Laurentian soccer players named university athletes of the year

The Laurentian Voyageurs gave out their annual awards last week, with soccer players Hunter Jones and Timi Aliu named the Female and Male Athlete of the Year.

Long jumper and triple jumper, Shelley Hladin, was named the Female Rookie of the Year, while basketball wing, Ismael Konate, was named the Male Rookie of the Year. Head coach of the men’s and women’s curling teams, Ryan Lafraniere, was named the Voyageurs’ Coach of the Year while Dr. Cole Giffin and John Sabourin were each honoured with the Special Voyageur Award.

Jones was dominant in the crease throughout the season, posting a .784 save percentage. On top of being named an OUA East division second team all-star, she finished fifth in the OUA with 58 saves.

Finishing the year with two shutouts, Jones also managed to be tenth best with her save percentage and she is also the first Voyageurs women’s soccer player to earn all-star recognition since 2018.

Aliu led the Voyageurs in scoring this season, with four goals in eleven games, good for a top-20 mark in the OUA. He managed to score in three consecutive games against the conference’s top two teams.

Aliu was also recognized as an OUA East division second team all-star.

Shelley Hladin left her mark on the track, eclipsing the school long jump record twice. Along with

breaking records, Hladin also topped the podium in Toronto, earning a gold medal and a ticket to the OUA Championships. Throughout the season, she managed to get four top-ten finishes, finishing twelfth in the long jump and sixteenth in the triple jump at the OUA Championships.

Ismael Konate was recognized as a member of the OUA All-Rookie Team this season, starting in 15 of the 27 games. Throughout his rookie season, Konate averaged 10.9 points per game, all while grabbing 7.1 rebounds per game. He was ranked twelfth in the OUA in rebounds per game and seventeenth in field goal percentage, finishing with 48.7.

The Special Voyageur Award is presented to someone outside of the immediate Voyageur family, who has made an outstanding contribution to Voyageurs Athletics. This year’s recipients, Dr. Cole Giffin and John Sabourin, contributed greatly to the Voyageurs programs over the years.

For years, Dr. Giffin has been a familiar figure in the Ben Avery. Transitioning from his days as a men’s soccer player, Cole redirected his focus to providing off-field support for our teams. His journey led him to discover a passion for Sport Psychology, culminating in the completion of his PhD this past winter.

Since then, he has been a consistent presence for both the men’s soccer and women’s basketball teams, extending his assistance to other programs upon request. Dr. Giffin has played a pivotal role in spearheading a department-wide initiative involving experts from various fields, aimed at bolstering support for all of the student-athletes, department wide.

For over two decades, Sabourin has served as the trusted game day photographer for the department and this award serves as a tribute to his unwavering commitment to the teams, student-athletes, and coaches. Whether braving scorching August soccer matches or enduring nearly cancelled OUA Nordic Ski Championships amidst freezing February temperatures, John has been a constant presence for the Voyageurs, diligently capturing the essence of our student-athletes’ perseverance, dedication and sacrifices across all seasons.

Following the leadership that led the women’s team to secure an OUA gold medal and make an appearance in the USPORTS Championships, curling head coach Ryan Lafraniere, was awarded the Voyageurs’ Coach of the Year award. Under his guidance, the women’s team added one OUA Athlete of the Week recognition and two second-team All-Canadians to their ranks.

Team awards were also announced on Wednesday. Here are the recipients for the Pride and Tradition Award from the various teams.