The UNBC Timberwolves wrapped up the 2017-18 athletic season with their annual banquet and awards dinner from the Hart Crown Hall on Sunday.
It was a banner year for all four UNBC basketball and soccer teams who all clinched playoff spots in the same season for the first time since joining U SPORTS.
Vasilki Louka and Gordon Hall took home the major hardware as both were named the Male and Female Athlete of the Year.
For Louka, this is the second consecutive year she has claimed the honor and did so by averaging a double-double this past season with the T-Wolves bringing in over 18 points and 12 rebounds per game.
“I’m pretty excited, I didn’t expect that but I am pretty happy because I achieved this goal and I’m really excited to be honest.”
The fourth-year player out of Athens, Greece was one-third of a dynamic trio of offensive players for UNBC, which also included Maria Mongomo and Madison Landry who helped lead the team to their second consecutive playoff berth with a 9-11 record.
Louka believes her play along with the team’s development went hand and hand.
“Every year we are getting better recruits and we grow our team also, we believe we’re not the underdogs anymore so that’s what made us go into those games thinking we could beat those teams.”
Hall on the other hand, was a critical piece for the Timberwolves men’s soccer program in clinching the first playoff spot in school history with a 5-5-6 record, falling to the defending national champion Alberta Golden Bears.
The Chilliwack product is also a fourth-year player who says the honor came as a bit of a shock.
“It just shows that I have been working hard and I have to thank my team from Steve, Rob and everyone in their who allowed me to work hard at practice and push me to be the player that I am.”
“Honestly, the moved improved part of my game was the distribution, I was told to go in there and get any part of my body on it (the ball) and that’s what I ended up doing this season is getting a lot more touches with the ball and being able to finish it.”
The banquet also took a peak into the future of the Timberwolves as Joel Watson and Brooke Molby were named Male and Female Rookie of the Year after compiling successful campaigns on their respective soccer teams.
Here is the complete list of award winner for the UNBC Timberwolves.
MEN’S BASKETBALL:
Most Valuable Player = Vova Pluzhnikov
Most Inspirational Player = Daniel Stark
Most Dedicated Player(s) = Marcus MacKay, Adam Pahl
Best Defensive Player = Vaggelis Loukas
Practice Wins Leader = Vaggelis Loukas
Rookie of the Year = Adam Pahl
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL:
Most Valuable Player = Vasiliki Louka
Best Defensive Player = Alina Shakirova
Rookie of the Year = Alina Shakirova
Most Improved Player = Emily Holmes
Most Inspirational Player = Emily Aase
MEN’S SOCCER:
Most Valuable Player = Gordon Hall
Best Defensive Player = Gordon Hall
Green and Gold Award = Aidan Way
Golden Boot (Most Goals) = Tofa Fakunle, Cody Gysbers, Stuart Rowlands
WOMEN’S SOCCER:
Most Valuable Player = Tianna Pius
Offensive Player of the Year = Sidney Roy
Defensive Player of the Year = Mara McCleary, Brooke Molby
Green & Gold Award = Paige Payne, Madison Emmond
