Olds College's athletes traded in jerseys, shorts and cleats for suits, dresses and high-heeled shoes at the school's annual Broncos Athletics Awards Night at the Ralph Klein Centre on April 10.
After MC Bob Murray, the college's athletic health and wellness supervisor, recognized the dozens of athletes who received all-conference awards in the Alberta Colleges Athletic League (ACAL) and the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC), coach Reg Carrick, who helmed the school's women's basketball team to a bronze medal at the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) championships last month in Nova Scotia, made a special presentation honouring player Jerri-lyn Chisholm.
“Without whom none of our success was possible,” he said.
Carrick described Chisholm, a forward for the team, as the “most loyal athlete” and as someone willing to “give an elbow or take an elbow so that we could win.”
“Usually (she) gave an elbow,” he said.
Carrick also told the crowd of roughly 100 athletes, coaches and school staff present for the awards that it was Chisholm who played a major role in keeping the team from “falling apart at Christmas” when morale was low amongst players.
Academic awards given to athletes who maintained a grade-point average (GPA) of 3.5 or higher went to women's soccer player Lorelee Grattidge, who maintained a 4.0 GPA, and men's curler Shay Pridmore, who maintained a GPA of 3.8.
Rookie of the year honours for athletes competing in the ACAL went to basketball player Kyle Smith and futsal player Jessica Whyte.
In the ACAC category, the winners were volleyball player Jamie Craig for the women and volleyball player Lachie Pollock for the men.
Athlete of the year honours for competitors in the ACAL went to volleyball player Tyson Hildebrandt and basketball player Kylee Lebedeff.
Curler Chad Rottier was named the college's ACAC male athlete of the year and Jylisa Williams was named—to a standing ovation— the female athlete of the year.
All of the award winners were selected by the college's coaches.
Williams, 23, who was also named the 2013 CCAA women's basketball player of the year and holds ACAC records for scoring 52 points in under 25 minutes and handling 18 defensive rebounds in a game, said capping off her fairy-tale season as one of the Broncos' four athletes of the year is a career highlight.
“A lot of the other awards, they were very dear to my heart, but this one was the most, because this one is where I originated, from Olds,” she said. “Just to get this award and the standing ovation, it's really, really special.”
Williams added she has not yet made a choice about what university she plans to attend next year to further her pursuits in academics and basketball.
