UOIT Ridgebacks Media Release
Friday, March 14, 2008

Edwards and Bissonnette Named 2007-08 UOIT Athletes of the Year

At the UOIT Ridgebacks 2nd Annual Athletic Banquet and Awards Dinner, women's hockey player Kathleen Edwards (Whitby, ON) and men's rower Michael Bissonnette (Sarnia, ON) took home top honours, being named the 2007-08 Athletes of the Year. Edwards and Bissonnette also won their respective Team MVP awards at the sensational event held at Trillium Trails in Oshawa.

Edwards, a first-year criminology major, was the leader of UOIT’s blueline throughout the team’s inaugural OUA season. She played as the number one defensemen and logged a lot of minutes with the power play and penalty killing units. She has a load of talent and possesses a great hockey sense which bodes well for a bright future as a top player in the OUA. The Whitby native also won the women’s hockey MVP award along with being named the top defensive player.

“She is a tremendous athlete with a strong work ethic,” commented Ridgebacks head coach Gary Pitcher. “Joining a first year team as a first year player, Kathleen played and led like she was a fourth year veteran.”

Other female Team MVP’s were women's tennis player Bianca Savarino-Easter (Whitby, ON) and women's rower Laurie Moote (Brampton, ON).

Bissonnette, a third-year forensic science major, was recognized as the UOIT Male Athlete of the Year. Bissonnette guided the second-year rowing varsity team to several team-highs at regattas this season. He was also a strong leader on the team while rowing in the primary position and shattering numerous team records held during time trials at the rowing facility on campus.

“Michael is a very strong rower who is liked by everyone on the team,” noted head coach Rob Milikin. “He defiantly pulls his weight in the boat with his powerful strokes combined with his determined effort.”

Oshawa native Derrick Bagshaw was named the inaugural Men’s Hockey MVP while Christopher King (Whitby, ON) took home the top honour for the Men’s Tennis team.

Edwards and Bissonnette become the first award winners in their respective sports to win the overall Athlete of the Year award. Amy Dawson (women’s rowing) and Ryan Coppola (men’s tennis) took home the awards during the inaugural 2007 Athletic Banquet.

For the first time in UOIT history, the Dr. Gary Polonsky Leadership Award was presented to the overall male and female athletes who best exemplify outstanding leadership in the pursuit of excellence. The honour went to men’s hockey captain Richard Power (Scarborough, ON) and Rachelle Krause (Courtice, ON) of the women’s rowing team. This is the second straight year Krause has been awarded for her leadership with the rowing program, as she won the team’s leadership award last season.

Other major award winners on the night were Eric Andres (Philippines) of the men’s rowing team and Giannetta Savarino (Pickering, ON) of the women’s tennis team who won the UOIT Scholastic Awards with a 4.06 and 4.03 GPA respectively. The men’s rowing team also was awarded with the inaugural Team of the Year award.

Complete List of Award Winners:

Female Athlete of the Year:
Kathleen Edwards, Women’s Hockey

Male Athlete of the Year:
Michael Bissonnette, Men’s Rowing

Dr. Gary Polonsky Leadership Award:
Rachelle Krause, Women’s Rowing
Richard Power, Men’s Hockey

UOIT Scholastic Award:
Giannetta Savarino, Women’s Tennis
Eric Andres, Men’s Rowing

Team of the Year:
Men’s Rowing

Men’s Hockey Team Awards:
MVP: Derrick Bagshaw
Leadership: Richard Power
Top Scorer: Nathan Spaling
Top Defensive Player: Dustin Turner
Scholastic Award: Shane Nolan

Women’s Hockey Team Awards:
MVP: Kathleen Edwards
Leadership: Megan Friel
Top Scorer: Rikki Palmateer
Top Defensive Player: Kathleen Edwards
Scholastic Award: Donna Stinson

Men’s Rowing Team Awards:
MVP: Michael Bissonnette
Leadership: Jason Klein-Horsman
Rookie of the Year: Colin Jeffery
Scholastic Award: Eric Andres

Women’s Rowing Team Awards:
MVP: Laurie Moote
Leadership: Rachelle Krause
Rookie of the Year: Melissa Szabo
Scholastic Award: Elysabeth Reavell-Ray

Men’s Tennis Team Awards:
MVP: Christopher King
Rookie of the Year: Lee Cockerham
Scholastic Award: Anirudh Thommandram

Women’s Tennis Team Awards:
MVP: Bianca Savarino-Easter
Leadership Award: Dawn O’Brien
Scholastic Award: Giannetta Savarino

2007-08 UOIT Ridgebacks Athletic Banquet Picture Gallery

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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