(Posted 5:30 p.m., Jan. 26)
Ottawa Sports Awards dinner has distinctive Orléans flavour
By Fred Sherwin
Orléans Online

The 59th Ottawa Sports Awards dinner was held Thursday night and Orléans-area athletes were the guests of honour walking away with three of the top prizes.

Former St. Matthew High School basketball standout Tyson Hinz was named Male Athlete of the Year after leading the Carleton Ravens to the CIS Basketball Championship and representing Canada at the World Univeristy Games in China and the Pan-Ma Games in Mexico.

"It’s pretty cool. Growing up in Ottawa and winning that award is something special," said Hinz. "The individual awards are very special – I’m not going to turn them down – but the main goal was winning the national championship, so that was definitely my favourite thing."

The Female Team of the Year award went to Orléans-native Rachel Homan's curling foursome which became the youngest rink to win the Ontario Scotties Tournament in 2011.

"Ontario is always represented very well at the Scotties and we didn’t want to disappoint our province," reflected Homan, who wasn't able to attend the ceremony since she is presently in Kenora looking to defend her provincial title. "We did really well our first time around. It wasn’t the finish we wanted, but it definitely inspired us to try even harder this year."

The Female Coach of the Year honours also went to an east-ender. Lynne Morrison was recognized for the work she did in helping four members of the Gloucester Concordes Speed Skating Club make the eight member Ontario team that competed at the Canada Winter Games.

"Last year was a big year. I spent every second weekend away with the team," noted Morrison, who also coached provincial team athletes at junior nationals and Canada Cup races on top of the Canada Games. "It's a very beautiful and technical sport. Coaching speed skating is all about technique. The smallest detail can really affect the skater's results."

Individual sports awards recipients from the east end included: Demi Orimoloye in baseball; Dan Lepensee in lacrosse, Victoria Stevens in alpine skiiing Ivanie Blondin in long track speed skating;Vincent De Haitre in short track speed skating; Marie Albert in synchronized swimming; Adam Simac in volleyball; and Alejandra Paguaga in wrestling.

Listed below are the biographies of all the east end recipients...

DEMI ORIMOLOYE

Demi was a versatile player in leading the Orleans Red Sox Baseball team to the Ontario Junior League title and to the Canadian Championship semi-finals. He put the fear into opposing pitchers by batting an impressive .585 average, including 62 hits, 9 of them being home runs during 33 games. He ended the season with 70 RBI’s.

While pitching for his team, he posted a 7-1 record out of his 9 starts, striking out 68 batters in 38 innings pitched. Demi won the home run derby at the Canadian Championships, pitched a 6-inning, 13-strikeout game and hit 4 home runs in the seven games he played for a tournament leading .615 batting average.

DAN LAPENSEE

Dan is a 5th-year player and captain with the Gloucester Griffins Jr. B lacrosse club. In 2011, he played 19 games with this team, recording 37 goals, 54 assists for a total of 91 points, good enough for 9th place overall in league scoring.

Dan also played for the McMaster University Field Lacrosse Team, the OUA Field Lacrosse Champions.

VICTORIA STEVENS

Victoria, a graduate of Louis Riel high School, skies out of Mont-Tremblant. In 2011, she raced on the Nor Am Circuit and had 5 podium finishes, which earned her a 4th overall position on this circuit and the title of top Canadian Skier.

Vic, as she is known, won the illustrious Kandahar Cup Race held at Mont-Tremblant and finished as the 2010/2011 GMC Cup Overall Winner, a high honour in ski racing.

She had two podium finishes at the Canadian National Championships, one in giant slalom and one in downhill. Currently ranked 9th in Canada in both GS and downhill, she was able to compete on the World Cup circuit in four speed events.

IVANIE BLONDIN

Ivanie is a 14 year member of the Gloucester Concordes Speed Skating Club who has recently made the switch from short track to long track speed skating. She is now training at the Calgary Oval as a member of Canada’s National Long Track Team.

Currently this 21 year old is ranked 6th in the 1500m, 3rd in the 3000m and 5000m in Canada. She had many excellent results in 2011 as she continues her transition to long track including a 7th place finish in the first-ever mass start race at a World Cup.

Ivanie has been our winner in short track speed skating numerous times but this is her first win in long track skating.

VINCENT De HAITRE

Vincent, a 16 year old member of the Gloucester Concordes Speed Skating Club, won a silver medal in the relay event at the 2011 Canada Winter Games. He picked up a second place finish at the very competitive Ontario Team Trials, finishing behind a skater 3 years his senior.

A two-sport athlete, Vincent is also a Junior National Track Cycling medalist during the summer months. He holds the title as the Ontario Cup Circuit’s fastest skater in 2011.

MARIE ALBERT

Marie, a member of the Gloucester Synchro Club, was a duet finalist at the Canadian Open Synchronized Swimming Championships. She also qualified for the Ontario provincial team that competed at the U.S. Open held in Hawaii where her team placed 4th at this prestigious international competition. Marie also got to represent Ontario in the solo competition at this event, gaining valuable international experience.

ADAM SIMAC

This Orleans native and graduate of Sir Wilfrid Laurier Secondary School is the starting middle blocker on Canada’s national team.

Adam played an important role in the upset wins over Slovakia and Puerto Rico in 2011, thereby helping Canada to qualify to play in the prestigious World League in 2012.

In order to keep his skills sharp during the winter season, Adam is playing in the top league of the German circuit.

ALEJANDRA PAGUAGA

The owner of every Canadian title available to her, 2011 brought Alejandra to a new level in wrestling.

This Tsunami Academy athlete became the first athlete from the region to capture high school and club provincial championships, a national title and qualify for the cadet world championships through the Canadian team trials in the same year.

Alejandra placed fifth at the cadet worlds in Hungary and will have another chance to improve on that result this year in her last year of eligibility at the level.

(Posted 5:30 p.m., Jan. 26)

Return to top

Return to Front Page