2016-17 AUS Swimming Awards Announced

(HALIFAX, N.S.) - Atlantic University Sport is pleased to announce the 2016-17 AUS swimming major award winners as selected by the conference's six head coaches.

Fourth-year Mount Pearl, N.L. native Gavin Dyke and third-year Newcastle, England native Phoebe Lenderyou, both of the Dalhousie Tigers, were named the male and female AUS swimmers of the year Friday afternoon. This marks the second consecutive win for both of them.

All of this season's AUS major award winners were announced during today's awards luncheon hosted by the University of Prince Edward Island and held at the Rodd Charlottetown hotel in Charlottetown, P.E.I.

Acadia's Brett Liem of Bedford, N.S., and Dalhousie's Alexis Bragman of Toronto, Ont., were named male and female AUS rookies of the year.

Memorial's Logan Slade of St. John's, N.L., received the male student-athlete community service award. UNB's Lauren Adam of Fredericton, N.B., was the recipient of the female student-athlete community service award.

In his fifth season as head coach of the Dalhousie Tigers, Lance Cansdale once again earned AUS men's and women's coach of the year honours.

SWIMMER OF THE YEAR (Men's Swimming): Gavin Dyke, Dalhousie

Gavin Dyke, a fourth-year arts student from Mount Pearl, N.L., had an exceptional season in the pool for the defending AUS champion Dalhousie Tigers and has been named the AUS male swimmer of the year.

This is Dyke's second consecutive year earning the AUS swimmer of the year award and his third career AUS major award. He was named AUS rookie of the year following his freshman season during which he swam for the Memorial Sea-Hawks in 2013-14.

This season, with the Dalhousie Tigers, Dyke has earned a medal in all 14 races he has entered, capturing gold in 10 of these.

Specializing in freestyle events, Dyke set three new AUS records this season at the Kemp-Fry Invitational Meet at Dalhousie. His record setting times were 1:47.63 in the 200m freestyle event, 7:26.84 in the 800m freestyle relay (in which he was the lead-off) and 3:43.16 in the 400m medley relay (in which he completed the freestyle leg).

Nationally, Dyke is currently ranked third in U Sports in the 200m freestyle, sixth in the 100m freestyle and 12^th in the 400m freestyle.

Heading into the 2017 Subway AUS Swimming Championships, he has already qualified for the U Sports Championship 50m, 100m, 200m and 400m freestyle events.

"Gavin's success is a testament to his dedication and commitment to continuous improvement," said Dalhousie athletic director Tim Maloney. "He has turned into a good leader by example and by performance."

SWIMMER OF THE YEAR (Women's Swimming): Phoebe Lenderyou, UPEI

Phoebe Lenderyou, a third-year management student from Newcastle, England is the 2016-17 AUS female swimmer of the year.

This is the second consecutive season Lenderyou has earned the honour. She was also named the 2014-15 AUS rookie of the year following her impressive freshman season.

This season, she set a new AUS record in the 50m butterfly event at the Kemp-Fry Invitational Meet hosted by Dalhousie with a time of 27.02.

Lenderyou currently holds or shares eight AUS conference records.

Nationally, she is now ranked third in U Sports in the 50m butterfly event, fourth in the 50m and 100m backstroke events and fifth in the 200m backstroke.

She boasts a perfect record this regular season, having won gold in all 15 events she has entered and having been a part of the first-place team in all nine relay races she has taken part in.

She participated in 39 individual races throughout the course of her AUS career and has managed a first-place finish in every one of them.

"Although it has been a tough season due to a nagging back injury, Phoebe has been able to still manage herself to record performances in the pool and academic excellence in the classroom," said Tigers head coach Lance Cansdale.

"Our team captain this season, her consistency and determination with how she approaches all her races with a winning attitude is a shining example to all of her teammates. Truly a 'world-class' talent and leader that continues to strive for improvement."

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR (Men's Swimming): Brett Liem, Acadia

The 2016-17 AUS male rookie of the year is Brett Liem from Acadia University.

The first-year science student from Bedford, N.S., Liem had a solid freshman season for the Axemen, setting several new school records.

He set a new Acadia record in the 50m freestyle, the 50m breaststroke and the 50m butterfly.

Liem has also been a vital part of several Axemen relay teams this season.

Heading into his first AUS championship, he has already posted U Sports championship qualifying times in both the 50m freestyle and 50m breaststroke events.

"In his first year at Acadia, Brett Liem has been outstanding in his performances," said Acadia head coach Gary MacDonald. "Brett is probably one of the best sprinters to come out of the Maritimes in many years."

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR (Women's Swimming): Alexis Bragman, Dalhousie

The AUS female rookie of the year for 2016-17 is Alexis Bragman from the Dalhousie Tigers.

A first-year medical sciences student from Toronto, Ont., Bragman had an impressive freshman season with the Tigers, winning five events in AUS competition and finishing in the top three in six other events.

Her top finishes included earning first-place finishes in both the 100m breaststroke and the 400m individual medley events at the Kemp-Fry Invitational Meet and placing first in the 200m breaststroke at the Tri-Dual meet at Acadia.

Nationally, Bragman is currently ranked 24^th in U Sports in the 200m breaststroke and the 400m individual medley.

She also proved to be an integral part of Dalhousie's AUS-leading women's relay teams this season, swimming on the 400m medley relay team which currently holds a sixth-place U Sports ranking. Heading into the AUS championships, this relay team has already qualified for the national championships. 

"Alexis has displayed huge improvements in all strokes that have ranked her nationally beyond her specialty of breaststroke," said head coach Lance Cansdale. "She has also added a well-needed quality to our breaststroke ranks that will allow our relay to place high on the national level—which is not to diminish her opportunity to score at the U Sports championship in individual events."

"She is very coachable and will continue to improve as she gains more experience at the national level."

COACH OF THE YEAR (Men's and Women's Swimming): Lance Cansdale, Dalhousie

Dalhousie Tigers head coach Lance Cansdale has been selected by his peers as the 2016-17 AUS men's and women's swimming coach of the year.

In his fifth year at the helm of the Tigers' programs, Cansdale enters the Subway AUS Swimming Championships with an unblemished record, having led both the men's and women's Tigers teams to AUS championship banner wins in each of his five seasons.

At the national level, last year's Tigers women's team placed fifth, while the men's team placed sixth at the national championship

Coach Cansdale is a former four-time NAIA all-American with over forty years' experience as a competitive swimming professional and athlete. This is the fifth consecutive season he has taken home AUS coach of the year honours on the women's side, and the third time in his career he has earned the honour on the men's side.

Prior to joining AUS, Cansdale was honoured with several other swimming accolades, including being named the British Columbia Swim Coaches Association coach of the year twice and also earning the Canadian Swimming Coaches Association coaching recognition award.

This weekend, Cansdale will look to coach his Tigers men's and women's teams to their 19^th and 16^th consecutive AUS championship banners, respectively.

"Lance continues to demonstrate incredible leadership for our swim program, especially this year with the challenges his team has faced," said Dalhousie Tigers athletic director Tim Maloney. "His commitment to the success of his student-athletes in and out of the pool is inspiring."

STUDENT-ATHLETE COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD (Men's Swimming): Logan Slade, Memorial

Logan Slade of the Memorial Sea-Hawks is the 2016-17 AUS male student-athlete community service award recipient.

Slade is a third-year kinesiology student from St. John's, N.L., in his second year of eligibility for the Sea-Hawks men's swim team.

In the classroom, he has managed a cumulative GPA of 3.76 and currently boasts a 4.0 GPA. He is the recipient of the Memorial University Endowment Fund Scholarship as well as the Centenary of Responsible Government Scholarship.

Slade is heavily involved in an array of community initiatives. He is a volunteer swim coach for Special Olympics Newfoundland and a former swim coach for the St. John's Legends Swim Club.

He volunteers his time as a peer mentor for high school students, as well as with P.L.A.Y. (Physical Literacy for All Youth)—a university student-run program which promotes physical literacy among young children in the community.

Slade also serves on several committees, including the Academic Council Committee, the Undergraduate Studies Committee and the Student Advisory Committee. He is a member of the Human Kinetics and Recreation Society, Recreation Newfoundland and Labrador, and the Interprofessional Skills Training program at Memorial's Health Sciences Centre.  

Furthermore, Slade has volunteered his time with several events, including Swim for Hope which raises money for cancer research, the Red Shoe Crew Walk which raises money for Ronald McDonald House and the local children's hospital, the Terry Fox Run, the We Scare Hunger food drive and Run for the Cure.

Logan is an extremely dedicated athlete who does not miss an opportunity to be involved in committees and special projects," said Sea-Hawks co-head coach Duffy Earle. "Although he has an extremely busy schedule, Logan makes a point of seeking out opportunities to volunteer in the community."

"Logan is a great team member who is overwhelmingly supportive of his teammates and a leader in our program."

STUDENT-ATHLETE COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD (Women's Swimming): Lauren Adam, UNB

The 2016-17 recipient of the AUS female student-athlete community service award is Lauren Adam of the UNB Varsity Reds.

A fourth-year kinesiology student from Fredericton, N.B., Adam is a three-time academic all-Canadian, on pace to earn the honour for a fourth consecutive year.

She was recently named a Sir Howard Douglas Scholar, awarded for excellence in academics and community involvement.

In the pool, she is one of the top athletes in the conference in her specialty breaststroke events. She earned two silver medals at last year's AUS championship and has earned multiple first-place and top three finishes in regular season competition this season.

In both the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons, Adam earned the Edwin Jacob Special University Scholarship and the George & Elaine Andrews Memorial Scholarship in Athletics.

She was also awarded the 2015-16 Alumni Merit Award, and the 2015-16 Helen Neill Campbell Merit Award for her successful season both in the classroom and in the pool. 

Along with her efforts in sport and academics, she is heavily involved in her community. Adam volunteers weekly at the UNB campus pharmacy. She also volunteers with the Stan Cassidy Rehabilitation Centre and Restorative Health Centre, assisting therapists and guiding physio patients in exercises.

She has also volunteered her time with the SPCA in Oromocto, the Hospice Boutique at the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital and the Parish of Sts. John and Paul in New Maryland, N.B.