Finalists Announced for Sport BC's 54th Annual Athlete of the Year Awards

January 28, 2020 0:00am

Sport BC announces the finalists to be celebrated at the upcoming 54 th Annual Athlete of the Year Awards taking place on Thursday, March 12, 2020 at the Vancouver Convention Centre East. The event, to be hosted by CBC’s Scott Russell, recognizes the province’s best in amateur sport including athletes, coaches, teams, and officials for outstanding performances in their sport over the 2019 season. Each finalist was nominated by their Provincial or Multi-Sport Organization, High School, College, or University. The Selection Committee, led by long-serving Chair Bernie Pascall, included a diverse group of highly experienced British Columbia sport leaders and media members.

“The Athlete of the Year Awards is a true celebration of sport in our province, these finalists represent an exceptional 2019 in BC sport. We congratulate all of our finalists and the organizations they represent”, shares Sport BC’s President and CEO, Rob Newman. “The 2019 finalists represent 20 sports from 24 different communities demonstrating the collective strength of our province’s sport sector.”

An additional six awards will be presented at the ceremony including the Best of BC, KidSport BC Community Champion, Harry Jerome Comeback, Daryl Thompson Lifetime Achievement Award and In Her Footsteps Honourees.

BC Athletics is proud to have finalists announced in seven categories and looks forward to celebrating the accomplishments of these athletes & coaches on March 12th, 2020.

 

Athlete with a Disability

  • Logan Leach (Lumby) Adaptive Snowsports
  • Nathan Reich (Victoria) Athletics
  • Thomas Venos (Anmore) Wheelchair Tennis

 

Female Coach of the Year

  • Lynn Kanuka (Surrey) – Athletics
  • Christine Wong (Vancouver) – Golf
  • Katie Yuris (Trail) – Hockey

 

High School Female Athlete of the Year

  • Madelyn Hettinga (Kelowna) – Multi-Sport
  • Deja Lee (Semiahmoo) – Basketball
  • Jasneet Nijjar (Queen Elizabeth) - Athletics 

 

Junior Female Athlete of the Year

  • Emily Johnston (Comox) - Cycling
  • Camryn Rogers (Richmond) - Athletics
  • Wendy Zhang (Richmond) - Badminton

 

Senior Female Athlete of the Year

  • Rachel Cliff (Vancouver) – Athletics
  • Sara Groenewegen (White Rock) – Softball
  • Kristen Tsai (Vancouver) – Badminton

 

Senior Male Athlete of the Year

  • Evan Dunfee (Richmond) – Athletics
  • Brian Maxwell (Burnaby) – Archery
  • Scott Tupper (Vancouver) – Field Hockey 

 

Master Athlete of the Year

  • Myrtle Acton (Sooke) – Athletics
  • Keith Evans (Sydney) – Triathlon
  • Cathy Zeglinski (Whistler) – Mountain Biking

 

The Athlete of the Year Awards will take place Thursday, March 12, 2020 at the Vancouver Convention Centre. Tickets are avaialble now! http://sportbc.com/

 

About Sport BC

Sport BC believes in the power of sport and is committed to building stronger communities through positive sport experiences. Our goal is to enhance and support sport participation in British Columbia ensuring everyone has the opportunity to thrive. Through our KidSport BC, BC Amateur Sport Fund, and ProMOTION Plus along with our services Sport BC Insurance, and Payroll and Group Benefits; Sport BC supports our sixty plus member organizations. Keep up to date @SportBC