Nguyen, Delorme, and Louis-Jeune ready to make an impact
Every year, a group of University of Ottawa Gee-Gees will wear the Garnet and Grey for the last time before moving on with their careers. While we say goodbye to those athletes, we get to welcome fresh, young talent to the U of O. Looking ahead to the 2021-22 season, there are plenty of recruits throughout the university’s various teams who are sure to make an impact on the athletics program.
Nammi Nguyen – Women’s soccer
A newcomer to the U of O women’s soccer team, Nammi Nguyen competed in the Saskatchewan Regional Excel Program (SK REX) that offered a higher level of soccer that her high school program did not offer. While focussing on soccer, Nguyen ran cross country and track and field for Walter Murray Collegiate.
Nguyen notes that the highlight of her soccer career so far was at the Western Canada Summer Games where she captained her team to a medal finish and led the tournament in goals.
While Ottawa is a few provinces away from Nguyen’s native Saskatchewan, Nguyen knew she wanted to expand her horizons.
“I was especially drawn to Ontario because the OUA conferences are extremely high level and competitive,” she said. “Learning about all the success the [Gee-Gees] team had, and all the former players who played professionally, I could easily infer that this team would push me to reach my full potential.”
While the program was a major selling point for the U of O, Nguyen took other aspects of the university into consideration when deciding to join the Gee-Gees.
“Choosing a university isn’t just about sports, it’s also the place where I’ll be spending four years learning and getting a degree,” she said. “As a French immersion student, continuing to practice the language is really important to me.”
“After finding out that the University of Ottawa was the largest English-French bilingual school in the world, I knew that this was the place I wanted to be for the next four years.”
Jerry Delorme – Football
After a high school football career with Ottawa’s Colonel By Cougars, Jerry Delorme will be joining the Gee-Gees football team in the fall.
While Delorme did not have the picture perfect experience in high school football due to an injury during his sophomore year, he overcame the obstacle and had a great junior season.
“Working out consistently, training in the summer, and getting some extra reps after practices were what really helped me have a great junior season,” Delorme said. “Patience and trusting the process also helped me persevere through my first two seasons until I was given the opportunity to showcase my skills.”
Unfortunately, Delorme did not get a senior season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet instead of falling into a negative spot, Delorme continued to work hard.
“My grades went up, and I’ve invested a lot of my time into the gym and training so I could be as ready as possible before heading into university.”
For Delorme, there were numerous reasons to commit to the U of O. Particularly, the Gee-Gees were one of the first schools to reach out to Delorme and continued to keep in touch with him. When he visited, Delorme enjoyed his experience meeting players and coaches.
“With the arrival of coach [Marcel] Bellefeuille and the incoming transfers and recruits, I feel like we have a really strong, title contending team,” Delorme said. “Learning and competing with all these players during practice will only help me grow as an athlete.”
As a local athlete, Delorme is eager to grow as a player and person at the U of O, contribute to the community, and of course, for game days — particularly Panda games.
“I always thought it would be amazing to be able to say in the future that I helped bring the national championship back home to Ottawa.”
Quincy Louis-Jeune – Men’s basketball
The Gee-Gees men’s basketball team is welcoming Quincy Louis-Jeune to the program after an outstanding season with College Montmorency in Laval, Qc. The guard will be sure to provide talent and skill to the U of O team, coming off MVP and All-Star acknowledgements after his final CEGEP season.
“The recruitment process was fun,” Louis-Jeune said. “I just remember working really hard in the classroom and putting some extra hours in the gym which made me a lot better.”
Louis-Jeune had a successful season even though it was cut short due to COVID-19. Still, he has continued to think about the game, and work towards getting better for his arrival with the Gee-Gees.
“I’ve been on a constant grind to get better mentally and physically, and just learn about the game and striving to be a better player so I can have an immediate impact and be ready.”
Louis-Jeune wanted to play on a national championship-contending team — one of the main reasons he chose the U of O. He also already developed a good relationship with the Gee-Gees coaches and players.
“I like their style of play and the culture here in general,” Louis-Jeune said. “Also, I am a french speaker and the fact that I can take my classes in French here influenced my decision a lot.”
Heading into the fall, Louis-Jeune is looking forward to being a part of the team and building his connection with coaches and teammates while working to be a better player and person.
“I’m looking forward to winning games and to play at nationals, and even win the title one day.”
