MacInnis and Colley named Hurricanes Athletes of the Year; Hyndman and Kobayashi recipients of Rookie of the Year awards

Basketball players, Lexi MacInnis and Jace Colley were named the 2019 Holland Hurricanes Athletes of the Year on Friday evening at the Culinary Institute of Canada.

MacInnis, of Stratford, PEI, had a strong season in 2018-2019 despite playing for a rebuilding team that struggled in the standings. She ultimately was named to the first All-Conference team in the Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) and was also recognized as a Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Academic All-Canadian. Earlier in the evening, she was named the Hurricanes women’s basketball Most Valuable Player.

In 21 regular season games, MacInnis averaged 14 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. She was the Hurricanes leading scorer while also leading the conference in three-pointers.

Colley, of East Preston, Nova Scotia, had a tremendous season, leading the Hurricanes to their seventh straight ACAA Championship. In the process, Colley was named the CCAA National men’s basketball Player of the Year, as well as a CCAA All-Canadian. At the conference level he was named the ACAA Player of the Year and a member of the first ACAA All-Conference team. Colley was also named the Hurricanes men’s basketball Most Valuable Player on Friday.

Colley led the Hurricanes with 23.5 points per game this season while averaging 8.0 rebounds. His field-goal shooting percentage was 61.3 while recording 22 blocks, 77 assists and 27 steals during the regular season.

MacInnis and Colley were named the Holland Hurricanes men’s and women’s Rookies of the Year award a year ago; this is the first time that the Rookie of the Year award winners the year prior went on to be named the Athletes of the Year the following year.

Earlier in the evening on Friday, Lori-Beth Dwyer (women’s volleyball) was named the Holland Hurricanes Coach of the Year. The award comes just weeks after Dwyer announced that she would be stepping away from the head coaching role for with the ‘Canes. This is the first time she’s received the award.

Rookies of the Year recipients were Abby Hyndman (volleyball) and Shunya Kobayashi (soccer).

Hyndman, from Charlottetown, PEI, was impressive in her first season at the collegiate level. During a season that saw the ‘Canes take home a conference silver medal, she was named the ACAA Rookie of the Year as well as a member of the second ACAA All-Conference team. She was also recognized as a CCAA Academic All-Canadian.

Kobayashi, from Yachiyo, Japan, took the ACAA by storm in 2018, leading the Hurricanes to an ACAA Championship before hosting the CCAA National Championship on Prince Edward Island. During the season, Kobayashi was named a CCAA All-Canadian, CCAA Academic All-Canadian, the ACAA Player of the Year and a member of the ACAA first All-Conference team.

During the evening, the Hurricanes announced that the ten CCAA All-Canadians from the 2018-19 season were once again the most of any CCAA member across the country.

This year, 172 student-athletes from 45 colleges across Canada achieved combined excellence in athletics and academics.

The CCAA Academic All-Canadian award is the CCAA’s most prestigious student-athlete honour, epitomizing a commitment to academic success and athletic achievement.

In addition, the CCAA Academic All-Canadian Recognition Award is presented each year to the institution with the most student-athlete award recipients, for the fifth-straight year, the award was won by the Hurricanes.

“Our athletics program is thrilled with earning this national standings for the fifth consecutive year,” shared Director of Athletics and Recreation for the Hurricanes, Albert Roche.

“Leading the country in academics and athletics is a highly sought after award and as a small institution we believe this is a hallmark of success.”

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Other major award winners from the evening are as follows:

President’s Award; Brett Butler (men’s volleyball)

Recognizing a student who was actively involved in promoting and building the varsity program at Holland College.

Hurricanes Award; Vicki Weldon

Presented in recognition of outstanding support of the varsity program by a student, staff member or program.

Hurricanes Physiotherapy Award; Aleco Iatrou (men’s soccer)

Presented to a Holland College student-athlete who exemplifies perseverance and overcomes adversity to return to play or continue to contribute to their team after injury or health challenge.

Leadership in Sport Award; Steve Letner (men’s football)

In recognition of a student who contributed to the development and promotion of sport at Holland College and in our community.

Citizenship Award; Megan Proctor (women’s soccer)

In recognition of a student-athlete who has demonstrated outstanding athletic ability, academic excellence and also demonstrates leadership and a commitment to community.

The Hurricanes also handed out their individual sport award during the evening; the winners are as follows:

Badminton (women’s) Isabelle Saunders (Most Valuable Player)

Badminton (men’s)

Jonah Wilton (Most Valuable Player)

Baseball (men’s)

Jay Oram (Most Valuable Player)
Ryan Abraham (Most Dedicated Player)
Tyler Johnston (Top Pitcher)
Matt Barlow (Top Offensive Player)

Basketball (women’s)

Lexi MacInnis (Most Valuable Player)
Sydney Goode (Most Dedicated Player)
Desiree Oakley (Top Defensive Player)
Ashley Plaggenhoef (Top Offensive Player)

Basketball (men’s)

Jace Colley (Most Valuable Player)
Eleazer Goodman (Most Dedicated Player)
Jordan Holness (Top Defensive Player)
Roosevelt Whyley (Top Offensive Player)

Cheerleading (men’s & women’s)

Cassidy Gallant (Most Valuable Cheerleader)
Madeline Arsenault (Most Dedicated Cheerleader)

Cross Country Running (women’s)

Haley Shea (Most Valuable Runner)

Cross Country Running (men’s)

Ryan Francom (Most Valuable Runner)

Curling (women’s)

Cynthia Pearson (Curler of the Year)

Dance (men’s & women’s)

Victoria Turnquest (Most Valuable Dancer)
Robyn Miller (Most Improved Dancer)
Josee Champoux (Most Dedicated Dancer)

Football (men’s)

Matthew-Uriah Kaye-Mitchell (Hilton Memorial Most Valuable Player)
Duncan Hill (Most Dedicated Player)
Sean Kelly (Special Teams Player of the Year)
Bradley Lawton (Defensive Lineman of the Year)
Deandre Grosvenor (Offensive Lineman of the Year)
Donovan Smalls (Defensive Player of the Year)
Jarrett Walker (Offensive Player of the Year)

Soccer (women’s)

Kathrine McEwen (Most Valuable Player)
Megan Proctor (Most Dedicated Player)
Bethany MacDougall (Top Defensive Player)
Jade Stewart (Top Offensive Player)

Soccer (men’s)

Shunya Kobayashi (Most Valuable Player)
Andrew Henry (Most Dedicated Player)
Bobby Gamba (Top Defensive Player)
Alex Lourenso (Top Offensive Player)

Volleyball (women’s)

Brittany States (Most Valuable Player)
Taylor Boudreau-Deveaux (Most Dedicated Player)
Katie Wood (Top Defensive Player)
Abby Hyndman (Top Offensive Player)

Volleyball (men’s)

Brett Butler (Most Valuable Player)
Ethan Nadeau (Most Dedicated Player)
Marcus Lapointe (Top Defensive Player)
Nick Menzies (Top Offensive Player)