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U SPORTS unveils OUA nominees for 2023 U SPORTS Athletes of the Year Awards

18 May 2023, 12:55 PM 18 May 2023, 12:55 PM

U SPORTS Staff

U SPORTS proudly announced Thursday the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) finalists for the 2023 Lois and Doug Mitchell U SPORTS Athletes of the Year Awards on May 24 at the McDougall Centre in Calgary.

The OUA male and female Athlete of the Year nominees are Gabriel Mastromatteo (Toronto, men’s swimming) and Sarah Gates (McMaster, women’s basketball).

Mastromatteo and Gates complete the nominees for the 2023 U SPORTS Athletes of the Year awards, with Andrew Peverill (Saint Mary’s), Kendra Woodland (UNB), Jordan Canham (Alberta), Tatum Amy (Mount Royal), Pablo Collin (McGill) and Jessy Lacourse (Laval) having been announced, by conference, earlier this week.

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OUA Nominees

Sarah Gates, OUA

Sarah Gates

McMaster University
Basketball (Guard)
Newmarket, Ont.
Fifth Year
Human Behaviour

Sarah Gates, a fifth-year guard for the McMaster Marauders women’s basketball team, is the 2022-23 OUA Female Athlete of the Year and the conference’s nominee for the 2022-23 U SPORTS Female Athlete of the Year award.

Gates won the 2023 Nan Copp Trophy as the U SPORTS women’s basketball player of the year after leading the nation in scoring with 27.3 points per game, leading her Marauders to the OUA’s top offensive ranking with 76.1 points scored per game.

She picked up U SPORTS First Team All-Canadian honours and was also named OUA Player of the Year and First Team All-Star. She ranked first in the OUA in field goals made (210), three-pointers (73) and free throws made (117). She shot 48.3 per cent from the field and 37.7 per cent from three-point range while averaging 30 minutes per game.

She finished her career as the leading scorer in McMaster program history, and her 1,857 points total is third on the OUA all-time list.

"She's fearless. I've never known anyone that can catch the ball and know that they're going to score, but that's exactly what Sarah does. She knows her skill set and ability and never questions it,” said Gates’ teammate Mia Spadafora, who is also a fifth-year guard. “She is an incredibly hard worker. You never see her taking little breaks at practice and she is always the one pushing people to their limit. Sarah is very determined and confident and that's why she excels."

Off the court, Gates was a significant presence in the McMaster community, serving as Chair of the Women’s Athletic Leadership Council and a member of the Varsity Leadership Council. She also spearheaded multiple charitable initiatives, including the annual Think Pink campaign.

“It has been such a privilege and pleasure to coach and know Sarah over her time here at McMaster,” said Marauders head coach Theresa Burns. “Her ability not only to score but to influence the game in so many ways has been phenomenal. Equally wonderful has been her growth as a person and as a leader who has learned to use her voice to promote change, especially for female athletes. I’m just so very proud of her."

Gabriel Mastromatteo, OUA

Gabriel Mastromatteo

University of Toronto
Swimmer
Kenora, Ont.
Second Year
Commerce

Gabriel Mastromatteo, a second-year swimmer with the Toronto Varsity Blues, is the 2022-23 OUA Male Athlete of the Year and their nominee for the 2022-23 U SPORTS Male Athlete of the Year award. He made a splash with every race he swam for the Varsity Blues this past season, earning an impressive collection of hardware along the way for the Toronto men’s swimming team, scooping up U SPORTS Male Swimmer of the Year, First Team All-Canadian, OUA Swimmer of the Year and First Team All-Star.

He began with a dominant showing at the 2023 OUA Swimming Championships that saw him reel in six medals across the three days of competition. His four golden outings there came via the 100m breaststroke, 4x50m freestyle relay, 4x100m medley relay, and the 50m breaststroke. His performance in the latter was good enough to set a new conference record, and he added on a silver (200m breaststroke) and bronze (50m butterfly).

The commerce major from Kenora, Ont. proceeded to the national stage in Victoria, and while the setting was different, the success was similar. He set a pair of U SPORTS records at the championship event, earning top spot and pace-breaking performances in the 50m and 100m breaststroke, respectively. He added silver medals in the 200m breaststroke and 4x100m medley relay.

The 2020 Olympian was an integral part of the Blues capturing their 19th consecutive OUA banner and a fourth-place finish at the U SPORTS Championships, and his 2022-23 season will undoubtedly go down as one of the most memorable for the decorated program thus far.

“Gabe is a world class swimmer and showed that with his two meet records at the national championships this season. One was actually a pool record too, which is impressive as the Commonwealth Games were held in this facility,” said Byron Macdonald, the head swimming coach at the University of Toronto. “But there are potholes in any adventure and Gabe hit a huge one last year with a heavy COVID hit that kept him out of serious training for several months. With that comes doubt and lots of challenges, so it's a strong support staff and personal drive that has gotten Gabe back to his previous form.”

This year's event pays homage to the 30 years of the Awards (formerly known as the Howard Mackie Awards, BLG Awards and Lieutenant Governor Awards) and will also celebrate the life of the program's founder, Doug Mitchell, who passed away last July at 83.

The winners of the Lois and Doug Mitchell Awards will be selected in a secret ballot vote on May 23 by the Trustees of the Canadian Athletic Foundation, a not-for-profit board founded 31 years ago by Doug Mitchell. The winners will be unveiled the following evening during a reception at McDougall Centre.

All eight (8) nominees will be in attendance in Calgary, with media availability occurring on May 24.

Media wishing to attend the awards ceremony or who would like to request an interview can submit an accreditation and interview request by clicking here.

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