Mateo Brazinha and Lauren Attieh earned athlete of the year honours as the University of the Fraser Valley Athletics and Campus recreation department held its annual awards banquet on Wednesday evening.
The Cascades' awards celebrate excellence on display during the 2024-25 season.
Brazinha (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. Brazinha previously earned Canada West men's soccer player of the year honours while leading his team to a conference final four finish. Meanwhile, Attieh was named a CW First Team All Star and led her team to finish the regular season as the top Canada West team for the first time.
Other winners included Emerson Toop (women's soccer) and
Dante Colebourne (men's soccer), who took home the rookie of the year awards. Maya Drisner was selected as this year's recipient of the Jen Simpson Memorial Leadership Award, while
Nikki Cabuco and Easton Sarich were named co-winners of the Cascades Community Athlete of the Year award.
Further details on the Cascades' major award winners, along with a listing of team MVPs, are as follows.
FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Finalists:
Lauren Attieh (WVB), Kiana Langston (WSOC), Morgan Best (WGOLF), Julia Tuchscherer (WBB)
Attieh was a huge part of her team's strong season, as she started every match. She averaged 3.41 kills per set and 4 points per set in the regular season, and 3.6 kills and 4.35 points per set in the playoffs. A leader on and off the court, Lauren finished the season fifth in conference kills, fourth in total points and seventh in aces, as women's volleyball topped the regular season standings
MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Finalists:
Mateo Brazinha (MSOC), Dario Lopez (MBB), Jonas Van Huizen (MVB)
Mateo Brazinha had a record-breaking year setting a new program high of 17 points. He also led the conference with 8 goals, and led USPORTS with 9 assists. He became the first men's soccer player to lead CW in goals and assists since 2012, while also helping his team reach the conference final-four.
FEMALE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Finalists:
Emerson Toop (WSOC), Miah Schuurman (WBB), Keira Scharfenberg (WVB)
Emerson Toop made an immediate impact starting every game for women's soccer. Emerson scored the team's first goal of the season in a 2-0 win over Mount Royal and was the lone scorer in games against Victoria and UBC as she finished the season with 3 goals and one assist. Emerson earned Canada West rookie team honors, and quickly established herself as a player to watch in Canada West women's soccer.
MALE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Finalists:
Dante Colebourne (MSOC), Dilveer Randhawa (MBB), Hudson Brandsma (MVB)
Dante Colebourne earned CW All-Rookie status after quickly becoming a regular in the Cascades midfield. He showed his ability to step up in clutch moments as his early goal against Saskatchewan proved to be the game winner. Colebourne's versatile play in the midfield saw him play almost 1000 minutes in his rookie season, appearing in 17 games and starting 11, while scoring one goal and three assists for the Cascades this season.
JEN SIMPSON MEMORIAL LEADERSHIP AWARD
Maya Drisner 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.
Drisner has constantly gone above and beyond in both training, boathouse responsibilities, team management, volunteer work, and all with an incredible can-do attitude. They are not only the most improved athlete but one of the top competitors on the team. They attended Canadian University Rowing Championships in the women's double for Fall of 2024 with an excellent result.
Community Athlete of the Year
Easton Sarich and Nikki Cabuco are co-winners of the Community Athlete of the Year award. Both Cabuco and Sarich have made large impacts on their UFV community and beyond. The two of them each served as co-presidents of the UFV Student Athlete Advisory Committee this season, helping to foster community on campus. They also worked to connect with their community by supporting giving day, toy drive, and food drive initiatives. Additionally, Sarich has worked to engage youth volleyball players through his coaching with multiple age groups, while Cabuco has continued her extensive work in the community with a focus on marginalized groups.
Cascades Crew Award
Colby Stobbe (Broadcast)
Student Therapist of the Year
Coyaca Li and
Sahil Dhaliwal
TEAM MVPs
Cascades team MVPs for 2024-25 were also announced as part of awards night.
Men's basketball:
MVP - Dario Lopez
Defensive player of the year – Uyi Ologhola
Women's basketball:
MVP - Julia Tuchscherer
Offensive player of the year – Maddy Gobeil
Men's soccer:
MVP -
Mateo Brazinha
Defensive player of the year –
Jackson Cowx
Women's soccer:
MVP - Kiana Langston
Defensive player of the year – Kenzie Fitzgerald
Men's volleyball:
MVP -
Jonas Van Huizen
Defensive player of the year – Tyson Ardell
Women's volleyball:
MVP -
Lauren Attieh
Defensive player of the year –
Emily Matsui
Men's golf:
MVP - Eli Greene
Women's golf:
MVP - Morgan Best
Rowing:
MVP - Peter Inden
