Big performances, on and off the court, were recognized last week as the Camosun College Athletics Department honoured the top Chargers over the past year.
Leading the way as rare co-winners of the President’s Award, given to the student-athlete best combining athletic and academic achievement, were second-year women’s basketball forward Tamiya Ness (Smithers secondary) and third-year men’s volleyball left side Graham Basi (Reynolds secondary), whose fall grade point averages were the highest possible.
Ness, who led the PacWest conference in rebounding with 10.9 per game and was also selected her team’s most valuable player, was sorely missed in the PacWest playoff tournament, as her fifth-ranked Chargers were eliminated with an opening-game loss to Douglas College in early March.
Basi was a member of the Chargers squad that last month won a national championship in Quebec City. The team was also recognized on the night for an outstanding season that saw them come from third place in league play to lose just two sets in winning the PacWest crown, then sweep three straight matches to capture the Canadian title.
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Also receiving Charger team MVP awards were men’s basketball guard Takeshi Croke (Reynolds) and volleyball’s Correina McNeice (Terrace) and Vitor Pereira (Brazil).
Team top rookie awards for basketball went to Allison Bobroske (Lambrick Park secondary) and Jaime Palamos-Molins (Oak Bay High), and for volleyball to Rachel Leduc (Montreal), Jacob Ringma (Terrace) and Lucas Maffia (Oak Bay High).
Team leadership awards went to basketball’s Chelsea Espenberg (Kelowna) and Jake Wilmott (St. Michael’s University School) and volleyball’s Chantelle Dobie (Salmon Arm) and Lorenz Vogel (Claremont).
Third-year Chargers setter Kyle Butterworth (Kelowna), was presented with the Derek Twomey Memorial Scholarship for Sport, awarded to the men’s volleyball student-athlete who best reflects the positive qualities Twomey brought to the program.
Earning the Passion Sports Legacy Awards were basketball’s Rhiannon Ware (Medicine Hat) and Riley Botting (Tofino) and volleyball’s McNeice and Basi, while the Trudy and Doug Peden Charitable Foundation Award went to basketballer Maddie Manns (Claremont) and volleyballer Hannah May (Belmont).
The Victoria Women’s Basketball League Awards went to Ness, Manns, Espenberg, Sadie McMillan-Stowards (Oak Bay High) and Ashyana Kumar (Abbotsford).
The banquet and ceremony took place at the CFB Esquimalt Chief and Petty Officers’ Mess on April 7.
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