Senior Tommies Taylor Cook, of women's hockey, and Jonah Burridge, of men's volleyball and golf, were recognized for their commitment to the Green and Gold and their representation of the athletic ideal at the St. Thomas University Athletics Banquet.
Cook, a fourth-year netminder from Brantford, ON, was the recipient of the Cathy Wadden Commitment Award. The veteran Tommie made a considerable impact in the classroom and the community this year as a USPORTS Academic All-Canadian and Vice-President of the STU Student Athlete Council (STUSAC). In her position with STUSAC, she organized multiple activities, including a food drive that collected 2,000 items for the STU Food Bank and the Fredericton Food Bank at Greener Village.
Cook was also involved in collecting hygiene products for incarcerated women and youth in the province, participated in the President's Gala Auction, and worked with local athletes in high schools as well as the Brendon Oreto Hockey School.
"It's very humbling," Cook said after receiving the award. "It was a lot of hard work to put into the community and into the hockey team as well, but it was really rewarding—especially the food drive as it was a student-led initiative."
Burridge, a fifth-year student athlete from Fort St. John, BC, was recognized with the John Frederick Walls Memorial Award. A member of the men's volleyball and golf teams, the double Tommie earned the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association's National Scholar award for 2016-2017 and is on pace to earn the distinction again this season while juggling the demands of the Education program.
His dedication to the Tommies was evident on the court this season—after spending four years as libero Burridge was moved to setter where he led a young STU volleyball squad to an ACAA title.
"I'm very appreciative of this award—it surprised me, but it's awesome," he said.
"It's been an awesome five years. It's going to be bittersweet moving on, but I'm looking forward to starting my teaching career. I recently signed a contract for a job next year back in British Columbia, so I'm looking forward to that."
Women's Soccer Earns LeRoy Washburn Community Service Award
The ACAA champion women's soccer team was also rewarded for their work in the community as the 2018 recipients of the LeRoy Washburn Community Service award. The STU squad has given back to local youth teams, has volunteered in campus Think Pink and Bell Let's Talk initiatives, as well as the Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival.