Green and Gold Banquet Returns to Honour 21-22 Accomplishments
The 2021-22 Blazers Athletics seasons officially wrapped up on Friday night with the first in-person Green and Gold Banquet since spring of 2019, which honours both team and individual accomplishments of CMU's soccer, volleyball, and basketball programs. After a last-minute move to an online format for the spring 2020 edition of the awards ceremony, and the cancelled seasons last year, this was the first in-person edition in three years.
After fantastic seasons on the pitch and court, graduating Blazer student-athletes Chloe Friesen and Daniel McIntyre-Ridd hosted the event as masters of ceremony and kept the vibe light and cheery. With six of eight Blazer teams reaching the MCAC Finals in their respective sports, there was certainly plenty to celebrate.
The awards kicked off with the Scholar Athlete recognitions, which this year included over 48% of the 95 total eligible student athletes, who managed to earn a Dean's Honour List GPA of at least 3.5 during the fall semester. In the CCAA sports of soccer and volleyball, these athletes would be eligible for scholar athlete status recognition at the national level as well. Each year the CCAA also recognizes Academic All-Canadians, which is defined by reaching the academic honour role status while also having received a conference all-star or MVP award, or playoff MVP recognition. The Blazers have four athletes that meet these standards: Ezri Trump (women's soccer), Chloe Friesen (women's volleyball), Renee Desroches (women's volleyball), and Cameron Gayleard (men's volleyball) who will all be officially recognized later in the spring once all CCAA Championships have wrapped up.
Next on the agenda were the individual team awards, which recognized a Most Valuable Player, a Rookie of the Year, and a third wildcard award named by the team's head coaches prior to the event. Women's basketball tipped off the awards following a CMU record fourth consecutive MCAC Championship title season. Two of the program's cornerstone players were recognized with Julia Schatkowsky taking home the Most Valuable Player honour, while her fellow graduating player Shirliz Apiyo was recognized as the Most Outstanding Defensive Player. The dynamic duo led the conference in most statistical categories en route to their fourth MCAC win, and fifth championship during their storied post-secondary careers with the Blazers, which also included a 2020 NIAC Championship. Head coach Joe DiCurzio clearly knows his program has a bright future ahead, and named both Annika Goodbrandson and Briana Ehrmantraut as Co-Rookies of the Year after two year's worth of recruits were eligible for this season's first-year awards.
Women's soccer followed up with awards of their own, and named captain Tiegan Kroeker as their most valuable player, with Rookie of the Year honours going to 2020 recruit Tai Linklater, whose unending drive to improve during the oudoor season and then move to goalkeeping for the indoor futsal season earned her the recognition she deserved. The final women's soccer team award went to Julia Ignagni as the Most Outstanding Teammate for her no-quit attitude and positivity on the field of play.
Blazers men's soccer had a year to remember, making MCAC Finals appearances in both outdoor soccer and indoor futsal after exciting semi-finals upset wins in both sports. Graduating student-athlete Will Anderson took home the Most Valuable Player honours after another excellent season holding down the middle of the pitch and defending with gusto during the futsal campaign. Head coach Anderson Pereira had plenty of outstanding first year players to choose for his Rookie of the Year award but settled on Matthew Pahl for this season's accolades. Co-captain and fellow graduate of MVP Anderson, Daniel McIntyre-Ridd was the final team award winner taking home Veteran of the Year honours, with Pereira noting his heroic defending during the outdoor MCAC playoffs, as well as his power up front during the futsal season.
After a first-place finish after the regular season, Blazers men's basketball looks to have plenty more success ahead of them, but looking back on the season that was, Most Valuable Player honours were handed to dynamic guard Isaiah Cole, who led the team in scoring on many nights during the year. Most often right behind in scoring and playing big minutes late in the year, big-man Ezra Leano was named Rookie of the Year by head coach Scott Martin. For his wildcard award, Martin chose to highlight another rookie, Elliott Russenholt, as the Most Reliable Player, for his dedication to practice and doing whatever was asked of him on the court.
Like the men's soccer squad, Blazers women's volleyball also upset MCAC rivals Providence Pilots in the championship semi-final en route to a finals appearance in their 21-22 playoff run. Veteran setter and conference all-star Renee Desroches was named the team's Most Valuable Player in her final season, while newcomer Rachel Bartel took home Rookie of the Year honours after a fantastic debut season as a starting left side for the squad. Head coach Jayme Menzies honoured rookie libero Lauren Ens as Team Spirit Award winner for her positive attitude on and off the court throughout their season.
The final team to take the stage was Blazers men's volleyball, who capped off an incredible MCAC championship-winning season as the first ever representatives of the conference in men's volleyball at the CCAA National Championships. Head coach Don Dulder recognized one of the team's captains and quarterback of the offence, Timothy Juvonen, as the team's Most Valuable Player for the year. First-year middle Markus Martens was named the team's Rookie of the Year after a standout first season at the college level. Finally, natural right-side-turned-middle Joshua Werbiski was named the team's Most Improved Player after being called on in the off-season to fill a hole in the Blazers' lineup, and ended up being a huge factor throughout the season and during the team's playoff run.
New this year were six awards handed out one to each team to players for characteristics of relationship-building, resiliency, and positive attitude; all traits that former Athletic Director Russell Willms hoped to instill in all Blazer athletes. The inaugural Russell Willms Award winners included Kasey Petruskavich (WSOC), Matheus Aquino (MSOC), Anari Byfield (WBB), Pacifique Jubilate (MBB), Chloe Friesen (WVB), and David Nelson (MVB).
Also new this season for the MCAC were the Bill Wedlake True Sport Awards, which were developed to recognize student-athletes who domeonstrate the principles of True Sport such as fairness and having fun on the field of play, in the classroom, and in the community. Five Blazer athletes were included of the 14 total on the team this season, which included athletes in the sports of soccer, volleyball, and futsal, including Chloe Friesen (WVB), Levi Klassen (MVB), Tiegan Kroeker (WSOC), Tai Linklater (WFUT), and Gode Katembo (MSOC). The MCAC announced on Friday that it's two True Sport winners were Tai Linklater and Levi Klassen, both of CMU, who received their $250 prize at the Green and Gold banquet.
This year's major award winners were difficult to choose as always, as comparing athlete's contributions between different sports, while also considering their role in their team's success off the court and in the classroom always makes for some tough decisions. With a rookie class twice the size of a normal season due to the lost 20-21 year, this year's Female and Male Rookies of the Year can take huge pride in their accomplishments adding to team successes. Both athletes help lead their teams to MCAC Championship Finals, where they battled hard to the final point. Rachel Bartel of women's volleyball was named this year's Female Rookie of the Year, while Ezra Leano of men's basketball was named Male Rookie of the Year. Likewise, both Blazers Athletes of the Year awards went to players that saw their teams to the MCAC Finals, with both leading their teams to defend the title. For the second time, Julia Schatkowsky of women's basketball was named Female Athlete of the Year, while men's volleyball's Cameron Gayleard was name Male Athlete of the Year for the first time in his career with the Blazers. The Trailblazer Award is awarded annually to a player who sacrifices their time and energy on pursuits in the community to make a better world for everyone. This year's winner was very deserving, having spent countless hours organizing the Manitoba Cup of Nations soccer tournament as well as Free to Play soccer programs to bring free soccer skills camps and sessions to youth in the Winnipeg community. CMU Blazers are pleased to announce men's soccer MCAC True Sport Team member Gode Katembo as this year's recipient of the Trailblazer Award.
With the 2021-22 Blazers Athletics seasons officially wrapped up, the program sets its sights on continued success for the 2022-23 season with new recruits signing almost weekly. The 2022-23 season will look to bring more variety and excitement for Blazer athletes and their fans, as a return to NIAC competition in the Northern United States for our basketball programs, as well as a return to out-of-province CCAA matchups for the volleyball squads will add some needed spice to the schedule. Before then, the CMU Golf Classic is set to tee off on June 15th at Bridges Golf Course, with a portion of the proceeds of the fundraising event funnelled directly into Blazers programming. Registration for team or individuals can be found online at CMU.ca. Blazers Sports Camps are also set to return this summer, with two additional varsity camps added to this year's offerings. The week-long camps are run in a split daytime format, allowing campers to choose either morning volleyball, afternoon basketball, or both! Online registration is now open at Blazers.cmu.ca.
