VICTORIA, B.C. – Following the final regular season games of 2015, the Canada West announced the women's field hockey awards, which were highlighted by fourth-year UBC midfielder Hannah Haughn being named Player of the Year. The Victoria Vikes were also crowned the Canada West champions for the 17th time in the program's history.
Calgary's Beckett Frisch was named Goalkeeper of the Year for the second-straight season, while Dinos midfielder Sabrina Wong was named Rookie of the Year. Fourth-year Vike Kathleen Leahy was honoured with the Gail Wilson Award as the most outstanding contributor, while Leahy's bench boss Lynne Beecroft was named the conference Coach of the Year for back-to-back years. Victoria's Tyler Klenk received the Umpire of the Year nod.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Hannah Haughn, UBC
With nearly every CIS and Canada West award in the bag, fourth-year T-Birds midfielder Hannah Haughn, had yet to win the Player of the Year nod. Previously named the 2012 CIS Rookie of the Year, the three-time CIS All-Canadian joins a prestigious list of UBC players named Liz Hoffman Award nominees including Kate Gillis, Robyn Pendleton, Christine De Pape and Stephanie Jameson. The West Vancouver native is a current national team member and helped Canada win bronze at the recent Pan American Games in Toronto.
"Hannah has undoubtedly been one of the most talented performers in the league for some time now," said UBC head coach Robin D'Abreo. "She values being a part of our team and exemplifies everything we stand for both on and off the field. Her winning the Can West MVP is fitting recognition of her impact to our team and her emergence as a truly world class hockey player."
With just under 100 international matches under her belt the 21-year-old has been an integral part of UBC winning the past four-straight CIS Championship banners. With a chance win four-straight CIS titles this year, Haughn exits her fourth Canada West season with just as many goals. Small in stature, at just five-foot-one, the speedy midfielder missed UBC's opening two games this season against Victoria, where the T-Birds fell 3-0 and 2-0. Haughn was away on commitments to her league team in New Zealand. Upon return though, Haughn guided the T-Birds to a 4-0-1 record in their remaining games, capping off her last regular season game with a hat trick against Calgary. Haughn moves forward as the Canada West's nominee for the Liz Hoffman, CIS Player of the Year Award.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Sabrina Wong, Calgary
The Calgary Dinos women's field hockey program underwent major changes this season with the addition of head coach Peter Taylor, replacing Henré Meyer, and just five players in fourth year or higher. Amongst a group of 13 first-year players, West Vancouver native Sabrina Wong was without a doubt the hugest boost to the young squad. Leading up to her career with the Dinos Wong has always been a stand out for the country's top provincial program in British Columbia. As a member of the BC Under 16 team, Wong guided her province to a national title in 2012, while the freshman was named Most Promising Junior Player in West Vancouver, the largest field hockey club in North America.
"Sabrina has been a standout performer in her first year as a Dino," said Taylor of the rookie's performance so far. "Sabrina has played an important role, moving from her usual defensive position to one of our holding midfielders. In this role she has helped the team control the middle of the field in defense, and created many attacking forays for her team."
Wong becomes just the second Dino to be named Canada West Rookie of the Year following Tanis Bartolome in 2005. Wong moves forward as the Canada West nominee for the Joyce Slipp CIS Rookie of the Year Award.
GOALKEEPER OF THE YEAR: Beckett Frisch, Calgary
For the second-straight season Beckett Frisch, of Calgary, is named the Canada West Goalkeeper of the Year. In only her second season in the Canada West, the fifth-year net minder continues to be one of the most impactful players for a young Calgary contingent, Frisch helped contain West coast powerhouses UBC and Victoria to just one or two goal losses in Calgary's opening four matches. Following last season's Canada West Goalkeeper and Player of the Year nod Frisch was named to the Canadian Senior development squad in 2014, where she spent the latter part of the year in Vancouver training with the team in the lead up to the 2015 Pan American Games.
"Beckett has been an outstanding performer for the Dinos this season," commented Dinos head coach Peter Taylor. "As one of our senior players she has helped create a solid defensive platform for her team, making many vital saves in all our games. Beckett is always putting in extra work on and off the field, showing why she is on the Canadian National Team and what it takes to play at the highest level."
Frisch is the second Dino to win the Canada West Goalkeeper of the Year Award following Sydney Hamm in 2012. The award has only been given out since 2010.
GAIL WILSON AWARD (OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTOR): Kathleen Leahy, Victoria
Fourth-year Vikes midfielder Kathleen Leahy is a three-time Canada West All-Star and former CIS All-Canadian (2013). The current Canadian senior national team member is co-captain of the 2015 Vikes team but is also an exceptional student-athlete and role model. As a member of Canada's national team Leahy has devoted countless hours between her Vancouver-based national team training and her commitments in Victoria. Despite multiple commitments and travel Leahy manages an 8.17 GPA (on a 9-point scale) in the faculty of Education.
The Victoria native is constantly giving back, finding time in the fall to coach the Oak Bay High School field hockey team for the past four seasons, while also helping coach in the Victoria Junior League and the UVic Rising Stars program. While training in Toronto this past summer Leahy coached with the A&C Academy working with Under 16 and 18 high performance groups. Leahy also volunteers as a lab assistant in the UVic Exercise Physiology labs assisting in lab sessions with equipment set up and clean-up and helping students with material and research protocols. Most recently, she helped create the protocol for testing that would measure leg hemoglobin levels of young female athletes before and after exercise and she is just about to start as a volunteer in a study which will compare the heart rate variability (HRV) of competitive level athletes with the HRV of Special Olympic athletes.
In the late summer, Kathleen travelled to Los Angeles where she watched and interacted with Special Olympics athletes as they competed at the highest possible level - The World Games. She was there as a Student Ambassador for UVic and while there attended a conference where they were able to discuss ideas of diversity and inclusion with some of the top initiative builders in the field.
COACH OF THE YEAR: Lynne Beecroft, Victoria
In her 32nd year of coaching the University of Victoria Vikes women's field hockey program Lynne Beecroft is named the Canada West Coach of the Year for the second-straight and fifth-overall time. Over the course of her coaching career Beecroft has guided Vikes squads to 11 CIS National titles and 13 of the program's 17 Canada West championship wins. The UVic program's last national banner came in 2008 and that win was followed by a reign of UBC championship wins but this season is the real evidence of the re-development that has taken place in Victoria. With eight players in their fourth or fifth year the Vikes women have proved their dominance since the get-go of the 2015 season.
Steadily improving over the past four years this group of athletes, under Beecroft's guidance, has helped the Vikes reclaim the Canada West banner in both 2013 and 2015, a title that was held by the T-Birds for 10-straight years (2003-2012). Last season the Vikes surrendered the conference title to UBC on a tie-breaker after both teams shared a 5-1-2 record. This season the Vikes went five games before conceding their first goal in a 1-1 draw with UBC on Oct. 11. With an early 5-0-1 record in their first six games the Vikes already guaranteed themselves the Canada West banner, without the results of their final two games, and ultimately nabbed the top seed entering the Victoria-hosted CIS-FHC Championship (Nov. 5-8).
UMPIRE OF THE YEAR: Tyler Klenk, Victoria
A native of Saskatchewan, now Victoria-based umpire Tyler Klenk is the 2015 Canada West Umpire of the Year. Klenk has been a rising official in B.C. the past few years. A former member of the Vikes men's field hockey program and Canadian junior development squad, Klenk is now focusing on his officiating strengths. Klenk has umpired at multiple Canadian National Championships of varying ages and is one of the top Canadian-rated umpires on Vancouver Island. Klenk brings a high-level of understanding of the game of field hockey, excelling on the pitch with his ability to give good advantage, have exceptional game management strategies and understand top-level of play. Klenk's abilities as a high performance player have helped him rise quickly to the top of the umpiring scene, while his fitness and agility have contributed to his success in umpiring at the pace of Canada West matches.
ALL-STAR TEAM
Canada West Champions Victoria were evidently awarded four All-Star nods including the third nomination for midfielder Kathleen Leahy and Amanda Kurianowicz, while defender Annie Walters-Shumka earns her second nod and forward-defender Lizzie Yates earns her first. In addition to Haughn's selection, UBC's Sarah Keglowitsch, a former Canada West Rookie of the Year, Rowan Harris and Gabby Jayme all earned their first Canada West All-Star award. Calgary's Frisch, Janelle Rice and Jessica Britton both earned their second-straight all-star award.
2015-16 Canada West Awards
Player of the Year: Hannah Haughn, UBC
Goalkeeper of the Year: Beckett Frisch, Calgary
Rookie of the Year: Sabrina Wong, Calgary
Gail Wilson Award (Outstanding Contributor): Kathleen Leahy, Victoria
Coach of the Year: Lynne Beecroft
Umpire of the Year: Tyler Klenk (Victoria)
2015-16 Canada West All-Stars (alphabetical)
Jessica Britton, Calgary
Beckett Frisch, Calgary
Rowan Harris, UBC
Hannah Haughn, UBC
Gabby Jayme, UBC
Sarah Keglowitsch, UBC
Amanda Kurianowicz, Victoria
Kathleen Leahy, Victoria
Janelle Rice, Calgary
Annie Walters-Shumka, Victoria
Lizzie Yates, Victoria
The Victoria Vikes and UBC Thunderbirds now move on to the CIS Championship, Nov. 5-8 at the University of Victoria. The Vikes enter the tournament as the No. 1 seed, while the Thunderbirds take the No. 4 hosting seed.
Previous Award & All-Star Selections:
Jessica Britton (Canada West All-Star 2014; Canada West Student-Athlete Community Service 2014)
Beckett Frisch (Canada West All-Star 2014; Canada West Goalkeeper of the Year 2014, Canada West Player of the Year 2014; CIS All-Canadian 2014)
Hannah Haughn (Canada West All-Star 2014, 2013, 2012; Canada West Rookie of the Year 2014, 2013, 2012; CIS Championship MVP 2012; CIS Rookie of the Year 2012; CIS Championship All-Star 2014, 2012; CIS All-Canadian 2012)
Sarah Keglowitsch (Canada West Rookie of the Year 2012)
Amanda Kurianowicz (Canada West All-Star 2014, 2013; CIS Championship All-Star 2014; CIS All-Canadian 2014)
Kathleen Leahy (Canada West All-Star 2014, 2013; CIS Championship All-Star 2014, 2013; CIS All-Canadian 2013)
Janelle Rice (Canada West All-Star 2014)
Annie Walters-Shumka (Canada West All-Star 2012)
Story by Ali Lee, Vikes Communications
Photo: APShutter.com