Awards News

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TORONTO — Veteran University of Victoria defender Anna Mollenhauer became the first three-time winner of the Liz Hoffman Award as the U SPORTS Women’s Field Hockey player of the year on Thursday at the 2022 U SPORTS Women’s Field Hockey Championship in Victoria, BC.

Other major award winners at Thursday’s banquet included Calgary’s Isabella Green, who was named the winner of the Joyce Slipp Award as U SPORTS Rookie of the Year, Frankie St. Louis from York University, who was presented with the Gail Wilson Award for community engagement, Lelia Sacré who was named the U SPORTS Umpire of the Year and Lynne Beecroft who earned the nod as the Fox 40 U SPORTS Coach of the Year Award and the Marina Van Der Merwe Trophy.

MOLLENHAUER WINS THIRD LIZ HOFFMAN AWARD

Anna Mollenhauer earned the title of the top university field hockey player in Canada for the third time in her storied career after winning the award in 2018 and 2021. The fifth-year defender helped guide the Vikes to an unbeaten 7-0-1 record in 2022, recording eight goals and helping the Vikes’ defence to five shutouts. A versatile asset on the field, Mollenhauer was effective at stopping opponents in their circle while creating scoring chances of her own, setting her team up for success.

The Victoria Vike has helped her team to four conference championship titles in her time with the school, in addition to being a three-time All-Canadian and Top 8 Academic All-Canadian. Mollenhauer is also a member of the Field Hockey Canada Senior Women’s National Team.

GREEN WINS JOYCE SLIPP AWARD AS TOP FIRST-YEAR PLAYER

Isabella Green came to the Calgary Dinos hot off a successful individual performance at the U18 FHC National Championship, where she co-captained a Vancouver Island-based BC team. Her tireless work ethic, efficiency in both directions on the pitch and her leadership shown in the summer transitioned flawlessly to her first-year season with the Dinos.

Usually an attacker or midfielder, Green slid into one of the most challenging defensive positions on the pitch, at left defence. Tasked with managing the opponent’s strongest and often fastest strikers who are attacking on their forehand, Green didn’t seem phased. Starting and playing nearly every minute of every game was a testament to Green’s strength and fitness heading into the Canada West season, and her fearless, gritty nature made her a key cog to the Dinos' defence.

Green rivalled with the best, tackling top players, many of who have been through the recent Canadian Junior World Cup and NextGEN cycles with full confidence. A demeanour on the pitch that carried maturity and experience is something any coach would value for a rookie stepping into the backline, and that was what Green delivered.

LOUIS RECOGNIZED FOR COMMUNITY SERVICE, WINS GAIL WILSON AWARD

Frankie St. Louis’ name can be found all over York field hockey during her varsity tenure and she caps off her Lions career as the Gail Wilson Outstanding Contributor selection for the 2022 season.

On the field, the dynamic defender scored 10 goals, netting nine of those tallies in a two-game stretch earlier in the season against McGill as part of a record-tying slate of games for York. Her impact went beyond the score sheet, providing leadership for a youthful Lions squad that is competing for a U SPORTS championship this weekend.

St. Louis, a kinesiology and health science major, also helped the transition of the York Sport Council, acting in a mentorship role for the new council executive as the outgoing president. Outside of the Lions’ athletic department, the former all-Canadian and 2019 York MVP also served as an assistant coach and team manager with Team Ontario U16 last summer while completing an internship at Deloitte.

BEECROFT WINS FOX 40 U SPORTS COACH OF THE YEAR AWARD

For the second time in an illustrious 39-year career, Victoria Vikes bench boss Lynne Beecroft has been named the 2022 recipient of the Marina van der Merwe Award, emblematic of the Fox 40 U SPORTS Coach of the Year.

Beecroft has led the Victoria Vikes to four-straight unbeaten Canada West seasons and three U SPORTS titles. In her time with UVic, Beecroft has guided the Vikes to 35 appearances at the U SPORTS national championships, hoisting 14 McCrae Cups. Her Vikes host the York Lions this weekend in the best-of-three U SPORTS championship series.

SACRÉ NAMED UMPIRE OF THE YEAR

Veteran international umpire Lelia Sacré is the 2022 U SPORTS Umpire of the Year. Sacré is a member of the International Hockey Federation (FIH)’s International Elite Panel of female umpires and represented Canada as a member of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, her second following the 2018 Gold Coast games. Sacré has been a steward of the officiating world, championing education, certification and community building for umpires in British Columbia, while she is also a member of the Field Hockey BC board of directors. Sacré brings her calm and professional demeanour to the field every game and is preparing the U SPORTS umpiring brief and providing mentorship for her fellow Canada West officials.

1ST TEAM ALL-CANADIANS

  • Rebecca Carvalho, Toronto
  • Isabella Green, Calgary
  • Payten Lang, Western
  • Chloe Langkammer, Victoria
  • Sam McCrory, Toronto
  • Anna Mollenhauer, Victoria
  • Hannah Rumble, UBC
  • Francis St. Louis, York
  • Nora Struchtrup, Victoria
  • Serena Uppal, McMaster
  • Aby Warriner, Guelph