Lakehead Orillia Athletics celebrated their annual Athletic Banquet on Tuesday night, capping off a successful athletic season. This is the first time since 2019 that this event has been able to proceed with in-person celebrations.
Marking the first season back to regular training and competition, there was a lot to celebrate among the Thunderwolves three varsity teams. Awards and recognition were presented to varsity athletes and departmental-supporting student-staff, acknowledging the achievements of the season. The celebration was however smaller than in previous years, as Extramural and Club level team have not yet returned to sport.
Taking home the coveted Athlete of the Year Awards were Indoor Soccer Captains Breann Sharma and Shane Tonkonog. Athlete of Year is one of two major awards handed out at the banquet and is awarded to two student-athletes based on qualifications including athletic excellence, commitment and leadership both on and off the playing surface, positive and team-building attitudes and possession of exceptional and unconventional character through their athletic and academic career at Lakehead Orillia.
Tonkonog, graduating defender and Political Science student "has been a committed and dedicated member of the squad for his entire Lakehead career and is an exemplary example of what the men's program is all about. He is very deserving of [the] honour" says Men's Indoor Soccer Head Coach, Mark Colvin. From his first year at Lakehead, Shane has been dedicated to the Thunderwolves. His drive to grow as a student-athlete has allowed him to thrive in the program and in his university career.
Sharma, a fourth year midfielder and Concurrent Education student has shown strong potential from the beginning of her career with the Thunderwolves, as she was the Women's Indoor Soccer Rookie of the Year back in 2018. Through her years in the program, she has grown to be an outstanding leader on the team. She has been noted for her "commitment, support and effort both on and off the pitch", bringing "strength to the field" and rallying her teammates through the season. She is an ambassador of the Athletics program and a visionary of the team's success. We look forward to having Breann on our roster for her fifth and final season next year.
The second major award presented at the banquet, The Principal's Award for Leadership in Athletics and Recreation is a relatively new honour, having only been previously awarded once in the department's history. The 2021-22 Principal's Award was presented by Dr. Dean Jobin-Beavens, Principal of Lakehead University Orillia. This year's recipient was Thunderwolves Social Media and Communications Assistant, Sarah Simpson. Sarah is a graduating Education student who has been dedicated to the department over the last two years in a student-staff capacity. Sarah has not only been an invaluable asset to the department through student engagement via social media, but has also been a driving force behind my creative departmental initiatives and programs such as Teachers on the Move and programming surrounding the 2022 Olympic Winter Games. Her adaptability and creative program and content designs have elevated the Orillia Thunderwolves brand and portfolio, not only to our Lakehead community, but to our local Orillia community, the OCAA and beyond. She has helped us showcase our outstanding student-athletes, programs and initiatives, and we are now proud to showcase her with this honour.
Varsity golfers Ethan Sleep and Josh Brown took home the OCAA All-Academic Award. This award recognizes student-athletes achieving honours standards in their respective academic programs while competing in varsity sport.
Team awards including MVP and Rookie of the Year were presented by coaching staff to recognize outstanding athletes from each of the Thunderwolves' three varsity teams. Lakehead Orillia Athletics in extremely proud of the accomplishments and dedication of these athletes this season.
The final category of honour recognized Orillia Thunderwolves graduating seniors. This honour was presented to all graduating student-athletes, honouring the dedication of these student-athletes to high calibre athletics and academics through their post-secondary careers.
Lakehead Orillia Athletics congratulates all student-athletes and award winners on a successful 2021-22 season and would like to thank all coaches, student-staff, administration, and community partners for their continued support of the Thunderwolves Athletic programs this season.
A complete list of award winners can be found below.
Athlete of the Year
Breann Sharma, Varsity Women's Indoor Soccer
Shane Tonkonog, Varsity Men's Indoor Soccer
Principal's Award for Leadership in Athletics and Recreation
Sarah Simpson, Social Media and Communications Assistant
OCAA All-Academic
Joshua Brown, Golf, Fall 2021
Ethan Sleep, Golf, Fall 2021
Grace Heywood, Women's Indoor Soccer, Winter 2020
Ally Morris, Women's Indoor Soccer, Winter 2020
Rookie of the Year
Jack Beck, Varsity Golf
Hady Hamdan, Varsity Men's Indoor Soccer
Mikaela Pludra, Varsity Women's Indoor Soccer
MVP
Noah Collins, Varsity Golf
Lucas Tinney, Varsity Men's Indoor Soccer
Grace Heywood, Varsity Women's Indoor Soccer
Graduating Seniors
Ally Morris, Women's Indoor Soccer
Tanya Wrobleweski, Women's Indoor Soccer
Brelyn Bannister, Women's Indoor Soccer
Nicole Rylands, Women's Indoor Soccer
Shane Tonkonog, Men's Indoor Soccer
Lucas Tinney, Men's Indoor Soccer
Jacob Furtado, Men's Indoor Soccer