2022-23 Huskies Athletic Awards Night: McMillan, Peverill named Athletes of the Year

Saint Mary's Department of Athletics and Recreation is proud to celebrate the outstanding accomplishments of Huskies student-athletes and teams during the 2022-23 season.

On March 29, 2023, the Huskies Athletic Awards Banquet brought together over 300 student-athletes, coaches, managers, volunteers, and special guests to celebrate a great seasons of Saint Mary's Athletics. This season, Saint Mary's celebrated three U SPORTS Major Award Winners, six U SPORTS All-Canadian/All-Rookie Team selections, 29 AUS All-Star/All-Rookie selections, and 10 AUS Major Award Winners.

Women's Basketball guard Alaina McMillan and Men's Cross Country/Track & Field Athlete Andrew Peverill, headlined the awards, being honoured as the Female and Male Athletes of the Year. Below is a complete listing of all major and team award winners:

CLICK HERE FOR A FULL PHOTO ALBUM OF THE 2022-23 ATHLETIC AWARDS

ATHLETE OF THE YEAR (F)

Women's Basketball guard Alaina McMillan, a fourth year guard out of Brantford, Ontario, has been named the 2022-23 Huskies Female Athlete of the Year.

McMillan was named an AUS First Team All-Star, and the AUS Championship MVP, leading the Huskies to their first AUS Championship since 2016. She led the AUS and set a Huskies Women's basketball single-season record with 57 three-pointers made, and also led the team in scoring, assists, three-point percentage and free-throw percentage. She passed the 1000 point career milestone, and now ranks fourth all-time in Huskies Women's Basketball scoring, second all-time in three-pointers made and fifth all-time in assists. Alaina was named AUS Athlete of the Week once and Saint Mary's Athlete of the Week three times.

"Alaina McMillan is one of those athletes that really rises to the occasion, the bigger the moment, the better she plays," said Huskies head coach Scott Munro. "This was exemplified several weeks ago at the AUS Championship Tournament, where she was named Tournament Most Valuable Player. She's been named an AUS All-Star multiple times in her career, and never shies away from the big moment.

"Alaina has been a team leader since she arrived on campus, and has led this team from a group that was 3-17 when she started here, building along the way to become AUS Champions, playing her best basketball over AUS Championship weekend. She's a fearless competitor who never backs down and is not scared of a challenge, and she's been a great leader for our team day-in, day-out, both vocally and with her work ethic. I think her play this year, being an AUS First Team All-Star and leading our group to an AUS Championship makes her a deserving Athlete of the Year this year."

ATHLETE OF THE YEAR (M)

Andrew Peverill, a fifth year runner from Lower Sackville, N.S., has been named the 2022-23 Huskies Male Athlete of the Year.

During the Cross Country season, Peverill was named AUS Cross Country Runner of the Year for the third straight season. He won the gold medal at the AUS Championship for his third consecutive title, and also finished first at the Université de Moncton Invitational and fourth in the AUS/RSEQ Interlock Meet, the highest finisher from the AUS. Peverill capped off his cross-country career with a sixth-place finish at U SPORTS Nationals, the highest finish of his career, giving him First Team All-Canadian status.

In Track & Field, Peverill set new Saint Mary's records in the 600m, 1000m, 1500m, mile and 3000m. He won three medals at the AUS Championship – gold in the 1500m and 3000m, and silver in the 4x400 meter relay. His season culminated with a bronze medal in the 1500m at the U SPORTS Track & Field Championships in Saskatoon, the first Saint May's National Track & Field Medal in 20 years.

An MBA student Peverill was also named an Academic All-Canadian for the fourth straight year, and was named AUS Athlete of the Week once and Huskies Athlete of the Week seven times.

PRESIDENT'S AWARD (F)

Women's Hockey defender Ève LeBlanc, a fourth year from Petit-Rocher, NB, has been named the 2022-23 Huskies Female President's Award winner for Outstanding Academic and Athletic Performance.

LeBlanc played in 26 games for the Huskies as a two-way defender, leading the team in average icetime with over 23 minutes per game, and recording two goals, 11 assists and a +12 plus/minus rating.

A four-time Academic All-Canadian, the psychology major has a perfect 4.3 GPA and has been named to the Faculty of Science Dean's List three times. LeBlanc has been accepted into UNB's doctorate program of clinical psychology, where the acceptance rate is 2% of all applicants.

In her community, LeBlanc volunteers with Ronald McDonald House, Chebucto Connections and was a peer advisor for Huskies student-atletes and co-facilitator of mental health for Saint Mary's faculty and staff. LeBlanc won the U SPORTS Marion Hillard Award for Student-Athlete Community Service, becoming the first winner of that award in the history of the Huskies Women's Hockey program, and also won the AUS Student-Athlete Community Service Award. 

PRESIDENT'S AWARD (M)

Football quarterback Duncan Patterson a fourth year from Bedford, NS has been named the 2022-23 Huskies Male President's Award winner for Outstanding Academic and Athletic Performance.

This season Patterson won the U SPORTS Russ Jackson Award for Student-Athlete Community Service, becoming the third winner of that award in program history.

On the field, Patterson started all seven games for the Huskies finished the regular season with the second-most completions (86), passing yards (1143), yards-per-game (163.3) and passing touchdowns (8) in the AUS.

A first-year MBA student from Bedford, N.S., Patterson was the recipient of the 2022 Sobey MBA Scholarship Award, the highest scholarship offered within the Saint Mary's MBA program. A four-time Academic All-Canadian who graduated from Acadia in 2022 with a 4.0 GPA and honours, the veteran student-athlete is dedicated to his studies as well as giving back to the community around him.

Over the past year, Patterson has served as a volunteer offensive assistant coach and quarterback coach with the Nova Scotia U16 football team. He's also a past coach with the Valley Bulldogs minor football program. In addition to his coaching, Patterson dedicates his time to Special Olympics Canada's Marathon of Sport Motionball event, and this year was the top fundraiser in the country, raising $5,782 for the Special Olympics Canada Foundation. He's also given his time to the CIBC Run for the Cure, Nova Scotia Alzheimer Society and Relay for Life events for the Canadian Cancer Society. At school, he's a study hall mentor, overseeing weekly team study sessions or tutoring younger teammates as they navigate their first year as student-athletes.

UNSUNG HERO – JOHN JONES MEMORIAL AWARD (F)

Women's Basketball guard Sarah Forgie, a fourth year from New Westminster, BC, has been named the 2022-23 John Jones Memorial Award winner for Female Unsung Hero.

On the court, Forgie appeared in all 20 regular season games, posting career highs in scoring (4.4 points per game) and rebounding (2.5 rebounds per game), helping lead the Huskies to a 15-5 regular season record, AUS Championship, and fourth place finish at U SPORTS Nationals.

"Sarah is a very talented basketball player who never sought the limelight," says Huskies head coach Scott Munro. "She was always focused on playing her role to the best of her ability, and did that to almost absolute perfection over her five years here. She gives 100% every single day, and I can't remember her taking even one practice off. Sarah truly embodies the term selfless leader, and always makes sure her teammates needs are taken care of before her own. She's been the absolute glue behind the scenes for this team, and helped us move in the right direction."

"We could not have won the AUS Championship without Sarah's contributions, both on-and-off the floor. She had a knack for making big shots, never quit, and is a player who could be counted on to make something happen every single time she went in the game," added coach Munro. "Her contributions to this team have been immeasurable over the last five years, and she'll be greatly missed."

UNSUNG HERO – JOHN JONES MEMORIAL AWARD (M)

Men's Hockey forward Jonathan Hampton, a third year from Richmond Hill, ON, has been named the 2022-23 John Jones Memorial Award winner for Male Unsung Hero.

"Jonathan is very deserving of this award," says Huskies head coach Tyler Naugler. "Four years ago he showed up on campus with zero expectations, and today he is leaving with three degrees, and is an absolute unbelievable leader for our hockey team." 

A three-time Academic All-Canadian, Hampton appeared in 24 regular season games for the Huskies, scoring two goals and adding seven assists. One of the team's top defensive forwards, he also plays a key role on the penalty kill, and brings tremendous leadership to the Huskies, helping the team to their first AUS final since 2014, and a berth to U SPORTS Nationals.

"Over his four years, Jonathan has grown as a tremendous player in our lineup, he's a complete 200-foot player. Off the ice he not only helps our students, but other varsity-athlete academically. Jonathan is a complete model student for Saint Mary's as well as a model athlete," added Naugler.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR (F)

Women's Volleyball setter Taylor Lougheed, a first year from Calgary, AB, has been named the 2022-23 Huskies Female Rookie of the Year.

Lougheed was named the U SPORTS All-Rookie Team, and was also named an AUS Second Team All-Star and AUS All-Rookie selection. She finished second in the AUS in assists per set (8.41), third in total assists (639), and led all first-year players with 30 service aces and 24 block assists.

"Coming in as a rookie, Taylor was expected to make those split second decisions to make this team better on the court, and she did an outstanding job of that from day one," said Huskies head coach Darren Russell. "Not only setting up our hitters and running our offence, but her athletic ability and agility is second to none, and makes her one of the top blockers at her position in the league. She consistently put up the numbers and did the intangible things to help us be successful this year, and I can't wait to see how she develops going forward."

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR (M)

Men's Soccer defenceman Orion Wiersma, a first year from Barrie, ON, has been named the 2022-23 Huskies Male Rookie of the Year. 

Wiersma made an immediate impact on the pitch for the Huskies this season. He was one of just three players to start all 12 regular season games, and played nearly every minute of the season. He was named to the U SPORTS All-Rookie team, the third consecutive season a Huskies men's soccer player has received that honour. 

"Orion did a tremendous job for us this year, adding a lot of flexibility, stability and a very tough mentality to an already tough defence," says Huskies head coach Mesut Mert. "He's one of those players that you know is going to get the job done, always making sure the little things are done right so the team can achieve their goals on the field. If he continues with this mindset, he will gain a lot of recognition in this league, and I look forward to working with him in the years to come."

VERN CREIGHTON AWARD, MANAGER OF THE YEAR

Paul Mason, equipment manager for the Huskies football team, won the 2022-23 Vern Creighton Award for Huskies Manager of the Year.

"Paul deserves manager of the year because nobody is more dedicated to the Saint Mary's Athletic Department than Paul," says head coach Steve Sumarah. "Even though he works with football, he is a guy that goes to nearly every game - male, female, on the ice, on the field, doesn't matter, Paul's love for Saint Mary's Athletics is second to none."

"As a football manager, there is nobody that is more diligent, more on top of things. Being able to come back and work with Paul has been great. His passion for what he does and knowledge base for this program makes my job so much easier," added Sumarah.

Paul has been involved with the Huskies football team for 43 years, and this is his fifth time being recognized as Saint Mary's Manager of the Year. He is on the Old Dogs Wall of Fame as a builder, has won the Robert G. Hayes Award as Volunteer of the Year, has been awarded a Saint Mary's 'M' three times, and was inducted into the the Saint Mary's Hall of Fame as manager of the 1988, 2001 and 2002 Football Huskies.

VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR – ROBERT G. HAYES AWARD

The 2022-23 Robert G. Hayes Award for Volunteer of the Year was awarded to Steve Axford, assistant coach with Huskies Women's Hockey.

"Steve is deserving of the volunteer coach of the year award," says Huskies head coach Chris Larade. "He's been here for 16+ years, and is an absolute pleasure to have around. He puts his heart and soul into everything he does, and his passion for not only the game of hockey, having played here at Saint Mary's, but for the growth of our program is displayed in what he puts into our team, week in, week out. Without Steve, practices wouldn't be nearly as exciting and as boisterous, and we appreciate his old school mentality with his new school approach, he's been a great asset for our program and hopefully will continue to be for years to come."