NIAGARA FALLS – Brock University held its annual Brock Badgers Awards Gala on Wednesday evening, as Mia Friesen (St. Catharines, Ont.) and Stephen Harris (Guelph, Ont.) were named the 2022-23 athletes of the year.
 
Highlighting another spectacular year of success for the varsity programs, Brock saw a total of nine teams compete at national championships and 22 teams represent the Badgers at provincial championships. Brock varsity student-athletes received six major awards, along with four coaches being named Coach of the Year across various sports. In addition, the Badgers saw 13 athletes named national All-Canadians and 46 honoured as provincial all-stars throughout the 2022-23 campaign.
 
At the April 5 banquet inside the Americana Conference Resort Spa & Waterpark in Niagara Falls, women's wrestler Mia Friesen and men's rower Stephen Harris were named Brock University's 2022-23 Female and Male Athletes of the Year.
 
Friesen, a second-year Psychology major from St. Catharines, furthered the dominant tradition of Brock wrestling this season making a mark in her sophomore campaign on both the provincial and national levels. Rounding into form as the season progressed she earned two silver medals at the Brock Open and Western Invitational, while also capturing gold at the Guelph Open where she knocked off a previous world champion to take the top step on the podium. Then at the OUA championship in Hamilton, Friesen won gold and OUA first team all-star honours in her 56kg weight class, knocking off opponents from Guelph, Western, and McMaster along the way. Friesen was then dominant once again in her 56kg weight class at the U SPORTS championships in Edmonton, earning technical fall wins over Guelph and Alberta, before picking up the pin over Concordia to secure her place in the championship final. Matching up with Calgary, she once again put on a display as she claimed the gold following a spotless 10-0 technical fall victory. The two-time U SPORTS athlete of the week and U SPORTS first team All-Canadian would go on to be named U SPORTS female wrestler of the year for her efforts. In addition, the 2022-23 Brock women's wrestling team captain also scored a bronze at the 2023 Senior National Championship, silver at the 2022 Pan-Am Junior Championship, and placed eighth overall at the 2022 Junior World Championship this year.

Harris, a third-year Economics major from Guelph, delivered another sensational season on the water for the Badgers helping the Brock men's rowing team repeat as Ontario University Athletics (OUA) champions. A team captain with Brock rowing in 2022-23, Harris captured OUA gold in the lightweight 2x and lightweight 8+ events at the provincial showcase, being named an OUA all-star and OUA Oarsman of the Year. The accolades did not end at just the provincial championship though as he went on to claim two more gold medals at the Canadian University Rowing Championships (CURC) in the lightweight 2x and lightweight 4+ categories, while also adding a bronze in the men's 8+. The trio of national medals earned Harris CURC co-Oarsman of the Year. Beyond the provincial and national events, Harris was also a member of Brock's silver medal lightweight 4x crew competing at the Head of the Charles in Boston this fall against Ivy League powerhouses such as Harvard, Yale, Cornell, and Dartmouth. Additionally, competing individually in the lightweight singles category he earned gold at the Head of the Trent and Western Invitational, along with a silver at the 2022 RCA Rowing National Championships and bronze at the U23 World Rowing Championships. Rounding out his resume of success from the 2022-23 campaign, he captured three gold medals at the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games, taking to the top step of the podium in lightweight singles, lightweight 2x, and men's 4+.

Harris becomes the first male back-to-back winner of the yearly honour since Brock men's wrestler Jamie Macari (2005-06, 2006-07).
  
The Women's Team Coach of the Year honour was awarded for the second consecutive season to head coach Steve Delaney of the women's volleyball team. Delaney once again took his team to the OUA Championship final where the Badgers claimed their second consecutive Quigley Cup following an impressive 18-2 regular season in which they finished atop the OUA. Delaney also earned OUA Coach of the Year honours for the third straight season.

Brock men's rowing coach Tom Kent received the Men's Team Coach of the Year. Kent helped guide the Badgers to a second straight OUA Championship, winning back-to-back provincial banners for the first time since 2003, 2004. The Brock men's rowing team also finished second overall at the Canadian University Rowing Championship (CURC). Kent was named OUA Coach of the Year.
 

The women's wrestling team was named Brock's Female Team of the Year. The dominant Badgers program marched to an eighth consecutive OUA Championship banner winning seven individual medals, and a second overall finish at the U SPORTS National Championship, where they claimed four individual medals including three national golds.
 

The Male Team of the Year went to the men's wrestling team, which ranked No. 1 in the U SPORTS rankings for the majority of the 2022-23 season. The Badgers won a seventh straight OUA Championship, along with an eighth consecutive U SPORTS National Championship. The team returned to Brock with seven provincial medals and six national medals, while head coach Marty Calder was recognized as both OUA and U SPORTS Coach of the Year.
 

Women's fencer Tamara Tait was awarded the David S. Howes Spirit of Brock Award, which is named after Howes for his commitment to Brock University and the community of Niagara. This award is presented annually to a student who best embodies the spirit of Sir Isaac Brock: leadership, courage, innovation, inspiration, and community service.
 

Women's figure skater Daniella Scurto and men's rower Connor Dodds earned the David Atkinson Surgite Award and R.M. Davis Surgite Award, respectively. These are awarded each year to current female and male student-athletes who excel both academically and athletically.
 

Student therapists Brendan Tymec and Katie Cameron were named winners of the Joseph P. Kenny Student Therapist Award of Excellence.
 

The Brock Sports Performance (BSP) Awards went to Greg Taylor, who was recognized as the BSP Student Intern of the Year, and Paris Forlin, who received the BSP Impact Award.
 

Receiving the Marilou Iusi Memorial Service Award was Brock Sports Administrator Irene Henry. This award recognizes an individual for their tireless dedication to Brock Sports. All previous award recipients have made a significant contribution to Brock Sports and gone above and beyond their standard call of duty to make the department and the experience for Brock's student-athletes a positive one. 
 
Henry, a member of the Brock Athletic Therapy and Sports Medicine team since 2002-03, showcased true dedication and professionalism within her role coordinating a very busy clinic. She went the extra mile to help athletes, therapists, consultants, and physicians when needed, always placing an emphasis on the well-being of student-athletes both inside and outside their sport of play.

The full list of major award and team award winners is included below. 
 
2022-23 BROCK SPORTS MAJOR AWARD WINNERS
Female Athlete of the Year: Mia Friesen (Women's Wrestling)
Male Athlete of the Year: Stephen Harris (Men's Rowing)
Women's Team Coach of the Year: Steve Delaney (Women's Volleyball)
Men's Team Coach of the Year: Tom Kent (Men's Rowing)
Female Team of the Year: Women's Wrestling
Male Team of the Year: Men's Wrestling
David S. Howes Spirit of Brock Award: Tamara Tait (Women's Fencing)
David Atkinson Surgite Award: Daniella Scurto (Figure Skating)
RM Davis Surgite Award: Connor Dodds (Men's Rowing)
Joseph P. Kenny Student Therapist Award: Katie Cameron, Brendan Tymec
BSP Student Intern of the Year: Greg Taylor
BSP Impact Award: Paris Forlin
Marilou Iusi Memorial Service Award: Irene Henry
 
2022-23 Team Awards
Baseball
Most Valuable Bagder - Reid Lunney
Emerging Badger - Ben Grant
 
Men's Basketball
Most Valuable Badger - Jordan Tchuente
Emerging Badger - Xavier Fearon
 
Women's Basketball
T.J. Kearney Most Valuable Badger - Madalyn Weinert
Emerging Badger - Oluwatito Akinnusi
 
Men's Cross Country
Most Valuable Badger - Joseph Dick
 
Women's Cross Country
Most Valuable Badger - Robyn Adamo
Emerging Badger - Adeline Steiger
 
Men's Curling
Most Valuable Badger - Owen Henry
Emerging Badger - Ethan Lamothe
Most Improved Badger - Benjamin Harbridge
 
Women's Curling
Most Valuable Badger - Sarah Bailey
Emerging Badger - Julia Markle
Most Improved Badger - Isabella Ricetto
 
Women's Fencing
Ken Douglas Most Valuable Badger - Pilar Dietrich
Emerging Badger - Jacqueline Chen
 
Men's Fencing
Ken Douglas Most Valuable Badger - Nathaniel McDonnell
Emerging Badger - Nicholas Gutierrez-Sarabia
 
Figure Skating
Most Valuable Badger - Alyssa Cross
Emerging Badger - Kailyn Davidson
Most Improved Badger - Hayley Keith

Men's Golf
Most Valuable Badger - Tate Smith
Emerging Badger - Robbie Pemberton

Women's Golf
Most Valuable Badger - Melanie Burgess
Emerging Badger - Hannah Showers
 
Men's Hockey
Ed Davis Most Valuable Badger - Jacob Roach
Denholm Emerging Badger - Jordan Stock
 
Women's Hockey
Most Valuable Badger - Kenzie Harmison
Most Valuable Badger - Claudia Murphy
 
Men's Lacrosse
Most Valuable Badger - Macgregor Allen
Emerging Badger - Mitchell Armstrong
 
Women's Lacrosse
Most Valuable Badger - Ryanne Logan
Emerging Badger - Jenna Toguri
 
Men's Rowing
Most Valuable Badger - Thomas Markewich
Most Valuable Badger - Stephen Harris
 
Women's Rowing
Most Valuable Badger - Zoe Durcak
Most Valuable Badger - Isabella Durcak
 
Men's Rugby
Most Valuable Badger - Zach Zorbas
Emerging Badger - Grant Meadows
 
Women's Rugby
Most Valuable Badger - Tess Armstrong
Emerging Badger - Jordan Smith
 
Men's Soccer
Most Valuable Badger - Taylor Miskolczi
Emerging Badger - Tiago Pereira
 
Women's Soccer
Most Valuable Badger - Grace Tawil
Emerging Badger - Makenna Williamson

Softball
Most Valuable Badger – Faith Westman
Emerging Badger – Emily Campbell
 
Men's Squash
Most Valuable Badger - Tyson Schille
Emerging Badger - Luque Lockhart
 
Women's Squash
Most Valuable Badger - Meg Tuff-Berg
Emerging Badger - Allison MacPhail
 
Men's Swimming
Joe Kerkhoven Most Valuable Badger - Anthonie Korstanje
Herb deBray Progressive Emerging Badger - Tomas Galvez
 
Women's Swimming
Joe Kerkhoven Most Valuable Badger - Jami Fuson
Herb deBray Progressive Emerging Badger - Paige Moore
 
Men's Tennis
Most Valuable Badger - Alex Cristiano
Emerging Badger - Alec Fraser
 
Women's Tennis
Most Valuable Badger - Aleks Paramentic
Emerging Badger - Segolene de Vries Reilingh
 
Men's Track and Field
Most Valuable Badger - Colton Spencer
Emerging Badger - Michael Ivanov
 
Women's Track and Field
Most Valuable Badger - Emily Good
Emerging Badger - Grace Kugler
 
Women's Volleyball
Most Valuable Badger - Sara Rohr
Emerging Badger - Madison Tuck
Most Improved Badger - Meera Sayal
 
Men's Volleyball
Most Valuable Badger - Grant Reddon
Emerging Badger - Devin Cooney
Most Improved Badger - Kylar Code
 
Men's Wrestling
Most Valuable Badger – Bobby Narwal
Emerging Badger – Carlos Vargas

Women's Wrestling
Most Valuable Badger - Mia Friesen
Emerging Badger - Vanessa Keefe 



For all your Brock Badgers updates make sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.