2021-22 Griffins Awards: Introducing the finalists for our Teams of the Year
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – Another season of Griffins Athletics is in the books with big wins and great memories to cherish.
Excellence was evident on the field, court and ice as MacEwan student-athletes displayed character, commitment and talent throughout the 2021-22 season.
As we count down to the our annual MacEwan Griffins' Awards Banquet this Saturday we will be revealing the finalists for our major awards in the following order:
Today: Female Rookie of the Year
Tuesday: Male Rookie of the Year
Wednesday: Male Athlete of the Year
Thursday: Female Athlete of the Year
Today: Academic Team of the Year and Team of the Year
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— MacEwan Griffins (@MacEwanGriffins) April 1, 2022
Ahead of Saturday's @MacEwanU Griffins Awards Banquet, here are our Team the Year finalists:
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And our Academic Team of the Year finalists:
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Cathryn Heslep Academic Team of the Year
Our Academic Team of the Year award goes to the Griffins' squad with the best combined grade point average. This season, seven of our eight teams achieved a combined GPA of 3.0 or higher.
Our three finalists (in alphabetical order) are:
Women's Basketball
Women's Hockey
Women's Soccer
Murray Orvis Team of the Year
Our Murray Orvis Team of the Year Award honours MacEwan's top team overall, taking into account athletic performance, community service and dedication in the classroom. Our finalists in alphabetical order are:
Women's Basketball
Record: 4-12 (5th Central Division)
Playoffs: Beat UBC-Okanagan in opening round before falling to Trinity Western in Round 2
Awards: Mackenzie Famer (Canada West third team all-star)
Synopsis: Under a season of regional competition due to the pandemic, every basketball team qualified for the Canada West playoffs. Coming in as the 14th seed, MacEwan took out No. 13 UBC-Okanagan 69-63 in their post-season opener and, in the second round, held several leads against No. 4 Trinity Western before narrowly losing 77-71. It was a solid showing by a team that had some world-beating efforts in 2021-22. Demonstrating an incredible propensity for toppling giants, the Griffins upset then-U SPORTS No. 1 Calgary 71-68 on Nov. 12 before taking out then-No. 4 Alberta 85-74 on Feb. 11. Overall, it was a season to build off of as the program netted its first playoff win since 2016.
Additional: Participated in Elementary Reading Week by virtually reading to students … Had seven players earn Academic All-Canadians for 2020-21, matching a program high.
Men's Soccer
Record: 4-4-2 (4th Prairie Division – best CW record in program history to qualify for the playoffs for the first time)
Playoffs: Pushed West #1 seed Victoria to overtime in quarter-finals before falling 6-3
Awards: Alvin Mazaheri (Canada West All Rookie team)
Synopsis: There was something incredibly special about MacEwan's men's soccer team, who rallied to make the playoffs for the first time in program history by going 3-0-1 over their final four games. They came up with back-to-back clutch 1-0 wins over the Calgary Dinos on the final weekend of the regular season to punch their ticket. That stretch amazingly came after everyone left them for dead following the worst defeat in conference history – a 12-3 setback at Mount Royal on Oct. 10. Red hot heading into the playoffs, the Griffins nearly knocked off West Division champion Victoria, holding a 3-2 lead on them before the Vikes tied it in extra time and won the game in overtime.
Additional: Helped out in the community by running AC Milan Academy, offering free soccer instruction for underprivileged kids … Nine players earned U SPORTS Academic All Canadian awards for 2020-21.
Women's Soccer
Record: 10-2-0 (1st Prairie Division – best CW record in program history)
Playoffs: U SPORTS national champions (Beat TWU 3-2 on PKs); Canada West bronze medalists (Beat Saskatchewan 2-0)
Awards:
Samantha Gouveia (U SPORTS nationals MVP, U SPORTS tournament all-star team, U SPORTS second all-star team, Canada West first all-star team, U SPORTS Top 8 Academic All Canadian)
Kaylin Hermanutz (U SPORTS tournament all-star team)
Meagan Lemoine (U SPORTS tournament all-star team, Canada West first all-star team)
Breanna Truscott (U SPORTS tournament all-star team)
Grace Mwasalla (U SPORTS tournament all-star team, Canada West All-Rookie team)
Synopsis: With a 3-2 win on penalty kicks over Trinity Western in the national final, the Griffins captured the first U SPORTS championship in MacEwan Athletics history. It was a magical run filled with incredible stories, great individual moments and a team-first culture that led to a historical season for MacEwan, its Athletics department and the Griffins women's soccer program. The Griffins also won the Canada West bronze medal with a 2-0 win over Saskatchewan, punching their ticket to nationals for the first time. They finished the regular season with a 3-0 win at Calgary to clinch the division title, slaying a dragon by beating the Dinos for the first time in a regular season match since joining Canada West in 2014.
Additional: Program-high 16 U SPORTS Academic All-Canadians from 2020-21 … Participated in several local community initiatives – Griffs Do Good Deeds, Bell Let's Talk, Mask Up MacEwan, MacEwan's Sexual Violence Awareness Booth, MacEwan Griffins Virtual Youth Skill/Mentorship Service and helped with the SAMU Residence Coca-Cola Holiday Truck event … They also collaborated with FC Edmonton in a 'Support Women in Soccer' program to empower young female players … The Griffins were also part of the Elementary School Reading Week Readers at St. Vladimir/Inglewood.
