The Varsity Blues recognized their athletes’ accomplishments at the 2014-2015 Athletic Banquet, which took place at the Chestnut Residence on Saturday, March 28. The 2015 T-Holders’ Athletes of the Year, the night’s top distinctions, were awarded to swimmer Eli Wall and nationally recognized track and field athlete Sasha Gollish.

The Frank Pindar male and female Athletes of the Year are new awards, created this year, and are awarded annually to the top players playing in a sport whose season ends in an Ontario University Athletics (OUA) or other university-recognized championship event. Michael Chapman and Breanna Gadzosa, both water polo players, were recognized with this year’s awards.

The George M. Biggs Trophy recognizes the male graduating student whose leadership, sportsmanship, and performance has made the most significant contribution to the Varsity Blues this year. Soccer player Mario Kovacevic won this trophy as a result of his superb athletic, academic, and leadership achievements.

Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) all-Canadian swimmer Vanessa Treasure was granted the Benson Honour Award, which is presented to a graduating female athlete with exceptional athletic and scholarly performance as well as a dedication to university and community involvement, sportsmanship, and leadership.

The male and female Rookie of the Year awards were awarded to Oliver Straszynski and Kylie Masse, both of whom are swimmers.

Gollish was awarded the female T-Holders’ Athlete of the Year over a field that included goalie Nicole Kesteris, who earned the distinction last year. Gollish won this award in the wake of propelling the Varsity Blues to their first CIS gold in track and field in over 15 years.

Gollish received three CIS gold medals and two CIS silver medals this year and helped the Varsity Blues set a CIS record in the 4×800-metre relay. She was named CIS Track Female Athlete of the Year and the CIS championship’s Outstanding Athlete of the Meet. Gollish, who is pursuing a Ph.D in civil engineering, has also set three University of Toronto race records.

Wall led the Varsity Blues male swimming team to a silver medal at the CIS championship. A second-year athlete, he won CIS gold in the 100-metre breaststroke and 200-metre breaststroke races after securing four gold medals at the OUA championship.

Byron MacDonald, coach of the men’s swimming team, credits Wall’s success to his spectacular improvement over the course of the season.  MacDonald said that “[in] a sport where medals and improvement are often decided by tenths of a second, for Eli to improve by two seconds was amazing.”

The Varsity Blues water polo team attracted attention from the Frank Pindar awards after both the men’s and women’s teams won gold at the OUA championship this November.

Frank Pindar male Athlete of the Year Chapman scored the water polo team’s game-winning goal in the OUA championship game. This gold medal came after an undefeated regular season for the Varsity Blues, during which Chapman was recognized as an OUA all-star.

Likewise, the female water polo team glided to an OUA gold medal following an undefeated season. Goalie Gadzosa was awarded the Frank Pindar female Athlete of the Year distinction after being picked as the OUA’s top goalie and earning a spot on the OUA all-star team.

Kovacevic has completed a five-year stint with the Varsity Blues marked by athletic and academic distinction. Kovacevic scored over 40 goals throughout his Varsity Blues career and is a three-time OUA East all-star, but his academic achievements truly set him apart. Kovacevic has published an academic article in the American Journal of Psychology and is a four-time CIS academic all-Canadian.

Benson Honour Award winner Treasure is a five-time OUA all-star and CIS all-Canadian team swimmer, and a three-time CIS academic all-Canadian. Additionally, Treasure plays a leadership role in the Varsity Blues community. She has served as co-chair of the Varsity Board for the last two years, and has been co-captain for the Varsity Blues for three consecutive seasons.

The Rookie of the Year awards bode well for the future of Varsity Blues swimming, as male and female teams both captured OUA team titles this year. Female Rookie of the Year Masse set five OUA records on her way to capturing six gold medals at the OUA championship this February. Still in her first year of OUA competition, Masse was also awarded the OUA female Swimmer of the Year and was named an OUA first team all-star.

Male Rookie of the Year Straszynski led the male Varsity Blues swimming team in middle-distance events, earning OUA gold in the 200-metre freestyle, 400-metre freestyle relay, and 800-metre freestyle relay. Straszynski, an engineering student from Toronto, was also honoured with a first team spot on the OUA and CIS all-Canadian teams.