McDonald and Shortt named Acadia's Outstanding Athletes of the Year

WOLFVILLE, N.S. – Acadia University's Department of Athletics announced this evening the 2022-23 Major Award winners and team award winners at the annual Fred G. Kelly Awards Night.

Fourth-year swimmer Gordon Shortt (Simcoe, Ont.) and fifth-year basketball Axewoman Haley McDonald (Port Williams, N.S.) concluded the evening as the Athenaeum Male Athlete of the Year and the Jean Marsh Female Athlete of the Year respectively.

McDonald was also named by the AUS today as the recipient of the annual James Bayer Award. The James Bayer Memorial Scholarship Award was established in 1985 and is awarded annually to an outstanding student-athlete in Atlantic University Sport for excellence in academics, athletics, leadership, sportsmanship, and citizenship.

Basketball's Gabe Davignon (Whites Lake, N.S.) was named this year's Outstanding First-Year Male Athlete of the Year.

Gabe averaged 12.8 points per game, tied for the highest average points per game on the Axemen roster and earning him a spot on the AUS men's basketball all-rookie team.

The Outstanding First-Year Female Athlete of the Year award was shared by Basketball's Bianca Helmig (Speyer, DEU) and Swimmer Sophie Rooney (Halifax, N.S.).

A commanding presence in the pool, a first-year swimmer from Halifax, N.S., Sophie Rooney made her mark in the 2022-23 season, qualifying for U SPORTS in her first-ever AUS race at UNB. Sophie capped her season racing in 1 U SPORTS C final and 3 U SPORTS B finals with an overall 10^th place finish in the country in 200m backstroke. The AUS swimming female rookie of the meet and AUS swimming female rookie of the year.  

Known as a top defender in the AUS, Helmig averaged 8.4 points, 1.5 steals, and 3.2 assists per game in the season, boasting a 96.7% free throw average and 37.7 field goal percentage.

This year's Roger Prentice Female Citizen Award winner is Basketball's Julia Sylvester (Dundas, Ont.)

Third-year wing and perennial academic All-Canadian, Julia is a positive force on our women's basketball team. recovering from an ACL injury in 2022, Julia has been dedicated to her recovery, as well as her academics, along with continually volunteering to better her community. an active volunteer head coach with the local axe basketball program, Julia also finds time to lead her team to support their community initiatives as the women's basketball shoot for the cure lead.

She's the co-director of Acadia Motionball, the local chapter of a national non-profit whose mandate is to introduce the next generation of donors, volunteers, and sponsors to the Special Olympics, as well as the Vice-President of the acadia political science association. Off campus, she's an active volunteer member of the Wolfville refugee support network, as well as active in the ride for refuge, raising money for charities helping people needing refuge from hardship, danger, and abuse. 

The Roger Prentice Male Citizen Award was awarded to Hockey's Jack Flaman (Vibank, Sask.).

Jack is a fifth-year senior, graduating with his Bachelor of Education. Captain of our men's hockey team, Jack has been an integral part of the program's leadership for the past number of years and has been a growing force in the community in the fight against multiple sclerosis. Following the diagnosis of his brother in 2020, Jack has been dedicated to raising funds and awareness for MS.

In 2021, Jack ran the Valley Harvest half marathon in support of his brother, raising over 10k. This year, partnered with UPEI's Carson MacKinnon, Jack, and Carson used home games in January as fundraisers for MS and started an awareness campaign, which was recognized throughout the Atlantic provinces. during their month-long campaign, Carson and Jack raised over 17 thousand dollars for the MS Society of Canada.

The President's Award was established in recognition of Acadia's 175th Anniversary. Individuals chosen for this award have displayed the highest standard of leadership and will be known as builders because of the impact they have had on their teams.

This year's Female President's Award winner is Basketball's Haley McDonald.

Fifth-year guard from Port Williams, NS, Haley's return to Acadia has been a memorable one, with several record-breaking appearances and accolades commemorating an unforgettable season. As a leader on the court, Haley struck the perfect balance of teammate and coach to help support and lead her team, using her experience and dedication as an example for her teammates.

An inspiring player for fans, her mark extends far into the community which was captured best by the first sell-out basketball game in over a decade, where many members of the King's County community came to say goodbye to the hometown hero who was characterized by resiliency, growth, success, and a lasting legacy on axewomen basketball and Acadia.  

Hockey's Conor McCollum is this year's Male President's Award winner.

In his first years at Acadia, Conor was the third-string goalie with the Axemen hockey program. Over his Acadia hockey career, he continued to work tirelessly on his game, marked by the fact that in four years with the program, Conor missed zero practices, except for injury. By his third year, he moved into the backup goalie spot and remained unwavering in his commitment to every game and practice.

Now, in his last season, Conor earned the starting spot, is a central part of the team leadership, and helped lead the team to an AUS semi-final appearance. Now at the end of the season, being named the team's most valuable player. One of the team's strongest leaders, his dedication, passion, and commitment represent the highest standard of character and leadership and will have a lasting impact on the program for years to come. 

This year's Acadia Student Union Jimmy Atomate Award winner is Basketball's Haley McDonald.

The award is dedicated in the memory of Jimmy Atomate who died at the young age of 18 and who was an active participant in Intramural Sports. The Award is given annually to a Varsity Athlete who made an exceptional effort to connect with students and fans.

Team Awards