The Brock Badgers were recognized with two awards at the 2024-25 Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Honour Awards Banquet held Wednesday, May 14 at Queen's Landing in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
The annual banquet celebrates both the Honour Awards, which recognize excellence in sport, academics and community involvement, and the C.H.A.M.P. Awards, which highlight achievements in marketing and promotions.
Rod Mawhood, a longtime contributor to Brock Sports since 2001-02, was recognized as this year's Media Member of Distinction.
His weekly radio show, the Niagara Sports Report, has featured numerous Brock athletes and coaches over the years, giving them a platform to share their unique stories with a wider audience. Some of this year's guests included Brock Male Athlete of the Year Michael Ivanov, OUA Wrestling Championship-winning head coaches Marty Calder and Dave Collie and OUA Men's and Women's Swimming Coach of the Year Dave Ling.
"It's a true honour to receive this award," Mawhood said. "Being a student-athlete is not easy, and I'm glad I can cover and feature these athletes through their journeys. Ontario and Canadian university athletics should be cherished, and I'm grateful, honoured and humbled that I'm being recognized for supporting it."
In addition to his radio work, Mawhood also serves as the in-game announcer for Brock basketball and hockey, and he is the host of marquee events such as the Celebration of Academic Excellence, the Brock Badgers Awards Gala and the Brock Badgers Hall of Fame ceremony.
Beyond Brock, he plays a key role in the Niagara sports community, helping lead an annual community sports breakfast. At Mawhood's seventh anniversary show this year, the breakfast raised more than $6,000 for the Niagara Peninsula Foundation for Children.
Along with Mawhood's accomplishment, the Brock Badgers also celebrated receiving a C.H.A.M.P. Award for Best Webcast Production.
BrockTV Media, on behalf of the Brock Badgers, produced over 100 broadcasts this season, continuing to raise the bar for live sports coverage at the university level.
"This is a huge honour for our team at BrockTV, and we are incredibly proud of our student staff and volunteers for their continuous effort and dedication to every broadcast," said BrockTV video manager Joel Antony. "Every year we try to elevate the quality and professionalism of our work and this recognition from the OUA motivates us to continue raising the standards for what an OUA broadcast can be."
Building on a foundation of multi camera coverage, instant replay and sideline reporting, BrockTV focused on improving the viewer experience this year with dynamic, sport-specific graphics across all broadcasts.
Among the top events streamed this season were the OUA Women's Lacrosse Championship, which featured multiple camera angles and a top-down view of the field, and the Wrestling Canada Lutte U SPORTS Invitational Championships, where BrockTV streamed four mats simultaneously on the CBC Sports YouTube channel.
Continuing a long-standing tradition of marketing and promotions success, Brock has earned a C.H.A.M.P. Award in nine of the 10 years since the honours began in 2014-15.
