For the fifth consecutive year, The Varsity has selected its men’s and women’s Athletes of the Year, following another season of exciting Varsity Blues action. Several Varsity Blues teams achieved great success this season. Yet, the two athletes highlighted here helped their respective teams break new ground while also achieving a great individual season.
Men’s Athlete of the Year: Niklas Hallam
First-year midfielder Niklas Hallam had an incredible breakout year, leading the Varsity Blues men’s soccer team that scored 48 goals in the regular season — the most this year in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA). Despite being a rookie, Hallam was featured in all 12 games and registered a remarkable 10 goals and two assists. His slew of goals this season was tied for the highest on the Blues and second highest in the OUA East.
Hallam’s season earned him OUA Rookie of the Year alongside an appearance on the second All-Star team. Nationally, the lethal finisher earned U Sports All-Rookie Team honours.
In recent years, the Blues have had a standout cohort of rookies. In fact, Hallam marks the third consecutive Blue to take a conference Rookie of the Year and U SPORTS All-Rookie. In 2023, forward Michael Maslanka nabbed these awards, while in 2022 midfielder Tadiji Vukas achieved the honours. However, Hallam’s 10 goals beat both Maslanka and Vukas’ debut seasons, making this year’s rookie season particularly memorable.
Hallam’s standout performance was picked up by professional scouts as well. During the Canadian Premier League (CPL) U SPORTS Draft, Hallam was selected fourth overall by Pacific FC. The Varsity is excited to see just how high Hallam can fly in what will be an undoubtedly illustrious career.
Women’s Athlete of the Year: Nina Mollin
Nina Mollin had another sensational year, building on an already lengthy list of achievements. The third-year swimmer was named 2023 U of T women’s Rookie of the Year and 2024 T-Holder’s women’s Athlete of the Year, in addition to her receiving the 2023 and 2024 Dr. Jeno Tihanyi Individual Medley Excellence Award.
In her rookie year, Mollin amassed an impressive haul of three OUA gold medals and a gold and two silver medals at U SPORTS. In 2024, Mollin secured four OUA golds as well as four golds and a bronze at nationals.
This year, she added five more OUA gold medals in the 200-metre fly, 200-metre breaststroke, 200-metre individual medley, 400-metre individual medley, and 400-metre free relay. She was named OUA women’s Swimmer of the Year after leading the Blues to their 11th consecutive provincial title. Mollin also won her third straight Dr. Jeno Tihanyi Individual Medley excellence award.
At the 2025 U SPORTS championships, Mollin took home three additional gold medals, a bronze, and a sixth-place finish. Unfortunately, the women’s swim team fell short of the U SPORTS podium; the team ended the season ranked fourth following three consecutive national championships. Still, Mollin’s contributions are especially crucial in the midst of a team rebuild. In particular, the graduation of several key team members, such as Ainsley McMurray, left significant gaps in the roster to be filled.
Mollin’s continued and consistent dominance in the pool and significant contribution to the team put her just above the other candidates for The Varsity’s women’s athlete of the year. It’s hard to argue with the haul of silverware. It has been an incredible season from Mollin, who continues in the line of Varsity Blues swimming excellence.
Honourable mentions
It was difficult to single out just one athlete. Honourable mentions for the men’s Athlete of the Year must also go to Rassam Yazdi in tennis, Owen Taylor in baseball, and Hugo Li in figure skating. Yazdi added to an already overflowing trophy cabinet by securing an OUA gold medal and his fourth career all-star honours in addition to a national bronze. Taylor secured back-to-back OUA MVP awards while leading the baseball team to a second straight banner. As captain of the figure skating team, Li led the Blues to a provincial silver medal while grabbing two golds, a silver, and a bronze in his category events.
Among the women’s Varsity Blues athletes, we saw strong performances this year from the deadly goalkeeper duo of field hockey’s Deepi Gill and hockey’s Lyla McKinnon, and soccer captain Hannah Chown. Leading the team as captain, Gill had a phenomenal season, grabbing OUA Goalkeeper of the Year alongside a prestigious U SPORTS All-Canadian nomination.
Despite being a rookie, McKinnon led all goalies in the playoffs with a sensational .953 save percentage and grabbed Finals MVP. Chown continued to be the heart and soul of her team, rounding out her accolades by earning her fourth straight OUA All-Star nomination with a place on the First Team All-Stars.
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