Cycling named top club

After OUA championship, women’s fencers take home awards

Anna Rogers and Brad Parsons saw their impressive Gaels careers recognized at Monday’s ceremony at the ARC.
Image supplied by: Supplied by Ian MacAlpine
Anna Rogers and Brad Parsons saw their impressive Gaels careers recognized at Monday’s ceremony at the ARC.

Queen’s has a new top athletics club for the first time in three years, with cycling taking the highest honour at Monday night’s Club Awards banquet.

The athletics ceremony, which celebrates the top club athletes and teams Queen’s has to offer, took place at the ARC and was decked out in a red carpet theme.

The five most sought-after awards throughout the night were the Award of Merit for the top club team, the Alfie Pierce Trophies for best male and female rookies, the Marion Ross Trophy for top female athlete and the Jack Jarvis Award for top male athlete.

MVP and Rookie of the Year awards were also handed out for each team, as voted upon by coaches and players alike.

Award of Merit for top team: Cycling

For the first time in their history, the cycling team captured the Award of Merit at the varsity club banquet.

The 2013-14 season saw the team capture its fourth straight University Cup provincial championship, which was highlighted by dominating performances over their rivals from Guelph in both the men’s and women’s divisions.

Queen’s finished the season with a staggering total of 2,000 points, 400 more than the second-place Gryphons.

Gaels captain Etienne Moreau, who placed first overall in the Men’s A division this year, said he was thrilled with the victory and to have his team’s success recognized.

“The team just really did awesome,” Moreau said. “The women’s side was stronger then ever, and the guys from the B category, which is the beginner’s category, went to the A category and had great success and scored many points for Queen’s. That brought us the cup home.”

Moreau pointed out that for Queen’s cycling, winning the Ontario championship is the goal coming into every season.

“The goal was definitely to win,” he said. “But Guelph is our main competitor and they come back every year stronger then ever.”

For this year, at least, they weren’t strong enough.

Marion Ross Trophy for the top female athlete: Anna Rogers (Fencing)

You can go ahead and add the Marion Ross Trophy to Anna Rogers’ impressive athletic resume.

The graduating senior had a year to remember by consistently finishing in the top five in OUA competition, contributing to a team fencing championship and being named the top female club athlete at Queen’s.

Rogers is no stranger to success. She was a four-time OUA All-Star over her career, finishing with one gold, one silver and two bronze medals in OUA competition.

The fencing team has come far under her leadership.

“We went from third three years ago to second last year, and then this year we came home with the [OUA] banner,” Rogers said. “I think it symbolizes how wonderful we did as a team over the past three years.

“We made a game plan months before, we stuck to it, we worked hard, and we accomplished our goals,” she added. “I guess that’s the best ending to a story like this.”

Jack Jarvis Trophy for the top male athlete: Brad Parsons (Cycling/Nordic Skiing)

It’s impressive enough being an elite student-athlete. Being competitive on two club teams is something only a special few can accomplish.

Parsons is one of those unique athletes, competing on both the cycling and Nordic skiing teams. He was rewarded for his efforts this year with the Jack Jarvis Trophy, which goes to the top male club athlete at Queen’s.

Parsons was a key contributor to cycling’s first-place finish, moving up to the A Category from the B Category this season.

He also accomplished his goal of reaching the top 15 on the OUA circuit this year in Nordic skiing, while serving as a student-coach on the team.

“I thought I remained pretty competitive over the year,” Parsons said. “Being a coach for the Nordic team this year, I really focused on getting everyone enthused and working together with other leaders on the team to make sure that we had great team success.”

Alfie Pierce Trophy for the top female rookie: Lily Jiang (Fencing)

You know your team is in good hands when a rookie comes in and achieves OUA All-Star status. That’s exactly what Jiang accomplished in her first university season. Jiang captured first place overall in the Individual Sabre event and was an integral piece to the overall first-place finish at the OUA championships for the women’s side this year.

“I’m just so glad that our team got recognized for all of the hard work that we put in to the season, because we deserve it,” Jiang said. “It’s been 10 years since we’ve gotten the [OUA] banner, and I’m just so glad our team effort paid off this year.”

Alfie Pierce Trophy for the top male rookie: Alex Wilkie (Track)

In his first year on the track team, Wilkie exceeded expectations by qualifying for the CIS national championships, running in the 3,000 m race. He managed to finish eighth at the OUA championships, but proved he can excel on the big stage by running a solid race and finishing ninth at nationals.

“It’s a huge honour,” Wilkie said of winning the award. “It’s something that I’ve thought about ever since I started the season.”

Tags

Athletics, Colour Awards, cycling, Jiang, Parsons, Rogers, varsity clubs, Wilkie

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