SOFTBALL CANADA HONOURS DURHAM'S SHANNON GALEA

OTTAWA - Coming off a gold medal performance at the 2011 OCAA women's fastball championship, Durham College student-athlete Shannon Galea has earned top honours as she has been named the recipient of the 2011 Softball Canada Ethel Boyce Memorial Award.

The award is given annually to a softball player attending a Canadian post secondary educational institution who has exhibited leadership traits and skills. Ethel Boyce was an avid softball player who had a professional and personal interest in people. She was particularly interested in young people and helping them to succeed in life.

Galea was also recognized this season as a Provincial Women's Softball Association Scholarship award winner.

"I am absolutely honoured to be recognized by both my Provincial organization as well as Softball Canada on behalf of many other deserving athletes," said Galea. "I am grateful to receive this support as it provides me a great outlook on the things that I have accomplished and the things I have yet to achieve. Although my career in post-secondary athletics has consisted of a variety of involvements in other sports, softball has been my first passion. To have this recognition only motivates me to continue to work hard and to share my experiences with young developing athletes in this great sport."

The Durham Lords most recently won the OCAA Championship for the 16th time in school history. Galea was named the OCAA top pitcher at the championship and during the regular season.

"While young and growing up and playing for the Oshawa Stingers where we played at Durham fields - it was a humbling feeling to be back on my home field," said Galea. "As a kid, watching the Durham Lords compete was something to idolize when seeing athletes play at the collegiate level. It was great to be surrounded by my local softball community of coaches, umpires, teammates and friends to win an OCAA Championship. Not only is it a full circle, it gives me a sense of pride to win a championship at home, on a field I know very well, where I have grown up most of my life."

Last season while attending UOIT, Galea was named the overall athlete of the year as she was a member of the rowing team as well as representing the University at the OUA squash championship.

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Shannon Galea is currently taking a one-year graduate diploma in Sport Business Management at Durham College. She previously completed an honours degree in Geography and Earth Sciences from McMaster in 2010, as well as a Bachelor of Education from the University of Ontario Institute of Technology in 2011. This summer, she was a member of the Pickering Heat and competed in two Canadian Championships, winning a silver medal at the Junior (U23) Women's and finishing seventh in the Senior Women's category.

Source: Durham College