HAPPY HURRICANE
Marissa Macaulay named Holland College’s female athlete of the year
A volleyball injury helped change Marissa Macaulay’s career plans.
During her second season with the Saint Mary’s Huskies, the five-foot-seven setter went up for a block while playing the Acadia Axewomen. Macaulay kept playing after the ball hit her hand but knew something didn’t feel right.
“So, I look at it and my finger was completely crocked,” she said.
Doctors inserted pins to support the broken finger, and Macaulay was sidelined for a couple of months during the 2018-19 season while rehabbing from the injury. During that time, the Truro, N.S., native, who was doing a double major in psychology and French, decided to change course.
“Seeing some of the nurses and the doctors there, I was like … I think I want to get into the health-care (field), so I applied for (the) practical nursing program,” she said.
And that is how Macaulay arrived at Holland College for the 2019-2020 season, where she now plays an integral role for the Hurricanes.
The transition from Halifax to Charlottetown was seamless.
“Being part of the Hurricanes’ athletic program was amazing. I couldn't be happier attending Holland College. It was one of the best decisions I’ve made,” she said. “My teammates were very, very genuine people and very welcoming. It was great.”
Once Macaulay hit the
court, she proved to be a dominant force running the offence as the ’Canes won their first Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) conference banner. MacAulay, who played for renowned coach Bob Piers at Cobequid Educational Centre as a teenager, was named a Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) all-Canadian, the ACAA player of the year, a member of the ACAA’s first all-conference team and her team’s MVP. She led the conference in assists with 425 – 88 more than the next setter.
Macaulay, 21, capped off the season by recently being named the college’s female athlete of the year.
“It’s a huge honour to receive the award. I couldn’t have done it without the support of my teammates and coaches,” she said, while also thanking the athletic department staff and her instructors for being so supportive.
Head coach Jon Macdonald said he was pleased for Macaulay, who was one of the team’s captains.
“She’s a phenomenal athlete,” he said. “She is very deserving of it. I am happy to see her win that award. She had a fantastic year. It definitely shines a light on the season our group had as a whole.”
Holland College went 18-0 in the regular season, beat King’s 3-1 in the semifinal and Mount Allison 3-1 in the championship match. Macaulay said it was surreal to win the team’s first ACAA banner.
“We put so much hard work into this season. It was a great outcome,” she said, noting the squad isn’t satisfied with one banner. “We are going to be a force to be reckoned with.”
Macaulay has two years remaining in her program and looks forward to improving with the Hurricanes.
Macdonald said a lot of the team’s core can return next year, when it is hosting nationals, and it will be looking to add more talent to the roster.
“With Marissa, it’s a nice kind of cornerstone to build off of,” he said. “People want to play with a good setter, and you can build your team around that. … We’re fortunate to have her.”
Macaulay is the fourth volleyball player to win the female athlete of the year honours with the last being libero Dana Trainor, who won the award in 2017-18 and was on this year’s squad.
“It’s actually fantastic,” Macaulay said to see her name and Trainor’s on the same award. “Dana is a fantastic teammate, she’s a fantastic athlete and she’s a fantastic player, so it’s pretty awesome to have both our names on the trophy together.”
Emily Cormier, from women’s soccer, was named the college’s rookie of the year.
A dominant force in the Hurricanes’ ACAA championship in the fall, the Charlottetown native was named a CCAA academic all-Canadian, ACAA rookie of the year, a member of the ACAA’s first all-conference team and her team’s top offensive player. She led the conference in goals (13), game-winning goals (3) and points (26) in 12 games.