GEORGIAN COLLEGE 2012-13 ATHLETIC AWARDS

The Georgian Grizzlies held their 43rd Annual Varsity Awards Banquet on Thursday, April 4 at the Georgian Athletic Centre in Barrie, Ont. It was a great celebration of the tremendous accomplishments made by Georgian student athletes during the 2012-13 OCAA season.

There were many achievements recognized throughout the evening but arguably the big winner on the night was golfer Colton Kalkanis.

Kalkanis took home the Cloutier Cup as Georgian's Male Athlete of Year as well as Male Rookie of the Year and Golf's Male Most Valuable Player awards. The native of Hillsdale, Ont., had a big season becoming the first Ontario Colleges Athletic Association male golfer to win both the OCAA provincial individual championship as well as the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) individual championship.

Women's volleyball star Natalie Buck took home the Greer Trophy as Female Athlete of the Year after a tremendous year on the court.  The Keswick, Ont., native was among the leaders statistically in all of Ontario this season and helped guide her team to a fourth place finish at the OCAA provincial championship. The fourth year outside hitter was an OCAA First-Team All-Star and was also named to the All-Tournament Team at the OCAA provincial championship.

Other major award winners on the night included women's volleyball player Allison Marshall (Orillia, Ont.) who was named Female Rookie of the Year; Andrew Hill (King City, Ont.) who was presented the McKillican Trophy for Outstanding Contribution to the Georgian Athletic Department; and Ben Dance (Bolton, Ont.) was presented the Howard/Belcourt Award for Outstanding Sportsmanship, Dedication, Commitment, Attitude and Leadership.

An incredible 28 athletes received an OCAA All-Academic Award for achieving an average of 80 percent or higher while also representing the college as a varsity athlete. Among that group were Rebecca Trischler (Milton, Ont.) and Ben Dorfling (Barrie, Ont.) who were also presented Academic-Athletic Excellence Awards for achieving the highest level of success by a student athlete.

Major Award Recipients
 
Male Athlete of the Year - Cloutier Cup
Colton Kalkanis - Golf  
Kalkanis put together one of the finest seasons in Grizzlies history. The Hillsdale, Ont., native won three individual tournaments during the season including the 2012 PING CCAA National Golf Championship, the 2012 OCAA Men's Individual Championship and the Durham College Open. In doing so he became the first OCAA male golfer to win the individual championship at both the provincial and national level in the same year. The first-year Golf Course Operation and Grounds Management student was named a CCAA All-Canadian along with receiving CCAA Male Athlete of the Week honours on October 23 and was OCAA Male Athlete of the Week October 23 and October 9.

Female Athlete of the Year - Greer Trophy
Natalie Buck - Volleyball
A fourth year outside hitter from Keswick, Ont., Natalie Buck has continued to emerge as the leader of the women's volleyball team while elevating her game to be one of the best players in the entire OCAA. Buck put together an impressive season scoring 190 kills (5th OCAA), 45 serving aces (T-6th OCAA), 26 blocks (T-22nd OCAA) which places her fourth overall in the OCAA in points. She was a key contributor in the success of her team which put together an impressive 15-5 record good enough for third place in the OCAA East Division regular season standings. She put together a 12-point effort in the Grizzlies playoff win over Sheridan to earn a spot at the provincials. Buck played an instrumental role in helping Georgian reach the bronze medal game at the OCAA provincial championship and was named to the OCAA All-Tournament Team. She was named an East Division First-Team All-Star and represented Georgian at the OCAA All-Star Game where she was named Player of the Game for the East.

Rookie of the Year Award
Female: Allison Marshall - Volleyball
Marshall made an immediate impact in her freshman year with the Grizzlies. The middle from Orillia, Ont., emerged as one of the premier players on this year's women's volleyball team and around the OCAA, playing like a veteran. She put up impressive stats with 147 kills (1st among rookies, 11th overall in OCAA), 52 serving aces (3rd among rookies, T-4th OCAA), 45 stuff blocks (2nd rookies, 5th OCAA) and in overall points (1st rookies, T-11th OCAA). Marshall was a key factor to help guide the Grizzlies to a fourth-place finish at the OCAA provincials and was an OCAA East Division Second-Team All-Star.

Male: Colton Kalkanis - Golf
Putting together a strong first year, Kalkanis was able to separate himself from what was a very strong rookie class with the Grizzlies. In addition to his individual success winning the national and provincial championships, Kalkanis was a key contributor to his team's success this season.  The Hillsdale, Ont., native made a significant impact in helping the Georgian men's golf team to a fifth place finish at the CCAA national golf championship along with a silver medal finish at the OCAA provincials where the Grizzlies came within three strokes of defeating perennial contender Humber College for gold. The team also had a first place finish at the Durham Open and a second place finish at the Fanshawe Fall Classic.

Howard/Belcourt Award
Ben Dance - Men's Basketball
The Howard/Belcourt Award is presented to an athlete that displays outstanding sportsmanship, dedication, commitment, attitude and leadership. Dance, a guard from Bolton, Ont., has been the definition of a hard working student athlete during his time at Georgian and is well respected by his peers, coaches and opponents in the league. His positive outlook and attitude served as constant motivation for his team during his career with the Grizzlies. Graduating this year with a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree, Dance also achieved success on the court leading the Grizzlies in scoring this season while known throughout the OCAA as one of the top three-point threats.

McKillican Trophy
Andrew Hill - Badminton
The McKillican Trophy was established by Dr. Donald McKillican a former Student Service Director at Georgian College. The award is for outstanding contribution to the Athletic Department by a student. A member of the Georgian Grizzlies badminton team, Andrew Hill has displayed incredible dedication to his team and to Georgian Athletics this season and over his last three years. On the court, Hill had a great year earning a spot in the east regional bronze medal match. The native of King City, Ont., is a tremendous supporter of his teammates and always willing to help out his coaches, whether it's setting up for practice, photography or video he has been always there to help. Andrew volunteered his time at the 2013 CCAA badminton national championship serving at the draw desk and was a huge reason for the success of the tournament.

Academic & Athletic Excellence Award
Female: Rebecca Trischler - Badminton
Trischler, a native of Milton, Ont., enjoyed tremendous success both on and off the court this year. She achieved an incredible 91 percent average as a third year student in the Hotel and Resort Administration program. On the court Trischler won a gold medal at the OCAA East Regionals, a bronze medal at OCAA provincial championship and finished fourth at the CCAA badminton national championship in women's doubles along with partner Carolyn Tubman.

Male: Ben Dorfling - Rugby
Flanker Ben Dorfling of Barrie, Ont., has combined excellence in the classroom with excellence on the field. The Barrie native achieved an 83 percent average in his second year in the Aviation Management program while being a standout on this year's rugby team. On the pitch, his first with the Grizzlies rugby team, Dorfling quickly emerged as one of the hardest working players on the team while displaying great knowledge of the game. His relentless defending was on full display all season and was recognized as an OCAA All-Star.

Team Most Valuable Player Awards
Badminton (W): Rebecca Trischler
Badminton (M): Sean Irving
Women's Basketball: Kara Faulkner    
Men's Basketball: Ben Dance
Cross Country Running (W): Carolyn Schaerer
Cross Country Running (M): Chris Tomlinson
Golf (W): Avery White
Golf (M): Colton Kalkanis
Women's Indoor Soccer: Delta Pilote
Men's Indoor Soccer: Jon Cornelissen
Men's Rugby: Robin Calamatta        
Women's Volleyball: Natalie Buck
Men's Volleyball: Mike Vandinther
    
OCAA All-Academic Award
The OCAA All-Academic Award is for students who have achieved combined excellence in academics and athletics. At Georgian, students must achieve an average of 80% or higher in the classroom and be a member of one of our 13 varsity teams.

Andrew Hill - Men's Badminton
Josh Milligan - Men's Badminton
Kaitlyn Beech - Women's Badminton
Heather Breadner - Women's Badminton
Maggie Tremblay - Women's Badminton
Rebecca Trischler - Women's Badminton
Justin Atkinson - Men's Volleyball
Michelle Grills - Women's Volleyball
Alexandra Roy - Women's Volleyball
Stefan Rudic - Men's Basketball
Drew Whitfield - Men's Basketball
Lauren Harris - Women's Basketball
Ryan Chan - Men's Cross Country
Jay Harris - Men's Cross Country
Justine Rydall - Women's Cross Country
Oliver Butterworth - Men's Rugby
Stewart Drake - Men's Rugby
Travis MacIver - Men's Rugby
Lucas Savinetti - Men's Rugby
Chris Wood - Men's Rugby
Ben Dorfling - Men's Rugby
Alex McKee - Men's Golf
Michelle Nielsen - Women's Indoor Soccer
Will Gormaly - Men's Indoor Soccer
Marcus Lees - Men's Indoor Soccer
Lee Pearce - Men's Indoor Soccer
Brandon Romano - Men's Indoor Soccer
Emanuel Vasiliev - Men's Indoor Socccer

Source: Georgian College

Photo Credit: Ron Howden