OLDS — Soccer and futsal dominated the major award selections as the Olds College Broncos held their annual Awards Night.
Tiona Paton of Morinville, who is pursuing a bachelor of applied science - agribusiness and Pedro Noschang of Novo Hamburgo, Brazil, who is enrolled in business management, were named the 2023-24 Broncos Female and Male Athletes of the Year, respectively.
It’s Paton’s second consecutive Broncos Female Athlete of the Year selection.
That honour was earned after the third-year striker secured Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) South All-Conference selections in both soccer and futsal, scoring a combined 27 goals in 25 matches between the two sports.
During her career, Paton has two All-Conference selections in women’s soccer. The 2023-24 season was the first time the ACAC awarded All-Conference selections in futsal.
On the men’s side, Noschang was a force for the Broncos in both sports, but particularly in futsal, where he scored nine goals across 14 matches as he became the inaugural ACAC South Men’s Futsal Player of the Year.
He built on that recognition by being selected to the Second All-Tournament Team during the 2024 ACAC Men’s Futsal Championship in Lac La Biche, where the Broncos earned a bronze medal.
Joining Noschang on the Second All-Tournament Team in Lac La Biche was Simon Puddicombe of Whitecourt, who is studying Sports Management.
He picked up the Broncos Male Rookie of the Year award after scoring 15 goals in 15 matches, including four goals in five matches in Lac La Biche.
On the women’s side, Alyssa Wachniak of St. Albert, who is enrolled in open studies, completed the futsal haul by earning Female Rookie of the Year honours.
During the season, she took significant strides on the pitch and on the court, scoring five goals in 13 futsal matches while also providing a formidable defensive presence.
The Broncos also honoured their student-athletes’ commitment to academics, athletics and the community through the Broncos Impact Athlete of the Year awards.
Women’s volleyball captain Lexi Lafreniere of Calgary who is in the equine reproduction technician program, was named the Female Impact Athlete of the Year.
That’s due to her leadership on the court and for volunteering to coach in the women’s volleyball summer camp program while also taking the lead on a collaborative program with mental health services on campus.
Corbin MacMillan of Youngstown, who is studying agricommerce, was named the Male Impact Athlete of the Year.
The second-year men’s basketball player was recognized for his extensive volunteer efforts with camps, gym classes and events at various schools in Olds.
Another factor was his summers spent working with youth and with church basketball for kids and adults to help foster their love of the game year-round.
The Broncos also celebrated academic excellence, as a total of 11 student-athletes shared the honour of being Academic Student-Athletes of the Year after registering identical 4.0 GPAs (grade point averages) during the fall semester.
- Geordie Carragher is a sports Information coordinator for Broncos Athletics.
