Cycling BC is thrilled to announce that four of our members have been nominated as finalists for the 55th Annual SportBC Athlete of the Year Awards. This is a great honour and a testament to the hard work and dedication of our athletes.
Sport BC announced all the finalists earlier this week and the winners will be announced at the Athlete of the Year Awards celebration dinner taking place on Thursday, March 9, 2023 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 in either the 2021 or 2022 season. 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.
“The Athlete of the Year Awards is a true celebration of sport in our province. The finalists listed below will be honoured at the event and represent exceptional efforts and accomplishments in 2021 and 2022. We congratulate our finalists and the organizations they represent”, shares Sport BC’s President and CEO, Rob Newman. “We look forward to celebrating as a sector together on Thursday, March 9, 2023 at the Vancouver Convention Centre. The finalists represent 29 sports from communities all throughout BC demonstrating the collective strength of our province’s sport sector.”
The four Cycling BC members in the final running for the awards include Downhill mountain bikers Gracey Hemstreet for the Junior Female Athlete of the Year Award, Jackson Goldstone for the Junior Male Athlete of the Year Award, 2022 Para Track Cycling World Champion, Mel Pemble, for the Athlete with a Disability Award, and Canadian Road and Track Champion, Uli Mayer, for the Master Athlete of the Year Award.
We wish them all the best of luck. Congratulations to all the nominees and finalists!
Athlete with a Disability
- Kady Dandeneau – Wheelchair Basketball
- Ina Forrest – Curling
- Mollie Jepsen – Para Alpine
- Mel Pemble – Cycling
- Tyler Turner – Wheelchair Snowboard
College Athlete of the Year
- Cameron Gay (Vancouver Island University) – Basketball
- Yevgeniya (Jane) Lytvynenko (Vancouver Island University) – Volleyball
- Vitor Pereira (Camosun College) – Volleyball
- Thomas Venos (University of Alabama) – Wheelchair Tennis
- Clair Ye (Capilano College) – Soccer
Female Coach of the Year
- Malindi Elmore – Athletics
- Barb Fraser – Gymnastics
- Jane Gumley – Rowing
- Bev Priestman – Soccer
- Brit Townsend – Athletics
Male Coach of the Year
- Trevor Hirschfield – Wheelchair Rugby
- Chris MacDonald – Golf
- Tommy McLeod – Diving
- Laurier Primeau – Athletics
- Mostafa Sabeti – Wushu
High School Female Athlete of the Year
- Lauren Clements (Terry Fox) – Basketball
- Maella Hodgson (Elgin Park) – Athletics
- Rupinder Johal (Robert Bateman) – Wrestling
- Marina Rodocaj (R.A. McMath) – Volleyball
- Rory Rothnie (Claremont) – Lacrosse
High School Male Athlete of the Year
- Laon Kim (Gleneagle) – Swimming
- Walker Sodaro (Kelowna) – Volleyball
- Logan Thiessen (Robert Bateman) – Football
- Aidan Turner (South Delta) – Athletics
- Jimmy Zaborniak (Burnaby South) – Basketball
Junior Female Athlete of the Year
- Renee Batalla – Diving
- Oonah Gamboa, Karate
- Gracey Hemstreet, Cycling
- Lauren Kim, Golf
- Alicia Zhang, Ultimate
Junior Male Athlete of the Year
- Praise Aniamaka – Athletics
- Connor Bedard – Ice Hockey
- Jackson Gladstone, Cycling
- Cooper Humphreys, Golf
- Nikola Petrovic – Judo
Senior Female Athlete of the Year
- Julia Grosso – Soccer
- Camryn Rogers – Athletics
- Marielle Thompson – Alpine
- Avalon Wasteneys – Rowing
- Micah Zandee-Hart – Ice Hockey
Senior Male Athlete of the Year Jack Crawford – Alpine
- Amar Dhesi – Wrestling
- Evan Dunfee – Athletics
- Brent Hayden – Swimming
- Derek Mayson – Softball
University Athlete of the Year
- Aaron Ahl (Simon Fraser University) Athletics
- Alison Andrews-Paul (Simon Fraser University) Athletics
- Derek Epp (Trinity Western University) Volleyball
- Kent Johnson (University of Michigan) Ice Hockey
- Anna Mollenhauer – (University of Victoria) Field Hockey
Team of the Year
- BC Rugby 7s – Women’s Canada Summer Games Team
- Langley Rams Football Team
- Trinity Western Women’s Volleyball Team
- UBC Women’s Golf Team
- UVIC Women’s Field Hockey Team
Master Athlete of the Year
- Christa Bortignon – Athletics
- Uli Mayer – Cycling
- Lloyd Polack – Archery
- Shelly Stouffer – Golf
- Derek Tripp – Triathlon
Official of the Year
- Anne Bees – Tennis
- Gordon Bennett – Gymnastics
- Kevin Bowie – Wheelchair Rugby
- Michael Campbell – Ice Hockey
- Janice Hunter – Figure Skating
To read more about the SportBC Athlete of the Year Awards, go to https://sportbc.com/athlete-of-the-year-awards-2/