Saints name top athletes from college's `best' year
St. Clair teams won four provincial titles to go with one national championship
The St. Clair Saints boast some of the top college athletic programs in the province and across the country.
On Thursday, players, coaches and families gathered as the Saints celebrated another campaign that left the school with plenty to brag about.
“We thought last year was going to be a year we couldn't surpass and, by all accounts, this year was probably our best in history,” said St. Clair's Ron Seguin, the school's vice-president of international relations, campus development and student services. “We were competitive across all 14 teams. They were all in contention and we won four provincial and a national title.”
The 55th St. Clair College Athletic Awards banquet at the St. Clair Centre for the Arts was a chance for the school to celebrate those achievements as well as bid farewell to to some athletes.
“It's the toughest part,” Seguin said. “Kids are here for three or four years. They're recruited and arrive and, before you can blink, they're done and it's tough on them.”
Two of those departing athletes were honoured with the Mason Macdonald Graduating Athlete of the Year Award, given to the graduating male and female athlete that display outstanding athletic abilities while maintaining an exemplary academic performance along with school involvement.
Basketball's Jesiah Deerr took the award on the men's side, while volleyball's Kiana Huggins claimed the award on the women's side.
Deerr finishes his career as the program's eighth-leading scorer all-time and the school record holder with 306 three-point shots made. He won gold and silver at the OCAA level with the Saints and a national silver medal. Along with conference recognition and sixth Man of the Year awards on the court, he is also a two-time conference all-academic selection and was named an academic all-canadian this year.
“He was our three-point guy and when he lit it up, there was no one better,” Seguin said. “As great a basketball player as he is, he's a better person. He was a stabilizing force on that team.”
After three years with the Saints, Huggins is graduating and moving on to play at the University of New Brunswick. She was the OCAA rookie of the year in her first season while earning conference and national all-star recognition as well as academic all-canadian status.
“Just a natural leader,” Seguin said. “The cornerstone of our volleyball team that has been in the provincial and national spotlight throughout the year. The type of kid that put her team on her back and she's going to be missed.”
For the second year in a row, softball's Bryanna Kressler won the female Al Hoffman Athlete of the Year Outstanding Achievement Award, while basketball's Chad Vincent-simon took the award on the men's side.
Kressler helped the Saints to provincial and national gold, was a conference all-star and OCAA championship MVP and national championship MVP. She batted .473 on the season and tied for the league lead with six home runs while also contributing from the pitcher's circle.
“There's not many St. Clair College athletes that have two rings for national championships and back-to-back provincial titles,” Seguin said. “Just pure domination in batting and pitching. She's almost a slam dunk for the Hall of Fame somewhere in the future because her numbers are just that good.”
Vincent-simon was the OCAA player of the year and a first-team conference all-star and all-canadian selection after averaging 18.5 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. He is leaving as the program's 14th-leading scorer all-time with 1,333 points.
“Best ballplayer in the province this year,” Seguin said. “Very talented and very quietly goes about his business. One of those kids that will be missed greatly. What a great kid and what a talent.”
With the success so many teams enjoyed this past year, no award winner might have been tougher to select than the school's intercollegiate Coach of the Year Award.
In the end, baseball's Roberto Duncan and Shawn Reaume, from men's volleyball, shared the award.
“We had seven coaches voted (conference) coach of the year (including Duncan and Reaume) and two or three that were second,” Seguin said. “This was a horribly miserable process to pull a couple out with what we accomplished this year.”
Duncan has guided the Saints to three straight OCAA titles, while Reaume guided St. Clair to a 13-5 record, the most wins in program history. The team was ranked as high as fifth nationally.
“Roberto took over from Dave Cooper and what he's done is not easy considering what Coop did,” Seguin said. “Shawn took a blue-collar team that had their challenges and brought them deep. Volleyball was one program we need to pull up and he did that.”
Baseball's Kevin Paradis won the John Strasser Coaches Award and Kim Silvaggio took the Jack Costello Exceptional Service Award.
The Bob Weepers Fair Play and Sportsmanship Award went to Jane Smith, from women's basketball, and Massimo Pollard, from men's soccer, and football's Marcus Stanley.
The cross-country team, with a 3.27 grade-point average, won the Academic Achievement Award.
The Dr. Patti France Award for leadership in athletics was handed out for the first time with football's Ezzat Elnagmi winning on the men's side and soccer's Alexa Morgan on the women's side.
St. Clair also added a rookie of the year award for the first time, with soccer's Victoria Walsh claiming it on the women's side and basketball's Andrew Loyuk for the men.