For the second straight season, a pair of international student-athletes took top billing at the Olds College Broncos awards night, held Wednesday, April 3 at the TransCanada Theatre.
Brittney Thibeaux capped off a dream season in style.
The Lake Villa, Ill., native repeated as female athlete of the year after a decorated season that saw her become the second student-athlete in Broncos history to be named the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) player of the year in women’s basketball after also claiming Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) player of the year honours.
She then led the Broncos to the school’s first national championship in any CCAA sport with most valuable player performances at both the ACAC and CCAA women’s basketball championships.
Meanwhile, Fabian Gromenida took home male athlete of the year honours.
The speedy forward from Formosa, Argentina dominated in both soccer and futsal this season. He earned ACAC South All-Conference honours in soccer after scoring 11 goals in 10 regular season games, then added ACAC All-Tournament Team recognition after a stellar showing at the ACAC Futsal championships in Lethbridge in March.
Felicia Rodney also enjoyed a strong campaign with the Broncos, as she added to her ACAC rookie of the year award in soccer by capturing the Broncos’ overall female rookie of the year honour.
Originally from Calgary, Rodney enjoyed an exceptional season in both soccer and futsal, finishing second in the ACAC with 14 goals in the soccer season and being a consistent offensive threat in both sports.
On the men’s side, volleyball player Thundersky Walkingbear took home male rookie of the year honours.
The Thunderchild, Sask. native had an exceptional rookie campaign on the court for the Broncos, leading the team with 228 kills and 22 service aces, then added 129 digs and 16 stuff blocks to provide the Broncos with a consistent threat any time he stepped on the court.
Men’s volleyball captain Jesse Stoddart joined Thibeaux as a repeat winner.
The Calgary native took home the male impact athlete of the year award for the second straight season in tribute to his efforts on the court and in the community, including his volunteer work at the Canada Winter Games and Oldstoberfest, as well as being a celebrity reader and coaching volleyball at the club and high school levels.
Meanwhile, Jesse Jack’s incredible community efforts were suitably recognized, as she became the fourth straight women’s hockey player to be named the Broncos female impact athlete of the year.
The Byemoor, Alta., native was heavily involved on campus and in the community this season, including ties to Special Olympics, as well as community initiatives like Oldstoberfest and Olds Fashioned Christmas. She was also a member of the Broncos’ student-athlete leadership team.
There were ties in both academic student-athlete of the year categories with volleyball player Karley Dieken (Vermillion, Alta.), another repeat winner, sharing the female award with soccer and futsal player Katharina Oeltermann (Pattensen, Germany) on identical 4.0 GPAs (grade point averages).
Both men’s award winners came from Calgary as volleyball player Devin Vriend and basketball player Cale Scotton shared the honour, with both netting 3.8 GPAs.
