Athletes from basketball, hockey, and volleyball teams recognized for individual success
A number of varsity athletes from the University of Ottawa have been named as Ontario University Athletics (OUA) or Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) all-stars. This title recognizes the top players in the league as “first-team all-stars” and the next group as “second-team all-stars.”
Men’s Basketball
Two Gees from the men’s basketball team were recognized for their excellent hustle this season. Caleb Agada was named the OUA defensive player of the year for the second year in a row, and the fifth-year guard was also named a first team all-star for the third consecutive season.
UPDATE: Agada was also named the U Sports defensive player of the year for the second year in a row.
Jean Emmanuel Pierre-Charles was also named as a first team all-star. It is Pierre-Charles’ first time being named an all-star, and in the fourth-year forward’s first season with the Gees after transferring from Carleton in the summer.
M🏀 – JPC adds himself to list of players with a dunk tonight💥 pic.twitter.com/J32KoCjrOG
— uOttawa Gee-Gees (@uOttawaGeeGees) January 22, 2017
Women’s Basketball
The women’s basketball team also boasted two OUA all-stars. Fourth-year guard Sarah Besselink was named to the second all-star team. She led the Gees with 13.8 points per game. It’s her first all-star recognition since being named to the OUA rookie all-star team in her freshman year.
HIGHLIGHT – Sarah Besselink takes it to the rim and Ottawa leads Ryerson 46-41 heading into the 4th pic.twitter.com/R5qbmZXgRZ
— uOttawa Gee-Gees (@uOttawaGeeGees) February 19, 2017
First-year Amélie Hachey was named to the all-rookie all-star team. She ranked third overall on the Gees squad with an average of 6.8 points per game, despite limited playing time.
Women’s Hockey
Three women’s hockey players received RSEQ honours for their play this season.
Second-year forward Mélodie Bouchard was named as a first-team all-star for the second year in a row. Bouchard had 23 points in 18 games this year, and her season was highlighted by a trip to Kazakhstan to represent Canada at the 2017 Winter Universiade.
Fourth-year defender Bryanna Neuwald joined her teammate in receiving first-team all-star recognition. Neuwald transferred to Ottawa from Ohio State this season, and went on to be one of the most physically dominant forces on the Gees’ blueline this year.
Fourth-year forward and Gees captain Vickie Lemire was also honoured with the Leadership and Community Engagement award. Not only did Lemire serve as the Gees’ ambassador for several committees on campus, but she’s also being recognized for her volunteering work with organizations such as the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity.
Women’s Volleyball
Not to be outdone, the women’s volleyball team also boasted three RSEQ all-stars.
Fifth-year setter Kira Tome was named to the first all-star team. She was once again the quarterback for her squad, earning praise from her coach, Lionel Woods, who told the Fulcrum he thought she had her best all-around season this year. Tome was previously named an OUA first-team all-star in 2015.
Third-year left side Caroline Lemay, and third-year libero Sabrina Roy were both named to the second all-star team. Lemay had a breakout season, leading the Gees with 3.26 kills per set.
Roy stepped up in a leadership role for the Gees, and was dominant defensively, recording 4.24 digs per set, the highest mark in the RSEQ.
🏐 Caroline Lemay 💥 pic.twitter.com/5uNrMcwEIF
— uOttawa Gee-Gees (@uOttawaGeeGees) February 4, 2017
Despite some disappointing team finishes, the standout individual performances of Gee-Gees athletes this year can’t be overshadowed.
