2009-10 NEWS RELEASES

UOIT Ridgebacks Media Release
Friday, April 09, 2010

Spaling and Tereshyn named 2009-10 UOIT Athletes of the Year

OSHAWA, Ont. – Men’s Hockey assistant captain Nathan Spaling (Drayton, Ont.) and women’s hockey assistant captain and graduating senior Chrissy Tereshyn (Scarborough, Ont.) were named the 2009-10 University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) Athletes of the Year on Thursday night at the 4th annual UOIT Ridgebacks Athletic Banquet.

It was a great night of celebration at the General W. Sikorski Polish Veterans Association Hall as UOIT student-athletes, coaches and contributors were honoured for their outstanding accomplishments throughout the 2009-10 varsity season.

Two days after being named the UOIT Scholastic Award winners (overall top GPA) at the academic awards luncheon for the second straight year, Spaling and Tereshyn earned top honours being named the overall athletes of the year for 2009-10.

“What a great honour for two outstanding and deserving individuals,” said Ken Babcock, UOIT athletic director. “To achieve the highest grades of any varsity athlete and to be named the athletes of the year is an unbelievable accomplishment.”

A third year Criminology major, Spaling is quickly developing a name for himself across the OUA and on campus as an exceptional hockey player and a natural leader. In the 2009-10 varsity season, Spaling averaged a point per game on the score sheet and often found himself on the ice in key situations, helping lead the team to their first ever playoff appearance.

Spaling is a model student as one of the top overall students in the Faculty of Criminology, Justice and Policy studies and the two-time winner to the UOIT Scholastic award for having the top GPA. He has become accustomed to life as a varsity athlete, ensuring he is fully dedicated to the team but also to his studies.

On the ice, Spaling is the Ridgebacks all-time leading scorer with 65 career points and has played in every game in the program’s history. To add to this accomplishment, you can also often find Spaling helping out the department with different initiatives and community activities such as the leading the team’s effort at the Terry Fox Run, leading minor hockey practices or visiting elementary schools.

Spaling was also the recipient of the inaugural James-Baun Cup, along with women’s hockey assistant captain Rikki Palmateer (Cobourg, Ont.) which was presented by Greg Baun and Michelle Carol, son and daughter of Toronto Maple Leaf legend Bobby Baun. The James-Baun Cup is presented to a student-athlete on the men’s and women’s hockey teams who show commitment, dedication, perseverance, academic responsibility, leadership and is a great teammate in the pursuit of excellence. The Cup is named after Bobby Baun and his long time friend Don James and will be presented annually as part of the UOIT hockey awards program.

Other men’s team MVP’s included tennis player Ryan Coppola (Richmond Hill, Ont.), soccer player Matt Craven (Oshawa, Ont.) and rower Josh Versteeg (Gorrie, Ont.).

Tereshyn, a fourth-year Criminology major was recognized as the UOIT Female Athlete of the Year. Coming off of her best year in a Ridgeback uniform, the Ridgebacks assistant captain demonstrated exactly what it means to be the MVP of a team. Skill, leadership and academic success are three characteristics that clearly define this graduating senior.

Tereshyn has been with the program since day one and was the first recruit of the Ridgebacks from Durham-West of the PWHL. Over her four years at UOIT, she has accomplished a tremendous amount including academic awards such as; 2009 CIS Academic All Canadian, 2008 OUA women of influence recipient, 2008/09 UOIT top scholastic award as well as being an assistant captain for the Ridgebacks since day one.

Although she has been a big part of the Ridgebacks throughout her entire career, her final year has been the most productive for her in terms of hockey. She recorded career highs in goals, assists and points. The coaching staff relied on her to help develop their young athletes and teach them what it means to be a varsity athlete. The Scarborough native was often double shifted which was an attribute to her amazing conditioning.

Other women’s team MVP’s included tennis player Heather Veisbergs (Scarborough, Ont.), dancer Lindsay Bourque (Oshawa, Ont.) and rower Christie Attwood (Whitby, Ont.).

It was a big night for the men’s hockey team as they picked up two other major awards. Jason Guy (Whitby, Ont.) was named the Male Freshman Athlete of the Year and the entire team was recognized as the Team of the Year for the second straight season.

On the women’s side, OUA rookie leading scorer Jill Morillo (Whitby, Ont.) won the Freshman Athlete of the Year Award.

The Dr. Gary Polonsky Leadership Award is presented to the overall male and female athletes who best exemplify outstanding leadership in the pursuit of excellence. This year’s honour went to Lisa Harrington (Whitby, Ont.) of the women’s rowing team and Anirudh Thommandram (Toronto, Ont.) of the men’s tennis team.

The department also honoured rowing head coach Rob Millikin who retired from coaching following the season. Millikin was the founding coach of the program and coached the team for four years.

COMPLETE LIST OF AWARD WINNERS:

MAJOR AWARDS

Male Athlete of the Year
Nathan Spaling, Men’s Hockey (Drayton, Ont.)

Female Athlete of the Year
Chrissy Tereshyn, Women’s Hockey (Scarborough, Ont.)

Male Freshman Athlete of the Year
Jason Guy, Men’s Hockey (Whitby, Ont.)

Female Freshman Athlete of the Year
Jill Morillo, Women’s Hockey (Whitby, Ont.)

Team of the Year
Men’s Hockey

Dr. Gary Polonsky Leadership Award
Lisa Harrington, Women’s Rowing (Whitby, Ont.)
Anirudh Thommandram, Men’s Tennis (Toronto, Ont.)

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OUA RECOGNITION AWARDS
OUA Women of Influence: Rikki Palmateer, Women’s Hockey (Cobourg, Ont.)
OUA All-Star & OUA All-Rookie Team: Jason Guy, Men’s Hockey (Whitby, Ont.)
OUA All-Rookie Team & Freshman Scoring Champion: Jill Morillo, Women’s Hockey (Whitby, Ont.)

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TEAM AWARDS

Men’s Hockey Team Awards
MVP: Nathan Spaling (Drayton, Ont.)
Leadership: TJ Legge (Chapleau, Ont.)
Top Scorer: Josh Vatri (Barrie, Ont.)
Top Defensive Player: Chris Purves (Scarborough, Ont.)
Rookie of the Year: Jason Guy (Whitby, Ont.)
James-Baun Cup: Nathan Spaling (Drayton, Ont.)

Women’s Hockey Team Awards
MVP: Chrissy Tereshyn (Scarborough, Ont.)
Leadership: Megan Friel (Pickering, Ont.)
Top Scorer: Jill Morillo (Whitby, Ont.)
Top Defensive Player: Jordan Whately (Cobourg, Ont.)
Rookie of the Year: Jill Morillo (Whitby, Ont.)
James-Baun Cup: Rikki Palmateer (Cobourg, Ont.)

Men’s Rowing Team Awards
MVP: Josh Versteeg (Gorrie, Ont.)
Leadership: Jason Klein Horsman (Linwood, Ont.)
Rookie of the Year: Steve Fontana (Whitby, Ont.)

Women’s Rowing Team Awards
MVP: Christie Attwood (Whitby, Ont.)
Leadership: Lisa Harrington (Whitby, Ont.)
Rookie of the Year: Lindsey Smith (Oshawa, Ont.)
Coxswain of the Year: Shea Brown (Ajax, Ont.)

Dance Team Awards
MVP: Lindsay Bourque (Oshawa, Ont.)
Leadership: Frank Wilson (Ajax, Ont.)

Men’s Tennis Team Awards
MVP: Ryan Coppola (Richmond Hill, Ont.)
Leadership: Anirudh Thommandram (Toronto, Ont.)
Rookie of the Year: Karan Chophla (Markham, Ont.)

Women’s Tennis Team Awards:
MVP: Heather Veisbergs (Scarborough, Ont.)
Leadership Award: Samantha MacKinnon (Ajax, Ont.)
Rookie of the Year: Andrea Rosal (Oakville, Ont.)

Men’s Soccer Team Awards:
MVP: Matt Craven (Oshawa, Ont.)
Leadership Award: Andrew Thompson (Whitby, Ont.)

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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Scott Dennis
Sports Information and Marketing Coordinator
Durham College and UOIT Athletics
905.721.2000 Ext. 2784 (P)
905.721.3117 (F)
scott.dennis@dc-uoit.ca