Victoria’s Greig named Canada West Women’s Soccer MVP
Canada West Communications
Canada West Universities Athletic Association (CWUAA) announced the 2015 women’s soccer all-stars and major award winners Thursday evening at the annual awards banquet in Saskatoon – the site of the conference’s Select Six tournament, which opened earlier in the day.
The big winner of the night was Victoria Vikes forward Emma Greig, who was named the conference MVP and first team all-star.
A fifth-year Science student, Greig finished the season with a trio of goals and five assists. Greig is no stranger to individual accolades, as the Tofino, BC product was named a Canada West first team all-star and CIS All-Canadian last year.
The Canada West Rookie of the Year honour went to Trinity Western’s Rachel Hutchinson. The Cloverdale, BC native finished second in Canada West rookie scoring, recording 11 points in 14 games, including a dozen starts.
Earning the conference Coach of the Year award for 2015 was Saskatchewan head coach Jerson Barandica-Hamilton. The former U of S men’s player guided the Huskies to a 10-3-1 record to take top spot in the east region of Canada West, just ahead of the Calgary Dinos.
Rounding out the individual award winners is Annalise Schellenberg from the University of Alberta, who took home the Student-Athlete Community Award. The fifth-year defender is involved in various community outreach programs, including the Bear Hugs program, which has student-athletes spend time with children at the Stollery Children’s Hospital in Edmonton.
Also recognized at the awards banquet was the University of Northern British Columbia, which earned the conference’s Fair Play Award. The squad went through the entire season without receiving any cards, for a perfect record. The win marks the second consecutive season the Timberwolves have won the award, as they shared the honour during the 2014 season with Alberta, Victoria, and Manitoba.
Canada West major individual award winners:
Most Valuable Player:
Emma Greig, Victoria Vikes
Fifth-year striker Emma Greig established herself early on as one of the most potent attackers in Canada West. Now a four-time Canada West All-Star, Greig leads the Vikes with three goals and five assists in the 2015 season. In 2014, Greig led the conference with 14 goals. This season, she has again shown her ability not only to score, but also to generate opportunities for her teammates.
The five-foot-eight Science major was named Canada West Third Star of the Week Sept. 25-27 after totalling one goal and three assists in the Vikes’ weekend sweep of Thompson Rivers and UBC Okanagan. Greig started all 14 games this season and was pivotal in the Vikes’ quarter-final win over Fraser Valley, which booked them a ticket to the conference championship. Greig was the third of five Vikes shooters that went perfect in kicks to seal the victory.
Greig’s explosive speed, ability to find the back of the net and creativity has established her as most worthy of Canada West MVP. Greig, a 2012 CIS bronze medalist, will have one final opportunity this weekend to help the Vikes qualify for CIS Nationals and bring home a banner.
Rookie of the Year:
Rachel Hutchinson, Trinity Western Spartans
The first-year striker led all Canada West rookies and was tied for fourth in overall points in the conference, with 11, after she collected five goals and six assists in 14 games. After being held off the scoresheet in her first five games, the Cloverdale, B.C. product, who started 12 of her team’s 14 regular season contests, exploded for three goals in an 18-minute span against Alberta to launch an impressive nine-game run to end the year. Following her hat-trick performance, which saw her honoured as the Canada West First Star of the Week, Hutchinson, who is studying biology, finished the regular season with points in seven of TWU’s final nine games, including a three-assist effort against Manitoba.
After earning two game-winning goals in the regular season, Hutchinson followed that up with the game-winner in a 1-0 win over Alberta in the Canada West Regional Playoffs.
Hutchinson is the sixth Spartans women’s soccer player to be named Canada West Rookie of the Year, following in the footsteps of Carlee O’Brien (2003), Nikki Wright (2008), Alicia Tesan (2009), Krista Gommeringer (2012) and Seina Kashima (2014). Current Spartans goalie Ally Williamson also won the award in 2011, when she was with UBC, prior to transferring to TWU in 2014.
“Rachel had a fantastic first year and gave us an offensive spark out wide,” said Spartans coach Graham Roxburgh. “She had the ability to finish and the ability to cross and create lots of chances for her teammates. She really had an excellent first year in terms of contributing offensively while also working hard on the defensive side of the ball.
“Before that weekend against Alberta, she just didn’t hit the back of the net. But when she scored that hat-trick, I think it brought her to life and since then, she has been one of our more dangerous players.”
Coach of the Year:
Jerson Barandica-Hamilton, Saskatchewan Huskies
Jerson Barandica-Hamilton in his second year at the helm of the Huskies, led the team to an historic season. The Huskies posted a 10-3-1 record, finishing first for the first time and earning a hosting spot for the conference championship.
In his first two seasons with the Huskies, Barandica-Hamilton has guided the program to its first two Canada West playoff wins, both at home on Field 7 in PotashCorp Park. Saskatchewan has yet to lose a match on Field 7 under Barandica-Hamilton.
Student-Athlete Community Award:
Annalise Schellenberg, Alberta Pandas
Fifth-year University of Alberta Pandas defender Annalise Schellenberg won the Canada West Student-Athlete award for the 2015-16 season.
She is the sixth member of the U of A program to win the Canada West honour, and the second in the last four years following Julia Ignacio’s win in 2013.
Schellenberg is in her second year with the University Athletics Board, serving as the Vice President – Community Outreach, a program that provides varsity student-athletes with opportunities to give back to the community. Two of those opportunities that she coordinates are the ‘Bear Hugs’ program, which sees student-athletes spending time with children at the Stollery Children’s Hospital and ‘Gym Class Heroes,’ which allows varsity student-athletes to get involved in running sport-specific physical education classes in local elementary and junior high schools. She is also a coach with a number of club teams in the Edmonton area.
“Anna is a complete student-athlete leader. She impacts everyone with her presence, dedication, and ability in training, play and beyond,” said Pandas head coach Liz Jepsen.
“She is more than simply a soccer player or student-athlete; she is a leader that will make a difference in anything in which she is involved. She is the epitome of the best female athlete and a pillar of grace, strength, motivation, and leadership, regardless of the environment.”
Canada West First Team All-Stars:
Goalkeeper: Ally Williamson, Trinity Western Spartans
Defensive players: Vanessa Kovacs, Trinity Western Spartans; Meagan Manson, Saskatchewan Huskies; Tristan Corneil, Fraser Valley Cascades; Lauren Vernon, Calgary Dinos; Annalise Schellenberg, Alberta Pandas
Offensive players: Jasmin Dhanda, UBC Thunderbirds; Emma Greig, Victoria Vikes; Krista Gommeringer; Trinity Western Spartans; Erica Hindmarsh, Saskatchewan Huskies; Ali Oliverio, Trinity Western Spartans
Canada West Second Team All-Stars:
Goalkeeper: Meaghan Storie, Victoria Vikes
Defensive players: Jennifer Miller, Saskatchewan Huskies; Lindsay Machin, Victoria Vikes; Aman Shergill, UBC Thunderbirds; Krista Whittaker, UBC Thunderbirds; Madison Guy, UBC Thunderbirds
Offensive players: Jordan Smith, Calgary Dinos; Seina Kashima, Trinity Western Spartans; Taylor Shannik, UBC Thunderbirds; Jenelle Zapski, Saskatchewan Huskies; Julia Ignacio, Alberta Pandas
Canada West Universities Athletic Association (CWUAA):
Canada West is the premier athletic conference in the country and is home to champion student-athletes that excel on the field, in the classroom and in their communities. With the most wins in CIS and over 100 national championships in the past decade, Canada West and its 17 member-institutions commit to a student-athlete experience where competitive excellence, scholarship and sportsmanship contribute equally towards moulding outstanding graduates and community leaders.