On Friday, March 31st, the George Brown Huskies hosted the 53rd edition of their annual Athletic Awards Ceremony. This event marked the first time it was in-person in almost four years. The Department of Athletics and Recreation celebrated all the accomplishments of the teams and individual student-athletes throughout a very successful campaign.
Female and Male Athlete of the Year
This year’s Female Athlete of the Year went to Taylor Grant of the women’s volleyball team. The outside hitter was the definition of a game-changer. She dominated on the court in her first season with the Huskies, being named to the OCAA All-Rookie team and led the squad to the Huskies’ best season with a 12-6 record, which allowed the program to host their second crossover playoff match ever. However, what also stood out for Grant during this campaign was her leadership off the court, in the classroom and in the Huskies community.
The Male Athlete of the Year award winner was Robert Ocampo of the men’s basketball team. The shooting guard has been the definition of a student-athlete throughout his four seasons with the Huskies. In his final collegiate campaign, Ocampo added to his trophy case in numerous ways. He was named an OCAA First-Team All-Star, and an OCAA Provincial Championship All-Star, helped the team earn an OCAA silver medal and led them to a semi-final appearance at the CCAA National Championship. While in the classroom, Ocampo was named a CCAA Academic All-Canadian for the second straight season.
Other Major Awards
The Male Rookie of The Year went to Ethan Hunter from men’s soccer. Right from day one, the midfielder played a crucial role in both the outdoor and indoor seasons. He impressed his peers so much that he was named an OCAA Second-Team All-Star, while also assisting in them capturing an OCAA bronze medal. He was also awarded the Huskies Commitment to Excellence for his impressive play during the indoor soccer season.
The Female Rookie of the Year was Monique Lee from badminton. There aren’t many better seasons for a student-athlete, let alone a rookie, than Lee’s. With the help from Mixed Doubles partner Sarthak Arora, they swept through all competition and earned gold medals at Regionals and Provincials. She followed up that performance at the CCAA National Championship by going undefeated in round-robin play and claiming the silver medal. Lee also took home the Huskies Athletic Academic Achievement award for posting a 4.0 GPA in the Fall semester.
The Coach of the Year award was given to Daphne Choi of women’s volleyball. Since arriving at the Huskies in 2017, she has catalyzed the program’s turnaround. Under her leadership, the team has put together record season after record season, and this year was no different. She led the squad to the best season in program history with a 12-6 record and they hosted their second home playoff match ever.
This year’s Team of the Year was incredibly close with men’s soccer, badminton and women’s volleyball all putting together incredible campaigns, but men’s basketball won the award for the second time in the last three seasons. The team had one of the best seasons in program history as they finished with the best record in the province at 17-1, claimed the OCAA silver medal and made the semi-finals of the CCAA National Championship.
Check out the entire list of award winners from the unforgettable banquet below.
Female Athlete of the Year
Taylor Grant, Women’s Volleyball
Male Athlete of the Year
Robert Ocampo, Men’s Basketball
Female Rookie of the Year
Monique Lee, Badminton
Male Rookie of the Year
Ethan Hunter, Men's Soccer/Men's Indoor Soccer
Team of the Year
Men’s Basketball
Coach of the Year
Daphne Choi, Women’s Volleyball
Athletic Academic Achievement Award (4.0)
Kiara Graham, Women’s Basketball
Julie MacDonald, Women’s Soccer/Women’s Indoor Soccer
Monique Lee, Badminton
Anges Yung, Women’s Soccer/Women’s Indoor Soccer
Franklin Gyamfi Memorial Scholarship
Robert Ocampo, Men’s Basketball
Women's Indoor Soccer Team Awards
Commitment to Excellence: Ruby Tureski
MVP Award: Nicole Carvalho
Men's Indoor Soccer Team Awards
Commitment to Excellence: Ethan Hunter
MVP Award: Jason Alvarado
ESports Awards
Commitment to Excellence: Ali Cengiz
MVP Award: Cheolwoong Lee
Women's Volleyball Team Awards
Commitment to Excellence: Crystal Nguyen
MVP Award: Taylor Grant
Men's Volleyball Team Awards
Commitment to Excellence: Jason Huynh
MVP Award: David Kiswa
Women's Outdoor Soccer Team Awards
Commitment to Excellence: Cynthia Pellegrino
MVP Award: Victoria Broomer
Men's Outdoor Soccer Team Awards
Commitment to Excellence: Mashhood Rehman
MVP Award: Mark Do Coito
Women's Basketball Team Awards
Commitment to Excellence: Minori Fukushi
MVP Award: Jordyn Dawkins
Men's Basketball Team Awards
Commitment to Excellence: Naseem Barry
MVP Award: Robbie Ocampo
Men's Baseball Team Awards
Commitment to Excellence: Tyler Romandel
MVP Award: Jaret Lupton
Badminton Team Awards
Commitment to Excellence: Monique Lee
Kim Ng Award: Giselle Kochapanya
MVP Award: Sarthak Arora
Student Therapist Award
Gord Hill
Ashley Scott
Huskies Heart Award
Darius Gray
Kara Dasilva
Laaibah Mohammed Rehan Memon
Vallabh Thakkar
Contributions to Athletics
Madison Hadeed, Women’s Soccer/Women's Indoor Soccer
David Kiswa, Men’s Volleyball
Huskies Special Recognition
Arwa Abdulrehman
Peter Koutsokeris
Meadow Larkins
Maryam McKenzie
Jenn Santino
Michelle Wei-Tiu
