GUELPH, Ont. – The Guelph Gryphons celebrated the best and brightest from a memorable 2019-20 season by holding the annual Gryphon Athletic banquet on Sunday, April 5, 2020. A total of 15 major award winners from the 2019-20 season were unveiled, with track star Zoe Sherar and two-sport athlete Job Reinhart (football | wrestling) headlining the major award winners as the 2019-20 Female and Male Athletes of the Year. With the COVID19 pandemic resulting in the cancellation of the Gryphons traditional, in-person athletic banquet, this year's edition adopted an online format, with the awards gala broadcast online on the Gryphons official YouTube channel ("GryphZONE").
"We are so inspired by the way our student-athletes performed this season, not just on the field of play, but also in the classroom and in the community," said
Scott McRoberts, Director of Athletics at the University of Guelph. "Our Gryphon student-athletes should be incredibly proud of what they accomplished in 2019-20. Their resilience showed this year and more than ever I am so proud of how our student-athletes supported not just their own teammates, but other Gryphon teams as well. We also want to say a special 'thank you' to our graduating seniors for all of their hard work and amazing contributions over the years."
A complete list of award winners from the 2019-20 Gryphon athletic banquet can be found below.
2019-20 Major Award Winners
Male Athlete of the Year: Job Reinhart (Football & Wrestling)
Female Athlete of the Year: Zoe Sherar (Track and Field)
W.F. Mitchell Sportsman of the Year: Alexander Chaves (Wrestling)
W.F. Mitchell Sportswoman of the Year: Katherine MacMillan (Field Hockey)
President's Trophy (Male): Mitch Ubene (Cross Country / Track)
President's Trophy (Female): Alex Curran (Women's Volleyball)
"Gryphie" Moment of the Year: "OT for the Ages" (Men's Hockey)
Fred Ramprashad Award: Emilie Nicholl (Women's Rugby)
Don Cameron Award (3-year M.I.P.): Zarko Ubiparip (Men's Volleyball)
Shirley Peterson Award (3-year M.I.P.): Sadie-Jane Hickson (Cross Country / Track)
Scott Yanchus Male Rookie of the Year: Gunnar Eyjolfsson (Track & Field)
Dr. Mary Beverley-Burton Female Rookie of the Year: Kate Knafelc (Women's Soccer)
Gunner Obrascovs Trainer of the Year: Rileigh Arsenault (Women's Hockey)
Cathy Rowe Manager of the Year: Natassya Lu (Wrestling)
Student-Athlete Mentor Award: Clayton White (Men's Rowing)
Female Athlete of the Year - Zoe Sherar (Track and Field)
Third-year track standout Zoe Sherar earns Female Athlete of the Year honours following a sensational 2019-20 season in which she earned a total of six gold medals (3 OUA golds, 3 U SPORTS golds)
Zoe Sherar - 2019-20 Female Athlete of the Year
while helping lead the Gryphons women's track team to both OUA and national team titles. The Toronto native, who majors in economics and geographic information systems, has quickly established herself as one of the best collegiate long sprinters in Canadians history. Sherar was named the OUA Track MVP for her performances throughout the course of the regular season. After dominating at the OUA Championships, Zoe capped off her outstanding year with a new school-record in her gold-medal-winning performance in the women's 300m. She also was part of a pair of gold medal-winning relay teams, including the women's 4x400m relay team, who matched their own U SPORTS record with a time of 3:40.08.
Male Athlete of the Year - Job Reinhart (Football | Wrestling)
Job Reinhart earns Male Athlete of the Year honours after yet another standout season as a decorated, two-sport athlete with the Gryphon football and wrestling teams.
The Guelph native, who was selected by the Calgary
Job Reinhart - 2019-20 Male Athlete of the Year
Stampeders in the 2019 CFL Draft, began his fifth and final year as a Gryphon by anchoring one of the top defensive units in all of U SPORTS football. As the starting middle linebacker on the OUA's No. 1-ranked scoring defence, Reinhart earned OUA Second Team All-Star honours after racking up 44.5 tackles, 4.5 sacks as well as a forced fumble during an exceptional 2019 season in which the Gryphons posted a 6-2 record en route to reaching the OUA semi-finals. Aside from his role as the starting middle linebacker, Reinhart has also solidified himself as one of the top special teams players in U SPORTS football, handling long-snapping duties and helping lead the Gryphon coverage units.
Following the football season, Job turned his attention to the wrestling mat, where he reached the podium at both the conference and national levels. At the OUA Championships, Reinhart earned a silver in the men's 100kg and followed that up by taking home bronze at the U SPORTS Championships. The landscape architecture native ends his Gryphon wrestling career with a total of six medals (four at the OUA level, two at the national level).
W.F. Mitchell Sportsman of the Year - Alexander Chaves (Wrestling)
Guelph native Alexander Chaves ends his Gryphon career as the recipient of the W.F. Mitchell Sportsman award following a dominant 2019-20 wrestling season. The landscape architecture major defended his national title at the 2020 U SPORTS Wrestling Championships, taking home the gold in the men's 72kg weight class for a second year in a row.
Alexander defeated Alberta's Aidan McKeage in the finals, capping a memorable week in St. Catharines for the fifth-year veteran, who gave up just two points the entire tournament. Chaves finishes his Gryphon career as both an OUA and U SPORTS gold medalist and leaves the 2020 U SPORTS Wrestling Championships having won each of his matches by technical superiority. Over the course of this year's OUA and U SPORTS Wrestling Championships, Chaves outscored his opponents by a combined score of 76-2.
Note: The W.F. Mitchell Sportsman Award is presented to a student-athlete who is in their graduating year. The individual must have demonstrated outstanding talent and ability in their sport, combined with exceptional leadership and involvement in athletics at the University of Guelph.
W.F. Mitchell Sportswoman of the Year - Katherine MacMillan (Field Hockey)
Katherine MacMillan takes home the W.F. Mitchell Sportswoman award after a sensational fifth and final year on the Gryphon field hockey team.
The Kitchener native scored the game-winning goal on home soil in a 1-0 win over U of T in the OUA gold medal game. The victory gave Guelph their first OUA title since 2013 and marked the fifth conference banner in program history. In 2019, MacMillan also became just the fifth Gryphon field hockey player in school history to be named the national player of the year, as she took home the Liz Hoffman Award at the U SPORTS Field Hockey All-Canadian banquet in Victoria, B.C. where the Gryphons took home national silver medals. Katherine's memorable 2019 campaign saw her finished second in the OUA with 12 goals, four of which were of the game-winning variety, leading her to earn U SPORTS All-Canadian honours for the second time in her career.
Note: The W.F. Mitchell Sportswoman Award is presented to a student-athlete who is in their graduating year. The individual must have demonstrated outstanding talent and ability in their sport, combined with exceptional leadership and involvement in athletics at the University of Guelph.
President's Trophy (Male) - Mitchell Ubene (Cross Country | Track & Field)
Fourth-year standout Mitch Ubene became just the 16th individual in Gryphon history to be named the individual champion at the OUA Men's Cross Country Championships.
On October 26, 2019 in Hamilton, Ubene finished 1st in a field of 85 runners to help lead the Gryphons men's cross country team to their 17th OUA team title in the last 21 years.
At nationals, Ubene once again led the way for Guelph, this time finished 2nd overall, to help guide the Gryphons to a U SPORTS bronze medal finish in the team standings.
The Tecumseh, Ontario native, who also competed indoors for the Gryphons during the winter semester as a member of the U of G national championship-winning track team, accomplished all of this while obtaining an 85% average while majoring in mechanical engineering.
President's Trophy (Female) - Alex Curran (Women's Volleyball)
Alex Curran, a fourth-year setter on the Gryphons women's volleyball team, put together her latest standout season in what has become an already memorable Gryphon career.
For a third straight season, the Aurora, Ontario native was named an OUA West 1st-Team All-Star. Registering 630 assists in 2019-20, Curran led the OUA in the category, while finishing fourth in the province in assists per set with 8.75. Using a combination of her tremendous talent, work ethic and experience, Curran has been as dependable as they come taking the second touch and helped lead the Gryphons to an OUA bronze medal, their first podium appearance in nine seasons. She accomplished all of this while excelling in the classroom, where she earned a 90% average over the fall and winter semesters while majoring in psychology.
Dr. Mary Beverley-Burton Female Rookie of the Year - Kate Knafelc (Women's Soccer)
Kate Knafelc, an 18-year-old native of Ridgeville, Ontario, was one of just two OUA first-year players to earn a spot among the
12 best rookies in the country as part of the 2019 U SPORTS All-Rookie Team. The marine and freshwater biology major became just the second player in program history to been named OUA Rookie of the Year, joining teammate Victoria Hinchliffe who did so in 2016.
Knafelc's stellar first season in the OUA saw her finish 3rd on the team in scoring with 5 goals in 11 games, including a game-winning goal in her U SPORTS debut on August 31 in a 2-1 win over York.
Scott Yanchus Rookie of the Year - Gunnar Eyjolfsson (Men's Track & Field)
In his first season with the
Gryphons men's track and field team, Gunnar Eyjolfsson takes home Male Rookie of the Year honours thanks to a standout 2019-20 campaign. Gunnar, an arts and science major who hails from Iceland, helped lead the Gryphons men's team to a fourth straight OUA title with a gold medal performance at the 2020 OUA Track and Field Championships.
Eyjolfsson followed up his OUA gold medal with a U SPORTS silver medal at nationals, earning U SPORTS Second Team All-Canadian honours in the men's heptathlon while contributing to a dominant team title from the Gryphon men, who finished 70 points ahead of the second-place Calgary Dinos in the final team standings.
Don Cameron Award - Zarko Ubiparip (Men's Volleyball)
After being named an OUA West 2nd Team All-Star a season ago,
Zarko Ubiparip went one step further this season as he was named an OUA West 1st Team All-Star in 2019-20. A product of Kitchener, Ontario, the 3rd-year student athlete led the Gryphons in kills with 194, which was good enough to tie for 5th in the OUA. His 227.5 points accumulated during the 2019-20 campaign was also good for 5th in the conference. Ubiparip also provided problems for his opponents with his serve, tallying 19 service aces while helping lead the Gryphons to an OUA Final Four appearance.
Note: The Don Cameron trophy is awarded to the male student-athlete showing the greatest progress in athletics during his first three years at the University.
Shirley Peterson Award - Sadie-Jane Hickson (Cross Country | Track & Field)
Third-year bio-medical science major Sadie-Jane Hickson takes home the Shirley Peterson Award after a sensational 2019-20 season with the Gryphon cross country and track teams.
Hickson, a native of Oakwood, Ontario, made a total of three trips to the podium at nationals, contributing to a pair of gold medal-winning relay teams (women's 4x400m relay and 4x800m relay), as well as earning a U SPORTS silver medal in the women's 1000m.
Over the course of her three seasons as a member of the Gryphon track team, Hickson has improved her placing each year, both in cross country as well as on the track, and has now earned a total of five U SPORTS medals (four gold, one silver) as well as six OUA medals (four gold, one silver, one bronze) during her U of G track career.
Note: The Shirley Peterson Award is presented to the female student-athlete showing the greatest progress in athletics during his first three years at the University.
Gryphie Moment of the Year - "OT for the Ages" (Men's Hockey)
Winning the Queen's Cup is the goal for every player in OUA men's hockey. 
But doing so in triple overtime in front of a sold out home crowd is the type of things dreams are made of. Second-year forward Ted Nichol scored 1:14 into the third overtime period on Saturday, March 7, 2020 to dramatically lift the Gryphons to a 2-1 win over the Ottawa Gee-Gees in the 109th edition of the Queen's Cup.
The game was played in front of a capacity crowd of 1,600 at the Gryphon Centre, where the Gryphons captured the 7th OUA title in program history and first since 2014-15.
Fred Ramprashad Award - Emilie Nicholl (Women's Rugby)
Note: This award is established through the direction of the College of Biological Science Alumni to honour Professor Fred Ramprashad for his commitment to the college and to the athletic programs at Guelph. 
The award will recognize the student that best demonstrates the combination of academic excellence in biological science and participation in intercollegiate athletics.
Fifth-year women's rugby standout Emilie Nicholl takes home the 2019-20 Fred Ramprashad Award after a phenomenal 2019 season both on the rugby pitch as well as in the classroom. On the field, Nicholl helped lead the Gryphons women's rugby team to an OUA silver medal and a 4th-place finish at nationals. Off the field, Emilie earned a 92.1 GPA while also serving as a student-athlete mentor in the Gryphon SAM Program. The Toronto native was an active participant in the Gryphon Leadership Academy where she worked on several projects that supported the efforts in the Gryphons intercollegiate program.
Gunner Obrascovs Trainer of the Year - Rileigh Arsenault (Women's Hockey)
Throughout the 2019-20 women's hockey season, Rileigh established herself as one of the top student-trainers in all of Gryphon athletics, thanks to her exceptional leadership skills and tremendous compassion towards the student-athletes.
Rileigh took the initiative to form an injury tracking spreadsheet for the Gryphons women's hockey team and communicated this daily as needed with both coaches and athletic therapy staff. Her communication regarding injury updates was second-to-none, while her care for the student-athletes was evident daily.
Cathy Rowe Manager of the Year - Natassya Lu (Wrestling)
After competing for five seasons as a member of the Gryphons varsity wrestling program, Natassya Lu seamlessly transitioned into her role as team manager for the 2019-20 season. Natassya's excellent work ethic and organizational skills allowed her to effectively manage several of the wrestling team's administrative duties, including organizing tournament schedules as well as leading communications around event registration and recruitment.
Natassya's passion for design, which was enhanced throughout her studies at U of G as a landscape architecture major, were also on full display in 2019-20, as she produced new images and content for the Guelph Wrestling Twitter and Instagram accounts while also leading the design of the new Gryphon singlets which were worn by the U of G varsity wrestlers for the 2019-20 season.
Student-Athlete Mentor Award - Clayton White (Men's Rowing)
The Student-Athlete Mentor ("SAM") award recognizes a mentor who develops meaningful relationships with student-athletes, helps student-athletes to develop a positive academic and athletic identity, demonstrates personal and professional integrity and contributes to the development of a unique student-athlete culture of learning.
The winner of this year's SAM Mentor exemplifies all of these qualities. Over his three years as a SAM Mentor, Clayton dedicated himself to building relationships with student-athletes. Clayton always had time for his mentees, he knows the value of connecting and could often be seen meeting with his mentees for as long as it took for them to feel prepared and ready for whatever they faced that week. He often went above and beyond to support student-athletes. He consistently worked to improve the SAM program, with new ideas and thoughtful analysis of challenges. The SAM Program and student-athletes are better today because of Clayton White.
Team Award Winners
Baseball: MVP: – Dylan Clark
Basketball (M): Jack Tanner M.I.P. – Rasheed Weekes
Basketball (M): Bill Dimson Memorial M.V.P. – Tommy Yanchus
Basketball (W): M.I.P. – MacKeely Shantz
Basketball (W): M.V.P. – Skyla Minaker
Cross Country (M): Rookie of the Year (Al Claremont Freshman Harrier Trophy) – Aaron Canfield
Cross Country (M): M.V.P. (Art Hackett Trophy) – Mitchell Ubene
Cross Country (W): Rookie of the Year – Cameron Ormond
Cross Country (W): M.V.P. (Vic Matthews Award) – Hannah Woodhouse
Curling (W): M.V.P. – Alice Holyoke
Curling (M): M.V.P. – Nathan Marshall
Field Hockey: M.I.P. – Lauren Marcolini
Field Hockey: Laura Sharp M.V.P. – Katherine MacMillan
Figure Skating: M.V.P. – Olivia Stallaert
Football: Rookie of the Year – Justin Lauzon
Football: M.V.P. (Donald Forster Trophy) – Job Reinhart
Golf (M): David Fell M.V.P. - Josiah Dixon
Golf (W): Grace Glofcheskie M.V.P. – Rachel Bauer
Hockey (M): Rookie of the Year (Walter Rickard Memorial Award) – Giordano Finoro
Hockey (M): M.V.P. (Jack Pos Trophy) – Marc Stevens
Hockey (W): Rookie of the Year – Hannah Tait
Hockey (W): M.V.P. – Karli Shell
Lacrosse (M): M.V.P. – Hayden Walsh
Lacrosse (W): M.V.P. – Emily Power
Nordic Skiing (M): M.V.P. – Alec MacLean
Nordic Skiing (W): M.V.P. – Allison Caswell
Rowing (M): M.V.P. – Caelan Weber-Martin
Rowing (W): M.V.P. – Grace Hutton
Rugby (M): Rookie of the Year (Robin Best Award) – Colin Lynch
Rugby (M): M.V.P. (Ieuan Evans Rugger Award) – Aria Keshoofy
Rugby (W): Rookie of the Year – Kendra Cousineau
Rugby (W): M.V.P. – Julia Schell
Soccer (M): Rookie of the Year – Moses Kafeero
Soccer (M): M.V.P. (Bill McAnuff Memorial) – Alex Zis
Soccer (W): Rookie of the Year – Kate Knafelc
Soccer (W): M.V.P. – Sayan Ladhani
Swimming (M): M.I.P. – Tosh Aggarwal
Swimming (M): M.V.P. (C.M. Kinnear Memorial) – Sam Kuntz
Swimming (W): M.I.P. – Jessica Reibel
Swimming (W): M.V.P. – Shania Van Herk
Track & Field (M): Rookie Award – Gunnar Eyjolfsson
Track & Field (M): M.V.P. (Hamilton Olympic Club Award) – Mark Bujnowski
Track & Field (W): Rookie Award – Mia Rodney
Track & Field (W): M.V.P. – Zoe Sherar
Volleyball (M): M.I.P. – Jonathan Pickett
Volleyball (M): M.V.P. – Zarko Ubiparip
Volleyball (W): M.I.P. (Makala King Memorial) – Jessica Chung
Volleyball (W): M.V.P. – Jade Ziebarth
Wrestling (M): M.I.P. – Kyle Robinson
Wrestling (M): M.V.P. – Alexander Chaves
Wrestling (W): M.I.P. – Jayden Sparks
Wrestling (W): M.V.P. – Hannah Little
