Scantlebury, Conner earn top Trojan awards
CALGARY, ALTA., (April 17, 2020) – The SAIT Trojans officially put a bow on their COVID-19 shortened 2019/20 season Friday night with their Awards Presentation.
The near 20-minute webcast – constructed after the Trojans cancelled their Annual Awards Gala set for March 28 - saw men's basketball player Charlie Conner and women's hockey player/golfer Tashel Scantlebury named the Trojans Male and Female Athletes of the Year.
"I did not expect that," said Scantlebury in a phone interview. "It was kind of hard to hear at times, because I was on Zoom with my teammates and they were yelling, my name 'Tash! Tash!'. I couldn't hear anything that was being said of me. When the graphic popped up on the screen, I was shocked. It was pretty cool."
Scantlebury (5th year, Foxwarren, Man., Community Economic Development) finished her final year of her post-secondary athletic career with some team and personal hardware. As a member of SAIT's golf team in the fall, she helped her women's side capture the bronze medal and the mixed team a silver medal at the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) Championships in Canmore, Alta.
The bronze led to a trip to the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) National Championships in Quebec where the team battled tough conditions and gained valuable experience.
Following golf season, the veteran laced up her skates and captained her women's hockey team to fourth place in the ACAC standings. Scantlebury put up her best offensive numbers, finishing second in team scoring with 17 points (5 goals, 12 assists) in 23 games to be named a Second Team All-Conference selection.
"I have to give a lot of credit to my teammates on both the golf and hockey teams – they pushed me and got me through some hard times when I needed it," stated Scantlebury. "It was fun. I took it day by day and I knew I was a busy girl, but that's how I like to be. . . It was my last year, so I just had fun with it."
Scantlebury becomes the first women's golfer to earn Female Athlete of the Year honours since AJ Pearson did so back in 1991, and the first women's hockey player since Cora Sutton in 2017.
For the almost humble-to-a-fault Conner, hearing his name called at the end of the webcast was just as much of a surprise.
"That's crazy, for real," he said with a laugh. "I wasn't even thinking about that, but I really appreciate it."
He nearly missed the moment, as he was busy playing Call of Duty with his housemates when someone reminded him the webcast was on. They turned off the game, and 20 minutes later, he was named Male Athlete of the Year.
"I just want to thank everybody going back to my first season three years ago," said Conner. "Really, without the support of my teammates over the years, my coaches and even the people at SAIT, I wouldn't be here right now."
Conner (3rd year, Lacey, Wash., Business Administration) quietly went about his business again this season, putting up terrific all-around numbers as his Trojans finished second in the ACAC South Division. During the regular season, the guard averaged 17 points, 8.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game.
In the playoffs is when he exploded, averaging 29.3 points per game as he led his team to their fourth-straight ACAC title – 36 in their decisive 91-69 championship final victory over the Ambrose University Lions.
Along with the First Team All-Conference selection he earned, Conner also took home the ACAC Men's Basketball Championship Tournament MVP award.
Conner ends a 14-year Male Athlete of the Year drought for men's basketball players, becoming the first since Jamie McLeod in 2006.
In a lighter moment, Conner even expressed gratitude to former Trojans cross-country and indoor track runner Matthew Travaglini, who won the award the past two seasons.
"I have to thank Matt for not being here anymore," Conner joked about Travaglini, who this season ran for the University of Calgary Dinos. "I saw his name up there every year. . . This man was winning everything. I swear he could have come played basketball and won an award the way he was going."
Other award winners included:
SAIT Trojans Medal of Excellence
Skye Gordon, soccer
Colton McCarthy, hockey
Al Buttle Red and White Award
Emma Wheeldon, women's hockey/soccer
Kevin Massy, men's hockey
Ken Tidsbury Leadership Award
Jacques Saayman, men's cross-country running
Skye Gordon, women's soccer
Rookie of the Year
Andrew Manson, men's curling
Jade Metz, women's soccer
Trojan Pillar Award
Jordyn Shewchuk, women's volleyball
Eduardo Filho, men's soccer
Vereburn Supplies Student Athletic Therapist of the Year
Clinic – Lauren Therriault, men's hockey
Field – Kevin McLarty, men's volleyball
Peak Power Training Award
Aki Fujimori, women's soccer/hockey
Jared Power, men's hockey
Minor Official of the Year
Madison Nesom
Courage Determination Spirit Award
Davina McLeod, women's hockey
Emmanuel Ngegba, men's soccer