The Brock Badgers continue to make their mark across the conference.
Ontario University Athletics (OUA) announced their list of major award winners and all-stars for women's rugby on Wednesday, Oct. 22, with several Badgers earning recognition.
Lily Vandenhoek headlined the list of accolades, earning OUA Rookie of the Year honours along with an OUA Second Team All-Star selection. Brooke Rempel was named an OUA First Team All-Star, while Paige DeNeve and Mya Rickerby each took home spots on the OUA Second Team.
"We are very proud of the recognition these young athletes have received," said head coach Adrian Brown. "They stood out on both offence and defence and made a positive impact every game. They represent the effort and determination of this entire team."
Vandenhoek stepped into a major role in her debut season, starting every game for the Badgers. The first-year flanker scored three tries during the regular season, while averaging over 15 tackles a game and two turnovers generated per game. She brought strong offloading skills and dynamic footwork to assist on numerous tries to help the Badgers' attack. This marks the first time the Brock women's rugby team has earned accolades for a top first-year player since Taylor Hurd was named the Russell Division Rookie of the Year in 2017.
For the second time in three seasons, Rempel has been named an all-star. During the regular season, the third-year prop was second in the country amongst all front row players, finishing with nine tries. Offensively, she made an impact as she averaged over five broken tackles and line breaks, while on the defensive side of the ball, she delivered five tackles per game. Often playing for the full 80 minutes per game, Rempel's strength in the set-piece provided a strong attacking platform for Brock.
DeNeve capped off her impressive Brock career with her third OUA Second Team All-Star selection. Over her five years with the Badgers, she has been named a U SPORTS Second Team All-Canadian, OUA Player of the Year and an OUA First Team All-Star. The Zepyhr, Ont., product notched two tries and delivered 18 kicks, putting her in the top 5 in OUA scoring during the regular season with 49 points. Her dynamic running, vision in moving the ball into space and reliable kicking game were complemented by a physical presence on defence.
Shining in her first year as a full back for the Badgers, Rickerby captured her first provincial all-star selection. The native of Grand Valley, Ont., native had strong running lines and regularly broke the defensive line on offensive carries. Her biggest impact was on her open-field defence, making over a dozen try-saving tackles over the season.
The complete list of 2025 OUA women's rugby award winners and all-stars is as follows:
MAJOR AWARD WINNERS
Player of the Year - Lizzie Gibson, Queen's
Rookie of the Year - Lily Vandenhoek, Brock
Community Service Award - Heavlyn Sekyere, Waterloo
Coach of the Year - Dan Valley, Queen's
FIRST TEAM ALL-STARS
Fly Half - Abbey Tape, Laurier
Scrum Half - Madi Thompson, Queen's
Prop - Brooke Rempel, Brock
Prop - Jayne Armatage, Queen's
Centre - Maddy Minnis, Guelph
Centre - Mika Hough, Western
Back Three - Milla Sayavongsa, Guelph
Back Three - Kennedi Stevenson, Queen's
Back Three - Reilly Cattell, Western
Back Row - Lizzie Gibson, Queen's
Back Row - Abby Auger, Guelph
Back Row - Jiggy Schonfeld, Queen's
Hooker - Maddy May, Queen's
Second Row - Maxie Grant, Queen's
Second Row - Imogen Barnard, Guelph
SECOND TEAM ALL-STARS
Fly Half - Paige DeNeve, Brock
Scrum Half - Halle Woodcock, Guelph
Prop - Meg Rogers, Guelph
Prop - Lucy Boronka, York
Centre - Alanna Mrkobrada, York
Centre - Kaia Grant, WLU
Back Three - Addy Holmes, Guelph
Back Three - Jahlesha Roye, York
Back Three - Mya Rickerby, Brock
Back Row - Kennedy Johnstone, Western
Back Row - Lily Vandenhoek, Brock
Back Row - Verena Marsig, McMaster
Hooker - Taylor McKnight, Guelph
Second Row - Julia Kata, McMaster
Second Row - Mackenzie Duncan, Western
