MEDIA RELEASES
March 19, 2008
Sport Manitoba Salutes Manitoba’s Best
Winnipeg - Volleyball player Ashley Voth and Diver Cam Mclean have been selected Manitoba’s Female and Male Junior Athletes of the Year based on their athletic achievements in 2007.
It’s the second time Voth has won the award. She was also Junior Female Athlete in 2004 and becomes the sixth two-time winner joining hockey player Jonathon Toews, speed skater Brittany Schussler, table tennis player David Ramdeen, swimmer Shannon Shakespeare and speed skater Stacey Crockett, all who won the award twice.
The Team Manitoba Canada Winter Games Under-17 Men’s Hockey Team was named the Calm Air Junior Team of the Year.
The Sport Manitoba Awards were presented in conjunction with the 35th Annual Canadian Sport Awards held at the Garrick Theatre.
Also recognized by Sport Manitoba were Dan Tereck as Great-West Life Volunteer of the Year, McCreary’s Matt Evenson as Great-West Life Youth Volunteer of the Year and Lynn Smith as Official of the Year.
Gazheek Morrisseau-Sinclair (Softball) and Joey Sutherland (Multi-sport) were named winners of the Tom Longboat Award as Manitoba’s Aboriginal Athletes of the Year.
Sport Manitoba’s award winners were determined from a group of nominees put forward by Provincial Sport Organizations and selected by members of the Manitoba sports media. The Manitoba Aboriginal Sport and Recreation Council made the selection of the Tom Longboat Awards.
Sport Manitoba Award Winners
Ashley Voth (Volleyball) – Sport Manitoba Female Junior Athlete of the Year
Leading the University of Manitoba Bisons in most categories, Ashley was the team MVP and was named CIS Rookie of the Year in 2007. She was a member of the Canadian Senior Women’s Team, was selected a member of Team Canada for the FISU Games and was an all star at the National Under-21 Championships.
Cam McLean (Diving) – Sport Manitoba Male Junior Athlete of the Year
Winning the 1 metre and 3 metre events at Summer Nationals and setting new national records, Cam finished the 2007 season as the top ranked junior in Canada. He went on finish in the top three at Senior Nationals and won two silver medals in springboard events at the Junior Pan Ams.
Team Manitoba Men’s Under 17 Hockey - Calm Air Junior Team of the Year
The team won an unprecedented silver medal at the 2007 Canada Winter Games. It was Manitoba’s best ever finish in men’s hockey at a Canada Games and only the second medal Manitoba has won in the sport in Canada Games history.
Dan Tereck (Tenpin Bowling) – Great-West Life Volunteer of the Year
Dan has been volunteering for over 22 years. He has been a director with the Canadian Tenpin Federation since 2004, chairing the Regulatory Unit. He is the Calendar of Events Coordinator with the Manitoba Bowling Association, Associate Director with the Manitoba Tenpin Federation and a fully certified Level II coach.
Matthew Evenson (Parkland Region) – Great-West Life Youth Volunteer of the Year
A grade 12 student at McCreary School, Matthew is an active athlete and has coached or assisted with the junior basketball, track, baseball, soccer, volleyball and golf programs. He also referees basketball and volleyball and is a leader on student council.
Lynn Smith (Gymnastics) – Sport Manitoba Official of the Year
Lynn has been an artistic gymnastics official for over 30 years and has officiated at the international level since 1991. She has officiated at four world championships, two Commonwealth Games and at the test event for the 2008 Beijing Olympics where she has also been selected to participate as Canada’s number one official.
Gazheek Morrisseau-Sinclair (Softball) – Tom Longboat Female Aboriginal Athlete of the Year
Gazheek has been participating in Softball for almost twenty years and is committed to honing her skills and celebrating her love of the game. At 24 years old, she’s now the catcher and captain of the Smitty’s Senior Softball Team and has won the National Championships for the last two years. This past year, playing against the best teams in the country, she did not allow one stolen base and she hit over .300 in both years, most recently achieving an average of .353.
Joseph “Joey” Sutherland (Multi-Sport) – Tom Longboat Male Aboriginal Athlete of the Year
Only 13 years of age, Joey has been actively participating in sports for 9 years, starting with Hockey at age 4, Fastball at age 7 and Lacrosse at age 8. Joey has been to 3 National Tournaments and 7 Provincial Championships. Joey’s most recent accomplishment is when he tried out for the AA Hockey division, the highest level a 12 year old can play, and made the North West Stars team. As a strong and courageous defenseman, Joey does not let his age get in the way of his play; at 5 feet 5 inches and 145 lbs, Joey is a powerful force on the ice and field. He is a positive young role model for Aboriginal youth and communities and his accomplishments continually make his family, friends and community proud.
