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Sport BC Announces 54th Annual Athlete of the Year Awards’ Finalists

Sport BC announces the finalists to be celebrated at the upcoming 54th Annual Athlete of the Year Awards taking place on Thursday, March 12, 2020, at the Vancouver Convention Centre East. The event, to be hosted by CBC’s Scott Russell, recognizes the province’s best in amateur sport including athletes, coaches, teams, and officials for outstanding performances in their sport over the 2019 season.  Each finalist was nominated by their Provincial or Multi-Sport Organization, High School, College, or University. The Selection Committee, led by long-serving Chair Bernie Pascall, included a diverse group of highly experienced British Columbia sport leaders and media members.

“The Athlete of the Year Awards is a true celebration of sport in our province, these finalists represent an exceptional 2019 in BC sport. We congratulate all of our finalists and the organizations they represent”, shares Sport BC’s President and CEO, Rob Newman. “The 2019 finalists represent 20 sports from 24 different communities demonstrating the collective strength of our province’s sport sector.”

An additional six awards will be presented at the ceremony including the Best of BC, KidSport BC Community Champion, Harry Jerome Comeback, Daryl Thompson Lifetime Achievement Award and In Her Footsteps Honourees.

Athlete with a Disability
Logan Leach (Lumby) Adaptive Snowsports
Nathan Reich (Victoria) Athletics
Thomas Venos (Anmore) Wheelchair Tennis

College Athlete of the Year
Rachel Beauchamp (Douglas) – Basketball
Reid Marriott (Douglas) – Volleyball
Karoline Tormena (VIU) – Volleyball

Female Coach of the Year
Lynn Kanuka (Surrey) – Athletics
Christine Wong (Vancouver) – Golf
Katie Yuris (Trail) – Hockey

Male Coach of the Year
Chris Macdonald (Vancouver) – Golf
Adam Maglio (Nelson) – Hockey
Doug Reimer (Vancouver) – Volleyball

High School Female Athlete of the Year
Madelyn Hettinga (Kelowna) – Multi-Sport
Deja Lee (Semiahmoo) – Basketball
Jasneet Nijjar (Queen Elizabeth) – Athletics

High School Male Athlete of the Year
Diego Maffia (Oak Bay) – Basketball, Soccer, Volleyball
Uyi Ologhola (Holy Cross) – Football
Demetri Patterson (Rockridge) Football

Junior Female Athlete of the Year
Emilly Johnston (Comox) – Cycling
Camryn Rogers (Richmond) – Athletics
Wendy Zhang (Richmond) – Badminton

Junior Male Athlete of the Year
Fernando Aguilera (West Vancouver) – Karate
Aiden Longcroft-Harris (Victoria) – Triathlon
Carter Woods (Cumberland) – Cycling 

Senior Female Athlete of the Year
Rachel Cliff (Vancouver) – Athletics
Sara Groenewegen (White Rock) – Softball
Kristen Tsai (Vancouver) – Badminton

Senior Male Athlete of the Year
Evan Dunfee (Richmond) – Athletics
Brian Maxwell (Burnaby) – Archery
Scott Tupper (Vancouver) – Field Hockey

University Athlete of the Year
Anna Mollenhauer (UVIC) – Field Hockey
Markus Thormeyer (UBC) – Swim
Kiera Van Ryk (UBC) – Volleyball

Team of the Year
Team BC Women (Victoria) – Hockey
UBC Women (Vancouver) – Volleyball
VIU Mariners Women (Nanaimo) – Volleyball

Master Athlete of the Year
Myrtle Action (Cranbrook) – Athletics
Keith Evans (Sydney) – Triathlon
Cathy Zeglinski (Whistler) – Mountain Biking

Official of the Year
Ulf Schuetze (Victoria) – Triathlon
Jeff Thomson (Vancouver) – Gymnastics
Trevor Walmsley (Vancouver) – Karate

Tickets for the Athlete of the Year Awards are available now – simply click here


About Sport BC

Sport BC believes in the power of sport and is committed to building stronger communities through positive sport experiences. Our goal is to enhance and support sport participation in British Columbia ensuring everyone has the opportunity to thrive. Through our KidSport BC, BC Amateur Sport Fund, and ProMOTION Plus along with our services Sport BC Insurance, and Payroll and Group Benefits; Sport BC supports our sixty plus member organizations. Keep up to date @SportBC

Media Contact
Allison Mailer
Sport BC, Communication Manager
allison.mailer@sportbc.com
7778-839-8576

Athlete of the Year Awards
Thursday, March 12, 2020
Vancouver Convention Centre
Tickets available NOW!
http://sportbc.com