WINDSOR, Ont. - The all-star basketball duo of Jessica Clemençon and Miah-Marie Langlois and multiple record holder Jordan Brescacin headlined the Windsor Lancers' annual Evening of Excellence on Wednesday evening, taking home the Banner and Olympic Shields respectively at the St. Clair Centre for the Arts.
Langlois, who was named the CIS defensive player of year for the second consecutive season, earned her second-straight Banner Shield. The hometown native led the CIS with a 2.7 assist to turnover ratio, was second in the nation with 6.3 assists per game, and third in total steals with 67.
She shares the Banner Shield with teammate and all-Canadian Clemençon, who also garnered Windsor's female athlete of the year honours in 2011. Clemençon was second in the OUA and eighth in CIS scoring with an average of 19.6 points per game, and garnered a 56.7% field-goal percentage, ranking her amongst the nation's best shooters.
The golden pair led the Lancers women's basketball team to a perfect season and its third-straight national championship this past year. The Lancers went 21-0 in regular season play and 6-0 in the playoffs to earn the Bronze Baby Trophy.
Brescacin earned the first Olympic Shield in his final year of eligibility, as the wide receiver re-wrote the OUA record books. The first-team all-Canadian tallied 68 catches this season and finished his career with 192 career catches, both of which are conference records. He also became the all-time Lancers record holder in single-season receiving yards (979) and touchdown receptions (27).
The DeMarco Awards, presented annually to the top female and male students that best combine academic achievement with athletic prowess, went to OUA Individual Golf Champion Meaghan Pototschnik and men's soccer co-captain Massimo Megna.
The Captain's Trophy, awarded to a male and female captain who demonstrate outstanding leadership both on and off the field while also making a significant contribution to the overall success of their team, went to hockey players Alyssa Baldin and Brett Vandehogan in its inaugural year.
The Windsor Lancer Gino Fracas Coach of the Year Award was presented to Lancers women's basketball coach Chantal Vallée.
Vallée became the first coach in OUA women's basketball history to guide her team to a perfect record since the conference moved to a 22-game schedule. Her squad won 14 of their 21 matches by 20 points or more and defeated opponents by an average of 25 points. Windsor, which led the country both in points scored per game (76.8) and points allowed per game (52.2), did not let up in the post-season, re-taking the conference banner and earning a third consecutive national championship.
The female rookie of the year award went to women's volleyball athlete Shannon Dean, who ranked second amongst OUA first-years with 149 kills. The male rookie honours were awarded to men's soccer player Cristian Mayorga who notched five goals for his team last fall.
The Super Sophomore awards were presented to women's soccer standout Alyshia Phillips, and to OUA men's hockey all-star Spencer Pommells, who ranked sixth in the nation with 38 points.
“A” Awards, marking major contributions to Lancer Athletics, went to the men's and women's hockey team's support staff, including Jim Snively, Remo Mastrodicasa, John Hunter and Debi Curran, and also to Vince and Pat Bassman.
