Introducing the finalists for Griffins' 2019-20 Team of the Year
MacEwan Athletics
In a new world of social distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are announcing all 2019-20 Griffins award winners online over the next few days. Here is our schedule:
Wednesday: Most Improved winners for each team (Find the story here)
Thursday: Most Outstanding winners for each team (Find the story here)
Today: Team of the Year
Saturday: Academic Team of the Year
Monday, March 30: Female Rookie of the Year
Tuesday, March 31: Male Rookie of the Year
Wednesday, April 1: Female Athlete of the Year
Thursday, April 2: Male Athlete of the Year
Our Team of the Year award honours the Griffins squad which best excels in the three pillars of a MacEwan student-athlete: athletics, academics and community service. Below are our three finalists (in alphabetical order) for the 2019-20 award. The winner will be revealed at 4:30 p.m. today.
Women's hockey
Championship: Leading NAIT Ooks 2-0 in ACAC Championship (best-of-five series) at time of cancellation of play by the ACAC.
Awards: ACAC player of the year (Chantal Ricker), ACAC first team all-stars (Ricker, Shyla Jans, Morgan Casson, Jaime Erickson, Brianna Sank), ACAC second team all-star and Academic All-Canadian (Carley Jewell).
Standings: 21-3-0-0 regular season; 4-0 playoffs
Records set: Tied ACAC women's hockey record for most wins in a season; broke MacEwan record … Set new ACAC and MacEwan record for most consecutive regular season wins (14) and most consecutive wins (18).
Academic: 3.17 team GPA in fall semester
Synopsis: At time of cancellation of play due to COVID-19, the MacEwan Griffins were one win away from making history as the first ACAC women's hockey team to win four championships in a row.
Up 2-0 in a best-of-five series against NAIT, they need just one more win to have titles in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 before they move into the Canada West conference in 2020-21.
It was already a special season for the Griffins, who tied the ACAC single-season record with 21 wins, matching the 2010-11 Mount Royal University Cougars. Technically, the Griffins have a right to call themselves the most dominant women's hockey team the ACAC has ever seen, though, as they had more regulation wins than the Cougars did (20 to 17).
The team stats back that up, too, as the Griffins topped the ACAC in goals (80), goals against (34), PP% (17.9) and PK% (89.6).
They cleaned up at the awards table with the ACAC player of the year (Chantal Ricker), five ACAC first team all-stars (Ricker, Shyla Jans, Morgan Casson, Jaime Erickson, Brianna Sank), and an ACAC second team all-star and Academic All-Canadian (Carley Jewell).
In the community, the Griffins were involved with Read-In Week, Grow Girls Hockey, EGHA Atom Jr Griff Mentorship, Salvation Army Kettle Bell Campaign, Boyle Street Hot Lunch Service, GO Fast-Girls Run program in inner city school, SAMU stress less booth, Little Oilers Equipment fitting day, mental health week promo booth and Hockey Heroes Saturday skates throughout the season.
Women's soccer
Awards: U SPORTS first team all-star (Jamie Erickson), U SPORTS second team all-star (Emily Burns), U SPORTS All-Rookie team (Sofia DiGiacomo), Canada West first team all-stars (Erickson, Burns, Suekiana Choucair), Canada West second team all-stars (Kristyn Smart, Meagan Lemoine), Canada West All-Rookie team and runner-up for rookie of the year (Sofia DiGiacomo).
Standings: 9-2-3 regular season (1st in Prairie Division); 1-2 playoffs (finished fourth)
Records set: First MacEwan team to reach 30 points in Canada West play.
Academic: 3.123 team GPA in fall semester
Synopsis: It was a landmark season for the Griffins women's soccer team as they recorded the best record in program history (9-2-3) and earned the right to host a Canada West Final Four for the first time.
They defeated Victoria in the quarter-finals before falling to Calgary in the semifinals and Trinity Western in the bronze medal match.
The Griffins, who topped the Prairie Division, were also ranked in the U SPORTS top 10.
MacEwan led Canada West in shots (315), shots per game (22.5) and corner kicks (94), while finishing second in goals for (35), goals for/game (2.50), assists (31), points (101), goals against (8), goals against average (0.57) and shutouts (7).
No other Griffins team has had as much individual recognition at the awards table as the MacEwan women's soccer team did. Jamie Erickson became the first Griffins student-athlete to earn a spot on the U SPORTS first team all-stars, while Emily Burns became the first to land on the U SPORTS second team.
Erickson was the top-ranked defensive player in Canada West, while Burns was the top goalkeeper.
Additionally, the Griffins women's soccer team posted its biggest win in program history (7-1 over Mount Royal), while rookie Sunder West broke program record for most points in a game with four and Salma Kamel tied it while breaking the mark for most goals in a game with four.
In the community, the Griffins logged 285 volunteer hours with tsunami water polo club, Basically Babies, Cross Cancer Institute, CASA House, St. Dominic School, Edmonton Food Bank, Pine Street elementary school, Santa's Anonymous, mental health awareness and coaching with Coastal FC soccer team and Scottish United Soccer Club.
Women's volleyball
Awards: U SPORTS coach of the year (Ken Briggs), Canada West coach of the year (Ken Briggs), Canada West first team all-star (Haley Gilfillan).
Standings: 17-7 regular season (4th in Canada West); 0-2 playoffs (lost in quarter-finals)
Records set: Best Canada West record in program history.
Academic: 3.49 team GPA in fall semester
Synopsis: With the best regular season in the program's Canada West history – finishing 17-7 – the MacEwan Griffins not only made the CW playoffs for the first time, they earned the right to host a CW playoff weekend for the first time since joining the conference in 2014-15.
They finished the season ranked eighth in U SPORTS before falling to Thompson Rivers University in the opening round of the playoffs.
Their special campaign was recognized at the awards table as head coach Ken Briggs not only became the first MacEwan bench boss to win a Canada West coach of the year award, he also broke ground by becoming the first to win a U SPORTS coach of the year honour, too.
Additionally, Haley Gilfillan became the first in program history to make the Canada West first all-star team.
Those accolades followed Kylie Schubert being named MacEwan's first U SPORTS athlete of the week and Rachel Jorvina shattering the Canada West record for most digs in a match.
In the community, the Griffins women's volleyball team helped out through a coats and winter apparel collection initiative, educational reading program at McKernan elementary, NAVC annual position clinic and camps, the annual Big Kahuna high school volleyball showcase and an Enoch Cree Nation visit for an intra-squad game and talk with students.
