Yassin, Sluys named UW’s athletes of the year

WATERLOO — Track and field’s Mohamed Yassin has been named the University of Waterloo’s male athlete of the year.

The Waterloo native and mechanical engineering master’s student collected bronze at the U Sports national championship in the 60-metre dash, becoming the first male Warrior to do so in that event and posting a varsity record of 6.84 seconds in the process.

Yassin also grabbed three medals at the Ontario University Athletics championships including gold in the 4x200m relay, and a pair of bronze medals in the 4x400m relay and the 60 m sprint.

Hockey goaltender Stephanie Sluys, of Clinton, Ont., was named UW’s female athlete of the year after backstopping her Warriors to the team’s most successful season in history.

With Sluys tending the twine, the Warriors advanced to the OUA semifinal before they bowed out to the eventual conference champions from Guelph.

Through the postseason, Sluys posted the conference’s third-best save percentage at .939. She made a dazzling 99 saves through three quarter-final games against the Western Mustangs. Her 1.73 goals against average through the regular season was seventh best in the loop.

The third-year kinesiology major represented Canada at the World University Games in Almaty Kazakhstan this winter, capturing a silver medal.

Former Sir John A. Macdonald cager Nedim Hodzic was named the Warriors’ male rookie of the year after his splendid freshman season on the hardwood.

Hodzic finished 10th in scoring in the OUA. The biomedical engineering student erupted for a season-best 28 points in a victory over Laurier in January.

Taylor Reimer, of the women’s hockey team, was named the female Warriors’ rookie of the year.

The Marden, Man., native was named to the conference’s all-rookie team and posted a 1.54 goals against average and save percentage of .937.