Lancers Honour 28 Varsity Athletes for Academic & Sport Excellence

Loyalist College honoured 28 of its best and brightest varsity athletes Thursday at the annual Athletic Scholarship award luncheon, totalling over $29,000. 14 of the recipients boast an 80+ average while the group holds an impressive 79% collective GPA from18 different programs across campus.

Athletic Director, Jim Buck started the event off by welcoming athletes and honoured guests Executive Director of Student Life & Leadership Fred Pollitt and College President Dr. Ann Marie Vaughan.

 "This is a really exception group of student athletes" said Athletic Director, Jim Buck as he began the awards portion of the event. "All of you are wonderful examples of dedication, hard work and talent both on your team and in the classroom."

 Five members of the Lancers women's rugby 7s team were among this year's award winners, including OCAA All Star & Belleville native, Eva Keyzers. Joining Keyzers was Lola Akindolire (Bowmanville, ON), Cortney Wright-Mooney (Trenton, ON), Emily Jaring (Vankleek Hill, ON) & Olivia Garrett (Trenton, ON).

 The women's soccer team had four recipients including first year player Alyssa Prinzen (Carrying Place, ON) and dual sport athletes Ashley MacDonald (Napanee, ON), Amy Vieira (Belleville, ON) and Rachel Cole (Cobourg, ON), who are also members of the women's volleyball team.

Also from the women's volleyball team were Caeleigh Von Zuban (Bowmanville, ON) and Megan Wheelans (Barrie, ON)

Five men's volleyball players received scholarships at the lunch. First year athlete Jaden Collier (Sydenham, ON) Savino Marques (Richmond Hill, ON), Trevor Fortier (Brockville, ON), Caleb Seguin (Pickering, ON) and Andrew Hudgins (Napanee, ON) were all recipients of awards.

The first ever Men's Volleyball Legacy Scholarship Award was awarded to fourth year player Josh Roberts (Conception Bay, Nfld). This award is graciously donated by Lancer Alumni & Hall of Fame member Brent Tripp & wife Lauralynn, and is presented to a men's volleyball player who is a student of the game and contributes to their team with talent, leadership and heart.

Four players on the women's basketball team earned scholarships: Brittany Mason, (Ottawa, Ont); Kate Raso (Welland, Ont); Piper Kehoe (Belleville ON), Andrea Salazar (Mississauga, ON), Lee Siega (Toronto, ON) and Ayana Tomlinson (Whitby, ON).

Their counterparts on the men's basketball team – Angelo Sarsonas (Toronto, ON); Akim Ruot (Windsor, ON); Jeremiah Brown, (Scarborough, ON) and Ebenezer Teklezgi (Toronto, ON) were awarded scholarships.

As a veteran athlete, Ruot recognizes the value of a scholarship and it's importance to busy student athletes. " getting a scholarship has really motivated me to stay on track with my academics. OSAP doesn't always cover the costs of being a student-athlete and it's hard to find a part time job that works with a busy practice and game schedule. This scholarship is a really nice way to be rewarded for our hard work and commitment to the team."

Also of the men's basketball team,  Bobby Buck (Belleville, ON) received the Scott Reid Memorial Scholarship Award. The annual award is given to a men's basketball player who demonstrates a positive attitude, leadership, and eagerness to learn. Reid played on the Lancers' basketball team from 1991 to 1994 but tragically passed away in 2001 of brain cancer.

2020 Scholarship Recipients	Men's Volleyball Legacy Award recipient, Josh Roberts	Scott Reid Memorial Scholarship recipient, Bobby Buck