FB awards: Alberta’s Ilnicki launches Hec Crighton campaign
Evan Daum, Canada West Communications
Highlights:
- The Canada West football major award winners were unveiled Thursday, with Alberta Golden Bears running back Ed Ilnicki named Player of the Year, as well as the Student-Athlete Community Service Award winner
- Ilnicki posted one of the best seasons in conference history, breaking the CW rushing record with 1,468 yards
- Also claiming major awards were: Alberta's Mark Korte (Outstanding Lineman), UBC's Stavros Katsantonis (Outstanding Defensive Player), Regina's Nick Cross (Rookie of the Year), and Wayne Harris (Coach of the Year)
- The U SPORTS national awards will be handed out on Thursday, Nov. 23 in Hamilton, Ont. – the site of this year's Vanier Cup
EDMONTON – Let the #Ed4Hec campaign officially begin, as Alberta running back Ed Ilnicki is the run-away pick as the conference's Player of the Year and now becomes the Canada West nominee for the Hec Crighton Award as the nation's top university football player.
Quite simply, 2017 was one of the greatest individual seasons in Canada West history, as Ilnicki did everything in his power to run the Bears back to the post-season for the first time since 2010.
The Spruce Grove, Alta. product rushed for a CW single-season record 1,468 yards, finding the end zone 11 times on the ground. In addition to claiming the conference's top on-field award, the four-time Academic All-Canadian also earned the Student-Athlete Community Service Award thanks in large part to his 3.9 GPA and involvement in Alberta's University Athletics Board. He now moves forward as the Canada West nominee for the prestigious Russ Jackson Award for academic achievement, football skill, and citizenship.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE CW MAJOR AWARD WINNERS
A big part of Ilnicki's success on the field this season was the play of his offensive line, including tackle Mark Korte, who was honoured as the CW Outstanding Lineman and now looks to capture the John P. Metras Award as U SPORTS' top lineman.
Joining Ilnicki and Korte as major award winners are UBC's Stavros Katsantonis (Outstanding Defensive Player), Regina's Nick Cross (Rookie of the Year), and Wayne Harris (Coach of the Year).
All five winners, along with Calgary assistant coach Marcello Rapini – who is the CW nominee for the Gino Fracas Award as the nation's top volunteer assistant – will look to capture national awards in two weeks' time when U SPORTS unveils their winners ahead of the Vanier Cup at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Ont.
Plenty will be decided before then on the field, as the 81st Hardy Cup goes this Saturday at 1 p.m. MST at McMahon Stadium in Calgary where the Dinos host the Thunderbirds for a record third consecutive time in the Hardy Cup.
You can watch the game on the Canada West Football Showcase (SaskTel, TELUS, BellMTS), or online at Canada West TV.
The winner of the 81st Hardy Cup goes on to host the U SPORTS Mitchell Bowl (national semifinal) on Saturday, Nov. 18.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR – Hec Crighton Award nominee
STUDENT-ATHLETE COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD – Russ Jackson Award nominee
Ed Ilnicki
Alberta Golden Bears
Running back
5th-year
Spruce Grove, Alta.
Business
Quite simply 2017 was one of the greatest individual seasons in Canada West history, as Ilnicki did everything in his power to run the Bears back to the post-season for the first time since 2010.
The Spruce Grove, Alta. product rushed for a CW single-season record 1,468 yards, finding the end zone 11 times on the ground. His rushing total was tops in the country by more than 300 yards and the fifth most all-time nationally.
Ilnicki concluded his five-year career as Alberta's all-time rushing leader with 4,145 yards – the second most all-time in Canada West history.
A product of the Spruce Grove Composite High School football program, Ilnicki is the first Golden Bear to be named the conference's Player of the Year and Hec Crighton nominee since fellow running back Jarred Winkel in 2003.
In addition to being a leader on the field, the Business student is a true example of what it means to be a student-athlete, as he is also the CW recipient of the Student-Athlete Community Service Award.
Ilnicki is a four-time Academic All-Canadian and finished the 2016-17 academic year with a 3.9 GPA and became the first student-athlete at the University of Alberta to study at the school's Peter Lougheed Leadership College.
In addition to his academic pursuits, Ilnicki is the President of Alberta's University Athletics Board, where he has been involved in various initiatives, including the Bear Pause program, which is a peer based support group for student-athletes.
A 2017 draft pick of the Ottawa REDBLACKS, Ilnicki now moves forward as the CW nominee for the Russ Jackson Award, which honours academic achievement, football skill, and citizenship.
"Ed embodies everything that is good about university athletics. He is a true scholar and has been a four-time Academic All-Canadian. He's been a dominating and relentless competitor, who in 2017 ran for more yards than anyone in Canada West history. He is a young man of impeccable character who tirelessly serves his team and community." – Alberta head coach Chris Morris.
OUTSTANDING LINEMAN – John P. Metras Award nominee
Mark Korte
Alberta Golden Bears
Tackle
4th-year
Spruce Grove, Alta.
Business
On the line, no one had a better season than Alberta's Mark Korte, who is the conference's Outstanding Lineman.
The fourth-year tackle was a pillar for the Bears, who sported one of the nation's top offensive lines.
Korte, who hails from Spruce Grove, Alta. and is working towards a Business degree, helped the Bears to the most dominant rushing season in Canada West history. Korte and company set the table for running back Ed Ilnicki, who broke the conference single-season rushing record with 1,468 yards.
Korte now looks to capture the John P. Metras Award as the nation's top lineman.
"Mark Korte is an old school offensive lineman who would have been as effective thirty years ago as he was in 2017. Mark's unique combination of athleticism, strength, agility, and toughness make him both an elite run blocker and pass protector. He was dominant against his opposition all year long." – Golden Bears head coach Chris Morris.
OUTSTANDING DEFENSIVE PLAYER – President's Trophy nominee
Stavros Katsantonis
UBC Thunderbirds
Safety
3rd-year
Bakersfield, Calif.
Arts
This year's Canada West Outstanding Defensive Player and President's Award nominee for U SPORTS defensive player of the year is UBC Thunderbird safety Stavros Katsantonis.
The Bakersfield, Calif. product was a unanimous conference all-star for a second consecutive season and for good reason.
Katsantonis was once again a one-man turnover machine, posting four interceptions on the season, while also adding three forced fumbles for the Thunderbirds. His breakout 2017 performance came Week 7 against Manitoba when he recorded a trio of interceptions.
The third-year Arts student was key to the Thunderbirds defensive up swing as the season progressed, helping UBC to finish the regular season as the conference's top defensive unit.
"Stavros is probably our most instinctual player. He's not the biggest, he's not the fastest, but he understands the game and he's not afraid to take a chance. I think he is the biggest play-maker defensively in our conference." – Thunderbirds head coach Blake Nill.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR – Peter Gorman Award nominee
Nick Cross
Regina Rams
Linebacker
1st-year
Regina, Sask.
Kinesiology & Health Studies
For the second consecutive season, a Regina Ram is the Canada West Rookie of the Year, as linebacker Nick Cross wins the award after defensive lineman Nicholas Dheilly claimed the honour a season ago.
A product of Regina's Dr. Martin Leboldus High School, Cross started Week 1 of the season, becoming the first Rams rookie to start a season opener directly out of high school since Jamir Walker in 2008, and never looked back.
After posting 7.5 tackles, including a sack Week 1, the freshmen continued his strong play, finishing the regular season with 46 total tackles, one sack, a forced fumble, and an interception.
The Kinesiology and Health Studies student now moves forward as the Canada West nominee for the Peter Gorman Award as national rookie of the year.
"Nick is one of those guys who you can put out there on the field and you don't have to worry about him. He's a player that draws attention to himself by being a consistent performer play after play and game after game. I think Nick will spend the next three years here with us, then get drafted and play in the CFL for about 10 years." – Rams head coach Steve Bryce.
COACH OF THE YEAR – Frank Tindall Award nominee
Wayne Harris
Calgary Dinos
3rd season
Calgary, Alta.
For the second time in three years, Calgary Dinos head coach Wayne Harris is the conference coach of the year after guiding the Dinos to a 7-1 regular season.
Harris previously won the award in his rookie season as head coach back in 2015, when he was also named the Frank Tindall Award winner as national coach of the year.
With nearly four decades of experience with the program, Harris has continued Calgary's run of Canada West dominance, accumulating a combined regular season coaching record of 21-3.
Over the course of his coaching career with the Dinos, Harris has been part of seven Hardy Cup championship teams and participated in four Vanier Cups, including the 1995 championship season under former head coach Peter Connellan.
"Wayne and his staff have done a tremendous job once again this year. They have created a culture of excellence and accountability in the football program, and his leadership continues to inspire our student-athletes to play great football and enhance their leadership skills. On behalf of the Faculty of Kinesiology and the University of Calgary, we congratulate him on this well-deserved honour." – Dr. Penny Werthner, Dean of the Faculty of Kinesiology at UCalgary
GINO FRACAS AWARD NOMINEE
Marcello Rapini
Calgary Dinos
17th season
Calgary, Alta.
For the second consecutive season, Marcello Rapini is the Canada West nominee for the Gino Fracas Award, which is handed out annually to the nation's top volunteer coach.
A two-time Vanier Cup champion with the Dinos as a player in 1985 and 1988, Rapini has coached the defensive backs since 2006, with a previous stint from 1989-94.
Rapini, who is Vice President Marketing of Perpetual Energy, is heavily involved in game planning and implementing defensive cover schemes in practice. He continues to show his commitment to the program by giving up vacation time for training camp, film review, and road games. He is also heavily involved with the Dinos 5th Quarter alumni association, previously serving on the board of directors and helping in countless fundraising initiatives, including the Lending Leaders program, which has raised more than $150,000 this season alone.
"The difference he's made in the lives of young men, helping them transition from playing to the work environment. He's gotten a lot of former players jobs in the downtown core in the oil and gas industry and other industries as well. He helps them prepare for life."
"He's very passionate – you can't find a more passionate coach out there and he sets high expectations for everyone."– Dinos head coach Wayne Harris.