matt Walter were also up for the male rookie award.
Swimmer Breanna Hendriks is the female winner of the Bill Popplewell Rookie of the Year award. A freshman Open Studies student from Cochrane, Alta., Hendriks won a pair of silver medals at the CIS championships in the 200- and 400-metre freestyle events, along with two silver and one bronze at the Canada West championships. A second team all-Canadian, Hendriks was the third straight Dinos woman to be named CIS rookie of the year in swimming following Katy Murdoch (2006) and Kevyn Peterson (2007).
Hendriks was up against Sarah Lacny, setter for the women's volleyball team, and point guard Megan Lang.
The Calgary Booster Club Scholar-Athlete awards are presented to the student-athletes who combine academic and athletic achievement, and each receives a $1000 scholarship courtesy the Calgary Booster Club.
Mark Dewit, the male Scholar-Athlete winner, is a two-sport athlete who excels in both football and wrestling. He was named to the Canada West all-star team as part of a dominant Dinos offensive line that paved the way for Calgary's nation-leading run game in 2007. This distinction earned him a trip to the CFL combine in Toronto in March, and he is a likely pick in the upcoming CFL draft.
Following the football season, Dewit turned to wrestling and, after finishing second at the Canada West championship, took home the national heavyweight title at the CIS championships. A graduate of Bishop Carroll High School in Calgary, Dewit is an academic all-Canadian in the Haskayne School of Business.
The female Scholar-Athlete for 2007-08 is Tessa Gray of the four-time defending Canada West champion Dinos track and field team. An academic all-Canadian in the Faculty of Kinesiology, Gray was a member of the CIS gold medal-winning 4x400m relay team and added an individual bronze in the 600 at the Canada West championships.
A three-year captain of the Dinos, Gray ran the 4x200 and 4x400 relays at the 2007 CIS championship, where the team brought home its first national championship since 1991.
Other awards handed out Tuesday night included the Murray Fraser volunteer awards, the Dr. Lou Goodwin and Marg Southern outstanding service awards, the Vereburn Athletic Therapy scholarships, and the Gauntlet Extra Effort awards.
Event staffer Shubham Tiwari along with the crew of NUTV Live!, which produced live video webcasts of Dinos basketball and wrestling events this season, were named co-winners of the Murray Fraser Awards, which are presented to student-volunteers in appreciation of their contributions over the varsity season.
Tony Spoletini and Spolumbo's Deli were awarded the Dr. Lou Goodwin Award for outstanding service to the Dinos in recognition of their longtime support. Spoletini has hosted the weekly Dinos football media hour at Spolumbo's for several years and served as colour commentator for several Dinos football broadcasts on the FAN 960 over the past two seasons.
The Marg Southern Award was presented to Irene Buchan, who was the volunteer committee chair of the 2008 CIS Wrestling Championships at the University of Calgary. Buchan was instrumental in bringing in significant community support for the event, which received acclaim from athletes, coaches, sponsors, and spectators.
The Vereburn Scholarships for outstanding achievement by Athletic Therapy majors were awarded to Sarah Robinson (field/volleyball) and Tiffany Toombs (clinical/track and field).
The Gauntlet Extra Effort award winners are selected by the editorial staff of the UC's student newspaper in recognition of athletes who overcome adversity and display dedication and perseverance. The 2007-08 Gauntlet awards went to Morena Ianniello (soccer) and Omar Langford (volleyball).
-UC-
41st Annual Night of the Dino
AWARD WINNERS
Dr. Dennis Kadatz Athletes of the Year
Sam Effah, track and field
Julie Young, volleyball
Bill Popplewell Rookies of the Year
Tyler Fidler, basketball
Breanna Hendriks, swimming
Calgary Booster Club Scholar-Athlete Awards
Mark Dewit, football/wrestling
Tessa Gray, track and field
Awards of Merit
Jared Aulin, hockey
Justine Bouchard, wrestling
Courtney Coyle, basketball
Mark Dewit, football/wrestling
Sam Effah, track and field
Chad Hankewich, swimming
Amonn Nelson, track and field
Anthony Woodson, football
Julie Young, volleyball
Rookie of the Year Nominees
Breanna Hendriks, swimming
Sarah Lacny, volleyball
Megan Lang, basketball
Tyler Fidler, basketball
Ciaran McGovern, volleyball
Matt Walter, football
Murray Fraser Student Volunteer Awards
Shubham Tiwari
NUTV Live!
Dr. Lou Goodwin Award
Tony Spoletini & Spolumbo's Deli
Marg Southern Award
Irene Buchan
Vereburn Athletic Therapy Awards
Sarah Robinson (field)
Tiffany Toombs (clinical)
Gauntlet Extra Effort Awards
Morena Ianniello, soccer
Omar Langford, volleyball
