Thoo and Mackenzie named major award winners at Queen’s Varsity Clubs athletic banquet
It’s that time of year again – a time to celebrate all the outstanding achievements of varsity athletes at Queen’s University!
Amanda Thoo of women’s field hockey and Mike Mackenzie of men’s ultimate, were named the top graduating student-athletes at the 83rd annual Colour Awards Varsity Club Athletic Banquet on the evening of Tuesday, Mar. 26, 2019 at the ARC Main Gym.
Thoo was awarded the Marion Ross Trophy, which is given to the top Varsity Club female student-athlete. Thoo was the OUA goaltender of the year and an OUA All-Star in 2018 with the Gaels as she provided a steady veteran presence in net for the Tricolour.
An two-time academic All-Canadian, she helped the Gaels to an OUA bronze medal in her rookie season in 2014. The team captain for the last two seasons, she also continuously spreads the joy that she finds in the game to youth in her community volunteering with the local club team and high school leagues.
Mackenzie was named the winner of the Jack Jarvis trophy which is awarded to the top Varsity Club male student-athlete.
The men’s ultimate team captain for the past three seasons, Mackenzie has been a Canadian University Ultimate Championship starting seven All-Canadian twice and competes internationally for Canada with the U24 men’s program. He has also been a member of the Canadian U20 program and competes in the American Ultimate Disc League with the Toronto Rush.
An academic all-star twice, his success has helped to the Gaels as a team claim three national CUUC championships. Along with the achievements on the field, he finds time to give back to the sport by running clinics for youth in his community.
On Tuesday night, the Award of Merit Trophy was presented to the Queen’s women’s lacrosse team who won OUA championship after an undefeated season.
The Gaels had an astounding season going 12-0-1 in the regular season and following up with a 3-0 playoff record to claim the OUA championship. Their dominance continued into the award announcements as the Gaels swept the OUA lacrosse major awards winning offensive player of the year, defensive player of the year, rookie of the year and coach of the year. Queen’s also finished with four OUA 1st Team All-Stars and two 2nd Team All-Stars. Members of the team also made it a priority to give back coaching minor league systems in their communities.
The Alfie Pierce award recipients for the top club rookies of the year were Sydney Maxwell from women’s squash and Zachary Greifenberger from men’s golf.
Maxwell helped lead the Tricolour to an OUA Championship title as the Gaels #1 she was named the OUA MVP and rookie of the year along with being honoured on the OUA All-Star team. Her dominance then continued to the Canadian Squash Championship where she swept the field to claim a national gold medal. Greifenberger started off hot with the men’s golf team as he picked up a pair of individual victories at both the Carleton and Queen’s invitational tournaments. The Gaels as a team also claimed the top spot in each invitational in part due to the strong performance from their rookie. At the OUA championship, he was able to finish 25th and help the Gaels qualify for nationals.
The Varsity Support Service Awards are presented each year to recognize the individuals who have demonstrated dedication and leadership while making a significant contribution to the success of the Queen’s Varsity Sports Program in Athletic Therapy (Hal Dunlop Shield), Athlete Services, Home Events, Strength and Conditioning and Varsity Club Leadership. This year’s Varsity Club Leadership winner was Robyn Campbell.
Throughout the evening, each Varsity Club also honoured their team award winners and this seasons champions were recognized for their successes throughout the year.
Tonight, Wednesday, Mar. 27, 2019, Queen’s Athletics and Recreation will host the Colour Awards Varsity Team athletic banquet. Among the awards announced tonight will be the Outstanding Performer of the Year, the Varsity Team rookies of the year as well as the Varsity Team of Year. Also handed out will be the PHE’55 Alumnae Award and the Jenkins Trophy, which will be awarded to the top fourth or fifth-year student-athletes.
QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS & RECREATION VARSITY CLUB AWARD RECIPIENTS FOR 2018-19
Marion Ross Trophy: Amanda Thoo (Women’s Field Hockey)
Jack Jarvis Trophy: Mike Mackenzie (Men’s Ultimate)
Award of Merit Trophy: Women’s Lacrosse
Alfie Pierce Trophy (Female): Sydney Maxwell (Women’s Squash)
Alfie Pierce Trophy (Male): Zachary Greifenberger (Men’s Golf)
Varsity Clubs Support Service Award: Robyn Campbell
All files from Queen’s Athletics.