Lancers win local sports plaudits

Lancers took home more than half the hardware April 19, earning 12 of 23 Windsor-Essex County Sports Person of the Year (WESPY) Awards recognizing local athletes for their contributions to sports. The awards were based on accomplishments during the 2011 calendar year.

Jessica Clemençon brought home the evening’s top award as the female athlete of the year after a tremendous 2010/11 season in which she was named Canadian Interuniversity Sport female athlete of the year and helped lead Lancer women’s basketball to its first CIS championship.

She was also named the evening’s female basketball player of the year; alumnus Isaac Kuon was named the male basketball player of the year.

With that first-ever national title, the Lancer women were honoured as team of the year, head coach Chantal Vallée was named coach of the year, and captain Emily Abbott received the Mickey Renaud Leadership Award.

For the second straight year, Lancer quarterback Austin Kennedy was recognized as the football player of the year and Bojana Kovacevic was named female soccer player of the year for her play with the Caboto Strikers club.

Rookie Mike Pio was named the male soccer athlete of the year based on his performances over the 2011 calendar year with the Lancers, Windsor Hellenic, and Holy Names high school teams.

After becoming the first Lancer ever named Ontario University Athletics men’s volleyball player of the year, Kyle Williamson took home the WESPY as the male volleyball player of the year.

Noelle Montcalm was named the female track & field athlete of the year after captaining the Lancers to their second straight CIS championship title and a record 151.50 points.

University of Windsor athletics director Gord Grace received the inaugural executive of the year award. The Lancers have won five national championships over the past two years.

Read the full story, “Lancers capture twelve awards at 7th annual WESPY Awards,” at goLancers.ca.