Gallagher, Waldner earn top athlete honours

trevor.kenney — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 21:22:31 +0000

Championship thrower Kayla Gallagher and four-time Academic All Canadian basketball player Derek Waldner were named Pronghorn Female and Male Athlete of the Year respectively this past weekend as Pronghorn athletics held its annual Blue and Gold Banquet.

Over 275 athletes, administrators and special guests were in attendance for the supper and awards ceremony at the Lethbridge Lodge. The guest speaker for the event was former Pronghorn Dana Mckechnie.

Female Athlete of the Year

In only her first year of eligibility, Kayla Gallagher burst onto the track scene and served notice that she will be a force on the CIS throwing scene for years to come.

At the Canada West Championship meet, the Truro, N.S. native earned two medals, winning her first Canada West weight throw title with a throw of 16.85 metres, nearly a metre further than her closest competitor. She also earned a silver medal in the shot put event. With her gold medal in the weight throw, Gallagher was a first-team Canada West All-Star.

Heading into the CIS Championship meet in Edmonton, Gallagher was ranked fifth in CIS, but a new personal best throw of 18.24 metres earned her the gold medal. The throw was nearly two metres better than her previous personal best and she won the event by almost a metre. The throw was also the furthest ever by a first-year thrower in CIS History. The win also earned her a first-year All-Canadian award.

Male Athlete of the Year

In his final season as a Pronghorn, senior basketball player Derek Waldner capped his career with an exceptional season and will go down in 'Horns history among the best to ever don the blue and gold.

Named a second team Canada West all-star, Waldner led the nation in rebounding and rebounding average with 252 rebounds and an average of 11.5 boards per game. The 252 rebounds also set a new Pronghorn single season record. Waldner was also seventh in Canada West scoring, averaging 16.6 points per game.

Waldner finishes his five-year career with the 'Horns as the school's all-time leading rebounder with 874 and leader in games played with 108. He also sits fifth in scoring with 1139 points and compiled 29 double-doubles (double figures in both points and rebounds) in his career.

The consummate student-athlete, Waldner has been a four-time Academic All-Canadian and is well on his way to finishing his degree with a fifth Academic All-Canadian Award.

Other major award winners included:

President's Award (Academic achievement)

For the second year in a row a member of the Pronghorns women's hockey team receives the prestigious President's Award. Presented to the student athlete with the highest academic standing at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, this year's winner is Jasmin Teske. Like her former teammate Megan Bach last season, Teske achieved a perfect 4.0 GPA, while balancing her large commitment to the team.

Team Academic Award (Team academic achievement)

The women's hockey team received the team academic award with a combined GPA of 3.10

Team MVPs (as voted by team members)

Men's Soccer – Matt Medoruma
Women's Soccer – Taura Willoughby
Men's Hockey – Brent Henke
Women's Hockey – Amy Van Buskirk
Men's Basketball – Derek Waldner
Women's Basketball – Ali Cameron
Women's Rugby – Brandi Van Eeuwen
Men's Swim – Ryan Thornley
Women's Swim – Kara Declark
Men's Track – Peter Millman
Women's Track – Kayla Gallagher

Rizos recognized by Canada West

trevor.kenney — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 18:11:27 +0000

Mackenzie Rizos has become a well-known name around the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge campus by taking the term "student-athlete" to heart.

Rizos, the Pronghorns women's hockey team goaltender, earned a pair of honours this week and has been nominated for a national award thanks to her all-around ability. Named a second-team Canada West All-star for her on-ice performance this past season, the Calgary native is also the Canada West nominee for the Marion Hilliard student-athlete award.

"Mackenzie is a hard working student-athlete that strives to excel in her studies as well as in her sport," says Pronghorns head coach Chandy Kaip. "She is always asking questions and finding new ways to succeed on and off the ice. I look forward to her next three years, she will be a top contender each year for student-athlete as well as top goaltender in the Canada West."

Since her arrival at the U of L, Rizos, a second-year pre-management student, has been the consummate student-athlete. In three semesters she has a cumulative grade point average of 3.53 and was an Academic All-Canadian as a freshman. She was also the recipient of a Board of Governors Entrance Scholarship as well as a Jason Lang Scholarship Recipient, the post-secondary institute's nomination award for academic excellence.

She says her hard work in the classroom is matched by a willingness from ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ professors to be flexible with an athletes' unique needs.

"The profs here are really supportive. They find out you're a student-athlete and they try and make any accommodations for you that they can," she says. "Whether you are missing classes or tests, they've all been very helpful."

On the ice, Mackenzie has been a stalwart between the pipes and despite the Pronghorns missing the playoffs, earned Canada West Second Team All-Star status. She made 21 appearances for the Pronghorns this season and had a save percentage of .891.

Rizos also organized Mackenzie's Bike Across Canada for Cancer, in which she biked the equivalent distance from Victoria, B.C. to St. John's, Nfld., raising awareness and donations. Rizos helps out at numerous hockey camps and participates in the youth hockey day in Coaldale for youth recreational hockey.

Rizos is now a finalist for the national student-athlete award. Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) will hand out the award at the 2009 national women's hockey championship, hosted by St. Francis Xavier ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in Antigonish, N.S., Mar. 19-22.

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