by John Austen

Concordia handed out lots of hardware on April 2, as excellence in athletics was lauded at the annual awards banquet. Leading the pack were Marie-Claude Allard and Martine Dugrenier, who were named co-winners of the Female Athlete of the Year Award; and Chris Page, who took Male Athlete of the Year honours.

Allard was the captain of the women’s hockey team and a striker with the women’s soccer team. She is a two-time CIS All-Canadian in hockey and an Academic All-Canadian. She led the QSSF hockey conference in scoring and was named to the QSSF all-star team. This gregarious athlete was the leading scorer on the soccer team, with nine goals.

Dugrenier, a wrestler, is also a CIS All-Canadian and is ranked No. 2 in North America and No. 1 in the CIS at 70 kilos. This past year she compiled a record of 26 wins and three losses. She won eight of nine meets she competed in. She is currently training for the national championships, which will be held in May and hopes to represent Canada at the World Championship this September in New York City. She was also a co-winner of this award last year.

Chris Page is the winner of the Robert J. Broderick Award for top male athlete. He is described as simply electrifying — every time he touches the puck it seems to end up in the net. He scored 25 goals and 17 assists for 42 points in 24 games. He is the first Stinger since 1989 to score 25 goals. He was second in the conference in scoring and seventh in Canada.

Basketball player Dan Lacasse took home the prestigious Ron Lapointe Award. This honour is given to the male athlete who has best demonstrated loyalty to both his team and the Department of Recreation and Athletics. Leadership and a commitment to excellence are also criteria for this award.

This third-year forward has done a lot for the department and the basketball team. He is known as a gentleman and a leader who has helped develop a very positive image for his team. He is always willing to help out and is a tireless worker at varsity events.

The Denise Beaudet Award went to Sue Kaye of the women’s hockey team. This award is presented to the female athlete who has shown the same traits — leadership, unselfishness and commitment — that were displayed by Beaudet, a player who died in a car accident in 1985.

Kaye is a superb athlete with a lot of spirit and a true love for the game. She is a two-time All-Canadian and a three-time Quebec conference all-star. She is also considered one of the top 10 defenders in Canada and attended the Canadian national team training camp last January.

Other major award winners include: Tyler Marghetis (wrest-ling), as Male Rookie of the Year; Shannon Ransom (soccer), as Female Rookie of the Year; and Chris Wilcox (men’s hockey), as a student athlete who has successfully overcome adversity through hard work, commitment and dedication.

Rector’s Academic Awards were handed out to Lauren Houghton (women’s hockey) and Mehdi Mourali (men’s soccer).