U of T’s athletic stars were shining bright on Thursday evening as the annual Intercollegiate Awards Banquet took place at the Colony Hotel in Toronto. On this night, the athletes traded in their sweaty sports apparel for tuxedos and gowns.
Approximately 500 people, including athletes, parents, school administrators and media, jammed a lavish banquet hall to celebrate one of the Varsity Blues’ most successful seasons ever.
Liz Hoffman, assistant dean and director of athletics, summed up the year’s accomplishments in her welcome speech to the boisterous crowd.
“The Varsity Blues had another successful season in 2001-02,” she said.
38 of 44 U of T teams advanced to the post-season, with 11 of those qualifying for Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) Championships. 26 of those teams earned a place on provincial and national podiums.
All 44 teams were represented at the banquet and members from each team were seated together. As a sign of solidarity with their teammates, athletes dressed up in different themes.
The women’s basketball team wore traditional Hawaiian outfits, the women’s ice-hockey team wore pink bunny ears, the women’s volleyball team sported coloured wigs and the field hockey team went with cowboy attire.
After dinner, the moment everyone was waiting for arrived with the presentation of the athletic awards.
First came the George M. Biggs trophy and the Benson Honour award, awarded to a graduating male and female student who has contributed to athletics from the standpoint of leadership, sportsmanship and performance.
The Track and Field team swept both those awards, with fifth-year biology student Christopher Martin winning the Biggs Trophy and fourth-year physical education student Anna Kinloch winning the Benson award.
The other nominees for the two prestigious awards were Jamie Halla (water polo), Rob Ireland (rugby), Kristeen Burton (squash), Vivienne Macy (figure skating), and Sadie Stewart (volleyball).
Also recognized at the banquet were the recipients of the Silver “T” Award, which is presented annually to students in their graduating year for outstanding athletic performance.
This year, 28 students received the Silver “T.”
The climax of the evening was the presentation of the T-Holders’ Athletic Award, given to the male and female athlete of the year.
It was a tough decision for the selection committee this year, as most of the 12 nominees reached new highs, many winning OUA championships and receiving national medals.
Brian Dikdan, OUA Pitcher of the Year, won the male athlete of the year award. He led the Varsity Blues to the inaugural OUA Men’s Baseball Championship, recording seven wins and two losses, with a league-leading 0.90 earned run average.
The entire baseball team stood and sang in honour of their teammate when the award was given. Dikdan later acknowledged his teammates’ accolades.
“These guys are the ones who won the OUA championship,” he said of the team’s effort. “I just can’t wait until next year so that we can do it again.”
Canadian Olympian Liz Warden was named female athlete of the year, after another great season in which she won six gold medals in six events, leading the Blues to the 2002 OUA Swimming Championship.
“I’ve been nominated a few times before, so I can’t believe I finally won,” said Warden, who will complete the last part of her English major next year.
“It’s the biggest honour I have received at this school.”
Warden hopes to attend teacher’s college after graduating, and says she is looking forward to the next Olympic games in Athens.
Also presented were faculty awards such as the Kirkwood Award (recipients: Karyn Sullivan and Andrew Morgan), the Hill-Powell Administrative Award (Jennifer Button), and the John McCutcheon Award (Rob Moore).
