Woodland And Adeniyi Named Top REDS
(FREDERICTON, NB) Kendra Woodland and Keji Adeniyi walked away with the biggest prizes from Tuesday’s 2022-2023 REDS Awards.
Woodland, who backstopped the REDS’ women’s hockey team to a second straight Atlantic University Sport championship as conference MVP and the nation’s most outstanding player, was named winner of the Colin B. MacKay Shield as the female athlete of the year, while Adeniyi, the AUS MVP in men’s soccer, earned the James Downey Shield, awarded to UNB’s male athlete of the year.
The REDS Awards were handed out in a ceremony at UNB’s Richard J. Currie Center attended by more than 400 people.
Samuel Richard, named AUS and U SPORTS Rookie of the Year in men’s hockey, was named UNB’s top male rookie, while Heather Benko, of the women’s volleyball team, and cross-country runner Sierra Rodrigues were named co-winners of the women’s Rookie of the Year award.
Scott Mann, winner of the community service award in RSEQ men’s volleyball, was recognized as UNB’s top all-round student-athlete, earning the prestigious Garnet Copeland Award.
Barry Morrison, named AUS Coach of the Year in men’s soccer, was named winner of the REDS Dean’s Award for Coach of the Year.
Long-time women’s volleyball assistant coach Kim Colpitts was recognized as winner of the James Born Award for distinguished service, and women’s hockey standout Ashley Stratton was named winner of the Brunswickan Award, given to a graduating student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade point average.
Lauren Kelly, of the women’s soccer team, and Austin Ross, from the men’s volleyball team, were named winners of the Director’s Unsung Hero Awards.
Payton Hargreaves, of the women’s hockey team, was announced as UNB’s recipient of Atlantic University Sport’s James Bayer Memorial Scholarship Award.
Each team presented awards as well, naming Rookies of the Year, MVPs and winners of the Red & Black Award for dedication to team.
The team awards winners were:
Women’s Basketball
ROOKIE N/A
MVP Jayda Veinot
RED & BLACK Marley Curwin and Kylee Speedy
Men’s Basketball
ROOKIE Marcus Barnes
MVP Norm Burry
RED & BLACK Rees Hasson
Women’s Cross Country
ROOKIE Georgia Bernhard
MVP Sierra Rodrigues
RED & BLACK Ivy Bialowas
Men’s Cross Country
ROOKIE N/A
MVP Jared Howse
RED & BLACK Ben Perrett and William Boyle
Women’s Curling
ROOKIE N/A
MVP Veronique Carroll
RED & BLACK Jenna Campbell
Men’s Curling
ROOKIE Sean Beland
MVP Jamie Stewart
RED & BLACK Loris Elliot
Women’s Hockey
ROOKIE Mackenzie Keenan
MVP Kendra Woodland
RED & BLACK Paige Grenier
Men’s Hockey
ROOKIE Samuel Richard
MVP Samuel Richard
RED & BLACK Jason Willms
Women’s Soccer
ROOKIE Danielle Irrinki
MVP Carolina Grzesniak
RED & BLACK Julia Dalley
Men’s Soccer
ROOKIE Alex Opera
MVP Keji Adeniyi
RED & BLACK Olivier Menard
Women’s Swimming
ROOKIE Hannah MacLeod
MVP Jennifer Moore
RED & BLACK Hannah Casey
Men’s Swimming
ROOKIE Ethan Nestoruk
MVP Blake Kingston
RED & BLACK Matthew Croft
Women’s Track & Field
ROOKIE Sierra Rodrigues
MVP Lexi Shannon
RED & BLACK Peighton Johnson
Men’s Track & Field
ROOKIE Hayden McKinnon
MVP Mitchell Kean
RED & BLACK Oliver Arnfast
Women’s Volleyball
ROOKIE Heather Benko
MVP Heather Benko
RED & BLACK Paige Lehto
Men’s Volleyball
ROOKIE Emil Pederson
MVP Rafael Hilario
RED & BLACK Austin Ross
Women’s Wrestling
ROOKIE Vivian Kutnowski
MVP Tania Blanchard
RED & BLACK N/A
Men’s Wrestling
ROOKIE Koen Poirier
MVP Drew Coldwell
RED & BLACK Brian Anderson
STORY BY: Andy Campbell/UNB Athletics
PHOTOS BY: Cameron Fitch/UNB Media Services