Gabrielle Attieh and Taylor Richardson took top honours as the University of the Fraser Valley athletic department held its annual awards ceremony on Thursday evening.

The Cascades' awards celebrate excellence on display during the 2022-23 season.

Richardson (men's soccer) and Attieh (women's volleyball) took home the Men's and Women's Athlete of the Year awards after fantastic seasons on the pitch and the court.

Other winners included Carson Muter (men's soccer) and Natalie Lemoine-Sells (women's volleyball), who took home the rookie of the year awards. Rebekah Stokes was selected as this year's recipient of the Jen Simpson Memorial Leadership Award, while Elizabeth Baird was named Cascades Community Athlete of the Year. Additionally, Cascades' student worker Samrit Ghuman earned the Cascades Crew award, recognizing excellence among game-day staff.

Further details on the Cascades' major award winners, along with a listing of team MVPs, are as follows.

FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Finalists: Maddy Gobeil (basketball), Gabrielle Attieh (volleyball), Emery Bardock (golf)
Gabrielle Attieh earned Canada West women's volleyball Player of the Year, and U SPORTS women's volleyball Player of the Year honours while leading the Cascades women's volleyball team to a playoff berth and an 18-6 record in the regular season. She led the nation in kills with 404 and points with 458.5 and became just the fifth women's volleyball player in Canada West to surpass 400 kills in a single season.



MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Finalists: Taylor Richardson (soccer), Dario Lopez (basketball), Nimo Benne (volleyball)
Taylor Richardson proved to be one of the deadliest players in front of goal in Canada West this season, leading the Cascades in goals with nine and total points with 10. The fifth-year striker scored in big moments including a stoppage time tying goal against Alberta and anther against Mount Royal in the playoffs. He also netted three game winners during the season enroute to being named a Canada West First-Team All-Star



FEMALE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Finalists: Bernie Leda (basketball), Natalie Lemoine-Sells (volleyball), Luciana Andrews (soccer)
Natalie Lemoine-Sells made a splash in her first Canada West season, earning a spot in the conference's All-Rookie team. The team's trust in her was obvious throughout the season, as she was often set for the final kill of the set. An instant starter on the right side, Natalie ranked third on the team in kills, points, aces, and blocks, while being fourth on the team in digs. She averaged 2.1 kills per set, 2.27 digs per set, and 22 aces in her rookie season.



MALE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Finalists: Carson Muter (soccer), Nolan Anderson (basketball), Andrew Biggar (golf)
Carson Muter was a rock for the Cascades men's soccer squad. The first-year defender played in all 15 games and logged the second highest minutes played of all players on the team. He also added a goal in the team's victory over Saskatchewan. An invaluable member of a defence that secured 4 shutouts and allowed just 1.6 goals against per game. While playing on the back line all season, he proved to be a sure tackler as he was not booked a single time.



COMMUNITY ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Elizabeth Baird is one of the most active members of the Cascades community. While juggling the pressures of being a student-athlete, Baird has found time to serve on the UFV Student Athlete Advisory Committee. She has also volunteer for numerous non-profits where she has worked with soup kitchens, and halfway houses to help provide support in the Chilliwack community. She has also volunteered through her church and helped in flood relief efforts by collecting debris following the floods in our community last year.



JEN SIMPSON MEMORIAL LEADERSHIP AWARD
Rebekah Stokes is the recipient of the Jen Simpson Memorial Leadership Award, which recognizes leadership in three areas: on an athletic team, in the community, and in academics and involvement at UFV. The award honours the memory of Cascades rower Jen Simpson, who died tragically in a car accident in 2008 at the age of 20. Her parents and friends have established this annual award in her name.

Stokes is a leader on the rowing team helping with regatta organization, setting up scheduled meeting times and more. I can always rely on her if things need to get done. Bekah picked up a 12th place finish in the Women single 1x against 16 other universities this year. She also competed at the Rowing Canada National Rowing championships placing 27th out of 56 athletes. Bekah is currently serving on the board of directors for the Fort Langley Community Rowing Club and has also worked with an organization called HOPE since the start of school at UFV where she is the director of communications and current president. Throughout the month she works with the homeless in Langley helping with groceries and dedicates time volunteering through her church.



CASCADES CREW AWARD
Samrit Ghuman was selected as the recipient of the annual Cascades Crew award, recognizing excellence among student game-day staff. While operating the shot clock, the score clock, a score sheet, or spotting for stats, her ability to go above and beyond in the team culture and exceed the expectations of her role helped her excel and ensure the best experience possible for our athletes, coaches, fans, and those working alongside her.



TEAM MVPs
Cascades team MVPs for 2022-23 were also announced as part of awards night.
 
Men's basketball: Dario Lopez
Women's basketball: Maddy Gobeil
Men's soccer: Taylor Richardson
Women's soccer: Luciana Andrews
Men's golf: Eli Greene
Women's golf: Emery Bardock
Men's volleyball: Nimo Benne
Women's volleyball: Gabrielle Attieh
Rowing: Rebekah Stokes
Baseball: Jack Ray