WolfPack Athletes and Coaches Help 2010 McHappy Day May 5, 2010
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A number of former and current WolfPack Athletes and Coaches along with Sports Information Officer Larry Read helped with McHappy Day 2010.
Andrew Fisher of Hockey at North Shore McDonalds.Men's Soccer Coach Sean Wallace with the manager of Aberdeen McDonalds.Cody Lockwood of Men's Hockey runs Drive Thru at North Shore
Mens Soccer Coach Sean Wallace
REGISTRATION UNDERWAY FOR ANNUAL BARTRAM MEMORIAL GOLF TOURNAMENT April 27, 2010
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Thompson Rivers University Athletics major scholarship fundraiser is just a few weeks away. The 18 th annual Mike Bartam Memorial Sports Task Force Golf Tournament is set for Friday June 11 th at the Rivershore Golf Links.
“This is our major fundraising event of the year,” says WolfPack Athletic Director Ken Olynyk. “ Without the money we raise at this event, we wouldn’t be able to offer as many scholarships to deserving student athletes from Kamloops and throughout Canada.”
Last year, $ 32,000 was raised from the one day event which includes a golf tournament, buffet dinner and silent auction.
Registration has begun for the event which starts with an 11 am check in and lunch. For $175 dollars, participants get 18 holes of golf, a shared golf cart (2 per foursome), free range balls and practice facilities (sponsored by KPMG), a starter gift, lunch (sponsored by Fountain Tire), a buffet dinner along with prizes and auction.
Interested golfers could register on line at www.tru.ca/rsvp password: GOLFS.
If you want to donate, sponsor or need more information: please email Advancementevents@tru.ca or call either Diana Major (250) 828-5264) to register or Kelly Shantz at (250) 851-8227.
The 18 th annual Mike Bartram Memorial Sports Task Force Golf Tournament is sponsored by The Kamloops Blazers Sports Society Legacy Fund, BMO Nesbitt Burns, Lafarge, Fountain Tire, KMPG, THE TRU Bookstore, Golf Land and the TRU WolfPack.
SOCCER PLAYER/VOLLEYBALL PLAYER NAMED TRU WOLFPACK ATHLETES OF THE YEAR April 8, 2010
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Jesse Lebert and Gord Perrin pose with TRU Athletic Director Ken Olynyk (A. Snucins photo)
Kali Ellis and Brennan Arduini are the winners of the Dr. Roger H. Barnsley Scholar Athlete Award. Dr. Barnsley Presents (A. Snucins photo)Tom Barley, the President of the TRU Sports Task force with the STF Athletes Diane Schuetze and Greg Stewart (A. Snucins)
For the third year in a row, a member of the women’s soccer team has been named the Thompson Rivers University Athletics Female Athlete of the Year. Sweeper Jesse Lebert (2nd year, Kamloops, BC) was selected as the Female Athlete of the Year for 2009-10 at the WolfPack’s annual awards banquet.
“Jessie moved from her previous position of wide midfielder to sweeper this year,” said WolfPack head coach Tom McManus. “ We were in need of a very smart, fit player to lead the team. Jessie was the player that I felt could easily do the job. She not only adapted to this new position but was voted to the BC College Athletic Association First All star team. She was without a doubt, one of the team’s key players and lead them the entire year.” She follows in the footsteps of Shantelle Cooper (2008-09) and Shannen Meyer (2007-08) to be soccer players to win the honor.
Others considered were Anna Dyakiewicz (volleyball), Marlee Mertens (badminton) and Diane Schuetze (basketball).
Left side Gord Perrin (3rd year, Creston BC) of the men’s volleyball team was named the Male Athlete of the Year. Perrin became TRU’s inaugural player to be named to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport First-All Star team. He was second in the Canada West this year in kills and points. Perrin beat out soccer’s Kyle Bowman, David Boychuk of Hockey, Greg Stewart of Basketball and Baseball’s Scott Nevison for the award.
The winners of the Doctor Roger H. Barnsley Scholar/Athlete honor were Kali Ellis of women’s basketball and Brennan Arduini of the baseball/golf teams. Ellis was an Academic All –Canadian all four years she played at TRU. Involved in the TRU Nursing program, she has a grade point average of 3.74. Arduini was a BCCAA Academic Excellence Award winner every year he played at TRU. He was also a Canadian College Academic All Canadian. Arduini is enrolled in the Science program had has more than a 4.083 G.P.A.
Others considered for the Barnsley award were Kaitlyn Widsten (women’s basketball), Kia Lidster (badminton), Amanda Frayne (women’s volleyball), Ashley Piggot (women’s soccer), Alex Condon (baseball), Charles Noftall (men’s soccer) and Kevin Tillie (men’s volleyball).
The TRU Sports Task Force Female Athlete of the year: which is based on community involvement, and performance was awarded to basketball players Stewart and Schuetze. Stewart was involved in a number of community events and was a Big Brother. He was also Defensive Player of the Year in the Canada West. Schuetze was honorary chairman of the Kamloops Juvenile Diabetes Awareness program. She also conducted basketball clinics in area schools. Others considered for that honor: were Abbey McAuley (women’s soccer), Alex Perkin (badminton), Yoshi Nakamura (baseball), Kyle Bowman (men’s soccer) and Behlul Yavasgel (men’s volleyball).
Special recognition was made to TRU’s first Canada West and CIS award winners: Stewart (Canada West Defensive Player of the Year) , Tillie ( CIS Rookie of the Year) and Perrin (CIS First Team All-Star).
WOLFPACK READY TO HONOR OWN AT 2009-10 ATHLETIC AWARDS BANQUET April 6, 2010
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Alex Condon is up for the Dr. Roger H. Barnsley Award
Kyle Bowman is up for the Sports Task Force Male Athlete and Dr. Roger H. Barnsley Award
Abbey McAuley is up for Sports Task Force Female Athlete
Kia Lidster is up for Dr. Roger H. Barnsley Scholar Athlete
The Thompson Rivers University WolfPack will honor their own and celebrate another year of athletic achievement at their annual awards banquet. The annual wind up banquet is set for Thursday night (April 8 th) at the Grand Hall at the Campus Activity Center.
Players of the week, Provincial and National All-stars and award winners will all be recognized at the ceremony. As well, graduating players who have been with the program for three or more years will receive watches. Other graduating players will received special certificates.
The highlight of the evening will be the presentation of six major awards: Sports Task force Male and Female Athletes of the Year, the Doctor Roger H. Barnsley Scholar Athletes and the overall Male and Female Athletes of the year.
Finalists in all six awards have been determined. Diane Schuetze (Vernon, BC) of women’s basketball and women’s soccer co-captain Abbey McAuley (Langley, BC) are in the running for the Sports Task Force female athlete of the year. Sports Task Force male athlete of the year nominees are Behlul Yavasgel (Aydin, Turkey)of men’s volleyball, Baseball’s Yoshi Nakamura (Yokohama, Japan) ,Greg Stewart (Kamloops, BC) of men’s basketball, Alex Perkin (Kamloops, BC) of badminton and Kyle Bowman (Kamloops, BC) of men’s soccer.
The Doctor Roger. H. Barnsley Scholar Athlete combines athletic achievement and prowess in the classroom. The candidates must have a minimum GPA of 3.4 for the fall term or a Cumulative Average of 3.4 . Female nominees are Kia Lidster (Kamloops, BC) of badminton, Kali Ellis (Campbell River, BC) and Kaitlyn Widsten (Tswwassen, BC) of women’s basketball, Ashley Piggot (Prince George, BC) of women’s soccer and Amanda Frayne (Kamloops, BC) of women’s volleyball. Male nominees are Brennan Arduini (Kamloops, BC) of golf and badminton, Kevin Tillie (Cagnes Sur Mer, France) of men’s volleyball, Alex Condon (Victoria, BC) of baseball and Charles Noftall (Kamloops, BC) of men’s soccer.
Nominees for the Female Athlete of the Year are Jessie Lebert (Kamloops, BC) of soccer, Diane Schuetze (Vernon, BC) of basketball, badminton’s Marlee Mertens (Salmon Arm, BC) and Anna Dyakiewicz (Burnaby, BC) of volleyball.
Male Athlete of the Year nominees are Scott Nevison (North Vancouver, BC) of baseball, Greg Stewart (Kamloops, BC) of basketball,Hockey’s David Boychuk (Edmonton, AB), Kyle Bowman (Kamloops, BC) of soccer and Gord Perrin (Creston, BC) of men’s volleyball.
SEVEN WOLFPACK ATHLETES WIN BCCAA ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AWARDS March 29, 2010
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Brennan Arduini
Marlee Mertens
Natasha Little
Seven members of the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack athletic program have been honored for academic excellence. The seven were awarded the BC College Athletic Association Academic Excellence Award for 2008-09. All seven achieved the minimum of 3.5 grade point average and had 27 credits for the past year and a half.
Those being recognized for their prowess in the classroom are: Brennan Arduini (Kamloops, BC), Venita Colton (Kamloops, BC), Kia Lidster (Kamloops, BC), Marlee Mertens (Salmon Arm, BC), Alex Perkin (Kamloops, BC) and Caitlin Sharp (Invermere, BC) of the WolfPack badminton team. The other athlete who won the award is women’s soccer player Natasha Little (Kamloops, BC).
For Arduini, it’s the third time he’s won the award in the four years he has attended TRU. “It’s nice that the BCCAA recognizes those athletes that do well in the classroom and on the court,” he said. “ It shows that they value student athletes.”
Arduini has also won a Canadian College Athletics Association Academic Award. He admits that the fourth year of his post-secondary education has been the toughest to balance school and athletics. “ I have been very busy this year and I’m glad my sports finished in the first half of the winter semester.” Arduini was a member of both the badminton and the golf programs. He is hoping to get into the medical school in the future.
Mertens was a CCAA Academic All Canadian as well in 2008-09. She was shocked that she won the BCCAA Academic Excellence achievement in her third year of the Arts program. “ It’s been much tougher this year,” she says. “Being an athlete with decent grades at times is quite difficult. There is always pressure coming from one side if not both. Then, adding a job and a boyfriend is just added time consumption. The best way to deal with it is to be prepared and manage your time properly.”
Mertens is hoping to get into the Bachelor of Education: Physical Education program in 2010-11. “ With any luck, I’ll be accepted and continue playing badminton, returning at the end of the year with a silver medal instead of bronze.” Mertens won a bronze in women’s singles in 2009-10.
Badminton coach Brad Pape is very proud of his student athletes: “it shows that with good time management, you have time to play, practice and study. All of the people that won the award seem to have it all together and I think that you can tell from talking and getting to know them a bit that they have their priorities straight.”
Pape says his players made it a priority to study: even on the road “ Some of them need to study on the road to get these grades while some are naturally smart and plan for our travel days. I think it’s great that these people can enjoy their time at TRU, play on a varsity team and get exceptional grades. My hat goes off to all of them.”
The only non badminton athlete to be recognized is Natasha Little of Women’s Soccer. The Norkam grad red shirted in 2008-09, but played regularly in 2009-10. This, while involved in the Bachelor of Science in Cellular Molecular Microbial Biology program. “ It’s exciting to be recognized for academics in the athletics world,” she said. “ Juggling everything-soccer, school, work, community involvement and a personal life is often challenging and stressful but it’s worth it. I can’t imagine eliminating a single element from my life.”
Little also coordinated the Tim Hortons/Blackwell Dairy WolfPack Kids Club which ran at all home ‘court’ sports games during the season.
The seven athletes will be recognized at the TRU WolfPack Athletics Awards Banquet on April 8 th.