Women’s soccer player Megan Loyns, left, and men’s badminton player Irman Wadia, right, pose with their hardware after winning Female and Male Athlete of the Year. Photo courtesy of NAIT Athletics.
On April 6, 2018 NAIT held its annual athletic awards ceremony to recognize Ooks athletics teams and their coaches for the 2017-18 season.
Awards included the Athletic Director’s Award of Distinction, the coach of the year for their team, academic awards, and NAIT’s Male and Female Athlete of the Year.
This year, Ooks athletes captured two ACAC Conference championships and qualified for four CCAA Nationals.
The badminton team won two CCAA National Championships in men’s and mixed doubles. The team was recognized for their efforts and took home a handful of awards. Nick Roque and Irman Wadia, the men’s doubles team who won gold at the CCAA National Championship, took home ‘The Ook’ Leadership award and the Silver Torch award, respectively.
NAIT’s Athletic Director, John Bower, awarded the Athletic Director’s Award of Distinction to Jordan Teliske, in his fifth and final year playing men’s volleyball.
“He [Teliske] is an example of what it means to be an Ook and is a great ambassador for NAIT,” said Bower.
“He sets the example to others on how to conduct themselves both on and off the field.”
In academic awards, the Curling team narrowly beat out the Badminton team 3.6 to 3.5 in team GPA. Additionally, more than 40 athletes made NAIT’s Honour Roll in the first semester alone.
Male Athlete of the Year was awarded to Badminton’s Irman Wadia which capped off a season full of awards. Megan Loyns, in her final season on the women’s soccer team, was awarded Female Athlete of the Year.
The Men’s and Women’s Soccer head coaches Charles O’Toole and Carole Holt each won Coach of the Year in the ACAC and CCAA. Curling coach, Jules Owchar won ACAC Coach of the Year, as well as the CCAA Curling Canada Women’s Coaching Award. Head coach of the Badminton team, Sinead Cheah, won Coach of the Year in both the ACAC and CCAA.
Over 30 NAIT athletes were nominated as all-stars on a Provincial and National level.
-Peter Go
