EDMONTON – UBC fourth-year midfielder
Sarah MacAulay, named 2010 Canada West Player of the Year, has been a tower of strength for this very young UBC team and is just one of two starters back from the T-Birds 2009 CIS championships squad. MacAulay tallied one goal this season, the lone marker in a 1-0 win at Calgary on September 19, and has set up countless others, however, she has also been a major player on a T-Bird squad that conceded just nine goals in 12 games.
“Her play at right back has been inspiring again this season and she has demonstrated her ability of bringing the ball out against heavy defensive traffic and helping generate numerous attacking plays using some innovative and effective skills,” said Kanjee. “Her contribution on and off the field has earned Sarah the role of assistant captain and she has been a wonderful role model in helping me teach new and younger players the skills necessary to play field hockey at an elite level.”
Fellow Thunderbird
Natalie Sourisseau, who scored the goal that clinched UBC's eighth straight conference title on Saturday, has been named Canada West Rookie of the Year.
Sourisseau, who scored four times in 12 matches this season, has made an outstanding contribution to the team both on and off the field. A quiet leader, she has played both forward and midfield for the Thunderbirds demonstrating why she is one of the finest Junior National team players in the country.
“Nat is an extremely talented, hard working player who leads by example and is respected for her tenacity and commitment,” said Coach Kanjee. “Her excellent work ethic and her attacking skills have been instrumental in helping UBC create numerous scoring chances and set play opportunities.”
Despite being named the starter from day one of her UBC career, rookie netminder and conference Goalkeeper of the Year
Bea Francisco has shown the class and poise of a top goalie. She started every game this season for the T-Birds, allowing only nine goals en route to six shutouts in playing all 12 Canada West matches.
“Bea's performance has been outstanding considering her age. She has a big future in CIS hockey, that's for sure,” said Kanjee. “I think it's only fair to say that Bea has been directly responsible for several of our wins this seasons and she has made some very impressive saves.”
This year's winner of the Umpire of the Year is Wendy Stewart from Calgary.
Wendy has been an Umpire in the Canada West league for many years. Her professionalism and carrying attitude towards the athletes and the game itself are some of the many reasons why she is currently the highest ranked umpire in Canada. Wendy currently is a member of the World Development Panel with the FIH and recently returned from umpiring at the Pan American Indoor Championships in Venezuela, along with the 2010 Women's World Cup in Argentina. Even with her busy travel schedule, Wendy still has time to assess and mentor young and upcoming Umpires in Canada and especially in our Canada West conference. Wendy will be the Senior Umpire at the 2010 CIS championship at Guelph, Ont. in November.
This year's Gail Wilson nominee as Outstanding Contributor to Canada West field hockey is Calgary third-year goalkeeper Stephanie Petrowitsch, a Kinesiology major who compiled a 5-5-2 mark this season, with a 1.25 goals against average for the Dinos.
For the third time in her four seasons as head coach of the Dinos, Jenn Swagar has been named the Canada West Coach of the Year by her peers.
Her teams have gotten progressively better in every year she has coached, improving their win total each season. In 2010, the Dinos finished the season at .500 with a 5-5-2 record and in third place – the program's best finish since the 2000 season. The Dinos went into the final weekend of the season with a chance to advance to the CIS championship for the first time since 1997 – a far cry from the team Swagar took over in 2007 that hadn't won a game in nearly four years.
“Jenn has continued to show her passion for field hockey, and the success of our team is a reflection of that,” said Kevin Boyles, the University of Calgary's director of athletics. “The Dinos have posted their best record in several years in 2010, and Jenn is to be applauded for her efforts.”
Among this year's Canada West All-Stars are 2009 Canada West Player of the Year and 2008 Rookie of the Year, Alberta's Jackie Trautman, 2009 CIS Tournament All-Stars Perri Espeseth and Kyla Kirby of Victoria and 2009 All-Canadian Carolina Romeo from Calgary. For Trautman and Espeseth it marks their third consecutive selection to the all-conference roster.
Following is a list of Women's Field Hockey awards and all-star selections and their respective schools:
AWARDS
Player of the Year:
Sarah MacAulay, UBC
Rookie of the Year:
Natalie Sourisseau, UBC
Goalkeeper of the Year:
Bea Francisco, UBC
Gail Wilson Nominee (Outstanding Contributor): Stephanie Petrowitsch, Calgary
Coach of the Year: Jenn Swagar, Calgary
Umpire of the Year: Wendy Stewart, Calgary
ALL-STARS
Sarah MacAulay, UBC
Perri Espeseth, UVic
Kirsten Bertsch, UBC
Courtney Campbell, Cgy
Jackie Trautman, AB
Dani Hennig, UVic
Jennifer Peacock, AB
Kyla Kirby, UVic
Natalie Sourisseau, UBC
Carolina Romeo, Cgy
Kaitlyn Longworth, Cgy
The Canada West champion UBC Thunderbirds and runner-up Victoria Vikes have qualified for the 2010 CIS championship, November 4-7 in Guelph, Ont.
