VICTORIA – The University of Victoria Vikes presented their major awards and honoured three inductees into the prestigious UVic Sports Hall of Fame on Tuesday night, at the Victoria Conference Centre.
 
HOF INDUCTEES  /  PREVIOUS WINNERS
 
Top honours of the night went to fifth-year track captain Kyle Irvine, who was awarded the President's Cup. Track star Rachel Francois was named Female Athlete of the Year while fifth-year basketball All-Canadian Terrell Evans earned Male Athlete of the Year Honours. It was the second nomination in the Athlete of the Year categories for both Francois and Evans.
 
Among those recognized Tuesday evening were former coaches Jan Crook, Dr. David Docherty and Dr. Bruce Howe. Crook, a pioneer for women's field hockey as both a student-athlete and a coach, was the first UVic field hockey player to advance to the international level. Her many accomplishments include winning the Robert T. Wallace Shield as Rookie of the Year as well as the President's Trophy in 1978. The Vikes also welcomed the duo of Docherty and Howe in the builders category of the Hall of Fame. Together, Docherty and Howe led the Vikes men's rugby program from 1978-91, capturing three Barnard Cups as the island's top rugby club. Both coaches went on to coach at various levels internationally and continue to support rugby in the greater Victoria region.
 
PRESIDENT'S CUP
The President's Cup is given annually to the outstanding student-athlete in fourth or fifth year who best combines scholastic achievement and athletic ability. 
 
Kyle Irvine, Men's cross country and track
Kyle Irvine was the CIS and Canada West 2013 community service student-athlete of the year. The native of Smithers, British Columbia, was also a first-team conference all-star and won bronze in the men's 3000-metre final at the 2014 Canada West track championship. He also earned an eighth-place finish at the 2014 CIS championship in the men's 1500-metre distance, finishing his career with personal bests in the 800-metre mile, and 1500-metre and 3000-metre distances.
On top of his athletic feats, Irvine has been a CIS Academic All-Canadian during all five years as a Vike. He was a three-year captain and has been a member of the Vikes Varsity Council for three years. Away from his training and academics Irvine finds time to give back. He volunteers with multiple organizations, including visiting Callum, a young boy who has Petow syndrome, every week at Queen Alexandra Children's Hospital near the UVic campus.
           
In the Fall of 2013, Irvine was named Island Hero of the Week by CTV in a feature that highlighted his multiple volunteering commitments with the Vancouver Island Health Authority, Times Colonist Raise-A-Reader program, Week of Welcome, and high school coaching, along with organizing and supervising weekly track camps for youth last spring. Irvine arrived at UVic in 2008 and found himself as a walk-on for the track and cross country teams, quickly dedicating himself to training and continuing to improve until he was winning medals at championships, being recognized as a conference and CIS all-star.
 
The other finalist for the President's Cup was women's soccer captain Jackie Harrison.
 
ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
The Athlete of the Year awards are presented to one male and one female athlete, based upon outstanding achievements in university competition over the past 12 months.
 
Female – Rachel Francois
Rachel Francois won her third CIS 600-metre championship title with a school record of one minute, 28.4 seconds in 2014, adding gold in the women's 4x800m relay and silver in the women's 4x400m relay at CIS nationals this year, setting a school record in the 4x400. The CIS first-team All-Canadian won silver at the Canada West championship in the 600, and helped the Vikes women's relay teams to conference gold medals in both the 4x400 and 4x800 relays, earning first-team Canada West all-star honours in the process. Coming off a silver-medal performance at the 2013 Canada Summer Games in the 800-metre race, Francois is ranked fifth in the world in the 600-metre distance and Number 1 in Canada.
 
Francois' performances in indoor meets this season were remarkable, according to head coach Brent Fougner, who added that she leads by example and has always put her teammates first. Training six days a week, often twice-a-day, the dedicated Vike is setting her sights on representing Canada at a future Olympic Games and she has the potential to be one of the best middle distance runners in Canadian history.
 
The other finalists for Female Athlete of the Year were soccer player Brigitte Greig and field hockey player Kathleen Leahy.
 
Male – Terrell Evans
Terrell Evans was the inspiration behind the Vikes men's basketball team's run to the Canada West championship and CIS Final 8 national championship, where UVic advanced to the Final 4.
           
He is the first men's basketball First Team All-Canadian in 15 years, last earned by UVic Sports Hall of Famer Eric Hinrichsen. Evans started all but one game, averaging 17.5 Points Per Game through the regular season and playoffs. In conference play, Evans finished fourth in the Canada West with 17.9 points per game and was second with a three-point shooting percentage of 45 per cent. And while the numbers alone are impressive, it's the fearless, courageous effort Evans displayed in his seemingly impossible drives to the net that set him apart. A physical presence who often faced size mismatches in the paint, Evans was the X Factor who took this team on his shoulders and led the Vikes to a very impressive 2013-14 season, earning him accolades from teammates, coaches and the opposition.
 
The other finalists for Male Athlete of the Year were swimmer Keegan Zanatta and cross country and track athlete Thomas Riva.
 
CHANCELLOR'S AWARD
The Chancellor's Award is presented to a student-athlete, who is an outstanding contributor to his or her team, both in and out of the competition venue. They provide leadership and vision exemplifying the goals of the team.
 
Andrew Ravenhill, Men's soccer
Vikes soccer captain Andrew Ravenhill has played every game for the Vikes through his five full years of CIS eligibility. An all-star his final three seasons, he was also named as a second-team CIS All-Canadian. Last year, Ravenhill received a tryout with Major League Soccer's San Jose Earthquake. Head coach Bruce Wilson says Ravenhill has led the Vikes men's soccer squad over the past two seasons and is always first at training and the last to leave. In addition to his varsity career, Ravenhill extended his dedication to the Vikes family as a Vikes Rec employee over the past two seasons and is a tireless fundraiser and volunteer. A leader on and off the field, Ravenhill has provided knowledge and support for Vikes rookies.
 
The other finalists for the Chancellor's Award were rower Anna Braunizer and field hockey's Kathleen Leahy.
 
Robert T. Wall Shield Award
The Robert T. Wallace Shield recognizes the outstanding female and male student-athletes in his or her first year of competition in intercollegiate sports.
 
Female Rookie of the Year – Elise Butler, Women's Soccer
Elise Butler made a significant impact on the Vikes women's soccer team in her freshman campaign. Head coach Tracy David says Elise came to pre-season camp ready to compete, putting up an impressive 13 and a half stage beep-test performance. Butler played in 11  of 12 Canada West regular season games, starting in seven, and only missed one game this season due to injury. The defender assisted on two Vikes goals this season and helped UVic to the 2013 Canada West league title. In three post-season games, Butler was one of just six Vikes who played every minute.
 
The other finalists for Female Rookie of the Year were rower Catherine Slamka and rugby player Tiffany Picketts.
 
Male Rookie of the Year – Jon McKay, Men's Swimming
Vike Jon McKay earned a silver medal in both the CIS and Canada West championships in his freshman campaign, while also advancing to the finals at conference championships in the 400-metre freestyle and 200-metre butterfly. McKay dropped his time an astonishing 15 seconds in his 1500-metre freestyle final to earn silver at nationals. The 2013 Canada Summer Games participant also won the Original Joe's Athlete of the Month award in February ..
 
The other finalists for Male Rookie of the Year were track athlete Tyler Smith and rugby's Crosby Stewart.
 
Provost Award for Excellence
The Provost Award is presented to a returning student-athlete with the highest academic average in the previous year.  This year's recipient was presented the award in November at the Vikes Honour Roll luncheon, when the Vikes celebrated our 66 Academic All-Canadian award recipients.
 
Isaac Davies, Men's rowing
Third-year men's rowing team member Isaac Davies (Smithers, BC) was named the 2012-13 Provost Award winner. Davies boasted an 8.50 GPA throughout the 2012-13 school year and is in the faculty of Education (Kinesiology).
 
 
TIMES COLONIST PUBLISHER'S AWARD FOR COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTIONS
The Times Colonist Publisher's Award for Community Contributors is awarded to those individuals within the community who have made an outstanding volunteer contribution to a varsity program.
 
John Tinker – Men's and Women's soccer
Nominated by UVic women's and men's soccer coaches Tracy David and Bruce Wilson, John Tinker from the Keg was honoured as this year's winner of the Times Colonist Publisher's Community Contributor Award.  John has generously donated so much to the Vikes men's and women's soccer programs.  Every year, for the past 15-plus years, Tinker and The Keg Restaurant have provided steak dinners for the 175 participants of UVic's annual Keg Spring Cup. Over the years, there have been no other individuals or companies that have been so reliable and integral to the varsity soccer programs as Tinker and the Keg, whose support of the Vikes also extends beyond the soccer programs. Last year, Tinker donated $10,000 in gift cards to the annual Vikes cross country tree sales holiday fundraiser.
 
CIRCLE OF CHAMPIONS
Recipients are varsity student-athletes who have competed as a member of a national team or played professionally over the past year. 
 
Field Hockey: Kathleen Leahy, Brendan Bissett, Sam Jones, Arsh Buttar
Rugby: Macbryan Bos, Luke Campbell, Casey Cavers, Guiseppe du Toit, Joe Erlic, Hayden Evans, Fergus Hall, Sawyer Herron, Pat Kay, Liam Murray, Jeff Nishima-Miller, Oliver Nott, Beau Parker, James Pitblado, Casey Reed, Reid Tucker, Shea Wakefield, Kane Wyatt, Nathan Yanagiya, Lucas Balkovec, Dustin Dobrasky, Kehla Guimond
Swimming: Stephanie Horner, Aimeson King
Cross Country: Ryan Cassidy, Thomas Getty
Rowing: William O'Connell, Adam Donaldson, David Nicmans, Jacob Koudys, Alex Walker
 
VARSITY HIGHLIGHT AWARDS
Recognizes the unsung hero on each squad, peer selected for leadership, dedication, community involvement and positive attitude.
 
Basketball: Jenny Lewis, Chris McLaughlin
Soccer: Tanya Jones, Andrew Ravenhill
Rowing: Becky Wilder, Sam Garber
Rugby: Kehla Guimond, Nathan Stewart
Field Hockey: Kathleen Leahy, Derek Wiggins
Swimming: Ian Mattock, Rachael Newman
Cross Country and Track: Kyle Irvine, Jenica Moore
Golf: Brynn Tomie