Best at Brock lauded
Eric Bradey, Katie Desveaux 2016-17 athletes of the year at Brock University
Brock University wrapped up the 2016-17 athletic season with an awards night Wednesday in St. Catharines.
A capacity crowd of more than 850 at the Holiday Inn Parkway Suites celebrated a successful season highlighted by the Badgers capturing two championships nationally and three provincially. Brock, which to date has taken 115 titles in the school’s history, also earned four silver and four bronze medals at Ontario championships this season.
Two-sport athlete Eric Bradey of Guelph and figure skater Katie Desveaux of North York were named the university’s top male and female athlete for 2016-17.
Bradey, a standout on the pitch in soccer and on the ice in men’s curling, had a season worth celebrating in both sports. Team captain for the third straight season, Bradey was one of the top centre backs in Ontario University Athletics (OUA) West Division, constantly disrupting opposition attacks as well as contributing to executing the Badgers game plan.
During soccer off-season, he skipped and was captain of a curling team that won bronze at the Ontario championships for the second year in a row. He was named an OUA all-star after shooting 80 per cent at provincials where Brock went 7-2. Bradey also led the Badgers to the 2017 Brock Bonspiel title.
He was selected as a 2016-17 Ontario Junior Curling Tour all-star as the best player at his position. Bradey’s marks in the classroom were high enough to earn national and provincial all-academic honours for the third year in a row.
Desveaux enjoyed one of the most successful seasons by a women’s figure skater in the Brock program’s history. She helped lead the Badgers to a school-best silver medal finish at the OUA championships and a bronze medal at the OUA Winter Invitational.
At the 2017 OUA Championships, Desveaux, along with teammate Laura Holbrough, captured gold in both the women’s open short dance and women’s intermediate similar pairs at provincials. In one of the strongest skates of the championships, Desveaux captured her third gold medal winning the women’s open solo dance. She was named an OUA first-team all-star in recognition for her standout showing. At the OUA Winter Invitational, Desveaux won gold in the open solo dance and silver in both the open short dance and intermediate similar pairs. Other major award winners included men’s rugby’s Jeremy Brownridge, Sunderland,Ont., who took home three major awards; two-sport athlete Lauren Kniew ass er, Ottawa; who received two awards and women’s hockey’s Brenna Murphy, Odessa, Ont.
Brownridge received the R.M. Davis Surgite Award while Murphy took home the David Atkinson Surgite Award. Both student athletes have excelled in the classroom and on the field throughout their university careers. Kniewasser and Brownridge received both the Dallas Beaton Award and David S. Howes Spirit of Brock Athletics Awards. The Dallas Beaton is named after former Brock men’s hockey captain Dallas Beaton because of the dedication he showed toward academics, athletics and the community during his playing career at the St. Catharines University.
The Spirit of Brock Award is named after David S. Howes, who was committed to university, as well as to he community. It is presented to students who best embody the spirit of Sir Isaac Brock by showing leadership, courage, innovation, inspiration and community service. Brock figure skating head coach Katie Dortono received the Wally Barrow Memorial Brock Coach of the Year Award. She led her team to an OUA silver medal highlighted by five individual golds.
Dortono, an instrumental part in building the Brock figure skating program, was also named OUA coach of the year for the second consecutive season.
The Marilou Iusi Directors Awards, were presented to kinesiology professor Phil Sullivan and vice-president of administration Brian Hutchings each received a Marilou Iusi Director’s Award for their dedication and commitment to the university and its athletics program. Iusi worked for the department of athletics and recreation for 39 years, and she was a tireless worker who cared deeply for the athletes and the people she worked with.
The Tom Kearney Athletic Therapy Award was presented to student therapists are Joanna Juszczak, Gabriel Mendonca and Steven Lam. The 2016-17 Brock women’s team of the year was the Brock women’s wrestling team which captured the seventh national and 16th provincial title in school history. Head coach Marty Calder’s lineup earned six allCanadian and eight Ontario all-star selections and retained its No. 1 ranking throughout the season.
Wrestling also topped team honours in men’s sports at Brock this season. The men, also coached by Calder and No. 1 in the rankings all season, won the 17th Canadian championship and 19th Ontario title in the program’s history.
Calder was honoured as national and provincial coach of the year in both men’s and women’s university wrestling in 2016-17.