2016-17 HUMBER HAWKS VARSITY YEAR IN REVIEW
ETOBICOKE, ON: The Humber Hawks varsity program moved into the lead of the medal count both nationally (127) and provincially (518) a few years back, and they continue to build on this number and create separation from all of the other schools. This season marked yet another year when the team won multiple CCAA National medals (6 – 4 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze) and OCAA medals over the twenty mark (25 – 14 gold, 6 silver, 5 bronze). A number of student-athletes were further recognised by way individual honours, which include three CCAA National Player of the Year nods. It may be the acknowledgement of the student-athletes success in the classroom that has been MOST impactful this year, as fifty-five players were OCAA Academic All-Stars and another nine CCAA Academic All-Canadians.
MEN'S GOLF
The Humber Men's Golf team continues to sit upon the team podium, and the run now is twenty-one years long. Although it was a bronze for the first time in this multi-decade run, Humber has captured fifteen gold. Fifth-year standout Christian McCullough earned two of the most prestigious national awards available to a student-athlete, as he was both an All-Canadian and an Academic All-Canadian.
Team
OCAA Bronze
Christian McCullough
OCAA Individual Silver
CCAA All-Canadian
CCAA Academic All-Canadian
OCAA Academic All-Star
OCAA All-Ontario Team
OCAA Academic All-Stars
Eric Arruda
Cameron Brennan
Brett Kudoba
WOMEN'S GOLF
The women's team returned to the CCAA podium again this past season, grabbing national silver as a team. On the OCAA stage, it was silver as well for the Hawks squad. Sheila McKeen led the way, earning an OCAA individual bronze. In the classroom, she was also a standout, as she was named a CCAA Academic All-Canadian and OCAA Academic All-Star.
Team
CCAA Silver
OCAA Silver
OCAA Team of the Week
Sheila McKeen
OCAA Individual Bronze
CCAA Academic All-Canadian
OCAA Academic All-Star
OCAA All-Ontario Team
MEN'S BASEBALL
The Hawks men's baseball team continue to be one of the elite teams in the OCAA, as they finished second in league play with a solid 13-7 record. They went on to win their third OCAA bronze medal in the four years of OCAA play. Strong individual performances were many, with veteran Brandon Costa leading the way as an OCAA All-Star outfielder.
Team
OCAA Bronze
Brandon Costa
OCAA All-Star
Blake Kauer
OCAA Championship All-Star
Andrew Thomson
OCAA Academic All-Star
OCAA Athlete of the Week
OCAA Academic All-Stars
Steven Hough
Brandon Manley
Dylan Perego
Rory Pollard
Liam Sutherland
WOMEN'S SOFTBALL
The women's softball team, playing with a rookie-laden line-up, made great strides this year under the leadership of new head coach Duaine Bowles. They made it through to the OCAA playoffs, and although not medaling, gained valuable experience that will get them to the podium next season. Myranda Pierson was honoured as an OCAA All-Star for the second consecutive year, and Aaliyah Davidson received her first nod.
Team
OCAA Final Four
Myranda Pierson
OCAA All-Star
Aaliyah Davidson
OCAA All-Star
Sarah Franchetto
OCAA Athlete of the Week
OCAA Academic All-Stars
Taylor Kaufman
Kaitlyn Pitek
Bonnie Gillingham
WOMEN'S RUGBY 7'S
The Hawks women's rugby 7's burst onto the scene and rolled to the first ever OCAA championship title in the new sport. Although the gruelling 16 game regular schedule provided some challenges, Humber grabbed the division title with a 14-2 record. They then rolled to the title by semi and final wins by a combined score of 102-0. Veteran Charli Mocon took championship MVP honours.
Team
OCAA Gold
OCAA Division Champions
OCAA Team of the Week
Charli Mocon
OCAA Championship MVP
OCAA Athlete of the Week
OCAA Academic All-Star
Christina Branch
OCAA Championship All-Star
OCAA Athlete of the Week
Daniella Grant
OCAA All-Star
OCAA Championship All-Star
Kareece McGregor
OCAA All-Star
OCAA Championship All-Star
OCAA Academic All-Star
Natalie Carter
Laura Congdon
Ellen Mulcahy
Truly Ann Nigro
Zaynab Alimoglu
Ebony McCreath
WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
Humber's women's cross country team continues to be the class of the OCAA. They have won the last three team titles, and have been on the podium for eleven straight years, winning gold six times. The coaching staff is constantly restocking the roster with skilled runners, and this point was proven this year in the way of Kaitlin Shuvera. As a freshman, she won a plethora of awards, including a CCAA All-Canadian selection.
Team
OCAA Gold
OCAA Team of the Week
Kaitlin Shuvera
CCAA All-Canadian
CCAA Academic All-Canadian
OCAA Silver
OCAA Rookie of the Year
OCAA All-Ontario First-Team
OCAA Academic All-Star
Ivon Jaimes
OCAA All-Ontario First-Team
Coby Phillips
OCAA All-Ontario Second-Team
OCAA Academic All-Star
OCAA Academic All-Star
Danielle Dupuis
Maxine Cotton
MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
The men's cross country team continue to be among Ontario's elite teams. This past year it was silver as a squad for a squad that featured a number of first-year runners. This is certainly a positive moving forward into next year. Both Idris Ahmed (2nd year) and Orest Vesna (1st year) were recognised as members of the OCAA All-Ontario Second Team.
Team
OCAA Silver
Idris Ahmed
OCAA All-Ontario Second Team
Orest Vesna
OCAA All-Ontario Second Team
OCAA Academic All-Star
Shawn Acrey
Paul Nozicka
Aaron Veenstra
WOMEN'S SOCCER
The Hawks made great strides this year. The newly revamped club, with a roster filled with freshman athletes, made notice that the Hawks program is on its way to returning to the top of the OCAA for the next number of years. Humber made a statement by steamrolling its way into the OCAA title game, ultimately grabbing the silver medal. Four Hawks were named as OCAA Central Division All-Stars, led OCAA Rookie of the Year Haylie Mackie.
Team
OCAA Silver
Mauro Ongaro & Vince Pileggi
Central Division Coach of the Year
Hayley Mackie
Central Division Rookie of the Year
OCAA Central Division All-Star
OCAA Championship All-Star
Vanessa Fiore
OCAA Central Division All-Star
OCAA Championship All-Star
Rebecca Spratt
OCAA Central Division All-Star
OCAA Athlete of the Week
Stephanie Gutierrez
OCAA Central Division All-Star
OCAA Academic All-Star
Rebekah Alto
Caitlin Bishop
Fatima Fuentes-Martinez
Elysia Prasad
Sonia Sahota
Rachel Spratt
Megan Voutour
Alexandra Giannone
Taylor Thomson
MEN'S SOCCER
Humber continues to be the most dominant program in the entire country. This past season not only marked the fourth CCAA national title in five years, it was also the first undefeated and un-tied season in Hawks soccer history. In the regular season, OCAA and CCAA playoff play, Humber only surrendered five goals. Marcos Nunes led the way on the scoreboard and on the awards podium, capped by his CCAA Player of the Year award.
Team
CCAA Gold
OCAA Gold
OCAA Central Division Champions
OCAA Central Division Best Defensive Team
OCAA Team of the Week (x2)
Michael Aquino
OCAA Central Division Coach of the Year
Marcos Nunes
CCAA Player of the Year
CCAA All-Canadian
CCAA Championship MVP
CCAA Championship All-Star
OCAA Player of the Year
OCAA Central Division All-Star
OCAA Championship All-Star
OCAA Central Division Scoring Champion
OCAA Athlete of the Week
Kingsley Boasiako
OCAA Central Division Defensive Player of the Year
OCAA Central Division All-Star
CCAA Championship All-Star
Karman Singh
OCAA Central Division All-Star
OCAA Championship All-Star
Gerardo Magno
OCAA Central Division All-Star
Jaineil Hoilett
OCAA Central Division All-Star
CCAA Championship All-Star
Daniele Clemente
CCAA Academic All-Canadian
OCAA Central Division All-Star
OCAA Academic All-Star
Jerome Smith
OCAA Central Division All-Star
Patrick Majcher
OCAA Championship MVP
OCAA Athlete of the Week
CCAA Athlete of the Week
Julian Mullin
CCAA Championship All-Star
Thomas Balicki
OCAA Academic All-Star
MEN'S CURLING
The men's curling team were the first to shake hands to signify the winning of the title, as the Hawks had all three curling teams sweep all OCAA titles at the championships. This was the men's first crown in the current era of curling at Humber. They returned to the CCAA championships and advanced to the final four playoffs before bowing out. Three of the four Hawks were honoured as OCAA All-Stars, and then the fourth member of the squad as recognised as the All-Star lead at the CCAA Nationals just a few weeks later.
Team
OCAA Gold
CCAA Fourth
OCAA Team of the Week
Tyler Osborne
CCAA Championship 1st Team All-Star Lead
Zack Shurtleff
1st Team All-Star Skip
Kyle Mills
2nd Team All-Star Second
Sean Armstrong
2nd Team All-Star Vice
WOMEN'S CURLING
On the last shot, in the last end, of the final match of the championships, it was Skip Cassie Paccanaro that curled a shot to the button to win the Hawks women their first title of the era and cement a Humber sweep of all three disciplines. After a slow start, the Hawks flexed their muscles the rest of the way and were unquestionably the best squad at the provincial event in the Sault. Paccanaro was recognised as the 1st Team All-Star Skip, and veteran standout Heidi Beck joined her on the podium as the First Team All-Star Second.
Team
OCAA Gold
OCAA Team of the Week
Cassie Paccanaro
1st Team All-Star Skip
Heidi Beck
OCAA Academic All-Star
CCAA Academic All-Canadian
1st Team All-Star Second
MIXED CURLING
Humber has been on the OCAA mixed curling podium for five consecutive years now, and the title win this year was its second gold medal in this span. The team was made up of three freshmen, including Skip Michael Morra. Jonah Pacquette was the only member of the squad with post-secondary experience. Three Hawks were honoured as tournament All-Stars at the end of the event, including Nadia Marrast's first team nod.
Team
OCAA Gold
OCAA Team of the Week
Nadia Marrast
1st Team All-Star Lead
Jonah Paquette
2nd Team All-Star Second
Michael Morra
2nd Team All-Star Skip
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Humber came up just short of heading East to vie for yet another CCAA title, but responded well, ultimately grabbing a podium spot as the OCAA bronze medalists. Humber basketball has been so fortunate to have one of the most dynamic trios in Hawk history - in Tyrone Dickson, Gibson Eduful and Ancil Martin, on the court for five years, and are sad to see their careers come to an end. Dickson, was honoured on many levels, including the prestigious Defensive Player of the Year.
Team
OCAA Bronze
Tyrone Dickson
OCAA Athlete of the Week
OCAA West Division First Team All-Star
OCAA West Division Defensive Player of the Year
OCAA Championship All-Star
Ancil Martin
OCAA West Division Second Team All-Star
Baljyot Judge
OCAA Academic All-Star
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
The Hawks, once again led by OCAA West Division Coach of the Year Ajay Sharma, rolled to its third straight OCAA crown and then to the CCAA Bronze medal. With the CCAA podium spot, Humber became the first OCAA women's basketball team to snare national medals in back to back years. Ceejay Nofuente continued to be recognised as the most top player in the nation, as she was selected as both the Provincial and National Player of the Year for the second consecutive season.
Team
CCAA Bronze
OCAA Gold
Ajay Sharma
OCAA West Division Coach of the Year
Ceejay Nofuente
CCAA Player of the Year
CCAA All-Canadian
CCAA Championship 1st Team All-Star
OCAA Player of the Year
OCAA Championship MVP
OCAA West Division First Team All-Star
OCAA Athlete of the Week
OCAA Athlete of the Week
Aleena Domingo
CCAA Championship 1st Team All-Star
OCAA West Division Second Team All-Star
OCAA Championship All-Star
Amber Bechard
OCAA Championship All-Star
OCAA Academic All-Star
Miea Campbell-Johnson
Anna Jacobs
Chioma Oriuwa
BADMINTON
Simply put, the Humber Hawks badminton team are the best in the country, and they have the hardware to prove it. The Humber team won three national titles in the five available disciplines, with Olivia Lei and Adam Dong's now winning championships in three consecutive years. Lei has done what no Humber athlete has done in history, and only a handful in the nation, and that is to be named the CCAA National Player of the Year three years in a row.
Team
OCAA Women's Gold
OCAA Men's Gold
OCAA Team of the Week X 2
Olivia Lei
CCAA Women's Singles Gold
CCAA Team Supremacy Gold
OCAA Women's Singles Gold
CCAA All-Canadian
CCAA Player of the Year
OCAA Player of the Year
OCAA All-Star
CCAA Athlete of the Week
OCAA Athlete of the Week
Adam Dong
CCAA Men's Doubles Gold
CCAA Team Supremacy Gold
OCAA Men's Doubles Gold
OCAA All-Star
OCAA Athlete of the Week
Ryan Chow
CCAA Men's Doubles Gold
CCAA Team Supremacy Gold
CCAA Academic All-Canadian
OCAA Men's Doubles Gold
OCAA All-Star
OCAA Academic All-Star
OCAA Athlete of the Week
Phuthita "Boom" Nilyok
CCAA Women's Doubles Gold
CCAA Team Supremacy Gold
CCAA Academic All-Canadian
OCAA Women's Doubles Gold
OCAA All-Star
OCAA Academic All-Star
OCAA Athlete of the Week
Chloe Rowe
CCAA Women's Doubles Gold
CCAA Team Supremacy Gold
OCAA All-Star
OCAA Athlete of the Week
Cameron Lai
OCAA Mixed Doubles Silver
OCAA All-Star
Christina Duong
CCAA Academic All-Canadian
OCAA Mixed Doubles Silver
OCAA All-Star
OCAA Academic All-Star
OCAA Academic All-Star
Ayubu Touray
Jonathan Young
WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
The Hawks continue to be the most dominant program in the province, as the 130 straight regular season and playoff wins and ten consecutive OCAA titles attest to that. The architect of the program, Head Coach Chris Wilkins, is just a few wins away from becoming the Hawks all-time winningest coach. His ability to consistently bring in team-first, skilled athletes to maintain this high level of play has been magical. You do not have look any further than OCAA Rookie of the Year Breanna Golding to see that the future remains bright.
Team
OCAA Gold
OCAA West Division Champions
OCAA Team of the Week
Devan O'Connor
OCAA Athlete of the Week X 2
CCAA Athlete of the Week
OCAA West Division First Team All-Star
OCAA Championship All-Star
Alley Newman
CCAA Academic All-Canadian
OCAA West Division First Team All-Star
OCAA Academic All-Star
Breanna Golding
OCAA West Division First Team All-Star
OCAA West Division All-Rookie Team
OCAA Rookie of the Year
Kyla Wilkins
OCAA Championship All-Star
Gabie Miletic
OCAA West Division Second Team All-Star
OCAA Championship MVP
OCAA Athlete of the Week
OCAA Academic All-Star
Celine Blanchette
Brynne Spence-Coleman
Elizabeth Deakin-Poot
Emma Heeney
MEN'S VOLLEYBALL
The Hawks preformed incredibly well, considering that this season was termed a rebuilding year when the season began. A team that was laden with freshmen, including some outstanding athletes with little volleyball experience, were molded into a fine squad that advanced to the OCAA championships and came close to moving on to the final four. Second-year outside hitter Clayton Blanchette took the league by storm, as he rolled to the OCAA scoring title, and put his name multiple times in the Humber record book.
Team
OCAA Final 8
Clayton Blanchette
OCAA Athlete of the Week
OCAA Scoring Champion
OCAA West Division First Team All-Star
Josh Liang
OCAA Academic All-Star
WOMEN'S INDOOR SOCCER
The Hawks parlayed a terrific outdoor season into incredible success on the indoor pitch, as they went undefeated through regional and championship play on their way to the 2017 OCAA title. This was Humber's first podium finish in three years and the first gold since the 2012/13 season. The defence was certainly key to this title run. The Hawks allowed only a single goal through regional and championship play. This meant seven clean sheets (shutouts) for keeper Vanessa Fiore, who was also recognised as the tournament MVP.
Team
OCAA Gold
OCAA Division Champions
OCAA Team of the Week
Vanessa Fiore
OCAA Championship MVP
OCAA Athlete of the Week
Shaniece Bennett
OCAA Championship All-Star
Rebecca Spratt
OCAA Championship All-Star
MEN'S INDOOR SOCCER
Humber ran through regional and the championship round robin play, winning big along the way but were unable to find the net in a 1-0 semi-final loss. Although they were not able to get their third gold in as many years, they did respond with a solid performance on their way to a bronze medal finish. Jaineil Hoilett, as he was in the outdoor season was remarkable throughout the season, and was recognised as a tournament All-Star.
Team
OCAA Bronze
OCAA Division Champions
Jaineil Hoilett
OCAA Championship All-Star