BURLINGTON, Ont. – Third-year forward Victoria Hinchliffe has been responsible for several "firsts" when it comes to making history for the women's soccer program at the University of Guelph.
 
As a rookie in 2016, the Guelph native became the first Gryphon women's soccer player to be named OUA Rookie of the Year.
 
As a sophomore in 2017, she helped lead her team secure the first conference title in program history, scoring four goals in three OUA playoff games, while also converting the winning penalty kicks in both the semi-finals and gold medal matches.
 
And now, in her third season at U of G, Victoria Hinchliffe has accomplished yet another first, as she became the first Gryphons women's soccer player ever to earn the title of OUA MVP.
 
On Wednesday afternoon (Oct. 31), Ontario University Athletics announced the major award winners and all-stars for the 2018 women's soccer season. The Gryphons were recognized with a pair of major awards, with head coach Shayne Campbell taking home OUA West Coach of the Year honours.

In total, the Gryphons had five players named to the OUA West All-Star team.
 

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Victoria Hinchliffe – OUA West Division MVP
 
Victoria Hinchliffe's 2018 MVP campaign saw her finish the regular season as the country's third-leading scorer with 12 goals in 16 games.

The Human Kinetics major led the Gryphons to a first-place finish in the OUA West division standings with a 12-1-3 record. Aside from garnering MVP honours, Hinchliffe also earns the title of OUA West First Team All-Star for the second time in her career after also having done so as a freshman.
 
While her goal-scoring record speaks for itself, it is her contributions at the other end of the pitch that make her truly special according to head coach Shayne Campbell, "There are not many attacking players who work as hard in the defending phase of the game as Hinch. We ask a lot of her on both sides and she is always willing to put that kind of work in. It's just the kind of player she is.
 
"Hinch has never stopped wanting to improve herself as a player. This year she and assistant coach, Onkar Dhillon, worked quite a bit to develop other aspects of her game. She is seeing the game more now and can set up others as well. She has just continued to adapt and learn different ways to help the team."
 

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Shayne Campbell – OUA West Coach of the Year
 
In his first two seasons in charge of the women's soccer program at U of G, Shayne Campbell has already left quite the impression.
 
As a first-year head coach in 2017, Campbell helped guide the Gryphons to their first OUA title in program history. In 2018, he led the team to a first-place finish and as a result, has become just the fourth head coach in program history to be named OUA Coach of the Year.
   
"We are so excited about the current state and overall direction of our women's soccer program, and that is thanks in large part to the tireless work of Shayne and his staff," says Scott McRoberts, Director of Athletics at the University of Guelph. "Shayne is exactly the type of leader that we love to see working with our student-athletes. He is a positive role model who also possesses a great competitive drive. He has done an outstanding job at developing our women's soccer players both on and off the field."
 
On the field, no team in the OUA was better defensively than Coach Campbell's Gryphons, who conceded a league-low 3 goals in 16 games played during the regular season.
 
Prior to taking over as head coach in the spring of 2017, Shayne spent five seasons as an assistant coach with the Gryphons and is a proud U of G alum, having starred with the Gryphons men's soccer team from 1992-1994 where he was a three-time OUA all-star.

                            Gryphon OUA Coach of the Year Recipients 

2018-2019	Shayne Campbell	West Division Coach of the Year
2016-2017	Randy Ragan	West Division Coach of the Year
2011-2012	Randy Ragan	West Division Coach of the Year
2000-2001	Laurie Halfpenny-Mitchell	South/West Coach of the Year
1990-1991	Keith Mason	South/West Coach of the Year

 

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Gryphon 2018 OUA West All-Stars
 
Five different Gryphons earned conference all-star status in 2018, with Hinchliffe's MVP performance headlining the group. Star goalkeeper Libby Brenneman (Baden, Ont.) earned her third consecutive all-star selection and was named an OUA West First Team All-Star after not conceding a single goal during the 2018 regular season. Brenneman recorded shutouts in all 9 of her starts during the regular season, including a penalty save in a 1-0 win over McMaster on September 9.
 
Helping anchor the league's best defence was third-year centre back, Alyssa Hodgson, who earns the first OUA all-star honours of her career with a spot on the West division's First Team. NCAA transfer Jenna Holtz, who arrived at U of G in 2018 after having spent time playing Division-I soccer south of the border at Santa Clara University, impressed in her Gryphon debut season, and was named a First Team all-star after serving as a catalyst in the Gryphons' midfield all season. Veteran midfielder Ann-Carolyn Lang rounds out the Gryphon selections with the first all-star nod of her career, earning a spot on the West division's Second Team.
 
For more information on the 2018 OUA women's soccer all-stars and major award winners, visit oua.ca.
 

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OUA West Division Major Award Winners

Most Valuable Player (West) –Victoria Hinchliffe, Guelph
Coach of the Year (West) – Shayne Campbell, Guelph
Rookie of the Year (West) – Kalifornia Mitchell, York
Community Service Award (West) – Tamara Orlando, York
 
First Team All-Stars (West)
 
Goalkeeper – Libby Brenneman, Guelph
Defence – Teni Odetonyinbo, York
Defence – Alyssa Hodgson, Guelph
Defence – Pauline McCordic, Laurier
Defence – Angelica Galluzo, Western
Midfielder – Christina Morelli, York
Midfielder – Kalifornia Mitchell, York
Midfielder – Jenna Holtz, Guelph
Midfielder – Giulia Geraci, Western
Striker – Victoria Hinchliffe, Guelph
Striker – Stephanie Roberts, McMaster
 
Second Team All-Stars (West)
 
Goalkeeper – Marilena Spagnolo, Brock
Defence – Abbey Young, York
Defence – Mary Craig, McMaster
Defence – Jessica Lush, York
Defence – Lauren O'Donnell, Western
Midfielder – Jessica Viera, Western
Midfielder – Brianne Desa, Brock
Midfielder – Ann-Carolyn Lang, Guelph
Midfielder – Grace Grafham, McMaster
Striker – Gagan Parhar, Laurier
Striker – Samantha Bayer, Brock
 

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OUA East Division Major Award Winners
 
Most Valuable Player (East) – Jenny Wolever, Queen's
Coach of the Year (East) – David Bitonti, Nipissing
Rookie of the Year (East) – Emma Twohey, Trent
Community Service Award (East) – Gillian Rossi, Ryerson
 
 First Team All-Stars (East)

Goalkeeper – Claudia Rusu, RMC
Defence – Kayla Da Costa-Pacheco, Ottawa
Defence – Mikaela Tierney, UOIT
Defence – Abby Wroe, Nipissing
Defence – Lauren Da Luz, Ottawa
Midfielder – Katherine Bearne, Ottawa
Midfielder – Lidia Bradau, Queen's
Midfielder – Katherine Koehler-Grassau, UOIT
Midfielder – Miranda Smith, Ottawa
Striker – Jenny Wolever, Queen's
Striker – Taijah Henderson, UOIT

Second Team All-Stars (East)

Goalkeeper – Caitlin McNamara, Laurentian
Defence – Alicia Levy, Queen's
Defence – Jamie Foot, Queen's
Defence – Abigail Hubble, Trent
Defence – Lauren De Jong, Nipissing
Midfielder – Chelsea Cheung, Toronto
Midfielder – Andrea Dermott, Nipissing
Midfielder – Tori Chia, Trent
Midfielder – Catherine Rocca, Laurentian
Striker – Madison Logan, Nipissing
Striker – Emma Lefebvre, Ottawa
 

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