Team BC alumni were nominated 21 times and came home with four awards on Thursday night at the 55th annual Sport BC Athlete of the Year Awards.
Twenty-three nominees were BC Games alumni while four of the teams in the Team of the Year category included at least one BC Games alumnus, highlighting the strong sport pathway in BC.
Both Senior Athlete of the Year honours were awarded to Team BC alumni, as Micah Zandee-Hart (hockey) and Evan Dunfee (athletics) swept the category. Zandee-Hart played for BC at the Prince George 2015 Canada Winter Games while Dunfee competed for BC at the 2007 Western Canada Summer Games in Alberta.
Swimmer Laon Kim (Coquitlam) won the Male High School Athlete of the Year Award after a successful trip to the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games with Team BC last summer. Kim earned six total medals at the Games, including three gold medals.
Chris MacDonald, who coached Team BC golf to a record-breaking performance at the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games, was named the Male Coach of the Year. The head coach of the UBC golf program, MacDonald was recognized again when the women's team was named Team of the Year.
Both of Team BC's Opening Ceremony flag-bearers from Niagara and PEI were also nominated for awards. Niagara flag-bearer Rupinder Johal (Abbotsford) from wrestling and PEI flag-bearer Oonah Gamboa (Vancouver) from karate were finalists for the High School Female Athlete of the Year and Junior Female Athlete of the Year awards, respectively.
Longtime Team BC and BC Games golf staff member Debbie Pyne also received her In Her Footsteps . . . Celebrating BC Women in Sport recognition that was announced in January. Longtime BC Games participant Kristine Chambers was awarded the Daryl Thompson Lifetime Achievement Award sponsored by the BC Games Society.
See below for the full list of nominees and winners from Thursday night and congratulations to all.
About the Athlete of the Year Awards: The BC Athlete of the Year Awards is a Sport BC annual event celebrating the accomplishments of the province’s best athletes, coaches, teams, and officials. Visit sportbc.com for more information.
SPORT BC - ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AWARDS FINALISTS (RELEASE)
Team BC alum are highlighted and winners are bolded
* indicates BC Summer or Winter Games alumni
Athlete with a Disability
Kady Dandeneau – Wheelchair Basketball
Ina Forrest – Wheelchair Curling
*Mollie Jepsen – Para Alpine - 2012 BC Winter Games
*Mel Pemble – Para Cycling - 2015 Canada Winter Games/Mission 2014 BC Winter Games
Tyler Turner – Para Snowboard
College Athlete of the Year
Cameron Gay (Vancouver Island University) – Basketball
Yevgeniya (Jane) Lytvynenko (Vancouver Island University) – Volleyball
Vitor Pereira (Camosun College) – Volleyball
*Thomas Venos (University of Alabama) – Wheelchair Tennis - 2016 BC Winter Games
Claire Ye (Capilano University) – Soccer
Female Coach of the Year
*Malindi Elmore – Athletics - 1994 + 1995 BC Summer Games
*Barb Fraser – Gymnastics - 2008 + 2020 BC Winter Games
Jane Gumley – Rowing
Bev Priestman – Soccer
Brit Townsend – Athletics
Male Coach of the Year
*Trevor Hirschfield – Wheelchair Rugby - 2002 BC Summer Games
Chris MacDonald – Golf – 2022 Canada Summer Games
*Tommy McLeod – Diving - 2000 + 2002 BC Summer Games
*Laurier Primeau – Athletics – 1989 Canada Summer Games/2002 BC Summer Games
Mostafa Sabeti – Wushu
High School Female Athlete of the Year
*Lauren Clements (Terry Fox) – Basketball – 2022 Canada Summer Games/2016 BC Summer Games
Maella Hodgson (Elgin Park) – Athletics
Rupinder Johal (Robert Bateman) – Wrestling – 2022 Canada Summer Games
Marina Rodocaj (R.A. McMath) – Volleyball
Rory Rothnie (Claremont) – Lacrosse – 2022 Canada Summer Games
High School Male Athlete of the Year
Laon Kim (Gleneagle) – Swimming – 2022 Canada Summer Games
Walker Sodaro (Kelowna) – Volleyball
Logan Thiessen (Robert Bateman) – Football
Aidan Turner (South Delta) – Athletics – 2022 Canada Summer Games
*Jimmy Zaborniak (Burnaby South) – Basketball – 2022 Canada Summer Games/2016 BC Summer Games
Junior Female Athlete of the Year
Renee Batalla – Diving
*Oonah Gamboa – Karate – 2023 Canada Winter Games/2018 BC Winter Games
Gracey Hemstreet – Cycling
Lauren Kim – Golf – 2022 Canada Summer Games
Alicia Zhang – Ultimate
Junior Male Athlete of the Year
*Praise Aniamaka – Athletics - 2018 BC Summer Games
Connor Bedard – Ice Hockey
Jackson Goldstone – Cycling
Cooper Humphreys – Golf – 2022 Canada Summer Games
*Nikola Petrovic – Judo - 2018 BC Winter Games
Senior Female Athlete of the Year
*Julia Grosso – Soccer – 2017 Canada Summer Games/2012 BC Summer Games
*Camryn Rogers – Athletics – 2015 Western Canada Summer Games/2014 BC Summer Games
Marielle Thompson – Alpine
*Avalon Wasteneys – Rowing – 2017 Canada Summer Games/2012 BC Winter Games
Micah Zandee-Hart – Ice Hockey – 2015 Canada Winter Games
Senior Male Athlete of the Year
Jack Crawford – Alpine
Amar Dhesi – Wrestling
*Evan Dunfee – Athletics – 2007 Western Canada Summer Games/2004 BC Summer Games
*Brent Hayden – Swimming – 2001 Canada Summer Games/1998 BC Summer Games
*Derek Mayson – Softball – 2001 Canada Summer Games/2000 BC Summer Games
University Athlete of the Year
Aaron Ahl (Simon Fraser University) Athletics
Alison Andrews-Paul (Simon Fraser University) Athletics
Derek Epp (Trinity Western University) Volleyball
Kent Johnson (University of Michigan) Ice Hockey
*Anna Mollenhauer – (University of Victoria) Field Hockey - 2014 BC Winter Games
Team of the Year - * includes BC Games alumni
*BC Rugby 7s – 2022 Canada Summer Games
Langley Rams Football Team
*Trinity Western Women’s Volleyball Team
*UBC Women’s Golf Team
*UVIC Women’s Field Hockey Team
Master Athlete of the Year
Christa Bortignon – Athletics
Uli Mayer – Cycling
Lloyd Polack – Archery
Shelly Stouffer – Golf
Derek Tripp – Triathlon
Official of the Year
Anne Bees – Tennis
*Gordon Bennett – Gymnastics - 1992 + 1995 + 2000 + 2012 BC Winter Games
*Kevin Bowie – Wheelchair Rugby – 2003 & 2007 Canada Winter Games/2008 BC Winter Games
Michael Campbell – Ice Hockey
*Janice Hunter – Figure Skating - 2010 + 2016 BC Winter Games