A badminton player and a member of the Womens Soccer Team were named the 2007-08 Athletes of the Year at the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack Athletics Award Banquet. Badminton player Garrett Babichuk (1st year, Kelowna BC) and Shannen Meyer (2nd year, Kamloops BC) of Womens Soccer were named as the University’s top athletes.
Babichuk was a silver medal winner at the Provincial College Badminton Championships, teaming up with Andy Chu (4 th year, Tiawan). They also captured a bronze medal at the Nationals in New Brunswick. Babichuk and his BC Wildcard teammates also captured the bronze in the team event.
“ I think when you select a person to be the athlete of the year, you need to be a well rounded person that is willing to share his skills and volunteer his time to teach others outside of the university as well as being a top athlete” stated his coach Brad Pape.
"I couldn't believe it when my name was called," said Babichuk afterwards "Usually its the big sports like Basketball or Soccer who get these awards. I'm honored."
Meyer had an outstanding season. She was elected to the BC First All Star team and presented with an Canadian College Athletic Association All Canadian award. “ Shannon just loves to play soccer,” commented WolfPack Coach Eric Schweizer . “She was an integral part of the back 4 which allowed the fewest goals in league play. She is a physical force and plays the stopper position in a very physical and aggressive style. She also contributed at the other end by scoring five goals. Her selection as a CCAA All Canadian was well deserved and we’re looking forward to an even better Shannen this fall ”
"I was a little shocked," Meyer said afterwards "More excited than anything. If it weren't for the confidence of the coaches and the support of my teammates, I wouldn't have done as well". She admits that she'll have to shoulder a lot of the load if the Lady WolfPack are to win a National championship next year.
Soccer took home the most hardware from the banquet. Cari Sutcliffe of the Womens team and James Byra were chosen as the Top Scholar Athletes: an award which is now named after outgoing TRU President Roger Barnsley. Both were BC College and Canadian College Athletic Association Top Scholars.
Byra was one of the captains of the mens varsity team. He was also a first team allstar and named top defender at the Provincials and a tournament allstar at the Nationals. He is in his 4 th year majoring in Psychology.
Sutcliffe’s rookie campaign was one to remember. Playing sweeper, she was a Provincial First Team Allstar and was named rookie of the year. “It was important for me to do well in school,” said a surprised Sutcliffe “Winning these awards is an honour. But it wouldn’t have happened without the help of a lot of very talented teammates. “ Sutcliffe is enrolled in the Engineering Design and Drafting Techology Program. “Next year is the final year of my program,” she explains “Balancing the workload is going to be a lot harder because the course work is more difficult and our soccer season will run longer. I am hoping to keep up the good grades and still perform well on the field. It’ll mean a lot of late nights and more studying on the road.”
Brian Smith (5 th year Forward, Maple Ridge BC) was co-captain of the Mens Basketball Team. He was awarded the Sports Task Force Male Athlete of the Year. This award went to someone who combines leadership and community service along with a Grade Point Average of 3.0 or better and was a key part of their team. Smith, who will start a job with BC Land Assessments in Kamloops when he graduates with a Batchelor of Business Administration in May, was involved in a number of community projects. He also coached in the Kamloops Basketball Academy. Smith will join the WolfPack Coaching Staff in September as an Assistant with the Mens Basketball Program.
The Sports Task Force Female Athlete of the Year was Sara Cameron of the Womens Basketball Team. Cameron was her clubs captain. She, too coached in the Kamloops Basketball Association. As well, Cameron was the Vice President and Treasurer of the WolfPack Athlete Sports Council. The 4 th year guard (Langley BC) was the most visible member of her club in the community, being the spokesperson for them at many media events
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The Awards also saw the introduction of the TRU WolfPack Appreciation Award. This will be given to a person who has promoted or supported the Athletic program at Thompson Rivers. The inaugural winner was President Roger H. Barnsley. Barnsley not only achieved University Status for the institution, but also played a key role in getting the WolfPack basketball and volleyball programs into the CIS.