Portage College Athletes Honoured in a Night of Glitz and Glamour

On March 30, Portage College held its annual Athletic Awards Night, where the college community gathered to celebrate the outstanding achievements of its student-athletes. The evening was full of excitement, glamour, and fanfare, as athletes from various sports were recognized for their exceptional performances both on and off the field. Not lost on any in attendance at the event was the fact that the Voyageur athletes have put in a whopping 1,120 hours of volunteerism in the community in the past year. “I am not only very proud of our Athletes sport performance in the ACAC, their academic achievement, but also their volunteerism and community contributions.” Stated Portage College President and CEO Nancy Broadbent during her address to the athletes. 

The night began with a special presentation, where David Paul, the esteemed announcer for hockey, soccer, and futsal, was presented with a special gift from the Athletics Department. Allan Robertson, Blair Norton, Donna Feledichuk, Brian Stanton, and David Paul were also honoured with the ACAC Minor Officials Award for their contribution as off-ice officials in various sports.

The golf team had an impressive season, and the following players were recognized for their outstanding performances: Nick Gidney for Most Improved, Lyric Lewis for Rookie of the Year, Alex Brousseau for the Voyageurs Spirit Award, and Kelly Orr for Player of the Year.

In women's soccer, Hailee George was awarded Rookie of the Year, Sarah Jones received the Voyageurs Spirit Award, and Chloe Gauthier-Schaub was named Player of the Year. For men's soccer, Dante Cashato was named Rookie of the Year, Keagan Gauthier-Schaub received the Voyageurs Spirit Award, and Bjorn Goolie was named Player of the Year. The Lac La Biche Football Club presented their first annual award and recognized Chloe Gauthier-Schaub as the Female recipient, and Keagan Gauthier-Schaub as the Male recipient.

In curling, Shafick Borufu was recognized as the Most Dedicated, Tata Mugisha was named Most Improved, Samantha Lychak received the Voyageurs Spirit Award, and Ashley Hennenfent was named Most Valuable Player.

The women's futsal team saw Ashley Hennenfent named Rookie of the Year, Sarah Jones received the Voyageurs Spirit Award, and Miriam Kabonesa was named Player of the Year. For men's futsal, Akil Johnson was named Rookie of the Year, Michael Musanza received the Voyageurs Spirit Award, and Keagan Gauthier-Schaub was named Player of the Year.

The hockey team had a fantastic season, and the following players were recognized for their contributions: Brody Dale for Top Scorer, Liam Visram for Top Defenseman and Player of the Year, Brayden Dale for Top Forward, Xavier Halterman for the Voyageurs Spirit Award, and Alex Brousseau for Rookie of the Year. Brody Dale, Xavier Halterman, and Brayden Dale were also honoured with the Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation Awards.

The night also saw two outstanding student-athletes named as the Humanitarian of the Year, which goes to student-athletes whom exemplifies the best qualities of a Voyageurs Athlete. These awards sponsored by Carol Smith and Jim Knight were presented to Lexis Roy as the Female recipient, and Liam Visram as the Male recipient. Miriam Kabonesa was recognized as the Student-Athlete Volunteer of the Year (67 hours of volunteering), sponsored by Lac La Biche County, and was awarded a cheque for $1,000.

The presentations ended with the announcement of the Portage College Athletes of the Year. Ashley Hennenfent was named the Female Athlete of the Year, and Shaye Sommerfeld was named the Male Athlete of the Year.

“Portage College and Voyageur Athletics would like to acknowledge that without the generous support of the following sponsors none of this (the awards, the season or the team) would have been possible. A big heartfelt thank you goes out to: Lac La Biche County, Britton’s Your Independent Grocers, Smiley’s, Stichin’ Man, Lac La Biche Sporting Goods, BCMI, and Booster Juice.” Remarked Portage College Athletic and Recreation Manager Jim Knight.

Portage College congratulates all the student-athletes on their hard work and dedication, and looks forward to another successful season.

Athlete of the Year was presented to Ashley Hennenfent (for soccer, futsal and curling) as the female recipient and Shaye Sommerfeld (for hockey) as the male recipient.